Day 6

Hi!

 Yesterday was one more chill day before I hit the road again.  I washed my car and reorganized it, washed clothes and got all my ducks in a row.  Some days have to be for cleaning and reorganizing- it feels good and clears the mind.  I feel that it’s important to be organized to some extent to keep you sane. There is such an overload of clutter in our brain from tv, the radio, and advertisements having your own things a little less cluttered has to make a difference in our day to day life, right?

The hike back down. 

In the evening I went on a hike on one of the many trails that Colorado has to offer. I always thought I was lucky to live in Austin with all of the greenbelt trails. Here, there are countless amounts of places to go hike.  I drove on 170 until I saw a trailhead and parked.  Courtney had things to do, so I went out alone today.  There really is nothing like being alone in this massive nature. I almost feel invincible when I am with someone else, but I am reminded of what vulnerability is when I’m out there alone. My senses are heightened and I am more aware of everything around me, I like the feeling though.

This trail was my favorite so far, there were a lot of open fields to look at. 

I am going white water rafting today. I am pumped! I have a friend from Texas that moved up here to be a guide. It will be neat to see what he has learned. What a badass job to have, that must be job that you wake up every morning and love going to work. I can’t wait to see how the video turns out! Whew, and that water is going to be so cold- but so worth it.

Just love that sunshine yellow on the fields:) 

I thought these were neat, they look like bark to me.

Im off til' tomorrow! Ya'll have a great day:) xo

Day 5

Hi!

I was up early today, at about 5:45. I figured I should just get up and get my day started. I wrote, edited photos and went on a run.  It felt so great outside; it was about 60 degrees out and sunny. I’m used to the hot Texas heat so three miles felt like nothing here. It was nice to check out Boulder on foot, there are bike and hike trails all throughout the city.  Boulder is an easy city to get around on foot, that’s always nice.

A mountain climber half way up 

 Court and I made breakfast and went to Eldorado State Park. It’s not far outside of town, maybe about 20 minutes or so.  When you drive in, the cliffs are unreal.  There were rock climbers everywhere. That is something that I don’t care to do, but I have mad respect for it.  What patience and skills one must have to be able to scale cliffs and mountain faces.  There were people so high up that you could barely see them, it was amazing.

Can you spy the person?

The hike was beautiful. We saw a snake cross our path! He didn't do much but slither by, I couldn't tell what type it was, but it was neat to see. All of the trails were steep and rocky on the side of the mountain.  We climbed to the highest point we could go to and then down to the river. There are huge boulders all around us and then a river at the base of the mountain. The water was freezing cold! But we just dipped our feet in and watched the water rush over all the rocks and over the damn. 

Courtney enjoying the view. 

Beautiful boulders

After Eldorado, we went and ate some dinner and met up with some Texas crew for some drinks. It was nice to see some familiar faces. We're all going to drive up to Fort Collins to go white water rafting tomorrow. I am so pumped about that! Whew! Ill have my go pro ready to roll! 

Day Four

Boulder Creek Falls, Boulder CO

                   

Wow, today was relaxing.  I got into Colorado at about 1 am last night.  For most of the ride I daydreamed about taking a shower smelling pretty again, but once I got there the thought of sleep was real nice. The thought of not having sand in every crevice was nicer so I fought sleepiness for cleanliness.  A bed was wonderful; I am most certainly taking advantage of that for the next two nights.  Courtney and I woke up and made breakfast and chit chatted for a while. It was great to catch up.  We’ve been friends since we were 19 and 20. Wow, time flies.  That’s almost nine years ago, now.  We’ve watched each other grow over the years and it’s a beautiful thing to see.   It truly makes my heart happy and I’m excited for the future and to see what we come up with.

Courtney took me on a lunch date at a sushi restaurant here in Boulder, Co. It was amazing- I can eat sushi anytime.  Afterwards, we went into a few stores on the way back to her house. Boulder has a long outside shopping drag that has all kinds of nifty stores. Not a place to go if your trying to save money, I had to get out of there and with a quickness!

Boulder is a beautiful place, but I noticed that there was hardly any culture here. I was looking around as we were walking home and I said, “Are there any people that aren’t white? I feel like I’m a time warp or something.” Court says, “Like Pleasantville, it’s creepy right?” I don’t think I could hang in a place with no color, I think I’d get bored of looking at the same thing everyday.   

Courtney enjoying the view

    We got back to her place and started to pack up to go on a hike and a blinding lightning streak touched down somewhere near. Our doors were open and it lit up the room, during the day.  You know that crack of thunder was coming, that one where it cracks so loud that it pierces your ears and then continues to rumble for minutes. Needless to say we waited that one out. Just an hour or so and it cleared up and cooled way down.

   Courtney took me to a waterfall that is about 20 minutes outside of town, up in the mountains. The drive up there was amazing. I don’t know if you can ever really get tired of that view-the cliffs and huge evergreens, the raging rivers and water falls. It’s stunning.

