For the most part, I’m really pleased with how we planned and executed our roadtrip. We took months of scheming and dreaming and, in the end, actually whittled it down into a feasible itinerary that was chockablock with incredible sights yet still abided by the constraints of reality.

If I had to pick one place, though, that I wish we’d spent more time in, it would be Boulder. I’ve already mentioned how much I loved the rest of Colorado – Boulder really pushed it over the top (mountain joke? eh, that’s a stretch).

We were drawn to town by the Celestial Seasonings tea headquarters where we met the lovely Ariel, the latest (but certainly not the last) in the line of incredible and hilarious tour guides.

Unexpected bonus: apparently, the magical tea blends at Celestial Seasonings are irresistible to the local wildlife, and the grounds of the headquarters are absolutely crawling with prairie dogs.

We furiously snapped a few photos as we drove (slowly) along the entrance road, and laughed pretty hard over this little fellow when we zoomed in afterwards and noticed his jaunty prance:

The tour was amazing (not to mention the tea tastings!) and also free, but super secret, so you’ll just have to go and try it for yourself.

Beautiful Boulder was just a brief stop along the road for us – a quick pass through after our full day in Golden – but what a gorgeous road it was!

I’m pretty sure those clouds were hand painted in there by Bob Ross himself.

Boulder has so much to offer that we weren’t able to check out on this trip – the University of Colorado, for one, and an incredible arts, music, and coffee scene.

I’ll be back for you someday, Boulder – you’re my only Colorado regret!*

*Actually, missing Black Canyon of the Gunnison is my biggest Colorado regret. We stayed overnight in the town of Montrose and yet had no idea that we were a few miles from THIS! Sigh.