After 12 hours in airports and on airplanes, I'm finally home. Colorado Springs was nice and maybe I'll visit again someday but right now, I'm glad to be back. But I tell you, I made a point to have some adventures. Even though I was on my own - and it's weird having adventures by yourself. You start thinking about who you wish you could be sharing them with. You spend a lot of time in your head....but, honestly, I needed that alone time. Cue "Good Old Days" on the radio....
This song is about being grateful for what you have now and enjoying where you are now. Looking back on on the memories and being happy they happened. And taking time while you're young to realize how lucky you are. How lucky I am. I've been trying to do that more - to be present in the moment and not worry that I don't have more because I have so much already. Being appreciative for the people in my life and the time I get to spend with them, even though it doesn't seem to be enough sometimes. And most of all, being good to myself and not worrying so much about life. I'm trying to not have so many goddamn existentialist crises, as fun as they are. When I started getting lonely on this trip, I heard this song and remembered that it was the Universe telling me to stop being so melancholic and to do something fun. Speaking of which, those adventures in Colorado Springs....
I'm pretty sure I almost died. I had made a plan to go see the Broadmoor Seven Falls on what was supposed to be my last day in Colorado. Well, it started off alright. Google Maps took me to the base of the mountains, in a pretty nice area. This part of Colorado Springs is very similar to Old Town Bisbee - narrow, winding roads interspersed with rich people's houses. That's when things went a little sideways. As you may be aware, Google Maps does not do well when you go off the beaten trail - which is where I had to go....or thought I had to go. I came to this dirt road that went up the mountain and I figured that's where I needed to be. Dear friends, this became the second most terrifying drive that I've ever done. This dirt road was barely one car wide in some places - and, yes, there were people coming down while I was going up. And on most of the way up, there was a sheer vertical drop on one side. Just for reference, I was in a Nissan Rogue, which is not a small, agile car. About a mile in, I was thinking that I definitely was not in the right place but there was no place to turn around. But I made a decision - I was going to follow this road wherever it led. Because I wanted an adventure and I was granted one.
I drove up this road for like 30 minutes, or approximately 9 miles. It was fun and really scary at the same time, but I knew I'd be okay because I'm a good driver and I've done steep mountain roads before. Sure, I went a little slow sometimes, which really annoyed the 12-passenger van behind me. Eventually they passed me when the road got wide enough. Finally, I found a place to park and thought I'd just walk around and see if there were any trails. It was beautiful, though - it smelled like pine, spruce, dirt, and fresh air. It smelled green, which is one of my favorite smells.
I started walking up the road, enjoying nature. And then I started thinking. I'm a small woman walking alone in the - capital W - Wilderness. I'm not exactly an outdoorsy girl but I knew enough from Girl Scouts that this probably wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had. That's when I heard what I thought was the growling of a mountain lion. It's the Colorado mountains - of course there's mountain lions, bears, and all sorts of other critters. I decided to cut my "hike" short and go back to my car.
When I got back, there was this lady looking at the scenery. We got to talking (she was from Odessa, TX...small world!) and she told me that the Seven Falls closed at 2pm that day. I didn't even leave my hotel until 2pm because I was finishing up with the conference. Clearly, the Seven Falls wasn't happening this trip, but she suggested going to Garden of the Gods which was open until 7pm. The ride down the mountain was a lot more enjoyable - I even did over the speed limit in some places. Trying to make up for lost time. Anyway, I got to Garden of the Gods and I had two trails I could follow. One was paved and circled the park without going through any brush, and the other was a dirt trail that went into the heart of a wooded area and was marked with a "Beware of Rattlesnakes" sign. Hmm, which to choose?
Well, I wanted to take the one that would take me into the Great Unknown, which was - unfortunately - the one marked with the "Beware of Rattlesnakes" sign. To quote Indiana Jones, I hate snakes. But I didn't see any on the trail and I was not disappointed with my choice. Garden of the Gods was magnificent and served as an excellent backdrop for me to do some intense journaling. I spent about an hour and a half in the park, just wandering around and taking pictures, before I was too tired to keep walking. And I slept pretty good that night until I got the text from American Airlines saying my flight was cancelled.
Moral of the story: Don't be afraid to do things by yourself. Even if people look at you weird while you scribble furiously in a notebook in the middle of the woods.
Never thought we'd get old, maybe we're still young
Maybe we always look back and think it was better than it was
Maybe these are the moments
Maybe I've been missing what it's about
Been scared of the future, thinking about the past
While missing out on now
We've come so far, I guess I'm proud
And I ain't worried about the wrinkles around my smile
I've got some scars, I've been around
I've felt some pain, I've seen some things, but I'm here now
Those good old days
You don't know, what you've got
Till it goes, till it's gone
You don't know, what you've got
Till it goes, till it's gone
The "Good Old Days" video was shot to make parts of it look like old 70s home movies, which is one of my favorite aesthetics. It follows Kesha and Macklemore meeting up with friends during a camping trip. In the middle of the woods, by a lake. It looks very similar to where I got lost in Colorado but maybe all woods look the same, especially if you have no clue where you are. Anyway, seems like a fun party to be at. I would like to do that some time - just a big old camping trip with some friends. It's been a long time since I've been camping but I do like being out in nature. That's why I prefer to run outside. It makes the pain easier to endure when you're running into a gorgeous sunset or looking at the stars. Anyway, I've ranted at you enough about my exploits. Happy Sunday! Now go have an adventure.
"Good Old Days" Video
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