A Colorado Walkabout, or there about

I didn't exactly walk, but I did leave on Saturday to spend some time in Colorado. I'd never traveled so far by myself, or at least not driving. I had intended to leave Friday night. After a terrible week, I'd decided to head off for a short time. Just to get away. To be in the mountains, my element. I'd worked hard during my free time for several days that week as well as the previous, as I'd hoped to go over Labour Day, but that didn't work out. So I was almost ready to go come Friday. My father decided to show up for a surprise visit on that very day, and he wanted to spend time with my sister and I. She was heading to PA to help friends move, from here to PA. He took us out to dinner that night, and afterward I worked to get everything ready. I'd not have been ready to leave after work anyway, but it still kinda was frustrating. I didn't leave as early as I'd wanted the next morning either. I made it out of town around 11 Central Time, crossing into Mountain Time soon enough. There was a lot of construction on the roads up to Raton, NM. 45-55mph is not exactly speedy traveling. I got lost thanks to the Mapquest directions when I was supposed to 'merge', as the directions said, onto I-25. Well, you're supposed to exit from 87 and get onto I-25. I went the wrong way all through Raton until I met a dead end. Then I found I-25 after backtracking, but I ended up on I-25 South. After a few miles and seeing signs that said Las Vegas and LA, I knew I was going the wrong direction. Besides, I had my above-head-console compass in my Jeep that said I was going South. That thing saved me more than once on my trip. I ended up passing all the exits that would have allowed me to get on the right highway so I went through the center area of grass between them and got going the right way. I turned off overdrive soon enough so I could make it up the mountains, and I was really on my way. Trinidad was next, and there I exited so I could stop at the Colorado Welcome Center. They provided free maps and information. I finally decided on what I'd do. I'd wanted to go through some scenic routes up to Colorado Springs before finding a camp ground outside the city to spend the night. They didn't know of any routes up that way though. Locally, exiting Trinidad, there was one known as the "Trail Of Legends". I followed that route, first getting on the wrong road again and finding myself going the wrong way, but eventually backtracking and finding the correct road. I made stops at Monument Lake and the Cuchara Pass. They charge just to get out and walk around at the lake. I didn't want to spend $13 for the privilege. So I walked up around the complex, a neat place I might consider staying at sometime as I think they rent rooms, took some video, and then headed back to my Jeep to get on the road. The Cuchara Pass is at an altitude over 10,000 feet and beautiful. Though strangely enough there were cows about in the valley... After getting some pictures there, I headed down a trail that would lead back to Trinidad, but decided not to continue. I wanted to go back up into the mountains, not leave them, however slowly. Besides, it was a rough road, and Jeep or not, I currently only have a doughnut spare, my cell wasn't working up there, and no one would know where I was if something happened. Not that all of these thoughts entered my mind at the time. I just knew I wanted to go to Bear Lake up further in the mountains. Bear and Blue Lakes were where we went as kids to camp. The only time I've really been camping, btw. I remember the bears brushing against the tent in the middle of the night, getting into the Suburban, feeling them crash into and rock the Suburban as they searched for food, and just wondering if we'd get through the night. Well, it was rather scary for a 12 year old. Now it seems more thrilling than anything. Good times. I finally found the exit to the mountain trail that led to the lakes, and I saw self-pay stands along the way. I stopped to look around and get some video of Blue Lake before heading on up to Bear Lake. There I ended up finding a guy that oversees the grounds and was able to get change so I could pay to camp overnight. The campgrounds were nice, but the best camp spots were taken. Mine wasn't bad though. I wish I'd brought hot dogs and marshmallows to roast over the fire, but I'd not known I'd be camping up there like that. I hiked down to the lake to get video after getting my camp-spot, and then I came back to get some sandwiches made. I thought I'd roast the turkey slices over the fire, as that's all I'd brought, but darn it if I couldn't find any good wood. Nothing that'd burn long or enough. And my match book sucked. I need better matches, or a lighter. I wish I'd had the lighter I kept in my Jeep, but I think it ran out of fuel long ago and I tossed it. Well, after eating, with A&W root beer to wash down the food, I went back to explore around the lake. I walked around it despite the sun going down. I could tell there'd not be a lot of time before it'd be too dark to explore safely. Still, I went, with no flashlight to boot. Geeze, I can be insane. I thought I saw a beaver dam at the other side of the lake, but when I got there it seemed a natural blockage of fallen trees and other things that'd been washed through floods and filled gaps. I saw the stream that led to the next tiny 'lake', or pool, however you wish to define it, and another thing that resembled a dam at the other end. After going around it to the one and seeing the next pool, I decided to head back. I found a great chunk of pine that'd have worked great as firewood, even if I didn't need it anymore, and grabbed it on the way back. It was more like a small, fallen tree. I somehow found myself turned around though, go figure, and went around the wrong way until I was going the opposite direction from which I should have been. I hiked up into the woods away from the lake in the direction I thought would lead to my camp, but then I realized it didn't seem at all familiar. I turned around and tried to get my bearings. After backtracking and then turning back and then again, I noticed the direction the sun was setting in. Thank God for common sense. Knowing it was setting to the west, and knowing the camp was north of the lake, I was able to find my way back just before twilight became too dark to navigate by. Now if only I could find the north star. ;) That night I slept in my Jeep with two snow leopard blankets to keep me warm, grateful to chrisbrewer and his mother for giving them to me, and yet it got too cold for that to keep me warm. I'd washed my pillows the night before leaving, but I forgot to pack them. So I used my coat as a pillow, wore my mom's stocking/leopardy hat that she'd left in my Jeep since I hadn't remembered to bring one, and tried not to shiver. It was a very cold night. I made it through, despite having to wake to use the restroom. They had one not far from there. Well, modern camp grounds and all, even up in the mountains. I accidentally set off my car alarm when I tried to power the stereo to listen to some music before sleep. I had to jump out in my socks and turn the key in the driver's door to disengage it. That's the only way you can do it, too! Geeze! I'm sure the entire campgrounds were happy about that. *Rolls his eyes.