 Boulder Creek was raging. I look at the waterfall pouring over the edge and think of how relentless the water is.  It has no mercy whatsoever. I give major props to all of the big wave surfers out there that get pounded by waves.  I don’t know how you do it! Speaking of getting pounded, I have a friend in Fort Collins, CO that does white water rafting trips. I’m trying to get a trip set up before I set out to Moab, UT. What an adrenaline rush that would be!

Ill keep ya updated on that!

Day three

Well Hello!  What a night and day! I didn’t have the best night of sleep , the ground was not quite as flat as it looked, but hey, what are you gonna do?! I woke up, again, at about  5… I opened my tent to see if there were any starts left. The moon and the Polaris were the only two left shining in the sky . By 5:30, they had both gone to sleep for the day. 

The view from my tent this morning. 

   As I was sitting in my tent looking up, there was a loud screech behind me and to the left, back in the mountains. The initial sound startled me. It kept going for about 10 minutes. It was the most horrific blood curdling death screech that I have ever heard. It echoed off all of the mountains that surrounded me.  I imagined a fictional werewolf like creature with blood soaked fur and a snarling grin with long white teeth.  I don’t know why I imagined that being the creature dying, but I did.  It finally ended, and I literally spoke out loud, “Shit, that was awful. What a way to wake up".  That was almost as good a wake up call as when my friend Hannah, Darlene, and I were camping in Tikal, Guatemala and the howler monkeys woke us up with the their ferocious dinosaur like roars.  That was intense! I talked with my aunt about my trip so far and she said, "Just respect your surroundings and it will respect you. The enemy is the mind, just enjoy." No better words could be spoken about my experience in the woods, I will take this with me. 

   I packed up early and went to Front Porch Bistro for tea and the interwebs again. I uploaded photos and wrote, then I was off to White Sands National Monument. The drive was only 45 minutes—boring drive too.  I don’t know how people live in the desert with no shade and no swimming holes.  It’s almost like Hell, I haven’t been, but I’m assuming that is what it’s like.  Also, all of the towns that I drove through are dead. They are almost abandoned. I don’t understand how anyone makes any sort of living in these types of places.  I can’t tell you how many buildings were left just as they were from years ago or had For Sale signs in the windows… that had probably been there for years.  My grandpa told me before I left, “You know, you need to do a story over all of the small towns that are non existent nowadays.  “Naw Papa, I don’t want to do that”, were my exact words.  I was on a mission to get to Colorado, but if I drive though anymore small towns, Ill stop, just for you Papa.

White Sands picknick tables

   White Sands was absolutely beautiful! Just miles and miles of stark white sand dunes put here just for our entertainment.  At the visitor station you can get sleds and sled down. I thought I would go faster, but it wasn’t thaat fast, still fun nonetheless.  Since it was midday and the sun was overhead, I couldn’t get a photo that shows the depth of this place. All of the white just blends together.  I needed some shadows. But wow, the dunes were so tall and I had way too much fun than you should if you’re by yourself. It was great!

Just a reference as to how small we are.

      

This is what happens when you're a photographer and alone

I hit the road to Colorado.  I drove down a two-lane road that stretched thoughout the countryside for hours and hours.  I really enjoy just driving and looking at new things. I don’t know what I thought about for all those hours, but I was somehow occupied.  I stopped a lot and took photos of things that interested me.  I also stopped and long boarded down long rolling roads.  That was fun!

On the road to Colorado, to the left of this it was blue skies and big white clouds. 

 I finally made it to my best girl Courtney’s place in Colorado around 1am. I was beat and ready for a nice bed.  Oh, bed, such a nice word!

Colorado sunset

Ill talk tomorrow-- have an awesome day! 

Day 2 6/21

Good morning! This is what Camp Hermes looked like at about 5:20 am. 

Surprisingly, I slept pretty well last night. I was nervous going to sleep because of the bear bag and well, hell, who knows what else is around me! It was so silent I could hear my ears ring. I could hear the leaves falling through the trees and every stick that cracked. But I woke up at about 5 and thought this is as good a time as ever to get up! I took some photos and explored around for a while. Since I forgot my lighter-- stupid-- I drove into town to upload photos and write some. I got some coffee and some breaky. 

The people at Front Porch Bistro were lovely. David welcomed me with a big smile and hello. We chatted for good while and he invited me in the kitchen while he cooked. We got to talking about what I was doing out here and I talked about my whole reason for this trip. I asked him what something small that makes a big difference in his life. He said, "Well, it's not small, but my family is the first thing that comes to mind." That is valid enough for me! He moved to Cloudcroft New Years Eve of 1999, "...and no, it was not because of Y2K", he laughed. He told me they loved it here, "It's beautiful." And that it is. The mountains and the trees alone are breath taking. The people are amazing too. It has that small town feel where people are friendly and everyone says hello with smile. I do love that. 

