Gettin’ Carried Away

If you really want a true Rocky Mountain experience, then you probably shouldn’t spend all your time in Denver, Colorado. You deserve a better taste of the Rockies than a simple swig of an ice cold Coors Light. And that is why my good friend Lindsey took me up to the charming mountain town of Evergreen, which is only 40 minutes to an hour away from Denver’s city center.

The drive from Denver to Evergreen itself is well worth the trip. In other words, keep your camera handy. The somewhat tree-lined highway (I-70 West) passes by open fields where mass loads of buffalo graze like no one is watching. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself pulled over along with other carloads of people, taking post card-like pictures. And even as you continue into the mountains, you’ll be winding your way around gigantic mounds dotted with Evergreen trees.

Because I was only visiting for two days, we headed straight for the most popular spot, the “downtown” area along Main Street (aka Highway 74). Imagine walking into a log cabin. Now picture 20+ log cabins, all connected by covered porches. Essentially, that is what you will find along Highway 47 in the form of jewelers, art galleries, clothing stores, restaurants and cafes, all connected by a rustic, wooden boardwalk. Some of my favorite shops like Unique Boutique–providing quality goods made by local artisans–and The Green Merchant–offering eco-friendly gifts–have yet to develop an online presence. You are sure to find something special that people will only be able to obtain if they make the trip up to the mountains.

Of course, there’s more to Evergreen than shopping and dining. If you want to learn more about the town’s beginnings, take a free tour at the historical Hiwan Homestead Museum. Evergreen Lake offers boating in the summer and ice skating in the winter, in addition to fishing all. year. long. Numerous trails are spread all over the town for leisurely walks (around the lake) or rigorous hiking (in the mountains).

When I started my travel blog, I dedicated it to several people… mainly, my mother. Exactly one year later, here I am, celebrating her birthday (again) and the one-year anniversary of Gettin’ Carried Away.

I’ve already listed all the blessings I have received because of my travel blog, so I don’t want to do that again. What I need to do is express my love and gratitude to my blog’s number one fan: my mom. Even though I’ve written about her several times, I don’t think I could ever fully convey just how special Alice Williams is.

~* Mom, A 70s vixen in Hawaii *~

She’s the kind of mom who…

• … will run out to Walgreens to get travel-sized toiletries after we’ve teared the house apart looking for the ones she picked up (on a whim) a few weeks beforehand.
• … will take a scribbled travel checklist I wrote by hand and turn it into a more organized, typed Excel spreadsheet so that I don’t leave a single Tylenol, cough drop or Q-tip at home.
• … will comment on my blog posts as “Alice.” Not “mommy.”
• … will get excited about every travel writing gig I pick up, even if it pays peanuts.
• … will make a huge, home-cooked meal the day I return from a trip, even if I’ve only been gone less than a two days.
• … will quote me, from an article I wrote four years ago for the college newspaper.
• … will remember every single place I’ve visited and ever person I’ve met along the way.

I could go on and on telling you all the wonderful things my mom as done, continues to do and will always do. And you know what she’d say? “It’s all part of being a mom.” Because Alice Williams is the most selfless person I know (and I admire her greatly), I am GIVING gifts on the the day of my blog’s birthday!

First, EVERYONE that entered the FREE HOTEL STAY contest will receive a one-of-a-kind, custom-made luggage tag, created by yours truly. All 21 entries will be getting an email with a few questions so that the luggage tag will be personalized to perfection. Finally, the winner of two free weekend nights at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago is…

Andrew, The Brooklyn Nomad!

Thank you to everyone that entered the contest, to all my RSS subscribers, to everyone that stops by even for a few minutes and, most importantly, to my mom. Happy travels!

Exactly two weeks ago, I wrote about Southwest’s potential ownership of Frontier Airlines. Frontier had filed for bankruptcy earlier this year in April, and Southwest put in a bid of $170 million to acquire the airline. This sounded like a good business deal to me, especially since Southwest is gaining ground on bigger carriers like American and United.

However, because the two Pilot Unions (SWAPA and FAPA) could not reach an agreement on how they would work together, Southwest’s bid was deemed unacceptable, and Republic Airways walked away with the goods.

Either way, I think Southwest Airlines is in a really good position right now. It’s the only carrier that offers free checked baggage, and their airfare is ridiculously cheap at times. As you can see, SWA has had my loyalty for awhile now. S what do you think the problem was between the two labor unions? Perhaps there were too many FA employees to keep them on and mix them in with SWA employees?