Week 7, June 15-21
Cheers to Old Friends and New Adventures
My friend Mike was following my trip on socials and messaged me "Hey, I'm in Buena Vista, come visit!"
So I did.
Later in the week two other friends from back home in Philly both message me that they're in the Denver area and can I meet up!? I couldn't make both of them work, but was able to catch up with one of them later in the week.
None of these rendezvous were planned, all spur of the moment opportunities!
So far on this trip I've met up with a number of friends, some from back home, others that live around the country. In most cases it's felt discordant; my new adventure and the old familiar coming together. Yet in every case it's been additive - as the saying goes - like peanut butter and chocolate.
Top image, I wanted a shot of me hanging off the precipice, and Mike says "Look pensive!"
Sunday, June 15. Day 42
(Insert dad joke here)
Denver
Woke up in an overflowing Cracker Barrel Parking lot. Families bustling around and cars spilled over into the grass.
In order to use my stovetop I have to turn on the generator, which is loud and noxious, so I try to find somewhere away from people to do that. Which is how I ended up chilling in the shadow of a defunct TGI Friday’s to make my coffee.
I wasn’t there for 20 minutes before mall security came by. “you can’t be here it’s a vacant lot.” As though it being abandoned was a perfectly logical reason not to be there. She was friendly enough, though, and suggested I would be welcome to park at the (stadium sized) bass pro shop.
This was a kill time kinda day and there’s not much to say. The only reason I’m still in Denver is to pick up a windshield sun screen from Amazon. The sun screens that came with the van were not only cumbersome and taking up precious space, but they continue to reek of mothballs so bad I couldn’t even use them. I finally chucked them and felt relieved to be rid of them.
Good: Filled my gas tank for the first time in 4 or 5 days. As opposed to filling it once or twice a day while traveling. This is the silver lining to hanging out in one place for a while.
Bad: Going to Amazon/Whole Foods, I drove this 22’ beast around downtown looking for a damn spot to parallel park at a meter! ( I did find one, and parallel parked, cuz I’m awesome like that). But the item that was promised to arrive today, did not. I get to do this again on tomorrow.
Unexpected: Apparently, Cracker Barrel is the hottest breakfast ticket in town on Father’s Day. Woke up to an overflowing parking lot. I retreated elsewhere to be out of the way.
I didn't take any pictures of note today, so we'll jump right to...
Monday, June 16. Day 43
Psychedelics would be redundant
Denver (still)
Spent most of the day at Meow Wolf, an interactive art ‘experience’ with a handful of locations around the Southwest. I’d considered going to the one in Santa Fe, but it was closed the 2 days mid-week that I was there. (And my visit to Santa Fe was interrupted by the series of pipes incident.)
Meow Wolf was fun! While I was there I was thinking that between the ticket, parking, and lunch inside, it was close to a $100 day. But I realized that measuring an experience against its cost is a mindset carried over from how I was raised, it’s something I’m trying to shake.
MeowWolf was very cool, period.
I thought MeowWolf was going to be the entirety of my day. Tomorrow morning I’m heading to Buena Vista to catch up with an old friend.
Tonight I just needed a place to park that was more or less on the way. Usually Walmarts are reliably open to overnighters and there were literally dozens on the way out of Denver. But the three I stopped at had ‘no overnight parking’ signs. I scoped another walmart outside of Denver hopefully far enough out of town that it’d be ok, fingers crossed.
Along the highway I noticed a great view of the mountains and the setting sun and I pulled off to take pictures. I drove a bit further to investigate and found a small park with a seemingly available overnight parking lot.
I took a walk and photographed the sunset through the trees, but unfortunately the sunset was obscured by clouds.
Daily Listen: ‘Obscured by Clouds’, Pink Floyd.
This album is a blind spot in my PF discography. I thought maybe it was their very early stuff, but nope. It came in between ‘Meddle’ - one of my favorites, and Dark Side of the Moon’ - one of everyone’s favorites.
Curious about the incongruity, I looked it up. Turns out it was a commissioned soundtrack to a French film.
It was a little flat for me, I don't think it'll be party of my regular rotation.
Good: MeowWolf was cool. Any attempt to describe it will fall woefully short. It’s like imagination just exploded and manifested the place. It’s Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory without the child mutilation and gaslighting. Someone suggested taking psychedelics before going but it was so weird already, that seemed redundant! (but maybe next time)
Bad: the friend from Apogaea invited me out dancing last night and then ghosted me. this morning I commented simply “that wasn’t cool” and got the response “I’m sorry you feel hurt.”
For anyone out there that isn’t aware; “I’m sorry you feel that way” is not an apology. There are tons of think pieces explaining why saying that is a dismissive, passive-aggressive non-apology.
Don’t say that.
But also, the advice of Ted Lasso is to be a goldfish - forget about it and move on.