* I woke with a headache, a mixture of altitude sickness and caffeine withdrawel since I'd not had any since the day before and up until that point I'd been running on energy drinks. 6AM Mountain Time, and I packed up to head down the mountain and to Colorado Springs. I managed to get to Walsenburg, I think it is, within an hour or so, which wasn't making bad time considering how far I had to travel, and having taken some Ibuprofen and eaten just a few pretzels, I was feeling a little better. I got a few gallons of gas just to make sure I'd have enough and then some to make it to Colorado Springs, and then headed onward deciding against finding a place to get a real breakfast as I didn't have time. It was around 7:30 MT by then, and an hour later back home. I knew I wanted to get home before too late, and I had to judge by that time. I'd really wanted to make it to the city in time to get in the zoo while the snow leopards might still be active. It opens at 9, and it was cool that morning. Not as cool as up in the mountains, but cool enough. Nice. Certainly nicer than where I'd come from in Texas. I didn't make it until 11 MT, I think it was, perhaps later, due again to Mapquest directions mixed with Colorado Springs being laid out in some crazy manner where signs are misdirecting. One such as myself who is already navigationally impaired is bound to get lost. I somehow managed to find the zoo after losing around 45 minutes, and from there on things continued to be weird. My dv video camera had only 20 minutes of film left on the tape I had in it so I switched to a new one so I'd be sure to have enough to record all that I wanted. After recording for a while, I realized it was acting strangely. Even though I'd recorded for several minutes, it had just begun the counter. I tried to rewind and play back what I'd already got, but there was nothing. I was afraid the camera might be messed up, but switching tapes, it was clear the new one was defective. I had 20 minutes of film then, and a lot I wanted to cover in a short time to be sure I'd get home that evening before too late. I hadn't been to a zoo in ages though, and there were...big cats! The zoo is like a maze as it weaves up a mountain so I was bound to bypass a lot of things the first time through, and by the time I found the snow leopards, my battery decided to die soon after. The tigers hadn't been out yet either so I hadn't even gotten video of them. So I trekked down the mountain to the entry shop and asked to recharge it there. They were very kind and allowed it, but it took forever. Instead of eating the overpriced zoo food I went out to my Jeep and made a sandwich. I ate hurriedly as I was worried about just leaving my camera and gear sitting in on the table there. They said they'd watch it though, and sure enough nothing had happened. I called some people and just waited around for it to charge, which it finally did enough so that I could return to the snow leopards and film. I ended up finding a lot more to look at and film, just not being able to ration time as I'd wanted, and finally made it back to the snow leopards. My film did run out, and so I switched to the new one and messed with it. It started working, and I hope that it will actually continue long enough for me to get the video I got on it off to my computer. I talked with one of the people that worked there for a good while. She was weaving yarn out of sheep wool from Mongolia where they're using a lot of different methods to try and preserve the snow leopard species. Anyone that's interested should visit snowleopards.org After talking for far too long and missing it when the snow leopards actually moved instead of lazing about and sleeping, I went to film only to find my camera's battery was dead again. I stayed for a short while more, but then I had to go before the cougar enrichment program began. I'd have liked to have stayed and watch it. Ah well. Maybe next time. Even after asking the woman for directions to I-25 from the zoo, I still managed to get lost and circle around to the zoo again somehow. I somehow found my way to I-25 after the first mix-up, but boy was that pure luck. So much luck was involved in this trip that it was a miracle I made it through it. ;) The drive home was fairly miserable. It was far, far too long, sad because I was leaving where I wanted to be, and hadn't gotten to spend enough time at the zoo or in the mountains, and I was really tired so that driving was not fun. I had to get back though. Darkness came soon as I didn't really end up getting on the road, after refilling my gas tank in Fountain(a small town outside Colorado Springs), until 6 Central Time. I couldn't find the exit to 87 off of I-25 in Raton and had to stop and ask directions. I'd exited one exit too early. Oh well. I was getting aches from driving for so long, even with the blessed cruise control, and was glad to arrive home at ten till eleven. I didn't have time to unload my car, and still haven't yet. I'm typing this now as people have asked about my trip. Now to include some pictures. I can't include too many though as my webspace is limited, and I really don't have a lot that turned out clear. Darn digital camera.

Here are those that I can share though. Anyone that wants to see more, let me know and I'll do my best to get them to you.

I have a few of Cuchara Pass. It's beautiful.













Now here are some of cougars.





And having saved the best for last, snow leopards.









The majesty of it all is already slipping away, and the depression of returning home to all that I sought to escape has crashed down on top of me. I'm wishing I knew what to do about the way things are in my life, but right now I can barely manage to get through the day. There's just not enough time. As it is, it's taken me two days since I got home just to get this entry posted. I need to eat dinner now. Ah, but to be back in Colorado. I ate lunch and dinner with my dad yesterday, getting spoiled by eating real food twice in one day. He left early this morning. Last night I was left feeling even more lonely and sad. It's just strange. And I can't get the sight of the snow leopards out of my head. They're more magical than any photos can ever show. Pure magic. Life, ancient, energy, serenity, purity. Beyond anything one can ever imagine. Think of a night where snow falls silently, beautiful, peaceful, and there you have the snow leopard.