A friend and I wanted to go on a hike, but we were limited on time, so we chose one of my favorite short trails in nearby Boulder, Colorado. For me, the sight and sound of running water along a trail washes away stress like a glass of water quenches thirst. The Anne U. White Trail follows Fourmile Canyon Creek, where the water level can be hit or miss: a friendly gusher in wet years, or a mere trickle in dry years. This time it was a hit. We crossed the rushing creek nearly two-dozen times, and stopped to admire many small waterfalls. This easy, three-mile hike is tucked away in a convenient residential area, yet the canyon walls give it the feeling of a secluded getaway. Here’s a two-minute peek at what you might see if you go:

Hiking Anne U. White Trail: Fourmile Canyon Creek, Boulder, Colorado from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.

Because I’ve been busy working on a writing residency, I’ve kept my recent hikes simple and close to home. If you like to see wildlife, Rabbit Mountain near Lyons, Colorado is a fun choice. The chatty prairie dog town at the trailhead might tempt you to hang out there all day and skip the hike… but keep walking. On a clear day, the 4-mile lollipop loop known as Eagle Wind Trail offers panoramic views of the Continental Divide and the prairie. I recommend you go early, because there’s a good chance of seeing white tail deer. Here’s a video of my recent hike:

Eagle Wind Trail - Rabbit Mountain, near Lyons, CO from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.

One of my favorite things about Denver is that I don’t have to travel far to get away from the city. I recently drove 45 minutes to the South Mesa Trailhead near Eldorado Springs and South Boulder, where I hiked the Big Bluestem Loop. This relatively easy trail meanders below the spectacular foothill formations known as The Flatirons and Devil’s Thumb. It’s about 4.2 miles roundtrip. I experimented with a combination of video and photos to create the following vicarious hiking montage for you. So, come join me for a little walk…

HIKING BIG BLUESTEM LOOP - Boulder, Colorado’s South Mesa Trail from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.

Instead of only reading about travel and adventure, how would you like to also see videos that show you fun, beautiful, unusual, relaxing, exciting places to go? I thought so. I have a new camcorder, so every now and then I’ll offer you a more active peek at my adventures. This week, my husband, Dale, and I went for a simple hike at Betasso Preserve, just outside Boulder, Colorado. The 3-minute video below will give you the highlights of the 3.2-mile Canyon Loop Trail. I always take progressively more challenging and spectacular hikes as summer progresses, so keep coming back! This is going to be fun…

HIKING BETASSO PRESERVE from Cara Lopez Lee on Vimeo.

“…the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn…” Jack Kerouac.

My girlfriend and I came to Chicago because we plan to drive Route 66, and it would seem wrong to hit that storied road without slipping into Chicago’s notorious past. That means jazz. If you’re going to jazz it up right, late night’s the ticket. It’s almost 10:00 when we grab a cab to take us to the oldest continuously operating jazz club in Chicago, an old speakeasy called the Green Mill.

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’Tis the season of special effects glasses. This time it’s not 3-D, but HoloSpex, whatever that means. I don’t want to spend the extra dollar. A young guy leans over to me and says, “They’re totally worth it,” in the conspiratorial whisper of a pot dealer. Not that I’d know from direct experience.

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Often at Thanksgiving, our family gathers in Los Angeles: my father, his wife, my grandparents, two younger stepsisters, a teenybopper half-sister, and me. (My husband is a jeweler, so he always stays home in Denver to prepare for Black Friday.) But this year, my father is getting divorced, so Dad, my 13-year-old sister Miraya, and I ate turkey at Marie Callender’s - just the three of us, in and out in 45 awkward minutes. Then, a few days later, several of us girls recaptured a bit of family togetherness and holiday joy, at high tea.

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If a fairy godmother offered me three decadent days, of the G-rated variety, I’d wish for one like this: filled with chocolate. The Denver Gourmet Tour du Chocolate isn’t only delicious, but also educational. A day learning about chocolate is a day you don’t want to ditch school.

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Here’s a moody moment from my trek around the world that didn’t make it into my memoir, “They Only Eat Their Husbands.” It’s a reminder that solo travel is sometimes romantic, often lonely, but always stirring. This one takes place in America. It is a story of sand and solitude, though it didn’t start out that way.

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About 10 years ago, I saw the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in person, and it was an incredible experience. I highly recommend putting that one on your life list. But if you can’t go, here’s a high speed, psychedelic take on the event that will blow your mind:

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta - Time Lapse Video