Teresa & The Flaming Lips

Day 1: Flight delayed an hour. I pick up my girlfriend from the Colorado Springs airport and we head downtown to the hotel she picked out. Turns out the hotel was a bed & breakfast from the late 1890s, complete with chamber music piped in the rooms.

Day 2: Enjoy an excellent bed & breakfast breakfast. Take in the beauty of the Garden of the Gods. Take cliche photos next to "balanced rock". Walk around Manitou Springs, a small town separating Colorado Springs from the Rocky Mountains. Take a sip from one of the many springs in Manitou, many of which taste like bad club soda. Visit my aunt, uncle and cousin in Highlands Ranch, just south of Denver. My Uncle Mike never fails to cook me an elaborate meal and this time was no different. Tonight's menu featured home-made sushi. Head to downtown Denver and walk down the 16th Street Mall before calling it a night.

Day 3: Drive towards the mountains on the way to the Red Rocks Amphitheater. But first, a sidetrip to Heritage Square, a ghost town of an amusement park that's managed to stay open for so long because of its famous alpine slide. Seven bucks buys you a gondola right up the hill and a ride down the zig-zagging concrete track on a small cart. It was totally worth it. The slide was kind of like the opening act for tonight's main event: a Flaming Lips concert at Red Rocks. We got there early to experience the tailgating atmosphere that surrounds most Red Rocks shows. We were greeted by lots of crazy hippies and costumed super-fans. We left the parking lot to get a good seat. Watching from the sixth row, we enjoyed the two opening acts, one of which was from Austin, Texas. But there was no doubt who was the top draw. The lead singer of the Flaming Lips, Wayne Coyne, kicked off the show by walking out on top of the crowd in an inflatable bubble. There were lasers, confetti and countless balloons covering the crowd throught the show. The band is known for their live shows and they didn't disappoint.

Day 4: Toured the Olympic Training Center, ate some pizza and went to the airport. We were exhausted from the weekend. It was great spending time with my girlfriend. I miss Teresa already. It might be another two months before I see her next.

Click here to see Teresa's side of the story, on her blog.

Click here to see photos from our adventures, including the alpine slide and the Red Rocks show.

Click here to view my first Vodcast, created for the USOC "Going for the Gold" series.

Time until the beginning of the Longhorn football season: 9 days, 19 hours, 4 minutes, 20 seconds