We made it 850 miles of the 2650 of the Pacific Crest trail. After that, the desire to stay in one place was strong. We left the trail and bought a house in Denver. You should come over, it's nice here.
We live in Lakewood, but it's one street away from Wheat Ridge. I know, you're not from here, so that doesn't mean much.
It's about 45 minutes from the airport but there are shuttle buses that will take you a few minutes from our house. It's unfortunate, but everywhere is far away from the airport in Denver.
We have a guest room with a futon, pillows, blankets and possibly a separate room with foster kittens. I work with a local shelter and socialize the kittens until they are old enough to be fixed and then they get adopted. The are only in one bedroom and don't roam the house so if you have allergies, you'll probably be okay.
We also just got a goat. He's pretty cool. Don't worry, he stays outside. We board a horse also. We don't ride him but you can feed him all the carrots you want and pet him. He's pretty cool also.
We don't smoke cigarettes but if you do, you can on the porch.
Downtown is about ten minutes from us by car.
I don't work, and Andy's schedule is pretty flexible so it's possible we could show you around.
If it's not freezing, you can borrow our bikes.
If we can't show you around, we can point you in the right direction. The bus stop is at the end of our street, and although to far to walk, you can see the Denver skyline.
Alma Villalobos 32, Female Detroit, Michigan United States Friends since January 1940 "dude.... it's Cindigo...doesn't everyone know Cindigo? I mean, you have heard of Cindigo, right?" Friendship Type: Best Friend
Troy Swezey 44, Several people Las Vegas, Nevada United States Friends since November 2004 "We met at a party in 11/04 and have been hanging out ever since" Friendship Type: Best Friend
Lainie Epstein 28, Female Royal Oak, Michigan United States Friends since July 1999 "former roommate and current adventure partner!" Friendship Type: Best Friend 30+10
Helene Lidge 74, Female Arlington Heights, Illinois United States Friends since May 1971 "Cynthia is my daughter" Friendship Type: Close Friend 30+30+30+
TANGERINE GAL 102, Female Los Angeles, California United States Friends since August 2007 "2 x Baja, Sequoia camping, hosted and other random stuff" Friendship Type: Good Friend I vouched for Cindy and Andy Blair 66
Nathan Maloney 34, Male Bang Sak, Trang Thailand Friends since December 2003 "We have been hockey teammates and good friends for many years now." Friendship Type: Good Friend 10
Alex Smith 27, Female Minneapolis, Minnesota United States Friends since June 1984 "I looked up to Cindy as a teenager for many reasons, three being her red eyeglasses, nose ring, and dedication to graphic design and a non-corporate lifestyle." Friendship Type: Good Friend 4
Zane Kreider 26, Male Harrisonburg, Virginia United States Friends since August 2007 "CS'd with them, and they are close friends of my friends." Friendship Type: Good Friend 2
www.cindigo.com My blog has about three books worth of information about us. It's more day to day info. I'm always surprised when people read this and know everything about our lives when we meet face to face.
We are perpetual travelers. I (Cindy) like to dance, but I don't go as much as I would like. We like to go out and have a drink or two, but unfortunately and fortunately, (most of the time) we don't party like rockstars anymore. We like to hike, and do just about anything outdoors. We have our own climbing gear and would be interested in taking travelers climbing. It doesn't matter if you're a novice or an expert. I'm a novice, Andy's an expert (like Spiderman).
Philosophy
I always try to be mindful that my words and actions have an effect on things. Being spontaneous, having fun and going off the beaten path doesn't mean being reckless, especially with people and their sensibilities.
Music, Movies, Books
This is one of our favorite radio shows. It's called This American Life. You can listen to it for free via podcast or download.
I've almost never met a book I didn't like. Andy is a especially big Vonnegut fan. I can't think of any one writer that is my favorite, but I did just finish World War Z and really liked it. I loved Atlas Shrugged even though it was painfully dense at times. I think the entire book could have been summed up in a pamphlet. I probably didn't even like the book that much. I think I just like the whole idea of a Utopian world of smart people living in harmony raising chickens.
What is the What is a beautiful, funny, tragic moving account of refugee of the Sudanese civil war. I think this one is going on my top ten.
Teach, Learn, Share
Andy will teach you how to climb things and the best things to gamble on. Baseball handicapping and poker are his specialties.
I'm a great cook and like to throw things together that never get created the same twice.
I would love to learn how to swing dance, wilderness survival skills.
One Amazing Thing I've Seen or Done
Driving from Vegas to Kansas just behind or in front of a tornado the whole way. The sky looking like something that belonged over the gates of hell. The quiet, green and electric air. Pulling into Kansas to the sound of air raid sirens.
