Myrtle Beach Meetup

I am fortunate enough to still have some of the same friends that I made in high school in my life. I owe the meeting of these friends in part to my sister who is 15 months younger than me. While I had friends in my age group, my sister and I tended to share friends due to the proximity in age and the fact we had to share a car (thanks mom and dad!). Two of the friends I have managed to keep in contact with also happen to be sisters themselves...and twins at that. When my sister and one of these sister's lived in DC together I went to visit and thus a new tradition of girl vacations was born. They came to visit me in Denver, we visited Michelle in Atlanta, and then we spent my bachelorette party in San Diego where my sister has since moved. While the three of them all got together in Jamaica for Michelle's wedding in April, I was unable to go and so since we hadn't seen each other in awhile we decided to plan another trip. My fabulous sister and Lisa did most of the planning which I thank them for and so all I had to do was show up in Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago for the getaway.

While my sister and I get along we do have an "expiration date" so to speak and so I limited my time there to 4 days while they were all staying a full week. Of course, I also had my yoga classes to teach which also hindered my time there. I had never been to Myrtle Beach before so I was excited for the vacation and since we were going after Labor Day I knew I'd have an easy time flying stand-by there. I ended up taking Delta through Atlanta and arrived about 3pm where the girls picked me up. There is about a flight every hour out of Atlanta which makes this a convenient route for those traveling from the west.

Rachel had rented us a condo for the stay so we each had our own bedroom and there was a nice size kitchen which saved us on the cost of food. Since Michelle's husband had to leave the day after I got there we decided to go out to dinner Monday night and went to a place called Bimini's
It's an oyster bar and I must say the prices are good and the raw oysters cheap. If you don't like big raw oysters this place is for you because they are on the small side. The hush puppies were terrible but my sister and I split the steamed crab legs pot which was more than enough for two people. They also had Landshark on draft which was a big bonus in my book.

Myrtle Beach itself is pretty hokey with your standard gift shops and giant seafood buffets but we were staying in North Myrtle beach which was pretty quiet (of course it is the off season now)
Our place was only a couple minute walk to the beach which is where I opted to spend most of my time. The girls went outlet shopping one day and Lisa's fiance played golf but I spent the day drinking beer and soaking up the sun.

Although the sand isn't quite as white as gulf shores beach in Alabama I had to keep reminding myself that wasn't where I was at because they are so similar. I really enjoyed swimming in the ocean which had some nice size waves for boogie boarding and no seaweed or jelly fish. I was concerned it might be a little cooler what with it being September and all, but the days were sunny and hot and hardly a cloud in the sky. No hurricanes in sight!

We spent our evenings playing charades, putting together puzzles, drinking wine, taking turns cooking dinner, and oh did I mention drinking wine?!

(we jumped a lot too)
Of course the days went by too fast and before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye and head home. The airport is fortunately a straight shot and only about 20 minutes away from where we stayed so it was a breeze beginning my journey back home. My time came to an end too soon with my friends and sister but I was grateful that even with our busy lives we could all find time to get together and enjoy each other's company and the beach! Hopefully we will reunite sooner than Lisa's wedding which is set for next June...which then means we'll all officially NOT be single ladies wow!

Until next time ladies...

Closing out Summer

The days may be getting shorter and the nights a little cooler but that doesn't mean we are done with summer just yet. While we didn't make it up Long's peak due to Chad injuring his leg in hockey, we have managed to have some fun in and around Denver these last few warm weeks of the year. So here is just a peek at how we've been spending our weekends since the Warrior Dash in August:

Deadmau5 at Red Rocks - definitely one of the best show's I've seen in a long time at the best venue in the state. The only bummer was that DJ's tend to attract 14 year old raver kids wearing little more than neon underwear but that didn't stop us from having a fabulous time.




