Statistically, Colorado is the least obese state in the union, and Boulder, Colorado is the least obese city. It may be the most physically active place in America, with the fittest people. What, you may ask, were Nancy and I doing there, other than messing up their statistics?
Always looking to save a buck, I had located on the internet an Elks Lodge (I am a proud Elk!) which one web site said had services for RV's, on the outskirts of Boulder. When we pulled into the parking lot, we saw hundreds of Hispanic young people all dressed up - not the usual Elks demographic. A bit of searching led us to an area in back where there were electrical and water hookups, and no other campers. After setting our motorhome up, I went looking for an Elk official, to make our visit legal, but there were none around; they had rented the facility that evening for a huge Quinceanera party.
We remembered a great downtown pedestrian mall - Pearl Street - from a previous visit. It's a big, wide, tree-lined boulevard of several blocks, with interesting restaurants and shops on both sides, and room in the center for a variety of street performers. We spent at least a half hour watching a guy doing comedy, juggling, and unicycle riding, impressed by his ability to draw a crowd and extract money from it.
What I'll always remember in the future about Boulder is the incredible number of bicyclists, all of them young and slim and dressed for the Tour de France. Colorado in general has unbelievably extensive bike paths, and Boulder is an extreme case. Nancy asked someone where they keep their old, fat people, and the answer was that backsliders feel uncomfortable and move out.
An artist friend of Nancy's had recommended the Leanin' Tree Museum - the best collection of Western art - cowboys and Indians and landscapes - I've ever seen. There were many magnificent large sculptures outside, and wonderful paintings inside. Don't miss this museum if you ever go to Boulder.
I also visited the National Center for Atmospheric Research, just outside Boulder, set against dramatic stone hills. The impressive facility was designed by famous architect I.M. Pei, who camped out in the area before deciding how best to integrate it into its environment. Inside were exhibits describing the current status of climate research. In the basement was a room full of supercomputers working on computer simulations attempting to predict future climate changes.
On our last morning in Boulder I assigned Nancy a mission: to find, in this temple of health and fitness, a doughnut for my breakfast. She drove around for at least an hour, asking people where she might find a Winchell's, a Krispy Kreme, a Dunkin' Donuts. No luck. Finally, she spotted a chocolate glazed for me in a Safeways Grocery Store.
Pretty good doughnut.
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