Want to Move to Boulder?

It may be America's favorite outdoor mecca but be careful what you wish for, writes Outside Magazine's Marc Peruzzi.

"Recreating outdoors is the norm here, and it's in your face. There's always some horse-toothed mountain-town equivalent of Laird Hamilton ready to kick your athletic pride through the dirt. Remember the 2005 Tour, when T-Mobile kept attacking Discovery, trying to break Lance? That's what a casual bike ride is like in Boulder. Strangers attack. Old guys with gray beards and steel bikes attack. Reach for a shot of Gu and even your friends attack. And women: Women always attack--they're the worst."

FOA Elizabeth tells a story about going to Catholic Mass in Boulder several weeks ago. During his homily, the priest pointed out to the startled congregation that Boulder is a somewhat "Godless city." People are so busy playing with their outdoor toys that spirituality can get left behind at the trailhead.