Lakewood, CO

July 26, 2018

Weather Forecast- rainy pretty much everywhere we wanted to hike

Today was the first day that Kev and Chris needed to work so Jason and I were left to our own devices. It was going to be raining at all the places we were looking at doing day hikes, and with Bear’s limp coming on a little more again, we decided to stick close to home base.

Breakfast

Today’s breakfast was a repeat, but so so tasty. Toast with apple pie jam, coffee with coconut creamer, and dates!

Tattoo

Well what else were we supposed to do? It was raining!! Chris is health inspector and gave us some hints on places that were clean and used vegan ink! I have wanted a thistle tattoo since I first went to Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 back in 2007. It symbolizes travel for me. After seeing all of the thistle on our hike the day prior, I knew what we needed to do today. Thankfully Jason was totally ready for the adventure and helped decide on the final design. Notice the mountains and waves on the stem.

The tattoo parlor is named “Fallen Owl”, and my tattoo artist lives a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle. We had awesome conversations about travel, food, family, friends, and music. She and another vegan artist offered us a list of lesser known places to try so we are hoping to try those next week!

Motorcyclist in need!

On the way to the grocery store, we saw a couple on the side of the road trying to fix a motorcycle. The chain had fallen off and the rear axle was loose. We had tools in the car so pulled over and offered to help. Maybe 5 minutes of teamwork and it was all set! The boys name was Kyle so we thought that was kismet. Happy to help those in need!

Grocery shopping

I can’t believe I am admitting this… but I cried in a grocery store. Of course I could’ve have been alone for this moment. Nope, the shelves were being stocked at that very moment. Jason and I went to a “Natural Grocers” store in Conifer so we could make Chris and Kev a taco dinner after they got home from work. All the aisles were full of surprises! Definitely a health conscious place, but my shock and awe came from the non dairy cheese display. It was glorious!

Look at this INSANE collection!!! Soft cheese, shredded cheese x 5, sliced cheeses, cheese dips….all dairy free! All vegan!!! I am lucky if I can get ONE non dairy cheese at a store. Hence the tears. I just hope this place finds its way home!

I can home with a HAUL!! Loma spicy pad Thai, cheesy bacon Mac, lightlife Mexican crumbles, Daiya pepper jack style shreds, 4 types of primal jerky (all vegan!), Daiya cheezecake, sliced tomato cheese, and VEGAN COOKIE DOUGH!!!! Whaaaaaat!! More on that later.

Dinner

When Jason and I cook, we tend to go a little over the top. We definitely overestimate what we need as well. We decided to do tacos since they are so easily customizable and Kev and Chris love them!

We did green Chile jackfruit, roasted mushroom, eggplant, onions, and peppers, rice, black beans, refried beans (check to ensure they are vegan!), avocado, fresh cilantro, and Daiya pepper jack style shreds. We had so much left over but it was very fun and playful!