Explore. Write. Connect.
With Black Bear Retreat we will explore the Rocky Mountains. We will exercise our writing skills and powers of observation. We will connect with each other through shared experiences.

Wednesday

Arrival

Arrive in Nederland! For the purposes of grocery shopping and getting settled in before a full day starts Thursday, I recommend targeting an afternoon arrival. Once you are in Nederland, I will be your taxi driver. Grocery shopping means that you select what you would like to fix and eat for your breakfast and lunch, and I will pay the bill.

Thursday – Sunday

Activities

You will enjoy your own breakfast with the kitchen amenities in the rental house. With one early morning exception, we will convene for our day’s group activities about 10:30 a.m. These will consist of a sightseeing adventure — a long walk or a 4×4 drive or a highway drive — and creative writing exercises, often based on our earlier adventure. We will have picnic lunches in the field or at my house.

Then happy hour and group dinner. Evenings are your free time.

Monday

Free day

We will have been pretty busy up to now touring the area, writing together and engaging in group discussions. Today is a day to reflect on the last four days. You may dedicate it to private rest and writing, or if you’d rather keep on adventuring, we can arrange an outing for whoever is interested.

In summer we will spend a lot of time among wildflowers. Weather permitting, our happy hours will take place outdoors in various settings.

Planned activities include (itinerary subject to change due to weather or other factors)

  • A walk through Caribou Ranch Open Space to see wildflowers and historic buildings.
  • A 4×4 drive past Caribou townsite to see wildflowers and walk to the Anchor Mine.
  • A walk to Long Lake in Brainard Lake Recreation area, optional to walk around the whole lake.
  • A drive to the historic town of Central City and a walk through some of the old cemeteries.
  • A ride on Nederland’s Carousel of Happiness.

Want to stay and spend more time exploring the area with me? Let me know and we can talk about possible excursions, accommodations and costs. My husband and I are particularly adept at showing our guests around on the network of 4×4 roads in the area.