DISCLAIMER: So I know I am WAY late on posting these photos; these were all saved on my external hard drive that "conveniently" got buried in a box during my move to Colorado... but as they say, "better late than never". I also have a ton of video clips taken from the trip that sadly cannot be uploaded to the forums. I will endeavor to get those uploaded somewhere everyone can see them. TBD. Finally, I have added some notes to the photos here for context where it is applicable. Enjoy == NORSEMEN IN NEDERLAND == Nederland, CO Elevation: 8,236 feet New Years, 2021/2022 Trip started off with your typical city pillage and burning; all in a days work for us vikings, right? (Jokes aside, it was actually pretty horrific for people in and around Broomsfield, CO. Something like 1,000 homes burned down I think; a very large wildfire. Interestingly, local rumors say it was started by some crazy cult ceremony nearby that got out of control. No one knows for sure.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Fire Me with my friend Krista in Boulder getting me a last minute Covid check before driving into the mountains to meet everyone (we were still trying to be careful then). She moved to Colorado a few years back and would have joined us, but couldn't due to law school responsibilities. She has since graduated and passed her boards! Pics of the interior of the Boulder Creek Lodge in Nederland. Not a hotel... a lodge... there's a difference! Great place and staff. Highly recommended. Some of us got the giant family suite and split the cost on the room between 4 people. Very affordable! https://www.thebouldercreeklodge.com/ Our room (the family suite, creek-side). Room for 5 to sleep comfortably. It was fantastic. Even included a kitchen sink, mini-fridge and microwave for prepping basic meals. Me and half the crew chillin after a long day of travel; some longer than others that day. Flessar and Lana had their own private room and Ben had a nearby Air B&B (I'm a bit fuzzy on remembering exactly when everyone arrived). We all got into town right in time before the snow started falling! Couldn't have timed it more perfectly! From left to right: Laucivol, Defiant, Defiant's friend Keith (on top bunk) and yours truly.
First full day in Nederland, CO! It's New Years Eve morning and snowing! From my bedroom window I had a perfect view of Boulder Creek and most of the town. Another view looking roughly the opposite direction from the nearby Visitor's Center. Like many mountain towns in Colorado, Nederland existed first as an old mining operation before settlers moved in permanently. This old "steam-powered shovel" is a relic of that past. This thing was so big we had trouble getting it all in the frame. Thanks to whoever took this pic for me. I never get enough pictures of just myself and this is a great one! Boulder Creek runs right through the middle of Ned. On our way to dinner at the Covered Wagon Saloon. Ben walking the Boulder Creek footbridge with his cane (happy to report he no longer needs one; ask him about it!) More pics of that badass "steam shovel". Fun little fact: if you look closely you will see that the fuzzy image at the top of this pic is not a finger; that's a cloud! The sun gives off very interesting afterglow effects to the sky at twilight. You can be in the shadow of a mountain as the sun sets, but still get light reflections off higher objects above you. Makes sunsets and sunrises very dramatic. This time I remembered to take a shot of the plaque that explained the steam shovel's history. We finally got a pic with everyone in it! All of us celebrating at the Covered Wagon Saloon for New Years Eve. Real cozy place, but bring cash; they hate splitting checks! (same goes for most places in Ned). https://www.coveredwagonrestaurant.com/ From left to right: Me, Ben, Flessar & Lana with their dog (now married! congrats again!), Laucivol, Defiant, and Keith. Walking back to the lodge after leaving the Covered Wagon. Ned is small enough you can walk the whole town end-to-end. Back across the same footbridge to the lodge.
