Highcountry Living

Factory Tours for the Family: Celestial Seasonings Tea Company

The Celestial Seasonings factory tour is a great vacation idea for families on a budget when visiting the Denver, Colorado area.
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Christmas Vacation Ideas in Colorado

Snowy mountains, sparkling lights and nature’s own Christmas trees transform Colorado into a holiday card each winter, making it an enjoyable and affordable
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Senate Committee Approves Chimney Rock National Monument Act

Chimney Rock National Monument Act of 2010 heads to Senate floor with approval by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
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Colorado National Parks include Great Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain

Colorado’s four National Parks are the Great Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
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Three Must See Hot Springs to Visit on a Trip Across Colorado

While Colorado is known for magnificent views that the Rocky Mountains provide, another attraction is the natural hot springs that the mountains produce.
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Stanley Hotel: Jewel of Estes Park

The Stanley Hotel may be more infamous for its ghost stories. But, this storied hotel is truly beauty, history and luxury personified.
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Lessons in life’s priorities at a kids’ triathlon

Saturday’s IronKids Triathlon in Boulder was filled with great kids, interesting stories and heartwarming images, but one in particular is going to stick with me a while.

Thomas Jessop, 14,  is biking 3,200 miles from California to Florida to benefit the homeless and bring attention to the childhood obesity epidemic. He is doing five triathlons along the way.

Jessop lives in a school bus with his brother and father. They lost their house and a $60-million business in 2001 because of the dot.com bust.

“We’re partnering with New Beginnings, a charity that helps homeless people living in their vehicles,” said Jessop, who lives in Santa Barbara, Calif. ”They lost their house or their apartment, and now they’re living in their car. They get a place to park their car at night, so they don’t have to go into bad neighborhoods, or have to get harassed by the police. They also connect with social services and Catholic Charities.”

The Jessops may not have a lot in the way of material possessions, but don’t feel sorry for them.

“It turned out to be a great thing,” Jessop’s father, Lynn, said of losing his job and the mansion where his family once lived. “Instead of working and catching my kids after school, I got to stay home and be with them through those years and do home schooling. They’re better, smarter kids and we’re a happier family. We live in a little different way from most people, but it still works for us.”

I heard another lesson about priorities from Eric Negrey of Lafayette, whose 11-year-old son, Josh, also did Saturday’s triathlon. Josh is a leukemia survivor. 

“The thing the health issues have taught us is to live every day to its fullest, to plan for the future but not worry about the future, to have goals but every day is unique,” Eric Negrey said. “You’ve just got to focus on what’s in front of you that day.”

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Weekend Vacation in Dillon, Colorado

The town of Dillon in Summit County, Colorado offers hiking, biking, boating on Lake Dillon and dining in the high Rocky Mountains.
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Crested Butte Summer Vacation is a Rocky Mountain High

Nine thousand feet up, in a ski town far, far away….Crested Butte, Colorado is a great place for a summer
vacation.
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No news is good news — Colorado remains fittest state

Today’s news is the same as it was last year and the year before. And that’s a good thing, at least for Colorado.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released its annual ranking of states and their prevalence of obesity. Colorado has had the lowest obesity rate for many years and for the past three years has been the only state with an obesity rate below 20 percent.

In 2009 figures released today, Colorado checked in with an obesity prevalence of  18.6 percent. Mississippi was ranked most obese (34.4 percent), and eight other states were over 30 percent.

A decade ago were were talking about Colorado as the only state with an obesity rate below 15 percent, and half of the states were below 20 percent, so the trend lines aren’t good. But at least Colorado remains the least obese state, and for that we can be grateful.

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