Day 3&4 - Colorado Part 1

Overview -
Aside from the pesky invader in the early hours of day 3, the rest of Wyoming passed by quickly. I climbed a couple ridges that looked interesting but otherwise just made my way down to Boulder, CO. I had planned to simply stop by and walk around Pearl St. on my way to Lakewood to meet up with my cousin Jason and his son Ethan.

I ended up bringing my guitar with me to sit down and strum a bit as the Pearl St. vibe was really relaxed (Like a chill combination of Minneapolis and the 16th St. mall in Denver), a lady even let me take a photo of her and her toddler! I came across a gentleman doing live painting named Josh, and asked if I could accompany his display with some tunes. I didn't accept tips so they all ended up in his Jar and we had some great conversation amidst a beautiful sunny day and friendly onlookers. Near the end another gentleman with his guitar stopped for a bit and chatted both with Josh about his art, and myself about my music. He was encouraging and friendly even to strangers; something that I strive to do and am always excited to find in others.

On my way out of town I noticed someone had this space needle looking thing in their yard. Thats how ya know it's a cool place.
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Another part of the reason I picked some of the stops on this trip is to scout places I may want to relocate to in the future (I love Minneapolis but that cold tho...). After visiting Boulder for a mere 3 hours, I decided it deserved a pretty high rating on my "Places to consider living" list.

I continued on towards Denver then arrived at my cousins place in Lakewood around 8:30pm. My car hit the 1000 mile marker for my journey as I entered his neighborhood. We had a delicious home cooked diner and a couple mile jaunt for some after dinner Dairy Queen (Dipped cones are where its at) as brilliantly proposed by Ethan. 

The next morning Jason had made plans for us to see some of the area and spend time at the Red Rocks Auditorium where I could play my guitar and enjoy nature. The Park itself was breathtaking, seeing all the ancient sand deposits turned angular red rock formations stunned me and a pack of dear that came within 15 feet of me as I stood still.

We got to the Red Rocks auditorium. The massive formations on either side create a natural acoustics marvel that allowed me to be heard throughout the amphitheater even though I was unmiced on stage while 3 guys power washed the seats from the night before's event. My cousin grabbed some really cool photos of me playing in different areas and a couple of the people there for exercise or enjoyment (Them stairs are brutal) complimented the mini performance. One of the photos I may turn into my next business card graphic! Jason an I grabbed a hearty breakfast in Capitol City that offered some fantastic home made Banana Nut bread.

I then headed back to Boulder to meet up with Adam who moved from the Rochester area last year. I met a couple new cool people and learned about some of the major changes in town with the construction of a Google Campus and other growth factors as the economy is expands. This also furthered my interest in the area as a potential place to live and work. After a few hours I went back and met up with my cousin at Ethan's little league baseball game and ended the evening with an episode of Black Mirror with my cousin.

Perception:
Colorado is an incredibly beautiful area that may be the first place I've visited where the photos and hype didn't actually capture how truly fantastic it is. Even though I've known and been told how beautiful and impressive the area is, I was continuously blown away by the majesty of the landscape. At first I couldn't look away. I stopped a few times to take it all in so I didn't drive so distracted. I started taking timelapse footage that I may turn into a little video. Either way, taking the time to explore Colorado should be apart of everyones travel plans at some point.

Introspection:
As soon as I entered Colorado, the energy of the landscape shifted. I felt insignificant in comparison to the monolithic formations of the rockies yet a sense of empowerment and motivation because I knew they could be conquered and climbed and enjoyed. On the way back from Red Rock, I had a great conversation with my cousin (it's the first deeper conversation I recall ever having with him). We discussed the lessons life has to offer, and how the most important things in life are not comfortable and require effort and practice. Contrary to societal concepts, always trying to be comfortable and not pushing yourself is a surefire way to stagnate. A big thing I took away from his words was a new view on how everyone faces struggles. Even if we succeed at overcoming a challenge in life, it can (and often does) repeat because theres more than one thing to learn and the universe letting us know there is more. I've had some repetitive struggles in my life the last 8 years and these words resonated. I'm trying to move forward by thinking about what I haven't learned yet as much as thinking about what I HAVE learned. This mindset is another helpful growth promotor and may help keep humility apart of my learning process.

​Reminder to self; I do not and will not know everything, and to think otherwise is arrogant.