Kissing the Frozen Waterfall

One of the things I love most about Rachel is her outlook on life and sense of adventure.  It’s one of the things that defines her, and our life together.  It’s a big part of the reason we’re here in Colorado now.

The past decade has been a series of adventures with Rachel.  We’ve shared countless experiences together, from traveling across the continent and across the ocean to lively intimate conversations that have stimulated the deepest of thoughts.

Friday was Rachel’s birthday–her first in our new home state.  I felt it appropriate that we spent the day adventuring, and I stole her away for some fun together.

I figured I’d start the weekend off right and made Rachel a paleo-friendly cake with coconut-chocolate frosting and strawberries, which we enjoyed over the course of the weekend (usually a few slices at a time!). 

We enjoyed the morning with pour over coffee and a hearty breakfast, and then drove the Peak to Peak Highway from Boulder to Estes Park.  On the way, we stopped by St. Malo’s Chapel on the Rock, an amazingly beautiful stone church sitting atop a small formation with a breathtakingly gorgeous Rocky Mountain vista behind it.

Next, after a quick taco lunch in Estes Park, we ventured on to Rocky Mountain National Park, where we stood in the middle of the frozen Alberta Falls.  As if that wasn’t adventurous enough, Rachel decided she had to kiss the beautifully crystal clear ice where water was still cascading down the rock face underneath.  And of course I had to follow suit.

To cap off our night, we enjoyed ciders and made some new friends during an incredibly deep conversation on the infinite with the Philosophy in Public Spaces discussion group at Longmont’s St. Vrain Cidery.

I wanted to make sure this birthday was filled with all the things Rachel loves: the great outdoors, hiking, random adventures, good food, good conversation, and quality time. I’m pretty happy we were able to hit all those in one day!

Now over to you: What are some of your favorite birthday memories? We’d love to hear below in the comments!

PS: Check out a quick video of the  water flowing underneath the ice!

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