JOURNAL: Colorado Trip, 2012

Ongoing journal of my first ever solo road trip. -gmh


Colorado Trip, 2012
9/7/12:
Music today: Red Elvises CD (BellyDance) & radio station (KRTZ, I think)

I have fallen in love with road trips. I love, love, LOVE solo road trips. Will have to see if there's any person that I could handle a road trip with...or that can handle one with me!

Left Flagstaff at 7:30a.m.
At the Camp Townsend-Winona intersection with 89A, I realized that I could drive with my windows down, my music cranked up, and singing as loud as possible.

Stopped at 4 corners. Had never been there. Got some good pictures.

Got to Telluride around 3:30p. (CO time). Trip took 7 hours with various stops.
Took a little walk by the creek. Put my feet in the water. Went with some of the others up to Mountain Village.

Spaghetti dinner (yum). Attached scarves to pack. Talked with Hailee. Went to bed.

Excellent day.

9.8.12
IMOGENE PASS RUN!!

Most interesting thing that happened on the run: saw a rock fall on the Telluride side of the pass.

Got some good pictures (including a marmot!).

Got a ride the last mile up the pass from Jerry (a retired Navy pilot).

Another excellent day. (but trying to decide if I *really* want to do the AZ Trail in a couple of years.

Asleep by 10:15p.m.

9.9.12
Music today: Big Bad VooDoo Daddy CD (listened to Mambo Swing at least 37 times...got interesting scene & story that this song would be good for)

Woke up at 6:15a.m. because I had to pee. Excellent sleeping. Dreams swirling.
Sent birthday text to Kevin.

Decided to get up and go to the other condo & have coffee & watch the sun rise.

Hung out. Took time getting ready to leave. Had lunch in Telluride. Left there about 12:10p.m.

 Beautiful drive through Ouray & Silverton. Colors are already changing there.
Got to Pagosa Springs. Hung out with Kristeen & her deer. We went to the "Healing Waters" hot springs. Ahhh!!

Deciding how I'm spending the rest of the days here. Am I going camping or am I going to use Pagosa as jumping off point to go explore? Haven't decided yet.

Will probably be asleep before 10p.m. tonight. Well, not until 11p.m. local time. The tablet still has my home time and it currently says 9:59 pm, but here in CO it's 10:59 pm! OK. No wonder I'm so tired!

Realization that I came to while talking with Kristeen: I'm sad but my feelings are not hurt. That's different from other "break-ups". I'm very solidly me and very complete as me, so it's not something that I'm taking perzonally. But. I am sad.


9.10.12
Music Today: Nate Stone CD (Love & Tragedy) Excellent music for the overcast drive up and over Wolf Creek Pass. Listened to song #13 many, many, many times. Entire CD was incredibly cathartic, but, that last song...wow.

Started the morning by dressing up in my Luche Libre costume ("Esmerelda McGillacuddy") and went to Kristeen's class (a group of 2nd graders). Played "Ripped Pants" and "True Blue Bill" for them. They all wanted me to take my mask off! Funny...the 1st graders didn't even think of that!

Went downtown, had coffee & breakfast sandwich along the river.

Stopped at all the "scenic views" I passed. Including Lobos Lookout on top of the Continental Divide. Beautiful!!!

Interesting things about the day:
Cemetaries were calling me. I did a sudden turn into a cemetary in Shaw County (will have to re-remember the name). There were only two headstones there, I picked up a rock & put it on the headstones. As I started to drive out, I saw a hawk sitting on a pole. I stopped, took a picture. Then, got out & just watched it. Nate Stone's <song that I can't remember right this second> was playing (again...I'd already listened to it about 5 times before then!). Another hawk came up and they both started flying around. I think they were Harris hawks. They flew around together, I watched them, listened to the music & cried. Then, I kept seeing them (and others...probably 4 total). They were sitting on the right side of the road (on the poles). So, the next road that came along on the right, I took it. I was wondering why. I went around a corner, and there was another cemetary. I got out, walked around it for at least 40 minutes. Then, back in the car.

At Villa Grove, I decided to see if I could find Flagstaff Mountain and thought that I could visit Bonanza, too. Found Bonanza. Weird place. It was along an area with a bunch of other "ghost town" mining townsites (Keber, Eschequer, ...) I saw a sign for the Eschequer cemetary. I had already passed it, so didn't stop at it. But, decided I should stop at the Bonanza Cemetary (that I had passed when first going through Bonanza). I turned up a little road. It was tiny and enclosed with a chainlink fence. I went in. The first ones I saw were for two children (aged 1 & 2). Passed in the late 1800s. Put a rock by the crosses. Then, felt drawn to look at the other gravesites (about 20 total). Put rocks or pinecones or sticks on them as I felt led to. "Ashley" family buried there (all died in 1800s early 1900s).

Then, left there. Decided to explore another turn off to see if there was a good camping area. Found signs to Flagstaff Mountain! Told Colorado that it had me moving rocks & visiting cemetaries and that it could give me a great camping spot. I was driving on this tiny road. Got to a point that it looked a little too scary for my little car. Stopped, got out, looked at the road ahead and then turned to go back to the car. HH! There was a campsite right behind me! Complete with a fire ring & a little bit of firewood. As the sun was getting ready to set, I decided to camp there. Didn't see ANYONE all night. Didn't HEAR anyone all night (except for some jets high overhead). Did hear coyotes all night.

It was the first time I've ever camped ALL ALONE. It was a little scary. I woke up in 2 hour increments. At 2a.m., my heart started racing for no reason at all. I had to consciously NOT THINK of all the scary stories I could ever imagine! At 4 a.m. I opened my tent flap & watched the moon shine through the aspens & watched the stars. It really was a beautiful area. An amazing aspen grove.

Only bad part of the experience was the fact that no one really knew where I was. I didn't realize I was going to be so off the grid & didn't have ANY coverage once I left the main road. Bad. So against what I tell everyone & try and do. But. Glad it all worked out. Better planning next time! I definitely want to visit this area again.

Reflections:
"Love you give will be returned"
So, what love have I given Kevin?
Acceptance of who he is. Didn't ask him to change to fit my idea of what he should be. Loved who he is. Loved who he could be. Loved his love of life.
Loved his laughter.
Loved his caring.
Unconditional...didn't want him to be someone else.
Complete acceptence and would have done anything for him.