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.
Just before 10am I arrive at Ana’s office and it’s great to see her again. She’s always full of life and good stories and we catch up for a while before she offers to walk to the local coffee place. It’s nice to walk through Ouray, the mountain air is so fresh. The town looks a bit like Telluride, but is a lot less touristic and more quiet. The coffee place turns out to be a great spot, there are friendly baristas and the coffee is delicious. I enjoy our walk through town, slowly heading back to the office. There we both sit down behind our laptops for a few hours of work. It’s nice to work for a bit together with a friend. In the afternoon we have lunch together and then Ana has some errands to run. Before she leaves, she invites me for dinner and I go back to Telluride where I walk a bit through main street and visit some shops. I drive to Ana’s house in the evening where we continue our inspiring conversations. Last year she has started her own coaching business and since we therefore have quite a few common interests, we have a lot to talk about until it gets really late. I’m thankful I can sleep on her couch tonight so I don’t have to spend another night in the freezing cold car again. I really enjoyed camping at that beautiful spot in the mountains, but now I prefer staying here at my friend’s house.
In the morning we have breakfast together and when it’s time for Ana to go to work, I continue my roadtrip again. I have a route of about 7 hours planned for today to friends near Colorado Springs. It’s a long drive and just like times before I feel quite a bit sad when leaving Telluride. This is absolutely my favorite area in the United States. The mountains here are just so beautiful and the whole area is very peaceful. I surely hope to come back here some day.
A nice thing about the route going North is that for the first hour or so I can still see the enormous mountains in the rearview mirror. The landscape in front of me is less exciting as the mountains make place for lower hills. I stop a few times, for gas and for lunch, and on recommendation of a friend I get myself a nice Colorado hoodie. At the end of the afternoon I get closer to Colorado Springs and Woodland Park where my friends Amy and Wes live. The mountains here are higher again than during the drive, though not as dramatic as the ones near Telluride and Ouray. The sadness of leaving that beautiful area makes place for the warmth and friendliness of Amy and Wes. Outside their house is an American flag waving proudly and I’m greeted with a big hug. Dinner is already waiting for me as I arrive and we catch up on life while eating. I think I’ll stay a few days here before continuing driving further North.
