Fort Collins

Fort Collins http://www.visitftcollins.com/ is home of Colorado State University with its beautiful campus (top) and the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado which has created UniverCity Connections to bring together the city, the university and the pristine Poudre River in a green development that was explained to me over dinner by Doug Johnson at the first class Jay’s Bistro http://www.jaysbistro.net/ . I was beginning to discover the fabulous cuisine in Colorado – with delicious pairings of unusual flavours and a strong emphasis on fresh local produce – some restaurants are even starting to have their own farms. The Armstrong Hotel http://www.thearmstronghotel.com/ on South College Avenue was a comfortable spot in downtown. The next day I met up with Brad Modessitt of Mountain Whitewater Descents http://www.mountainwhitewaterdescents.com/ who takes visitors whitewater rafting on the Poudre River, Colorado’s only ‘Wild and Scenic River’ and then went on to the state’s best known brewery, New Belgium Brewing, a showcase for sustainable business initiatives http://www.newbelgium.com/ . The tour was fun, the barrels were huge (middle) and the tasting was terrific! (bottom)