Unexpected: Finding this random park to camp out at for the night. The park “closed” an hour after sunset. So I sat in my van with the lights out wondering if a ranger would come by and tell me to leave. Exactly 1 hour later I see headlights come down the road and pull into the lot. I’m prepared for the conversation, but the vehicle just drives past me, looping through the lot and back out again. Oy vey!
Tuesday, June 17. Day 44
knock knock jokes aren’t my favorite
Denver -> Buena Vista, Co
KNOCK KNOCK!!
Who’s there?
Evergreen Sheriffs Department!
Evergreen Sheriffs Department, who?
Evergreen Sheriffs Department, you can’t park here!
I don’t get it. Maybe the joke is funnier when it’s not 3am?
Sigh, walmart parking lot after all.
In the morning on the drive out of town I saw these signs…
Farmers market Tuesday
Farmers market Tuesday
Farmers market here today!
Oh shit today is Tuesday!
I completely lose track of the days.
Got an amazing looking strawberry pastry and the last chorizo breakfast burrito. My day is looking up already.
Per my usual, I took the scenic route to Buena Vista. About 15 miles in, the GPS wants to send me down a dirt road. Not liking that, I also notice a sign that says “no trucks over 7000 pounds dry weight”, my van is 8000.
Bonus 20 miles. The scenic scenic route it is!*
* The route is slightly less scenic when there is only 15 feet of visibility in the fog.
As I went up and up the mountain I could literally see the fog rolling in. The mist was moving up the road towards me until I was enveloped. It was eerie, I felt like I was in a Stephen King novel. And not one of the feel-good prison ones.
The fog was doing all sorts of funky things. I could see it get thicker in layers. It was pouring down the mountain. It was swirling along the road.
Until I reached 11,000 feet and was above the clouds. Driving along the ridgeline and seeing the mountain fall off into a swirling gray abyss on either side! I pulled over to take pictures and stepped out into a dead silence.
Just a little further on, I come around a bend and suddenly the landscape opens up wide into a beautiful high mountain lake.
I stop at Echo Lake and walk around a bit, taking pictures. I laod a roll of B&W in the medium format camera, thinking the fog might look cool in grayscale.
As I’m walking around, a wall of fog rolls through obscuring almost everything, then just as quickly as it arrived it’s gone!
I didn’t stay long at the lake, but by the time I left, the fog had burned off and the drive down the mountain was clear and beautiful.
The day continued to be endlessly beautiful. But my 2.5 hour drive was turning into 6 hours, and I had to get to the RV park before the office closed.
At the park I met up with my friend Mike. We met 11 years ago on the cross-country bike ride and have crossed paths several times through the years. Backpacking in Georgia, bike touring through West Virginia, and just catching up here and there. He’s the reason I trekked out here. Tomorrow we’re going out on the river.
Good: Catching up with a good friend.
Bad: knock knock!
Unexpected: The extra 20 mile detour was a blessing.
Wednesday, June 18. Day 45
To old friends and new adventures
Buena Vista, CO
My cycling friend is a Mike of all trades. He’s cycling tourer (road & gravel), whitewater kayaker, musician, veterinarian, and more. I want to be like him when I grow up.
Mike took me out whitewater rafting today. An easy portion called “Milk Run”, though it was still ‘Class 2+’ (out of 5). It was a ton of fun! I wanted to get back in and go again, but I was also pretty wiped out! Meanwhile, Mike is 18 years my elder and literally paddled circles around me!
Not content with merely one adventure for the day, we also drove up to Cottonwood Pass on the Continental Divide and hiked further up to a scenic overlook.
12,000+ feet elevation, over 2 miles high!
The air is so thin I was huffing the whole time, but the view was worth it! We were above the treeline - where the air is so thin that trees can’t grow. There was snow on the ground all around.
Good: It was amazing getting to see Mike, catch up, and especially go rafting with him. This is a man who truly lives his life to the fullest.
Bad: I missed a few spots with sunscreen at the ‘joints’ of the wetsuit: ankles and wrists. Got little strips of sunburn.
Unexpected: I’d been white water rafting before, having done Class 5 on the Gauley River in WV, and have kayaked a lot, but I’d never done solo WW rafting and literally didn’t know what to expect. Would I get tossed around like a ragdoll? Would I be able to control the boat ok? Turns out I did damn well. Didn’t roll over or get in a pickle anywhere. Was even able to pull my phone out occasionally and take some pictures! Multitasking!
Thursday, Juneteenth. Day 46
It’s full of stars 🤩
Buena Vista -> (back to) Denver
Around midnight Weds night/Thursday morning I drove back to Cottonwood Pass and hiked back up to the overlook to take night skies photos. I’m considering this Thursday because it was mostly after midnight!
But it was also the second time making that trek at elevation in one day, and I felt every step going up that mountain. This time in the pitch dark!
It was a perfectly clear sky, and the stars were spectacular. That high up there less atmosphere and less humidity so the stars are clearer and more brilliant. From such a high vantage point I could see the entire arc of the Milky Way spanning across the sky.
