Let me eat cake!

After my fourth cross-country flight in two weeks, I decided to take today off. Along with sleeping in late, I had a bunch of stuff to get done before heading off to my second wedding in two weeks this weekend.


Now that my tux is at the cleaners with a guarantee of being done on Wednesday, I can now relax and look back on this past weekend, which was spent deeeeeep in the back woods of Colorado.


I was there for my friend Liz's wedding. I've known Liz for 14 years and I can say, without a doubt, she looked happier and more beautiful Saturday night than at any time in the past.


OK, enough about the bride. This was the view out of my hotel room at Gateway Canyons:


Not too shabby. It was also the backdrop for the wedding ceremony.

I had wanted to get out to Arches National Park, but it was a bit of stretch, so I made do with a three-hour drive through the Colorado National Monument. Here are a couple shots from there:

The Independence Monument

The view down Ute Canyon

Me getting creative with some B&W shots

of some rocks called The Coke Ovens

The bride and her new husband live in the Colorado National Monument, and I'm a bit jealous of the views they have every day. They even have an airstrip on their property.

I would not, however, want to live there myself.

While talking with some of the other guests I came to the conclusion I'm a city person. I like cities. I like other people being near me. Arlington, the smallest county in the country, has a population density of almost 8,000 people per square mile. Mesa County, where the wedding took place has more than 100k residents, but they're pretty spread out: 34 people per square mile.

*Shudder*

There was a sign at the side of the road leading to the resort reading "Last Gas For 44 Miles."

Thank you, no. Give me the Drafthouse, my Thai restaurant right up the street, the Metro on a summer day and the Mall during Screen on the Green.