Call Off the Search Party...
Yes, I know. I am a terrible person. Or at least, a terrible blogger. Here I am, back from Colorado for more than a week, and I still haven't updated my files with the story of that amazingly fun adventure. Many apologies to my oh-so-patient readers (or reader, as the case may very well be by now).
Well, my memory ain't what it used to be — I did, after all, turn 32 this year — but let's see if I can recall some of the highlights:
1) The uneventful plane ride to Denver. "Uneventful" and "plane ride" are words that go well together, I always say. However, just before I disembarked the aircraft, I unaccountably and shockingly found myself giving my phone number to a man who runs a sort of Hooters-on-wheels hot-dog vending business. This was not really eventful, but it was kind of unfortunate. Just don't even ask.
2) Watching the Macguyver family (with whom I was camping) build an entire kitchen out of trees that they cut down in the forest. With the chainsaw they just happened to bring. Along with drills, nails and an axe. Did I mention that the kitchen featured a pot rack, a spice rack, and a working burner? Well, now I have. Here's a pic:
But, you say, I don't see any burner. Allow me:
Speaking of the kitchen, I should add that we ate very well on this trip. Shrimp fettucine alfredo and grilled salmon were just two of the extraordinary culinary delights we sampled during our exile from civilization. Yeah, roughing it is sure tough...
4) Our location was in itself a pretty huge highlight. Check it out:
Not bad, eh? Or how about this:
And last but not least:
Yep, that's yours truly (see, I do exist!) enjoying the rare feeling of being very small in a very vast, beautiful space. Los Angeles does not afford many opportunties to feel like this, believe me.
3) Seeing a bear and her cub while on a hike by myself in the hills near our campsite. This could have been slightly less of a highlight, if the bears had been closer. Or hungrier. As it was, they were close enough (about 20 yards). Thankfully, they were also running in the opposite direction from me. Whew! Later, when I got back down the trail, I saw the skeletal remains of some large animal; namely, its spinal cord and several broken ribs. Not really the sort of thing you want to see when you've left a couple of bears behind you... yikes!
4) Exploring the roads and trails on four-wheelers. Look:
I actually learned to drive one of these things, but only after I crashed into a tree. That was partly my friend M's fault though. When he was going over the mechanics of riding the ATV, he neglected to mention one important detail: the location of the brakes. Oh well. At least I was going reeeeaaaaalllly slow at the time.
5) Watching "The Others" on the laptop that M brought (!). Nothing like watching a semi-scary movie at night while camping out in the woods with miles between you and the nearest anything. ("Anything" being a rustic bed-and-breakfast at a hot springs, about half an hour's drive away.)
6) Racing a pronghorn on the ATV (and no, that time I wasn't driving).
7) Playing basketball in the pool at the aforementioned bed-and-breakfast. Yes, I said in the pool. This made the game interesting, to say the least. Oh and did I mention that the water (heated by the aforementioned hot springs) was about 95 degrees Fahrenheit? Talk about a workout. Also, for the record, my team lost. Boo.
Hey by the way, aren't you proud of me for taking pictures? Well, guess what... you shouldn't be. I didn't take a single one; all of these I stole off of my friends' website, where they posted pics they had taken. Their loss is your gain. Or something.
So, there you have it. Good times, good food, good friends. And here I am, looking forward to the next time:
Well, my memory ain't what it used to be — I did, after all, turn 32 this year — but let's see if I can recall some of the highlights:
1) The uneventful plane ride to Denver. "Uneventful" and "plane ride" are words that go well together, I always say. However, just before I disembarked the aircraft, I unaccountably and shockingly found myself giving my phone number to a man who runs a sort of Hooters-on-wheels hot-dog vending business. This was not really eventful, but it was kind of unfortunate. Just don't even ask.
2) Watching the Macguyver family (with whom I was camping) build an entire kitchen out of trees that they cut down in the forest. With the chainsaw they just happened to bring. Along with drills, nails and an axe. Did I mention that the kitchen featured a pot rack, a spice rack, and a working burner? Well, now I have. Here's a pic:
But, you say, I don't see any burner. Allow me:
Speaking of the kitchen, I should add that we ate very well on this trip. Shrimp fettucine alfredo and grilled salmon were just two of the extraordinary culinary delights we sampled during our exile from civilization. Yeah, roughing it is sure tough...
4) Our location was in itself a pretty huge highlight. Check it out:
Not bad, eh? Or how about this:
And last but not least:
Yep, that's yours truly (see, I do exist!) enjoying the rare feeling of being very small in a very vast, beautiful space. Los Angeles does not afford many opportunties to feel like this, believe me.
3) Seeing a bear and her cub while on a hike by myself in the hills near our campsite. This could have been slightly less of a highlight, if the bears had been closer. Or hungrier. As it was, they were close enough (about 20 yards). Thankfully, they were also running in the opposite direction from me. Whew! Later, when I got back down the trail, I saw the skeletal remains of some large animal; namely, its spinal cord and several broken ribs. Not really the sort of thing you want to see when you've left a couple of bears behind you... yikes!
4) Exploring the roads and trails on four-wheelers. Look:
I actually learned to drive one of these things, but only after I crashed into a tree. That was partly my friend M's fault though. When he was going over the mechanics of riding the ATV, he neglected to mention one important detail: the location of the brakes. Oh well. At least I was going reeeeaaaaalllly slow at the time.
5) Watching "The Others" on the laptop that M brought (!). Nothing like watching a semi-scary movie at night while camping out in the woods with miles between you and the nearest anything. ("Anything" being a rustic bed-and-breakfast at a hot springs, about half an hour's drive away.)
6) Racing a pronghorn on the ATV (and no, that time I wasn't driving).
7) Playing basketball in the pool at the aforementioned bed-and-breakfast. Yes, I said in the pool. This made the game interesting, to say the least. Oh and did I mention that the water (heated by the aforementioned hot springs) was about 95 degrees Fahrenheit? Talk about a workout. Also, for the record, my team lost. Boo.
Hey by the way, aren't you proud of me for taking pictures? Well, guess what... you shouldn't be. I didn't take a single one; all of these I stole off of my friends' website, where they posted pics they had taken. Their loss is your gain. Or something.
So, there you have it. Good times, good food, good friends. And here I am, looking forward to the next time:
posted by grackyfrogg @ 9:25 PM
3 Comments
