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Flatter than a Pancake, Literally
Today we drove across Kansas. I hadn't made this trip since I was nine years old, and I had forgotten how utterly flat this state is - such a sharp contrast to the hills and bluffs of Northwest Missouri. Ryan told us of a study finding that Kansas actually is flatter than a pancake. Even though the day was long and the landscape uninspiring, being greeted by the sun setting over Denver's Rocky Mourntain skyline made it all worthwhile. -
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Summer 2010: Colorado
Six days in the breathtaking beauty of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. -
Clouded Judgement
Mount Evans Offical Site The highlight of today was a drive up Mount Evans on the highest paved road in North America. The drive up was breathtaking. The time at the top was interesting, and literally, breathtaking. After looking at mountain goats and clouds rolling in at our level, we headed down. That's when the fun began. The trip down was scary to say the least. Twisting roads that seemed to curve into nowhere felt like a descent into death. -
And They Walked with Me
Today we walked through the Garden of the Gods - wow. The way these gorgeous rocks towered over us, tall, red, and stern-looking against the crystal blue sky, it's easy to see how they got their name. If there was ever a time I felt small in comparison to the awesome might of Mother Nature, it was today. -
Nature's Notes
We visited Red Rocks today, a beautiful outdoor amphitheatre, and I couldn't help but hear the silent concert in my head. The heavy bass of the large slabs falling into place. The grace notes of smaller stones accenting the circle that brings people together in celebration of song. -
Peak of Fear
Today I found my threshold of fear. The first half of the ascent up famed Pike's Peak was idyllic. The second half, nerve-wracking. The descent was undescribable. At every 180 degree downward twist of the road I felt I was about to meet death face-to-face. I can't describe the feeling of living through it. I felt almost as powerful as the mountain. -
No Place Like Home
Even with Alex throwing up every hour or so, making for some quick swerves onto the shoulder of the road, and in spite of more of the pancake flatness of Kansas, the journey home was at least as exciting as the journey to Colorado. In the end, Dorothy was right - there is no place like home, and nothing like travel to teach us that lesson.