My friend Margaret has thrown not one but two shindigs at her house this year and both have been nothing but good food and amazing people. The first was to celebrate the end of the summer teacher training and the second was for Labor Day. I have really enjoyed getting to know the people I work with and out with at my gym and it's made my days here in Colorado so much better:




Taste of Colorado was also Labor Day weekend and Chad and I went with our best friends Lyndee and Mark. I had really wanted to go hiking but Chad was on call and since I had no one to go with I decided to stay in town and enjoy the free event. We ended up going out after the festival and we bar hopped all over Denver. Sometimes you just need a night with no plans like that:







(owling on a dumpster)

This past Friday was my gym's grand re-opening party. They closed for two weeks to clean and organize and paint murals on the walls inside and out. We ended up hanging out at my friend Sherry's loft which her and her husband had rented for the summer and happened to be right next door to the gym. We could look down on the action in the parking lot but talk in a more intimate setting:




(more owling)


(our gym produces results)



Yesterday was the Tour de Fat here in Denver which is an annual event celebrating biking, beer and being a freak. Everyone dresses up in costume and listens to bands and enjoys the great outdoors:



(chad as the beer ranger and me as the beer fairy)




Today was Yoga rocks the park and Lyndee and I had bought our tickets back in May to attend. The teacher was amazing and they had a live dj plus plenty of freebies from gluten free ice cream to luna bars. Although it started at 10am, the temperature rose quickly and we were sweating before we knew it. The total yoga time was 1.5 hours and we did some poses I had never even practiced myself. I love yoga and so add in an outdoor venue with your closest friends and you know it's a recipe for a great Sunday morning:












Namaste friends and cheers to the end of one season and the beginning of something new~

Missour Mtn hiking and Warrior Dash Conquering

Even though the Magee's haven't been doing so much flying around the country we have been making our rounds around the state. The weekend after our rafting and Crested Butte trip was spent celebrating a marriage, a soon to be born baby and the next wave of Qi teacher training graduates as well as Chad's birthday all over again at Red Rocks. I believe we literally saw almost everyone we knew in one weekend spent here in Denver.

While it felt nice to be home I was anxious to hit the hiking trail again so my friend Stephanie and I packed it up and headed for Missouri Mtn. last wednesday. She is a flight attendant with me and we just happened to be flying a trip together so it was easy enough to plan our hiking excursion. We drove up to the Missouri Gulch Trailhead that wednesday night and spent the night on one of the many pull-offs to the side of the road. There's no actual camping at the trailhead but seeing as I had driven up this road for both La Plata and Huron, I knew what to expect.

I chose the Northwest Ridge standard route which is about 10.5 miles with 4,500 elevation gain and a Class 2. We started at 6am and didn't see anyone on the trail at all for the first hour which almost led me to believe we were on the wrong trail. When you are at the Trailhead the sign says, "Belford and Oxford" which confused me because there was no mention of Missouri on the map. Indeed most people you will encounter on this route will probably be hiking Belford and Oxford. After breaking treeline you come out into the Missouri Gulch Valley and then the trail splits at a sign near 11,600 feet marking Belford to the left and Elkshead pass to the right. Stay to the right here until you encounter another sign near 12,600 that says Elkshead pass to the left and Missouri Mtn to the right.


After the second sign the trail starts a series of switch backs over large rocks but the path is so well marked it's like climbing stairs. This part is a lot easier going up than coming down because there is some loose dirt and rock in areas. Once you reach the saddle you are afforded some amazing views of Huron and the 3 apostles and it was so clear I could see the Maroon Bells in the distance. We stopped and had lunch here before continuing on to the summit. We followed the trail along the ridge crest where we finally ran into some other hikers. There was a guy who had been ahead of us and he said the last couple hundred yards were sketchy and he ditched his pack. They also showed concern for Bebe (my dog) but I knew she could take on whatever lay ahead better than I could considering she had 19 14ers under her belt. So Stephanie and I agreed when we got to the sketchy part we would scout it out and decide from there.

(view from the saddle)
After traversing a little further over the ridge we saw the obstacle that lay before us: a 10 foot down climb through a rocky notch, then a sidehill of several hundred yards across a 40-degree slope below a sawtooth ridge. The price of a mistake here: a thousand-foot slide into a man-eating gnarl of rock at the bottom. I looked at Stephanie and said, "it doesn't look so bad" as I saw bebe was already making her way to the summit. The trick to the down climb on this part is making your body like a star and always having 5 points of contact. Once we hit the ground we just crab walked and stayed as high as we could. It's slippery here, there's nothing stable to hold on too and one slip could send you over the edge but I tried not to think about that.