More of the same night after dinner at the Covered Wagon; now back at the lodge. New Years approaches! A lot happened this night that I only caught in video. Temperature that night dropped below freezing! Bringing in the new year right! Showing true viking loyalty, Defiant brought Mead from the lowlands! And before it got too late that night, Ben and I braved the cold to go back to his B&B to cook traditional viking "Glog" for everyone to enjoy. There was plenty to go around! Only one missing from this photo was Ben who at this point stepped out briefly before midnight for a short half-naked stroll to "commune with the ancestors" in the freezing air . He only had to go a short ways down a trail to the nearby lake, but somehow still managed to lose his sweater to the frosty night (and before you ask, yes, he was sober). An offering to the gods perhaps? Who can say? We never found it even after looking the next day. We might have joined him, but the warmth of the fireplace was too good to pass up. Left to right: Keith, Me, Laucivol, Flessar, Lana, Defiant
Next day! Didn't take as many pictures this day. Took some more video I can't upload here. This was our group photo from our casual walk down to the local lake reservoir nearby. This was the same area that Ben had been walking half-naked the night before. Hey look! Another picture with everyone in it! Left to right: Me (foreground), Defiant, Flessar, Lana, Laucivol, Ben (half-naked again), and Keith Next morning of our final full day. Beautiful weather! We were going to check out the nearby Ski Resort, Eldora, but wind from the night before had knocked out the power to the resort! Just another day of mountain life. https://www.eldora.com/ After returning from our cancelled excursion to Eldora (I have video of that drive yet to be posted), we spent more time exploring the town (what little we hadn't already). Nederland has a wonderfully amusing history with an annual festival to celebrate it: Frozen Dead Guy Days! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_Dead_Guy_Days Mark your calendar! https://frozendeadguydays.com/ Busey Brews rocks! Great BBQ too! https://buseybrews.com/ Typical residential street of Ned. The town is only about 5 or 6 blocks running latitude and longitude. It's really that small! More brews at the Knotted Root. Very hip place. Lots of skiers hang here after a day at the nearby ski resort, Eldora. https://www.knottedrootbrewing.com/ Left to right: Keith, Defiant, Me, Laucivol
Our final morning in Nederland! More beautifully perfect winter weather! As seen through my bedroom window. Another view from just outside the lodge. Final group photo after checking out of the lodge and before we parted ways. Sadly, Flessar and Lana had to leave earlier and so could not be here for this picture. Like all the staff at the Boulder Creek Lodge, the asian girl at the desk that day was very friendly (anyone remember her name?). Left to right: cute asian girl, Defiant, Keith, Laucivol, Ben, Me Ben gave me a ride down to Boulder to meet back up with Krista. We walked around a bit down Pearl Street together before Ben headed East to see family. Krista and I hanging at her place. She had work and school, but we made some time to get out for dinner and watched Arcane on Netflix. I stayed there for a few days exploring the area what I could on my own. More pics of the mountains from Krista's place. I didn't want to be too much a distraction from her piles of school work so, after a few days, I had Krista drop me off in Denver. I stayed another week at Hostel Fish right in the heart of Denver making new friends from random strangers. https://www.hostelfish.com/ Union Station, downtown Denver; walking distance from Hostel Fish (scooters are also available everywhere to rent). At this point, I didn't want to bother renting a car so I made good use of their services. Very fast and very cheap! I used this station to ride a local bus service to the closest hot spring (oddly named Idaho Springs). Bus lines also run from here to Nederland. On the day of my flight home, I used a direct train line from here to the airport that leaves every 20 minutes. Easy peasy. You can get almost anywhere from here! The main shopping street of Denver. Very nice. Very clean! I'm not really a big city guy, but if I had to pick one to live in, Denver is a top choice. Me and new friends I met at Hostel Fish after getting out of MeowWolf. Man, how to describe MeowWolf? It's an extra weird, but also extra cool and interactive art exhibit! It's like if Dr. Seussland had an art museum, but was designed with way, WAY more drugs. Hit up the nearest legal dispensary before going to this for the extra special experience. https://meowwolf.com/visit/denver
An absolutely amazing trip! Colorado is beautiful with so much to see and do. Was absolutely fantastic hanging out with everyone who could be there! If any of you have pictures to share, please post them in this thread for everyone to see! If you couldn't make it, don't worry! We will do it again! Sooner than later! Now that I've moved to Colorado, the next big step will be getting my own mountain home! When that day comes (very likely in the next year), all of you are invited to come visit! SKOL!!!
We raced that fire in to town. After mobbing though most of Nebraska we finally made it there early in the morning. It was so damn windy that town stood no chance with that fire. I also got pretty toasty new years! It was like 0 degrees outside and I was in just a hoodie and it felt amazing.
That looks awesome! The lodge instantly made me think of The Red Green Show. Wow, that was on a long time ago now.
Finally made the time to pick through about a decade of photos. Got everything from the Ned trip properly uploaded. You can get it here: https://1drv.ms/u/s!Aq-5dO4uHNx7qyYYdlArg6RvS5Ao?e=1TFwfC
