This weekend, I traveled to Denver, Colorado to see family and made an attempt to meet up with an old flame! I originally met Mountain Man in college briefly through my old roommate but I really didn't remember him until we met again at my old roomies' wedding this March. In March, Mountain Man and I danced and talked and ending up having a great time together. Then later, I realized he doesn't even live in the great state of Texas! He moved to Denver a few years ago. So 4 1/2 months later, I looked him up via facebook and let him know I would be traveling to Denver for a family event! He wrote me back saying he would love to get together. I didn't realize that he also enjoyed cycling too! So we made plans to go to dinner Friday night and hang out with his friends and then get up early on Saturday to ride on a cycling path in Denver.
He picked me up at the airport and was really patient! My flight was about 30 minutes late and for some reason all the baggage claim people decided to call in sick so it took about an extra hour to get my bag! We then made a run to Downtown to meet up with 10 of his closest friends and have drinks and walk around downtown! It was beautiful and clean... however, the Denver crowd likes to wear short skirts and tatoos everywhere! I think it' s much more common than in Texas!
At first dinner was a little awkward, because there was a girl there that my coworkers and I checked out on facebook during his background check of course! We weren't sure if they were dating or have in the past by all the pictures they've taken together. So when I first arrive, she was very flirty with him - trying to claim her territory. I quickly learned to just tune it out and have a good time. I ended up talking to a couple from Austin most of the dinner and they were great! The other girl ended up calling a guy to come and keep her company... and so she moved away from Mountain Man and started to pay more attention to the new frog at the table.
Mountain Man opened every door for me and was very gentleman like. We ended up hanging out with his friends for most of the night and walking around in the rain in downtown Denver. I normally don’t drink the night before a bike ride but we headed to a bar where I discovered a new drink – vanilla vodka and cranberry. Yum yum!
The next morning we got up early to go to breakfast and then head out for a bike ride around town. Note to self – Alcohol is a diuretic and when you made plans to stay at an older house with thin walls, where you can hear absolutely everything….. that probably isn’t a good idea!
The bike ride was absolutely beautiful! I enjoyed riding next to a river and watching the rapids, the ducks… and the gorgeous mountains in the background. We passed six flags, their baseball field…. Performing Arts Center…. It was a lot more to see than I imagined. Mountain Man was used to riding around that path. He’s a competitive cyclist and competes in major climbs as well. I’m sure he could have done this 35 mile path in his sleep! We tried to do a climb but since I’m from the flatland it was a huge challenge for me. He pulled over on the side of the climb and I was thinking ‘why the hell is he stopping when I’m just picking up speed?!’ and come to find out we made a turn a little too early and he wasn’t familiar with that direction. So I had to hop off the bike and take a breather. (I actually had to hop of the bike because the bike was a little too tall for me. It was his friend’s bike so it wasn’t exactly a perfect fit.) At that moment, I realized there was no way I could go downhill and keep going around the corner to begin a new climb! So I sat down… and then ended up laying down in the grass on the side of the road. At that moment, I needed more oxygen than Colorado could provide!
He offered to go back the way we came and it would add additional miles to our original plan but it would eliminate any more climbs. All of the sudden – with that option – I got my second wind and managed to get back on the bike and continue on the way. I felt like a little girl on the playground chasing the boy since he was riding up ahead of me. You had to ride single file on the path because there were so many walkers and riders that would need to pass you. Mountain Man looked great in his bike shorts- I’m not going to lie. There really is nothing attractive about bike gear but he managed to work it.
I think we would remain good friends – It’s hard to say if there would be any potential between us because we really didn’t talk about that. He’s a great person but I have a feeling he’s looking for more of an eco-friendly girl, one that likes to recycle more than I do. I love the earth – but I don’t have the same lifestyle as he does. There are a lot of qualities in him that I look for in a future Prince. Long distance relationships are tough … we will keep in touch and see where things go!