(the downclimb)

(a look of the remaining route to the summit - it's very steep and loose here)

(finally made the summit!)

(14er number 20 for bebe and I)

Fifteen minutes later we arrived on top of the summit and had the mountain all to ourselves. The views were amazing and the weather was perfect but we didn't stay long as we both knew we had to go back over the ridge and up climb to safety. I must say, going back over was worse than on the way up because you loose some elevation which makes the steepness of the slope even more tricky to navigate. Again, I stayed high and used my hiking pole to dig into the dirt and find any little rock my foot could use for balance. Before I knew it, we were back on the upper ridge and ready to head down.

(view of Missouri Gulch from the summit of Missouri Mtn)

Hiking for 9 hours certainly did a number on my legs but it also helped prepare me for the Warrior Dash this past Saturday. On Friday, after Chad's hockey game, we drove up to Copper to meet our friends at a house we had rented for the weekend. The house, or shall I say mansion, was in Silverthorn and was absolutely amazing. There was about 12 of us staying there, and almost all of us knew each other from the yoga studio we work at. It gave me a fabulous opportunity to get to know these instructors better and to become more than a friendly face seen around the gym.

My good friend Sarah had an idea for us to wear red and black to channel the warrior within and lucky for those at the house I was staying at, I brought extra tulle to accessorize with. I had made red Tutu's for Sarah and I and had enough fabric to make an extra for my friend Meaghan who wanted one. I will say, knowing how to make a tutu is one of the best skills I ever learned because it has come in handy more times than once! So Saturday, after doing a Qi Fit workout (we are all gym buddies after all) we set to work getting dressed for the event.

(meaghan, Dawnelle and I in the mansion getting ready)

(pre-race looking cute)


This was my second 5k ever and the first time I have ever run an obstacle race and I will say I don't know if I could ever go back to "normal" running. There were tires to run through, fire to jump over, cargo nets to scale and of course a mud pit. This event is best run in costume and I think you will find most everyone there is decorated somehow. Of course you don't want to wear anything nice as it will get very muddy and they have a place to donate your old tennis shoes at the end if you want. I wasn't trying to win the race or anything but came in at a respectable 43 minutes where I was greeted with a medal, water and banana.


After completing the dash, my friend Dawnelle and Sarah and I ended up losing everyone on our way to get our free beer (yes you get a FREE beer after the race whoohoo!) so we ended up hanging out by the stage until we finally saw Chad walking by and I was able to get my cell phone and call everyone else. The event had where you could check a bag of things for them to hold on too such as your cell phone, keys, camera and clothing and I highly recommend bringing a change of clothes and shoes afterwards. They also had showers to rinse off at but bring a towel because it's chilly after washing all that mud off!

Post-dash we all ended up back at the house for a little hot tub action and late night dance party. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life from all the dancing we were doing. It was definitely a good group of people we had to spend our time with for the weekend and I'm so glad we ended up staying at the house instead of a hotel. I look forward to getting muddy with my friends for many years to come...

(we call this the statue of liberty dance)

(hot tub time machine?)

Next up...Longs Peak and Devil Dash!

Crested Butte weekend of rafting and relaxing

This past weekend my in-laws came to Denver and we headed up to the mountains for a little weekend getaway. My in-laws have a cottage in Northern Michigan and spend almost every weekend there in the summer, so it's rare that they travel to Denver this time of year. They usually wait for the snow to fall when they can get away from the gray days of Michigan and go skiing in sunny Denver. For years they have been saying they want to come visit in the summer and enjoy a different perspective of the mountains. Well this year was finally the year.

Crested Butte is one of their favorite mountain towns in all of Colorado so it was decided we would spend the weekend here. It's also convenient for my brother in-law and his girlfriend since they live in Gunnison and have a baby which makes traveling a little harder for them. Friday morning we packed up the car (my in-laws, Chad and I) and made the 4 hour drive to Crested Butte. We decided that, since it was summer and the road was open, we would take Cottonwood Pass. If you remember, this is the pass we camped on the weekend before last for the Collegiate Peaks music festival. Chad and I had wondered what was on the other side of this pass and where it led too so we were in for a treat. After you get to the top of the pass the road turns into dirt but it's not a bad dirt road and the views are amazing:



You can see the Elk Mountain Range from the top of the pass and then it winds you down through the trees and finally to the Taylor Reservoir (which we spotted last weekend from the top of Huron!).