It wasn’t only the elevation taking my breath away.
In the morning I packed up my van, said goodbye to Mike and hit the road. It was a 3 hr drive back to Denver and I budgeted 6 to be safe. I planned the route to go over Hoosier Pass near Breckenridge. I biked over that pass on my cross country trip and wanted to revisit it. Some of the drive was familiar, remembering particularly difficult spots where we pulled over to catch our breath - literally.
At the top I distinctly remember that view. I sat down looking out towards Breck and ate lunch. At the time I referred to it as mountain television, just sitting and taking in the view. This time I sat down with a piece of pie I’d picked up on the way out of town and just took it in.
I didn’t intend for this trip to be a nostalgia tour, but I’m glad for the opportunity to revisit some of the spots I rode through and bask in the good memories.
In Denver I met up with my friend in the evening. While we were searching for a dinner spot I saw a listing for a Jazz club only a few blocks away. We opted for some live music with drinks and apps, and it was the perfect option.
Daily Listen: The Wil Swindler Quartet at the Nocturne jazz club, Denver.
Good: Unexpected meetings with friends from home!
Bad: I didn’t have enough time to stop in most of the cool little towns I passed through on the way back to Denver. One had an antique railroad ride through the mines in the mountain. Another was known for bighorn sheep in hills.
I think on my way to Rocky Mountain National Park I will set aside one whole day of just driving, with enough latitude to stop wherever and however long I want.
Unexpected: The “Sasquatch Store” only carried road-trip snacks. While the “Country Store” next-door carried a huge selection of Sasquatch related paraphernalia like T-shirts, bumper stickers, and touristy stuff.
Friday, June 20. Day 47
Happy Solstice, y’all!
Denver, again?
Hanging out with my friend Lora from Philly! Her and her friends are very welcoming and gracious to let me chill at their AirBnB while they are in town attending the a Psychedelics conference. I’m enjoying a comfortable space to catch up on blogging, sending postcards, and processing photos.
In particular, I processed a panoramic stitch of the Milky Way Arc from Wednesday night.
This was my first time successfully doing a MW Arc pano!
It’s a 'stitched' panoramic of the milky way - a series of 20 individual photos merged in Lightroom.
I used a 14mm lens that I bought specifically for astrophotography, oriented in portrait (vertical) to get more of the sky in frame. On the tripod I take 1 picture, turn the tripod head a few degrees and take another, repeat 19 times.
The tripod head has to be perfectly level so that as I swivel it keeps the horizon line (in this case, the mountains) in a horizontal line.
Then it took Lightroom 30 minutes to do the computation for the panoramic merge.
I was a bit nervous when it seemed like Lightroom froze, then a few minutes later it spits out the finished product! From there I do my own adjustments to get the color and light to my liking.
Good: Friday night Lora invited me to come along to a party from the conference, the launch party for the third issue of ‘Sex & Psychedelics’ magazine. It was a fun time. :)
Bad: It’s 98º in Denver today. Since the fridge in my van crapped out, I had to bring in all the film I’d been storing in the freezer. High heat will degrade and ruin film.
Unexpected: I might have found the only untimed, non-metered street parking space in all of downtown Denver! And it’s only half a block away! Even so, I keep going out periodically to check that the van is still there, intact, and without a ticket. So far so good! (Follow-up, the van was unmolested by the Denver parking authority!)
Saturday, June 21. Day 48
Sour Patch Kids
Denver -> Lyons, CO
Dropped my friend off at the airport in the morning and made my way out of Denver. The idea was to take my time getting to RMNP, but it was closer than I thought and I was there by mid day!
Stopped along the way at a cherry grove for a slice of pie a’la mode, ‘Que sera sera’, was on the store radio.
Poked my head into a cool Pinball arcade, but didn't have any cash on me to play.
Online I found a campground in Roosevelt National Forest that was listed as free. I drove all the way out there only to find that 1: it was full, and 2: it wasn't free.
Finding that there was nowhere to park overnight anywhere near RMNP, I retreated to Lyons, CO.
I drove around a lot today, but don’t feel like I got anywhere.
Daily listen: I found some live music at a beer garden in Lyons. Sat and listened to a groovy 70’s cover band. They played Pink Floyd’s Eclipse from DotM, which I don’t think I’ve event heard covered before.
Following the 70’s cover band was a drag show for Pride month! It was a big turnout for such a small town.
Good: Live music
Bad: Not enough sleep last night had me in a sour mood.
Unexpected: It takes 3 bad things to make a bad day, but only one good thing to turn it around. Walking off a margarita around Lyon, I went into a local outdoor outfitters store. The guy there asked “Is there anything I can help you find?” And I answered ‘a place to park my van overnight?’
And sure enough, he pulled out his phone and showed me a spot! Halfway between Lyon and Estes Park. It was a trailhead right on the side of the road, but it was open and nobody bothered me all night.