In the middle of the night, Andy and I hiking alone a total of nine hours in Volcano's National Park. We struggled through sharp and rugged lava rock in Hawaii to stand feet from flowing, splashing lava and burning falling trees.
Made it 850 miles of the PCT (a 2600 mile hike from Mexico to Canada).
Opinion on the CouchSurfing.org Project
BEST. THING. EVER.
We've met made so many interesting and adventurous people and had so much fun. It wouldn't have been possible without this site. My experience on this planet has definitely been enhanced. Thanks couchsurfing.com!
This summary is not a replacement for reading references; it's a quick summary to help you get started. At a glance, you can see how many references a member has, and how many of them are positive, neutral, and negative.
In the second line, you'll see how many references came from people who hosted this member, surfed with them, and traveled with them. These numbers won't always add up to the total: some references are not categorized, and some may be categorized as more than one thing.
When viewing this summary, don't jump to conclusions! Things that are negative for one person may be positive for another, and vice versa. It's important to read references carefully and evaluate what that information means to you.
From Augustin_ATX Austin, United States Sep 21, 2011
Positive
Leaving another one of many, many glowing references for Cindy - was happy to host her after all the prodigious hosting she's done! We had a very much needed chill two days after Burning Man decompressing in Austin over some great conversation and wine she brought! Thumbs up and gentle winds to ya.
Cindy and Andy are absolutely incredible people, I couldn't say that with more confidence. I am truly happy I got to spend time with them briefly, stay with them, and welcome the New Year with them by their fireplace and a smorgasbord of Chinese takeout. They were more gracious, welcoming, and generous than I have ever known strangers to be -- allowing us to take their car, taking us for the best sweet potato masala this side of the moon. It was such an honor and joy getting to know them in that time. Before they knew they would be in town for our stay, they offered my friends and I their home regardless of them not being there: if that's not ridiculously awesome hospitality, I don't know what is. I think I am speaking for the entire group of friends I was traveling when I say, these two are not just wonderful hosts, they are wonderful people to know. I will never forget my Couchsurfing experience with them and the memories we made in a short time. Short story: HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
It was truly a treat and honor to stay with Cindy & Andy. Unfortunately, Cindy was out of town, so I didn't have a chance to meet her, but Andy was a great guy with really great CS stories to share. It was really nice to be able to play with his goat and to meet his horse as well. They live in a very comfortable home really close to Sloans Lake, which just so happened to be perfect for me since I was attending the Dragon Boat Festival that weekend. I wish I could write more, but I somehow feel the other special surprises that you'll experience should be left as surprises (especially because the level of hospitality I received shouldn't be expected by others). It was a very comfortable experience for me, and I feel grateful to have been a part of their lives.
From Emily Zwarka Northville, United States Aug 3, 2011
Positive
I had the chance to surf Andy's couch. His wife Cindy was out of town the weekend we stayed at their house so I did not get the opportunity to meet her. They have a great house and an amazing space to put up couch surfers. We had some longs hours at work that weekend so I did not get to spend much time with Andy but I look forward to when I am able to come back to the Denver area and hopefully stay with them again!!!
From Tommy Danger Flatonia, United States Aug 3, 2011
Positive
Andy was a stellar dude that had a crazy awesome place. Cindy was out of town so we chilled with the horse, kitties, and goatface the goat. He is a very chill dude and has a great place in a great area, if you get a chance definitely surf with them!!!
Besides the gorgeous house, perfect location, and friendly pets, Cindy and Andy are incredibly laid back, friendly people. We needed a place to rest up for a few days and they let us do just that. Fantastic hosts and good people.
Andy and Cindy are really great and funny. They are truly generous and will make everything to help you, and oh, their house is so beautiful !! I really appreciated my stay with them :)
thanks a lot
From Tyler De Jong Saint Petersburg, United States Jun 7, 2011
Positive
Ah, well... let me tell you about Cindy and Andy. This wonderful couple hosted me for 2 days and I very much enjoyed them. Andy took me rock climbing, he is an excellent climber and taught me a lot within a few hours. Cindy is just as adventurous, she is preparing for a cross country motorcycle ride. They are both very generous and pleasant hosts, I also enjoyed sharing couchsurfing stories which they have a good amount of. I hope to see this couple again in my life, maybe in Denver, maybe somewhere else.
Cindy and Andy are awesome folks! Never had the pleasure of staying with them but they are hilarious and well-informed and don't have kids which I think is just incredible. Good peeps!
From Sean Mcfly Gainesville, United States Mar 23, 2011
Positive
so, there isn't much to say other than I almost cried when cindibot left. It was probably faulty wiring that caused such emotion but nevertheless, it happened.
Please come visit us wherever we are!