My Next Adventure...: Where did summer go?

I woke up today and admired the Fall leaves that have landed on my windshield. The sweet flavors of of chai tea and pumpkin bread taste all too good. And then it dawned on me, HEY, what happened to summer? In a New York minute, the everlasting sunshine and warm weather vanished. Suddenly, the chill in the air and dark evening skies returned. This is Fall, and heck, it's practically winter in my mind! Where did the time go? It just disappeared into the great abyss. All the time I've spent traveling lately to warm climates has let me a little confused.

From the blue waters of Laguna Beach, to to the city streets of New York, this is my unplanned, mismatched, making of an summer adventure created by the momentum I call my career. It's been fun, it's been wildly insane, and thankfully, wildly rewarding, too. I would never ask for the pacing to slow down, as that is the true sign of success for a freelancer, but I also will not turn down the next opportunity to take a deep breath. The moments are furriously fleeting but memorable all the same.

With new cities to explore and old cities to rediscover, here's a little recap:

DENVER

While working on a recent Travel Channel project featuring Denver, I parked on top of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to capture the most incredible timelaspe of the sun setting behind the mountains beyond the Denver skyline. AMAZING! I can't think of a prettier place to watch the sunset.

The FUN. concert at Red Rocks amphitheater was a wonderful splash of summer! My buddy Keira and I made a spontaneous decision to attend just a few hours prior, and boys, we did not look back.

Talk about a summer of industry parties! I got to hang out at the pool at Taxi, which is uh, made from of a train freight car! These guys are so artsy, I love it! I snuck in a sneak peek of the city from high above in the D&F tower...and then dived down into the basement to see Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret--what a fun spot for a show. I *may* have performed there once for belly dance performance. :P Having seen the kayakers at Confluence Park many-a-time, I finally got the chance to try it out myself! The guys at Confluence Kayaks took good care of us.

To me, summer means BBQ parties and evenings on the porch with good friends. Lucky to squeeze in a few of these nights between travel gigs.

Elena sure knows how to throw a party. She is an amazing party planner. I would hire her any day.

Rach & David's visit to Denver reminded me that you're never too old to crash someone else's birthday party (especially if it's YOUR birthday, too), balance drinks on your head, and dare some random guy to take off his shirt. Winning!

And…with Denver as a destination, I must admit, I am honored to be a local at Uncle...a new restaurant in Lo-Hi that serves up the most amazing ramen noodle bowls! Believe it or not, they taste even better in the company of good friends. :)

Who's hair is longer? Me or my brother? It's a close call. :P

And hey, it's always kinda cool to sit in the dugout at your own home field! I've never seen Coors Field like this before!

SEATTLE

Root Sports sent me on assignment to Seattle to capture mariner's fans in their true colors. Step #1, buy (just a few) props!

I had a blast catching fish at the World Famous Pike Place Market. It only costs a fortune to bring your cameras in here on official business. The guys at Pike Place Fish were a riot! They even let me have a go! Luckily I did not let the fish slide down my shirt like the woman who followed me...ewweeeee!!!

Seattle is all about seaplanes! Had to give this a go, too. For filming, of course. We were lucky to have blue skies and sunshine everyday. I guess that's not a typical sight for Seattle.

And hey, why not slap on a hard hat and neon vest to get some great action shots. The construction site was pretty impressive. So THAT's how they build floating bridges. Who knew.

PORTLAND
As any Denverite would agree, Portland comes from the same family of laid-back, healthy, nature-loving cities. I read the 'This is Portland' book on the plane home and enjoyed the interpretation of what I'd seen with my very own eyes. Between the coffee shops, food carts, bikes and the beer, I'd say it was a pretty successful trip.

I had a little run-in with friends Gone With the Wynns, who joined me for some delicious homemade ice cream at the original Salt and Straw. These guys know how to have FUN. A few other meet-ups with my buddies from college, Sarah and Rach, and their loves, made this trip quite memorable.

