Celestial Seasonings

Celestial Seasonings tea has been a part of my life for more than 30 years. Not only do I love their wide variety of delightful teas, I've enjoyed the beautiful art work on the tea boxes, and any number of logo items, including sleepwear, mugs, teapots, magnets, and decorative tins. I can't remember a time when there wasn't a box of Sleepytime tea in my kitchen cabinet (among many others), and I always look forward to reading the quotes and quips on the wonderfully decorative boxes. While we were in Golden, Colorado we were just down the road from Boulder, home of Celestial Seasonings, so of course we took advantage of this and set aside time to take the tour! I had heard that the original artwork for the box designs hung on the walls of the Tea Shop, and I was really looking forward to finally seeing this in person. Our tour consisted of free samples of several teas being brewed in the Tea Shop, a short video that gave us a history of the company, a guided tour through the factory (no pictures allowed inside), and ended up with an exit into the store where all their teas and accessories are on display and for sale. We had lunch at their on-site restaurant, and after conferring with our server, we were prepared a very delightful vegan meal (Tempeh and Citrus Stirfry). I just had to post all the pictures we took of the artwork, as there is no way I could chose one over the other. So, please enjoy all 22 shots of our visit.

Coors Field (Denver, Colorado)

After visiting the State Capitol, we were lucky enough to catch a baseball game between the Colorado Rockies and the Miami Marlins, at Coors Field in Denver's Lower Downtown (LoDo) area. The game was a victory for the Rockies (12-5), and we had a great time exploring the stadium, taking pictures, and enjoying the great summer day. Behind the center field wall is a landscape decoration that reflects the typical environment of the Rocky Mountains. This landscape area consists of a waterfall, fountains, and pine trees. After a Rockies home run or win the fountains shoot high into the air. While most of the seats in Coors Field are dark green, the seats in the 20th row of the upper deck are purple. This marks the city's one mile elevation point.

Denver, Colorado

Mid-August 2011 brought us to the mile-high city of Denver where we spent four days in nearby Golden, Colorado. Our first order of business was to visit the State Capitol located in the heart of Denver's Civic Center area. The building was constructed in the 1890's from Colorado white granite, and was intentionally built to resemble the United States Capitol. The distinctive gold dome consists of real gold plate to commemorate the Colorado Gold Rush. The official elevation of Denver is measured outside the west entrance to the building, where the fifteenth step is engraved with the words "One Mile Above Sea Level." From this step, at 5,280 feet, the sun can be seen setting behind the Rocky Mountains. An impressive quilt display hung throughout the Capitol on the day we visited, adding beautiful splashes of color throughout.

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Trekking along on our State Capitol tours, still moving westward, our next stop takes us to Cheyenne, Wyoming on August 15, 2011. The capitol sits north of downtown Cheyenne, built in Corinthian style with a central dome and portico reminiscent of the United States Capitol. The central dome is covered with 24 carat gold leaf and has been gilded six times. The rotunda is quite stunning, with a beautiful cherry wood staircase set against a checkerboard marble floor. The bison is prominent here, as one might expect, along with the sentiment of taming the Wild West, captured in "The Spirit of Wyoming", a bronze sculpture depicting a cowboy and his horse at odds against nature and its elements.

Lincoln, Nebraska

As we continued to work our way West, August 2011 found us in Nebraska for a visit to the State Capitol in Lincoln. At 15 stories and 400 feet tall, the capitol building in Lincoln is the second-tallest statehouse in the United States, surpassed only by the 34-story Louisiana State Capitol. It is the tallest building in Lincoln, the third-tallest in the state, and the nation’s first statehouse design to radically depart from the prototypical form of the nation’s Capitol. The 14th floor (at 250 feet) is an observation deck, providing panoramic views of the surrounding area. The interior is beautifully ornate with mosaics, tile work, and sculptures found throughout. Following our visit to Lincoln, we made our way to Omaha to visit with our good friends Jim and Marti, fellow RV'ers we met the first year we were on the road.