Epic Fortnight: Day 6

Miles Traveled: 411

States Covered: Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona

States That Were Completely New to Me: 2

Trains Spotted: 2

Route: US 160, US 89, US 64

Number of Selfies Dad Accidentally Took by Holding Down the Button: 36

I'm not going to lie, I'm getting a little burned out.  Which is ridiculous, considering all I've basically done for a week is sit in a car.  So naturally, we're going to hike the Grand Canyon tomorrow.

Oh, P.S., we made it to the Grand Canyon today!

Majestic.

That's right, we finally made it out of Colorado.  You know, I get why Colorado is a thing.  It's ridiculously beautiful, lots of different terrains, good beer, and nice people.  The mountains are almost offensively beautiful, and everyone seems pretty chill.  It may be a little too groovy for me, and I think I love water too much for me to be a true devotee of the state, but I could definitely stand to spend some more time there.  But not on this trip.  It was time to move on.

And move on we did!  Yesterday we made it through those glorious mountains with their sugar coating of snow, and I was a little disappointed to come out on the other side.  There's something so anticlimactic about driving out of the mountains.  Especially after spending so much time with these views.

I could hang out there all day, every day.  But only if there was a theatre.  There should be more professional theatres on top of mountains.  Just throwing it out there.

After a day in the mountains, we spent some time in Durango, CO, which had a much more South West feeling.  AND the most amazing vintage store I've seen in my life (I don't know how I made it out unscathed), plus a beautiful leather goods store.  Apparently Durango wanted all of my money.  I did not oblige... sadly.

Today was more amazing, though very different views.

Good times.  But now sleep.

Epic Fortnight: Day 4

Miles Traveled: About 60

Trains Spotted: 0

Establishment Patronized for Coffee: 4

Inches of Snow: 3

Souvenirs Purchased: 1

Today was less about logging miles and more about taking in what this little slice of Colorado has to offer us.  We slept in (by which I mean, the alarm was set for 7:00am instead of 6:00), puttered around the room (by which I mean, we started watching Casino Royale on the television), and decided what we wanted to do today (by which I mean, I hopped around the room, saying I wanted to hike).  So we layered up and headed out.

Only to discover that all the snow would mean that hiking would probably cause our imminent doom.

Instead, we walked around Crested Butte, a city usually packed with people enjoying outdoor sport of one sort or another, but is currently in between seasons, and had a very sleepy start to it's day.  Dad and I probably could have watched the rest of James Bond, but instead we sat down to enjoy our 3rd/4th cups of coffee of the day and contemplate what would happen if we did try to hike.  The consensus was that whatever happened, they would probably make a movie about it.  "Aspiring young actress and curmudgeony old man decide to test fate in the beautiful, but treacherous, Colorado mountains...".  I asked Dad who would play him in the film, and his response was, "I don't know, since Daniel Craig is busy shooting the Bond movies... maybe Matt Damon?"  Okay, Dad.

I was digging the snow, though.

It's pretty much Christmas.

We bopped around town for a little while, and entered the shops and restaurants as they started to open.  Drinks were had, pizza was eaten, and not only did we meet a guy from Kalamazoo, but also made friends with Layla.

That's Layla.  

I did find a most awesome shirt, which was in a coffee shop/book store.

Shut up and take my money. 

All in all, a great day, but not too much action.  To make it up to you, and seeing as it's Thursday, here's a throwback to one of our previous road trips.

Mmm...meat. (Texas 2010)

Stay tuned for more excitement tomorrow!

Epic Fortnight: Day 3

Miles Traveled: 406

States Covered: Colorado (about half)

Trains Spotted: 0

Radio Stations Playing Christmas Music: 1

Routes: US 24, US 50

You know what?  I'm not an asshole.  People like good food, good coffee, good beer, and it's not a crime.  And you don't have to have grown up in/near a big city to know what's good.  Last night we stayed in a tiny, po-dunk little town in northwestern Kansas (St. Francis, if you want to look it up), where nothing was open for dinner because the entire town was at a high school football game, and this morning we found the most amazing coffee shop.  The beans were roasted right on sight, they had several varieties, and their pour-over was heaven sent.  I know I sound like a chock, but I was pleasantly surprised to find something this specific in this town.  And everyone was showing up to drink it.

Fresh Seven Coffee.

And it looked like this:

Look at that handsome devil.

I don't want to say it was hipster-y.  Even though that's the first thing you would think when you walked in, that wasn't the vibe.  I hate that, more often than not, the hipster label is carelessly slapped on anything that is interesting and of quality.  These people weren't hipsters.  They were a part of this community and passionate about what they were doing.  No irony.

Just to give some perspective, here is a visual representation of the rest of the town.  That's the room we stayed in.  No headboards, no art, and no handle on the faucet in the bathroom.

Also, the bulb burned out in that table lamp.

But there was still good coffee to be found.

We got a little later start this morning, but we gained an hour going into Colorado, so it was all good.

And man were we ready for Colorado.  No, really, we were ready.  Look at us.

Note all the plaid flannel and the craft beer trucker hat.

After two solid days of open plains, profound thought, avoiding country music, and obscene amounts of miles clocked in, this was an exciting day.  Firstly, upon entering Colorado (specifically Colorado Springs), I was greeted with my first all Christmas station (CHRISTMAS), a Doctor Who license plate cover, and, of course...

I may be a little bit of an asshole.

There was also a spectacular change in scenery, and climate, both of which made the day much more interesting.

Hey snow. 

We arrived in Gunnison, CO around 3:00pm, and we'll be here for the next two nights, which means we get to actually action/hang out for a time.  And Gunnison has not disappointed in the few short hours we've been here.

This is our motel:

More photos to follow.

Please PLEASE notice the man walking a llama down US 50.  In between the fake elk and the SUV.  This is why we road trip.

The weather continued to get grosser, but we decided to walk around the downtown for a little while, and maybe turn in early.  But then we found The High Alpine Brewing Company.  And of course we went in.  And of course it was an awesome little, brand new endeavor, with the owners working their butts off, with their little kids running around.  And of course one of the owners, Scott (hi, Scott!), knew all about the wonders of Michigan craft beer.  And of course Dad became besties with Scott and gave him his Founder's hat.  Because that's what a road trip is about.

And Christmas music.