You can't come to Portland without a visit to VooDoo Doughnuts. We may have stopped by twice. Luckily, Denver, you're getting one soon on Colfax, although, I can't promise they will make you a customized doughnut of your favorite soccer player. Actually, they probably would.

MINNESOTA

Family reunion at the farm my grandpa grew up at in Hanska, Minnesota. I always look forward to a little family fun! More on that here: http://www.travelingjules.com/2013/08/family-reunion.html

PITTSBURGH

It's a place I've often visited, as a kid, seeing the landscape from the backseat of a car windows, and enjoying the backyards and play areas of my relatives homes. Returning as an adult on assignment to film a 'slice of life' in the 'burgh was quite a treat. Wonderful reunion with The Hershey's and my mom's buddy Beth!

We were warmly welcomed from all sides.

There's so much to do! We rode the incline, drank beer in a church, enjoyed the Pittsburgh left turn, met the Clemente family, you know.

While we covered a fair amount of ground, I do hope to come back and check out some of the cool artsy stuff we missed.

If you thought I was dangerous on snow, how about on ice! Yikes! Shooting and ice skating is not recommended.

One thing I discovered in Pittsburgh...as it turns out, I'm a little obsessed with pierogies! YUM! They are like heaven in your mouth. I ate one everyday...whether on a plate with sour cream, topped on a burger or piled on some pasta, there was always room for a pierogie. One place you gotta try is the Polish S&D deli in The Strip, where they make them from scratch. Mmmm.

SAN DIEGO
Most people come to San Diego for the beach….Which I saw, for about 10 minutes.

While filming for Travel Channel's America's Scariest Halloween Attractions, I didn't see the light of day! Walking backwards through two haunted houses, getting releases signed, conducting interviews, grabbing interesting B-roll, wrangling fun groups of guests, and getting those priceless moments of terror on tape, that was a job.

LAGUNA BEACH

I did manage to spend a couple days hiding out in paradise in Laguna Beach.

My friend Amy was a wonderful host and coworker. She's carved out a little piece of paradise, all right. We all want to be surfers. But some of us are too driven to actually do it. I understand. While we can never be the "surfer," we can always pretend. We went SUP paddle boarding on the ocean to see sea lions up close, and later saw whales swim in the same trail we swam. It was so cool! Can't wait to come back.

I saw Pole, my old roomie from Korea! Ding, ding, ding, good morning. That was the tune of the alarm when we were roommates once upon a time. KOREA reunite! I will always remember the time we got rejected from the club because he was a boy wearing shorts, so we switched pants in the alley, and returned with a vengeance.

ALASKA

Whales & dolphins and bears, oh my! Who doesn't love a great whale watching adventure? Got to explore The Last Frontier, discovering beautiful scenery by train and spending some quality time with my dad--thanks to a little show called Steve Harvey, and a little title of being the smartest girl in america. :P More on this adventure here: http://www.travelingjules.com/2013/08/alaska-last-frontier.html

VAIL

On assignment in Vail to capture the romance on tape for Honeymoons & Weddings! Can't imagine a prettier place, can you? More on that here: http://www.travelingjules.com/2013/08/travel-channels-rocky-mountain-romance.html

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

Steamboat in the summertime is quite a destination. A true getaway, with beautiful mountains and valleys to explore, and the BEST hot springs around. A soak in the Strawberry Park Hot Springs will make all your worries melt away.

Ski Town USA is also famous for it's rodeo! We got to enjoy the show and even sit on a bull. Easy, tiger.

WINTER PARK

Winter Park is a serious playground, with lots of adventure activities at your fingertips.

Floating down the Colorado River. A summer MUST!

I found a new favorite sport---MOUNTAIN BIKING! I could really get into this. My second run of the day involved greens, blues, blacks, dirt switchbacks, wooden boardwalks, jumps, the whole nine yards! LOVE. And you get to look like a cool power ranger.