BOULDER, Colo. -- Some people think that it's crazy to recommend Boulder for a one-tank trip, but there are four good reasons.

Reason number one are the sporting, electrical, plumbing, and houseware goods found at McGuckin Hardware.

McGuckin's is a whole lot different from your ordinary hardware store. For one thing, it has over 200,000 items under one roof, including more than 8,000 fasteners.

You can even find Christmas tree lights in the middle of summer. Other unusual items you can find are a $3,000 grill, complete with rubber chicken, and duct tape in different colors.

In fact, some people will tell you that if McGuckin's doesn't have it, you probably don't need it.

Reason number two for suggesting Boulder is the Dushanbe Teahouse. It is probably the most unique building in Boulder, but there's more to it than that.

The entire building is a gift from the people of Boulder's sister city, in the Asian nation of Tajikistan. All of it was built in that country then reassembled near downtown Boulder piece by piece.

The intricate hand painting on the ceiling reflects the art of what was once part of the Persian empire.

At the Dushanbe Teahouse, you can find more than 100 varieties of teas from all over the world. They're even available by the cup, by the pot, or in bulk to go.

Lunch and dinner menus bring meals from around the world and the Dushanbe Teahouse best of all, the teahouse is kid-friendly.

On the Pearl Street Mall, is reason number three. It is the Peppercorn shop.

It is packed floor to ceiling with just about everything for your kitchen, dining room or barbecue. Even if you don't need all the extra virgin oils, dishes and glassware, Peppercorn is to cuisine what McGuckin's is to hardware. They've got everything and you just have to go in and browse.

Celestial Seasonings' free tours are the fourth reason to head to Boulder. The tours are available seven days a week, every hour of the day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

You can taste some teas and walk on. Maybe you think a tour of a tea factory is not all that exciting, but wait until you get a whiff of the peppermint room.

It clears your sinuses, and maybe make your eyes water.

The room is the real zinger at Celestial. Maybe that's why a big seller in the souvenir shop here is a T-shirt that says "I survived the mint room."

Bill's Travel Notes

If you need to know one thing about visiting Boulder, this is it. The two best days to go there are Saturday and Wednesday. In that order. Why? Because Saturday and Wednesday are the days when the Farmers' Market is set up in the area around the Dushanbe Tea House. Produce, cheese, wine for sale. Entertainment for free on Saturdays. And the RTD garage a block and a half away has free parking on weekends.

I could go on forever about the wonderful things I've found at McGuckin Hardware but we only have limited bandwidth on the Internet. The most unusual items are the switch plate covers for light switches or wall outlets with a southwestern motif. I can't describe 'em, but I've never found anything like 'em anywhere else.

The most dated items are the pants creasers like my mother used in the days before wash and wear... permanent press if you will. If you've never been to McGuckin Hardware, the mass marketing home improvement may appear to have it all. But after you've been to McGuckin, you've been to the top of the mountain, metaphorically speaking. It's between Canyon and Arapahoe, just west of 28th Avenue (US 36).

The Dushanbe Tea House is also between Canyon and Arapahoe on 13th. Parking is limited in that block, but there's plenty of lot parking in the neighborhood. And Dushanbe is worth it. If you're a tea buff, you can find bulk teas ranging in price from $2.25 to $10 an ounce. These teas will make you want to reconsider a bag of Lipton's.

The descriptions alone are worth the visit. But what makes the Dushanbe Tea House so marvelous is a leisurely lunch, either inside where the art work on the ceiling, walls and in among the tables is so stunning, or outside where the babbling of Boulder Creek helps lower your body temperature at least a few degrees.

The food's good and it's varied, recipes from all over the world. Kids may not like it to begin with, but the wait staff does a super job of making them feel welcome. Feeding the fish in the koi pond inside usually gets that job done.

At Peppercorn, on the Pearl Street Mall, you'll find hundreds of different cookbooks and more kitchen gifts and gadgets than you ever thought possible. It's kind of fun to wander here looking for things you know someone else can use. But it's more fun looking for things you know you want yourself.

To get to Celestial Seasonings, you'll head out to the edge of town on the Diagonal. Once you've passed the Celestial building on your right, you'll turn right at 64th Avenue and loop back. You know you've come to the right place when you go past the Prairie Dog Preservation Park and head into Celestial's Visitor Parking Lot. Park near the souvenir shop and walk to the tour entrance.

Load up on free teas to taste (my current favorite is Tangerine-Orange Zinger) and then find out about the company's origins. Celestial is now a part of the Hain Group of health foods, but it still has the charm of a Boulder start-up. The folks there are proud of their product. After all, Celestial took a commodity product (herbal tea) and turned it into something that people now ask for by brand name.

And when you get to the Peppermint Room, don't breathe too deeply at first.

More Information:

McGuckin Hardware
Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse
Peppercorn
Celestial Seasonings Tour Information