3746.2 Miles

These miles from Austin to Colorado and all around that glorious state were made possible by the following sponsors, their incredible hospitality, amazing generosity and never-ending kindness, as well as their basements, couches, blow up mattresses and guest rooms:

Laura of Abilene;

Nancy and Rick of Colorado Springs;

Fraser, Liz and Nathan of Centennial;

Jon, Anneke, Jack, Hannah and Mary Grace of Summit County;

Amy, Mike and Bri of Lakewood;

Carolyn and Matt of Denver;

Becky of Gunnison;

Angie and Aaron of Louisville;

Veronica and Holly of Loveland;

and Jessica of Denver.

An honorable mention goes out to the following:

Mike, Amber, Bella, Rebekah, Pam and Nate in Colorado Springs;

Jennie in Boulder;

Marlyn in Aurora;

Jon and Donna's Party in Denver; 

Celebration Church in Denver; 

The Wheelers in Arvada; 

Julia's Bachelorette Party in Denver; 

Julie's Basement in Louisville;

Julie in Boulder and Louisville; 

The '80s Prom Party in Washington Park; 

Julia's Wedding Shower in the Highlands; 

Andrea and Keith in Denver; 

Hilary in Salida; 

Becky's Friends in Gunnison;

Dillon Community Church; 

Julia's at her New House in Denver; 

Jenny in Louisville;

Larry & Brad at Denver Seminary; 

Elizabeth in Denver at City Park;

Veronica in Fort Collins; 

Group Publishing in Loveland; 

Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park;

All of Julia and Sean's amazing friends & family 

celebrating for their fabulous wedding; 

and First Presbyterian Church of Boulder 

and all the great people there.

I miss y'all!

Stream of Facebook Consciousness

I drove from Colorado Springs to Austin today. It was a long drive. I left at 4:08 a.m. Mountain Time and arrived just before 8 p.m. Central Time. 871 miles. Lots of caffeine. Lots of sugar. I'll be awake until Thursday. My Corolla and I had a good trip. And now I'm home.

"Dear Colorado, I miss you already. New Mexico just isn't the same. 

And I'm scared of West Texas. The End."

"OK, Texas, it's you and me, for the rest of today. 

We can do this. Concentrate. No construction. Good weather. 

Lots of coffee. And probably a Sconic drink. Let's go. Game on!"

"Heather Werle would like to break up with West Texas. 

It's boring."

"Heather Werle is ending her relationship with West Texas 

and getting back together with the Hill Country. 

She'll be in Austin by tonight!"

(Not that you can see this...but it was the first sign I saw for Austin.)

The Scenic Route

I drove around Colorado today. Yup. That pretty much sums it up. I started in Denver this morning and headed up to Summit County. I had some stuff to pick up before heading back to Austin. Typically, this includes the long tunnel by Loveland Ski Resort. However, seeing as it's been gorgeous and sunny lately, I took the scenic route, around the mountain and over Loveland Pass.

My next stop was Colorado Springs. Seems easy enough. 70East. 470. 25South. Easy enough...but boring. So instead, I headed toward Breckenridge, went through Fairplay and over the mountains in Woodland Park, arriving in Colorado Springs just in time to drive past Garden of the Gods as the sun was starting to set. Gorgeous.

Here are a few pictures of the scenic route. It was so gorgeous, I had to pull over and take it all in, seeing as I'll be saying good-bye to this absolutely incredible state tomorrow...which is sad. Boo.

Lastly, these are the Ericksons.  I pray that one day I'm as hospitable and generous as these two kind people who have welcomed me into their Colorado Springs home once again. 

Boulder, Pete's, Sloan Lake & Jessica

Today felt normal. I woke up, went to church at First Pres Boulder, caught up with old friends after the 11 o'clock, ate Illegal Pete's for lunch, went on a l-o-n-g walk, took a nap, hung out with Jessica while doing chores and am spending an nice Sunday evening at home. Well, it's not my home, technically, but it's my 10th home on this road trip all over Colorado and the one that Jessica, a college roommate, owns in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver. It was a normal Sunday. I like normal. 

