Yesterday, in celebration of The Golden Bee’s 50th Anniversary, a scavenger hunt took place. We were one of ten teams to enjoy a day playing in the city in search of little golden bees (each about the size of a quarter).

The situation was ironic, in that we were participating in a scavenger hunt for the Golden Bee when, on my 30th birthday, a scavenger hunt assembled by my wife, led to the Golden Bee and a half yard of ale.

The Team

Many teams choose to walk, some used bicycles, and others used cars and a combination of walking/driving. In our case, we used scooters, figuring they were nimble and easy to park in tight, downtown spaces…and using sidewalks and back alleys in a few instances only added to the experience. We called ourselves “The Swarm”. Excellent choice, Mike.

The Rules

1. Start the bee hunt at 12pm.
2. Take a photo of the bee in its hiding spot.
3. MMS the photo to the designated Golden Bee phone number including team name and location.
4. Find as many bees as possible before 5pm then meet at Bristol Brewery for final results.

The Clues

Each clue is listed below including point value.

1. +1. Bees like the sweet stuff…follow the neon light and you’ll lick it.
2. +2. Bee’s Rock! You want to find where this bee’s hiding? The key is elevation and to find a smiling face.
3. +1. This bee is tripping the light fantastic with a very celebrated Colorado Springs couple.
4. +3. This pumpkin may not be in a patch, but you better have eyes like a hawk to find this bee.
5. +3. Only Pretty Bees are Jamming.
6. +1. I reckon if you mosey up to this tall, topical Stranger he’ll point you in the direction of a bee…or a hoedown.
7. +2. If I were looking for a bee, I’d start somewhere obvious, like in fields.
8. +3. When rebel Bees need to resurrect their image this is where they go.
9. +3. Do Bees speak Yiddish? Do fish dream? Take a break over a Bristol Ale and discuss amongst ya’selves.
10. +1. Bees know even during rush hour it’s important to take time to slow down, stop and smell the flowers.
11. +2. When the first Bees settled in this area, they were so happy that they gathered to take a group photo together.
12. +1. When a bee is getting ready to take a trip around the world, he must perk up with caffeine buzz.
13. +3. Go back in time to 1888 with Alice Bee-mis Taylor.
14. +2. Before a Bee plays hokey he drinks Car Bombs and Compass IPA on Nitro.
15. +3. There’s one Bee left in inventory at this artsy hotspot. If at first he’s hard to find, keep your chin up.
16. +2. If you’re blue and don’t know where to go to why don’t you go where fashion sits…and get a tee time at 9:00.
17. +2. This towering geometric, psychedelic hiding spot is a prickly place to spot a Bee.
18. +1. This Bee’s hiding out with a bandito, hiding on a wooden saguaro.
19. +2. This Bee was framed while buzzing through the Hibiscus Tiliaceus.
20. +3. You don’t need a map to find this bee…you’ll find him next to his ultimate booty.
21. +3. This Bee is hiding in the patch…keep your eyes peeled for the baseball mitt and you might find him.
22. +3. In brightest day, in blackest night, no Bee should escape your sight. Look for the red lantern to illuminate and shed light.
23. +2. This Bee is no Jerk, he’s hanging with the Father of the Bride.
24. +1. If it wasn’t for this guy, The Bee wouldn’t be here.
25. +1. This Bee is abuzz for our Famous art on the streets.

The Result

Kate built the following photo collage that captures all 25 hiding locations. The result is quite cool (click to enlarge).

Conclusion

The entire event was a blast. I really love scavenger hunts because you always discover something new about the city you live in. There is always a hidden alley, shop you’ve not been to yet, undiscovered street, etc. that makes the scavenger hunt worth more than just the game itself. The clues were not easy to solve but we did manage to solve ALL clues by 4:40pm. Whew.

For our accomplishments, we were awarded first prize, two Bristol pint glasses, personalized Golden Bee mugs, V.I.P. passes to this Friday’s dinner and tapping of Bristol’s first cask of the “50th Anniversary ESBee” ale. Oh, yeah!

Thanks, Golden Bee!

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Just south of the museum, is the Pueblo Riverwalk. There is much to enjoy along this walk but the most striking is an excellent bronze statue of a Lakota woman that has excellent life-like detail:

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We plan to return soon, on two-wheels, once the weather warms up a bit more and travel the nearby and scenic Frontier Pathways. Besides, I bought a jar of some tasty cinnamon honey butter in Westcliffe, CO that might need replenishing by then.

