Vegan Dishcrawl

 We recently attended Omaha's first Vegan-themed Dishcrawl.  Our stops were kept a secret until the day of where we learned of our first meeting place by email.  From there, we were escorted-on foot-to four establishments.  The Dishcrawl was a fantastic opportunity to meet new people, try new restaurants that cater to the theme, snack on scrumptious bite-sized treats, and try the label "foodie" and "critic" on. Our vegan guru's-The Schulters-were our close companions throughout the night even though we were surrounded by young couples infatuation, seasoned married couples if you will, and sweet smiled singles who all seemed to know each other.  Topics from place of work to "green foot-print" to politics to preaching veganisim was heard throughout the night.  Talk about stimulating conversation!

Our first stop was at the newly opened "Kitchen Table"-http://www.kitchentableomaha.com/  By far, this was our favorite place of the evening.  Our meal consisted of: Super tasty heirloom beans and greens, smokey carrot and lentil soup, PB & J with peach preserves and mixed nut butter. The environment was filled with old school love touches with a hint of urban decor.

 Our second stop was Indian Oven in the heart of Downtown's main street-
http://indianovenomaha.com/  On the menu was: An awesome rendition of Batha Ganouj, spicy jalapeno and spinach Pakoras, followed by a bland stuffed Paratha.  We didn't find anything super special about this stop as we are well versed in Indian cuisine.  The spice filled aromas swirled within the room amongst modern art and swell conversation.

The third stop for the group was a restaurant that Nick and I had never been to, Block 16-
http://www.block16omaha.com/   A small venue with conversations overlapping and an interesting menu to boot!  Jackfruit tacos, meatless "meatball" sliders, and gangsta/dirty fries.  We didn't care too much for the Jackfruit, but hope to try the restaurant out again.

Our final stop was Bliss Bakery.  An up and coming joint meant for the hipster crowd and their friends.  On the menu: Lemon Coconut Cookies, white cupcakes with raspberry frosting, and a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting.  A Yummy way to end the night!

Colorado Odd's and End's

 Colorado left a mark on us so fresh and so deep, that we have vowed to continuing exploring it's forest and waters until we can no more.  It is with an adventurers spirit that we headed into Colorado and it was that spirit that was with as we pulled over to the side of the road multiple times to look at streams, watch mule deers and antelope, search for mountain goats and hope for a bear, soak our feet into the coolness of water from melted snow-covered mountain tops, or risked looking like tourist as we stopped at kooky little side-shops bearing the label "Ghost Town Treasurers."

By far, our favorite aspect of the trip was the river.  It's soft gurgling or the careening streams, stilled the air with a quiet calmness we had yet to discover.  We took our chances on the Arkansas River rafting with only a guide and paddles in our hands. The rush of danger filled our bones and gave excitement to our eyes. No matter where we found ourselves, some body of water was found or heard or being played on.  The kayaker below, showed off a few moves for us as we once again watched from the side of the road.

One cool thing we found on our stay was that the creative soul lives within anyone who calls the "Rockies" home.  The following pictures are two of my favorite pieces of art that we came across.  The first being the front yard of a Preschool. Above ground planters teeming with life and a welded toy-shaped heart placed amongst it.  The second picture is of a living room setting made of ceramic tiles and iron.  We found this sitting next to what else-the river.

Once our trip was completed and our adventurers spirit was exhausted, we left the winding mountain roads of Colorado, cool wooded forest, the laid back way of life, for the flat plains of Nebraska, the deep Midwestern good life, and-our home.

Exploring Colorado Nature

What is there to say about Colorado nature that hasn't been already said?  Poet Walt Whitman, President Theodore Roosevelt, Lao Tzu, several bloggers, artist, and aspiring writers all lend their craft of word and hand towards the beautiful mountains, streams, forests, and wildlife of Colorado.

As we drove up and down the mountainside, we were awed by the general splendor and majesticness of the wild.  It was if mankind had yet to touch the naked land and yet, log cabins and RV Parks spotted the countryside reminding us that there is nothing man has yet to put it's mark on.

Colorado seemed to draw out the adventurers in us and despite the usual planning of a vacation we decided to hop in the truck and leave the day to exploring and well, getting lost.  One particular site that we found was called "Cottonwood Pass."  We drove for what seemed like forever up and down the winding roads. Finally, we were half way up this rugged mountain when a lake appeared.  It was so calm, peaceful, and quite, that all we could do is stare in silence with only the "jumping fish" breaking the sound barrier.

We leave you with the following quote: 

"I swear to you, there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell"~Walt Whitman