This is it.... I'm on my way home! It's been a whirlwind, a wonderful adventure, and a time of reflection and insight. I've stayed in a lot of hotels on this trip and that's where I am again, somewhere in Illinois just outside of St. Louis.
After my visit to Telluride I drove to Ouray in the rain. I found a place to camp (in my car again) just south of town in the national forest alongside a river again, another sweet spot. It rained lightly throughout the night so I was thrilled when I woke to blue skies. I looked at the weather forecast and could see I had until noon so I quickly drank my coffee then set out on a hike. I chose a hike I had done in 2008 when I was in Ouray, but I was a month earlier in the year this time. I got half a mile in and had to turn back because of iced over snow. I drove to another trailhead and set out, then soon realized I had done this hike as well nine years ago. It was beautiful and I was happy to do it again. I had in mind that I should turn around by 11:00 knowing that I would not make it to the mine at the end of the trail before the rain came. It's always hard to pick a spot to turn around, but as I was nearing 11:00 I saw two sticks leaning against a rock wall. I knew what they meant. As I made the turn around the rock wall I was then on the north side of the mountain and there was snow ahead. Not just snow, but something like a snow field and quite treacherous to try to hike on without proper footwear. I had my poles, but was not prepared to hike on icy snow. The sticks leaning against the rock wall were what someone had used to traverse the ice field and left for the next hiker to use. I turned back. I did take a little different route going back in order to make a loop and extend my hike a bit since the skies were still blue. When I got back to my 4Runner it started raining lightly; perfect timing!
When I was in Ouray in 2008 I fell in love. In love with the town, the houses, the mountains, the trails, the roads.... I really thought I was going to move to Colorado after David graduated from high school (2010). But, that didn't happen; I moved to Charlottesville and got caught up in my new life there and loved it, so the west became a place for me to keep going back for visits, but not to live. I write these posts so that friends and family can know where I am and what I'm up to as I travel. I wish I could tell you all what it feels like to be in those mountains, but words can't do it. The pictures can't do it either. It's a feeling. And, it overwhelming. Ouray is referred to as little Switzerland as it is tucked in the middle of 12,000 foot mountains. Cozy.
That afternoon I met my friend Joanna at Orvis Hot Springs just north of Ouray. I know Joanna from Charlottesville, she's my best dancing and beer drinking buddy. She listens to me whine and gives me shit for it. She spends part of her time in Cville and part in Colorado where she is from and most of her family lives. We had an amazing three days together with her showing me around Ouray and her home town of Paonia. We soaked at Orvis for two hours. It's a small little known hot springs and absolutely beautiful. We went out for burgers and beer and then for a hike on the perimeter trail around Ouray the next morning. We went out for dinner and wine the next night and then for a soak in the vapor cave at Weisbaden (still in Ouray). Two nights in Ouray, then we drove through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison to get to Paonia. We stayed with Joanna's friend John in Paonia. John is an artist, a musician, a collector of rocks, eccentric, interesting and incredibly generous! Joanna did not tell me much about John before we arrived at his "ranch." We all have an idea in our heads of what a Colorado ranch is, right? I wish my photos could capture what I encountered when I arrived on John's ranch, but they don't even come close. I said to Joanna; "you didn't tell me... " She answered; "what could I have said?" Here's a link to a video that John wrote and produced on his ranch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nk_Xg1og_m8 John, if you ever read this, a BIG Thank You, you are an amazing human being! We all went out dancing in downtown Paonia, which is like saying we went out dancing in downtown Madison. We ate pizza, drank beer and danced. Joanna knew everybody there. You could see from one end of Main Street to the other, and that's the only street!
The next morning I set off again, driving through those amazing mountains of Colorado into Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, over Loveland Pass and into Denver where I connected with another one of my favorite people; my aunt Gerda. Gerda is my mom's half sister, she's my age, and always welcomes me into her home when I am passing through. We just spent one evening together, but caught up on the necessary stuff over dinner and wine, then a mother's day breakfast. A wonderful connection, I'm hoping she and her sister will come to Virginia for a visit in the fall.
And, that brings me to where I am now. I drove 12 or so hours yesterday with the goal of getting to St. Louis. Here I am, after a restful night's sleep catching up on this blog. This will be the last until the next adventure. Only the gods know when that will be.... xo~
No comments:
Post a Comment