I would say this option for driving to Crested Butte shaved at least 20 minutes off our arrival time and is a beautiful scenic drive in the summer. Cottonwood Pass is closed after September.

Upon arriving in CB we checked in to the Elevation Hotel and Spa which was formerly a Club Med. It's right at the base of Mount Crested Butte ski resort and we had a view of the mountain from our balcony. It's mountain biking season now so we could watch the bikers come down the trails on the front side of the mountain.



The hotel has a restaurant which we had breakfast at and served as our happy hour meeting spot in the evening. I thought the food and drinks were great but the service leaves much to be desired. There's also a restaurant called The Avalanche which is right around the corner from the hotel which has a little faster service and cheaper drinks. Of course my favorite coffee spot ever, Camp 4 now has a spot on the mountain (the original is in town) which I highly recommend for your morning beverages. The hotel is pet friendly and has a kitchenette in the room and the staff is very hospitable. They also have free yoga on Saturday mornings so bring a yoga mat if you stay here. The gym was one of the best I've ever seen in a hotel (and I have stayed at a LOT of hotels) and they also have a steam room in the locker rooms. The ladies had massages and facials at the spa there which made for a relaxing end to the weekend. I can't remember the last time I've had a massage or facial so that was a special treat.

Our Saturday activity was white water rafting. This has been on my bucket list for quite some time so I was excited my father in-law had arranged this for us. We used the Three Rivers company and I would highly recommend them for any first time rafter. We did the Upper Taylor Extender trip which gives you an extra 2.5 miles of rafting. I must say I was a little nervous in the beginning when your guide gives you the low down on how to save yourself should you find yourself thrown overboard, but it turns out once on the water the paddling comes naturally. Our guide was named Emil and he did a great job navigating us through the Taylor and even getting us un-stuck off a rock when we nailed one (they call it, having an "archeology project").

(taking a break on the banks with our guide to the far right)


(white water action)

Usually in August there's not a high enough water level left to have a successful rafting trip but we had so much snow melt that conditions were perfect for our trip. I started out in the back which is a good place to be if you are nervous or don't care to get too wet. However, by the end I traded with Chad for the front where all the action is. Listen to your guide and paddle when he says and you won't be in any danger of falling out or getting hurt.

Our stay at the hotel included free lift tickets for the Silver Queen so after our spa day on Sunday we took the lift up to the highest point you could on Mount Crested Butte. I should have known better and prepared for the wind that picked up along the chair lift but of course I didn't think to wear long pants.

While the rest of the family rode the lift down, Chad and I took the opportunity to hike to the summit of Mount Crested Butte. It took us about 45 minutes from the chair lift to the top and was well worth the hike. There were quite a few people making the trek up but it's not really an easy hike once you get to the rocky part about a quarter mile from the top. There's some rock scrambling so be prepared and don't wear shorts like I did and you won't be paranoid about skinning a knee. The views from the top (elevation 12,162 feet) were amazing and you could see Pyramid Peak and the Maroon Bells very clearly:

(Teocali in the front with Pyramid Peak behind it - a notoriously hard 14er)


(the Maroon Bells - another goal in my 14er hiking career)


(summit bandits do it again)



The views from the top of the mountain were on par for any of the 14ers I have summitted so far but with half the work involved. If you visit Crested Butte this is a must do for any avid hiker and you can also make the trek from the base of the mountain as well.

Like most weekends when you are having fun, the time went by far too quickly and before we knew it, it was time to pack up the car and head home. While in town visiting the Art Fair that was going on we dined at The Secret Stash which is my favorite restaurant in CB and always a crowd pleaser. For having such a short weekend in such a beautiful part of the state we managed to fit almost every "must do" in. The best part, however, was spending time together as a Magee family and enjoying every minute of each others company. CB in the summer is beautiful and in my opinion it's even better there this time of year than winter. You will also find cheaper prices on lodging and shorter lines in the restaurants...well everywhere but Camp 4, but hey people need their Americano's year round!