My new friends at Front Porch Bistro told me I should check out the Solar Observatory. It was down a long Byway called 6563. I was on this stretch of road for about 20 miles. I probably passed three or four cars. The scenery was stunning. It had long curvey roads so I went slow and took it all in. There was no phone service and the only station was country or christian... Ill stick with the good ole sound of wind blowing through my window. 

The observatory wasn't quite what I expected, but it was pretty neat. I got to go on the revolving dome, which your not allowed, but I walked up when a guy who worked there was letting his nephew take photos. Definitely a plus, considering the observing room was a small room with a window! 

This was the second telescope we could walk in. Here they had video monitors in wall that had live feeds from the sun. But don't think they were big screen tv's, they had to have been installed in the 70's and nothing had changed. Below, is the lighting from inside the tall white telescope above. Does that not say 70's all over it?! It was eery in there, not a soul around. It was like a scary movie. All the monitors were on, computers were flickering and changing screens, the chairs were half rolled out from their desks, but no one in sight. 

A storm was blowing in and there was a flash flood warning for the area, so I ate lunch at the observatory and waited to see what it was going to do. My initial plan was to go check out Bluff Springs, a natural spring off of one of the trails. I went and it was small, but pretty. The thunder was rolling loud so I explored and waited to see if it was going to rain before I set up camp. It actually passed and it was all blue skies so I set up for the night.  

Here is where I set up camp, next to the little spring. I drank out of it, cooked with it, and washed my face. It was cold cold, amazing cold. There is a burn ban, so I couldn't make a fire, boo. You know, at night, it's pretty intimidating to be out here alone. I just took hours of star shots to not think about what could be, and just be. The stars out there were incredible, and this is only night two! I can not wait to see the stars at the Moab and the Grand Canyon! 

Im off-- till tomorrow! 

xo 

Day One 6/20

First destination in Lincoln National Forest
     
     I left dallas at 7 this morning and I have been waiting for this day for months now!  I cant believe that it finally came. The drive was interesting, I have never been through west Texas before. There is lot of flat open land. I came to a wind farm and had to stop. I found a road that led to them, they were in the middle of freshly planted crops. I walked through the crops to get up close. The windmills are so beautiful to me for some reason. They feel so futuristic although I know they aren't. The sound that comes from them is so timely- like the ticks of a clock that never end. Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh- it could put me to sleep.

   As I kept driving there was more and more dessert and rocky terrain, all of a sudden oil derricks popped up and there were hundreds as far as the eye could see. I had never seen that many before! I tried to get photos, but they were so small that it just didn't do them justice. After the derricks, I slowly moved into the piney woods- gigantic trees started popping up and mountains came out of nowhere. It was really beautiful.

  


Around 6 o'clock, I came to my destination, Cloud Croft, NM. The ranger station was closed but they had the trail maps out front. I looked at them and decided which one to go to. Since it was getting late, I wanted to go to one that was close.  I went to the gas station and filled up on water and headed towards the trail. I parked at the trail head and hiked in from there. I didn't do a long hike, again for sun's sake. I wanted to get set up eat and get the bear bag hung before it was dark. I hiked the 511 trail for a while and came to a clearing, I walked around the clearing to find a good spot. It's really rocky here so I looked for a place that was fairly smooth. Setting up was easy and got my tent up in a few minutes, time for food. I went to cook some food and got everything out and ready, went to light my little propane stove and reached for my lighter- shit! I had just changed into pants right before I got on the trail bbecause it was getting chilly. My lighter was in my shorts pocket. Fml. I had brought plenty of trail mix and cliff bars so I had something to hold me over, that will not be happening again. Lighter stays in my cooking bag!  These are the little things that make a huge difference, right?! I thought I was taking my time getting everything packed up, checking and double checking. But there is no room for small mistakes. I ate my snack for dinner, which filled me up pretty well (thanks Cliff Bar),  and then it was time to hang my bear bag. That was the ultimate test, I have never camped in a place where I had to do that. I watched some YouTube videos and made it happen. Where I'm at, there are really tall pines so the branches are way high. I got a rock, tied a rope around it and tried throwing it over a branch that looked good. It was definitely testing me! I tried different size rocks- still couldn't get it over the freaking branch. I gave up on that one after about 15 minutes. I found another one further away from my tent, it was not quite far enough out from the trunk of the tree for regulation, but it was about 15 ft in the air. It took me a couple of throws, finally! 

 Im back in my tent now and it's about 9:40pm. I feel like I should be more tired, it is going to be hard to go to sleep. I can hear every branch snap and crack and I swear to gawd if a bear comes...all I have is a knife- please no bears. Please No bears. I saw a pile of crap near my tent - I'm hoping it's cow shit--- I don't think there are cows out here, but I'm just going to tell myself that, okay?
Good night let's hope for the best:)