Seriously, this is good stuff!

Three hours later, after this shot was taken, I was back home again safe and sound with another great Torrey ride completed.

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Highway 95 continues on from this point for many scenic miles. Eventually Brant headed south through the Valley of the Gods to Arizona and I to the east to ride through the southern parts of Colorado.

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The weather was perfect and we were in excellent company as many in the group are talented musicians and home brewers. I think we crashed around midnight on Saturday after many hours of sitting around the fire pit listening to the jam sessions.

On Saturday morning, we hiked down to the reservoir and Kate and I were able to go kayaking for the first time. The rhythm of controlling the rudder with your feet and keeping my paddle in sync with Kate’s lead was a little awkward at first (like rubbing your belly and patting your head at the same time) but after a few minutes I got the hang of it and off we went into the depths of the reservoir. I was addicted immediately. I guess the gang likes to kayak the Flaming Gorge every year (beautiful area if you’ve never been). I’m determined to join next year’s adventure but, of course, that requires an equipment investment first so we’ll see.

The following are random pictures from the adventure:

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Just beyond the summit and into the basin itself, we encountered some hot air balloons:

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…and finally we landed in South Park City:

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As for breakfast, stopped at the Brown Burro Cafe just off of main street in Fairplay. The food wasn’t outstanding but also wasn’t bad either. Definitely hit the spot, though.

The ride home was the same as the one up. Had I been feeling better, I would have been tempted to loop up through Breckenridge, Leadville, and Buena Vista back into the Springs. Some other time.

Once again, another great ride.

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Afterwards, we caught the 9am shuttle from the visitor center to take a peak at the dinosaur fossils. The following are only a few pictures from the morning adventure (probably somewhat hard to view):

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We packed up the bike and were back on the road around 10:30am headed towards Aspen, CO. From Aspen we took Highway 82 over Independence Pass (awesome road, BTW), through Buena Vista, past the collegiate peaks (three 14′ers) and into Colorado Springs to get home around 8pm.

Good trip despite the circumstances. Sad to be home. Could have keep on riding.

Normally, we pack cooking equipment when camping. However, since we didn’t have room for cooking equipment this trip, we had to pick food up while on the road. We stopped for food at the Dinosaur Brew Haus in Vernal, UT for some BBQ. I definitely recommend stopping by if in the area.

From Vernal, we headed to the temporary visitor center outside of Jenson, UT (roughly 10 miles from Vernal) to pick up information and proceed to the Green River Campgrounds where we set up our tent for the night.

Once the tent was propped and we changed out of our riding gear, we opted to hike the Sound of Silence trail (3 mile hike). Absolutely loved it. The landscape changes constantly on the hike and not to long after beginning the hike, the sound goes silent for the rest of the hike. Nothing stirs, just your own footsteps and breathing. The following are pictures of the campgrounds (first two pictures) and the rest are all photos from the hike itself:

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It is recommended that this hike be done in the early morning or late afternoon. We were lucky enough to do it in the evening when the lighting and the weather was perfect. After finishing the hike we headed back to the campsite, rested, and then set out for the astronomy show where three telescopes were setup for viewing the night sky (started around 9:30pm). The night was clear and we were able to view many stars. Even saw a couple comets burn up in the atmosphere.

Pretty amazing day.

Here is the map of our trip to back home. In this case, we split the trip into two days where we could arrive in Dinosaur National Monument on Day 1 and drive the rest of the way home on Day 2. The following are pictures from the ride:

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I do, however, regret not getting to ride Highway 20/16/14 out of Cody into Yellowstone though.

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Embarrassing and a little freaky, yes, but also rather amusing. All-in-all, we slept well and the hosts were an interesting, pleasant, and amusing bunch. I swear that the husband was Ned Flanders in real life (voice and all).

Here is the map of our trip from Colorado Springs, CO to Cody, WY. The best part of the trip was traveling up Highway 24 over Wilkerson’s Pass and then Hoosier’s Pass via Highway 9 into Breckenridge during the wee hours of the morning. Highway 120 from the South into Cody, WY is a fun ride as well. Here are some photos from the day on the road (615 miles total):

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Afterwards we headed off to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo for the afternoon. This was mom’s first time there and the second time for me as I had been there almost four years ago (crazy to think its been that long).

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Here is a short video (31 seconds, 61MB, right-click to save and download) of the crazy critter chirping.

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