As usual, the alarm wakes me up at 5am and it’s about an hour til sunrise. I get dressed and drive about 15 minutes to a good viewing point of the Grand Tetons. Apparently I wasn’t the only one with that idea, because the place is crowded with photographers. People with big cameras, lenses and tripods are positioning themselves to get a good picture of the sunrise.
Long drive to the Grand Tetons
On Friday it’s time for me to continue driving and Jeff gives me some good recommendations for the route of today. We say goodbye and I drive to a cheap gas station that I found on Google Maps. I’m really happy that gas prices have gone down again since last year, my record on this trip is now $3.40 for a gallon of gas, which comes down to about €0,80 per liter and that’s about half the price as back home. It surely makes it easier to drive thousands of miles here.
Coffee, books and tea in Denver
When Jen and Jeff go to work in the morning, I drive to the cozy neighborhood Littleton. It’s one of my favorite areas in Denver and there is a great coffee place called Dirt. Last year when I was here, I worked at this coffee place for a full day. I don’t plan to work the whole day here today, but stay for a few hours to work.
A day of catching up with friends
I wake up by the alarm at 5am, get dressed and drive to a local Starbucks to post a blog and check my e-mail. In the parking lot I enjoy my breakfast with a view of the mountains before I get go inside to get my coffee. There are friendly baristas and I talk with them for a while. One of the girls recommends me to go to Pikes Peak.
Colorado roadtrip
Last night I got a text from travel friend saying she might be in Aspen, Colorado. I look at the map and see that it’s a nice mountain town about three hours from here. Even though I’m not sure if she’ll be there today, I think it might be fun to check it out. First I hang out with Wes and Amy in the morning until Wes leaves for a golf game with friends and Amy gets to work. I pack my car again.
The toughest climb of all
For today I have another special thing planned. Climbing the Manitou Incline. I had seen pictures of it online several times. It’s a hiking trail in Colorado, the remains of an old railway (thanks Wikipedia). It’s only about 20 minutes from where Wes and Amy live, so I drive there in the morning, park my car and take the shuttle bus to the start of the trail. At the bottom the climb looks very intimidating.
Camping in a tent and finally leaving Telluride
It’s light when I wake up and I press the button on the car keys to open the back door. I enjoy the cold air entering the car and the view of the now familiar mountains. I stay in bed for a while with the door open. I think I’ll just have a relaxed weekend. Where I’m usually quite focussed on seeing as much as I can on road trips, I want to take it a bit slower this time. While I have my breakfast I talk with the campers next to me named Nicky and Jeff. They’re breaking down their tent and travel to a different place. We have a friendly talk and they give me some tips for places to travel to. You can find friendly people practically everywhere in America.
Turning around again
I wake up with a beautiful view of the mountains. As I drive out of the area this morning, something pulls me right back. It feels like a rocket wanting to take off, but being held back by gravity. By now I know best to follow that sense and so I drive back to Telluride. I park my car and walk along the river that runs along the town and go back to the coffee place. The baristas are laughing, because I keep saying that I’m leaving and keep coming back the next day. I’m getting a cappuccino with a blueberry scone and sit down on the terrace. I’m reading for a while and take some time to think.
Another day in Telluride
I wake up happy, not being disturbed by anyone about camping here by the road. I drive to the town of Ouray, it’s very small and everything is still closed this early in the day. When I drive out of town there is a fork in the road. I can continue straight to get out of this area or take a left to go back to Telluride. I stop my car and think for a moment. I have a strong feeling to go back to Telluride and turn left.
Riding a steam train through the Rocky Mountains
I wake up two minutes before the alarm clock, at 4:58am. I love it when that happens. After a quick shower and putting my stuff in the car and say goodbye to my friend Ana. I hope it won’t be another five years before we meet again. The last two days were a lot of fun and it’s always a bit challenging for me to leave friends behind and continue traveling alone.