A few week I had been doubting if I should travel again. Work is busier than ever before and life is very comfortable most of the time. And it’s exactly that second point that motivated me to start looking at flights again. Being in the comfort zone is nice, it’s easy. You know what to expect mostly from the days and weeks to come. The routine makes it relatively predictable. And how much I enjoy that, part of me longs for adventure.
At a coffee place
I sit all the way in the back of a narrow long coffee place. At the other seats people are socializing, studying or working. On the small table in front of me I have a chai latte and my notebook. The notebook is dark red, has an icon of the universe at the front and the pages have golden borders. I got it on one of my previous journeys and I use it to write down my thoughts. My ideas about business and life and the things that keep my mind busy. Writing them down helps me process my own thinking and keep inspiration for later.
Sitting in a coffee place with a hot drink and a notebook and pen is one of my favorite things in the world. Present in the moment, relaxing and being creative at the same time. Wherever I am, I love being in a good coffee place.
Back in California
It’s Wednesday afternoon. I drove about 700 miles yesterday and another 250 miles this morning. By now I’m a bit tired, but also glad I made it back to California. A few more days until my flight home, so it’s nice that I can relax a bit before that.
Beautiful days in Colorado
When the Mango Tree coffee places closes I drive to the town of Golden just outside of Denver. It’s a nice little mountain town and I have dinner at a Mexican restaurant and walk through the town center for a bit. Then I drive to a campsite about an hour further where I’ve stayed a few years ago. It’s on a dirt road in the national forest.
Rocky Mountains national park
I have a long drive planned on Thursday. It’s more than 12 hours driving to Rocky Mountains national park and I want to see how far I can get. The first few hours are quite boring, since it’s just driving through desert land, but slowly but steadily the mountains are coming back in view and late in the afternoon I’m back in Colorado.
Extra day in Montana and visiting friends in Idaho
I’m always a bit sad to leave grandma and the beautiful mountains of Montana, but it’s not too bad this time. I’m mainly thankful for the lovely days we had together. I drive south to Yellowstone and arrive there in the beginning of the afternoon. I enjoy seeing the bizons along the road again and the geysers. I drive to Old Faithful, the biggest geyser in the middle of the park, and arrive there just in time to see it irrupt. I like how the timing of my traveling is so often perfect.
Happy days with grandma
The drive of today is pretty smooth. Some snow here and there, but no more storms. I make a stop at West Yellowstone, but I don’t go into the park, since several roads are still closed for the season. I drive further to Montana and arrive at my grandma’s house around six in the evening.
When she sees my car driving into the driveway, she waits on me with a big sign ‘Welcome Edwin’. I greet her with a big hug and am glad I made the 3000 mile drive all the way up here to Montana.
Tulips, Nederland, and a snow storm
After some relaxing time at Dirt Coffee, I walk around the block to another favorite place. In Tea, a tea store in Littleton that sells about 180 different kinds of tea. As I walk in, the guy at the register looks at me and laughs, saying “I remember you!”, I laugh back at him and answer, “Yeah, it’s been almost a year.”
Good times with American friends
The days with Amy and Wes are very relaxed and we have a nice time together. I think they are the perfect example of real American kindness. We’ve been friends for several years and I can always stay at their house when I’m in the neighborhood. They treat me like family.
My favorite place in America
Last night my friend Ana, who lives in this area, texted me and told me that she’ll be working at the office in Ouray and I’m welcome to join her. Ouray is a small town on the other side of the mountains, about an hour away from Telluride. After a relaxed beginning of the day in the car, watching the sun rise over the mountains and having breakfast, I drive to Ouray. I’ve driven this road a few times before and know it quite well by now. They call this area the Swiss of America and it’s not hard to see why. Everywhere are beautiful mountains.