Looking West

Downtown Denver

A thousand words, a thousand smiles & a thousand laughs...

Free Food: It just tastes better.

After making friends with the coffee shop guy at the The Red Trolley in Denver and explaining that I'm on the unemployment diet when he tried to sell me a breakfast sandwich, he offered it for free. And free food just tastes better. Yum.

If you're ever in the Highlands area of Denver, check out the Red Trolley on 32nd street. It's great! And not just because of the free food...

Gem Lake

I first discovered the hike up to this lake with Giancarla in May 2001. We had both graduated college over the weekend and decided in about a 2-minute conversation that driving to Colorado the next day was a good idea. We were wrong. It was a great idea. On our adventure, we headed up to go hiking in Estes Park (where else do you go hiking, according to us midwesterners?) thinking that Rocky Mountain National Park would be the perfect choice. It was perfect. But we had to pay for perfect. Being totally broke recent grads and still unemployed, we asked the guy at the gas station where we should go to hike that would be free. He gave us directions to a trailhead behind the Stanley Hotel and down the road from MacGregor Ranch. It sounded perfect. And that it was.

We wandered up the mountain to discover a precious lake at the top. You could see out over all of Estes Park at points, and by the time you made it to the big bowl that held the past season's snow melt, you were hidden away in the mountains, far from everyone and everything. We probably talked about the jobs that we would get and the fabulous places we'd live. And we most certainly felt hardcore, outdoorsy and adventurous.

Just over a year later, I found myself moving to Colorado from Seattle. Giancarla was still back in Chicago, but so much had changed since that Memorial Day conversation. I was starting Denver Seminary and going to call this glorious state home for a few years. So, of course, during my time in school and years following, I sometimes found myself back at this same trailhead that lead you into Rocky Mountain National Park...without paying because there was no ranger station.

I took Steve and Elisa there, two high school newspaper friends who visited. Joel Mitchell and I hiked together. He stopped in Denver on a road trip from Princeton to Seattle. We had interned together in Seattle and were both in seminary. There were many afternoons spent there alone - when I most wanted to get away but didn't have that much time. Annaliese joined me once when she first moved to Boulder, too. Kirstin and I headed up to Gem Lake after we had both moved away from Colorado - her to Portland and me to Austin - when we flew back to see Tara & Jess get married in Estes Park.

Today, after visiting Group Publishing and having lunch with former coworkers, I drove up 34 through the canyon, turned right at the Safeway, went around the corner by the Stanley and past MacGregor Ranch to the same trailhead. I passed it the first time by accident and had to turn around. The little, gravel pull off that was a make-shift lot for hikers had been replaced by a paved road and nice parking area. But it was still the same wonderful, Colorado hike - not too long and not too short, perfect for a beautiful afternoon in the mountains.

Oops! Wrong choice in shoes...oh well!

Wilder Park

There was this park in between my house and elementary school when I was growing up. It housed the worlds tallest polls down which to slide, the widest slide ever and the most incredible collection of monkey bars. The tire swing went faster than anyone else in the whole wide world, and we could climb higher than the trees.

This one guy whose name I can't remember - he broke his leg going down the polls with his gloves on when he slid to fast and collided into the ground abruptly. And Erin, she puked on the tire swing. I fell the monkey bars countless times, and I think Erica broke her arm in the forth grade. You see, the park was so huge and mighty and wonderful that it was even dangerous.

Best. Park. Ever.

Seriously. You think that your park could compare. And no. You'd lose.

Wilder Park was a kingdom of wonder and adventure. It was saved for field day and other occasions. Like my birthday party. It was special.

One of the things that made this magical corner of Elmhurst so wonderful was that it was an old fashioned, wooden structure built over wood chips. You don't see a lot of parks like that anymore. Everyone's afraid of splinters and skinned knees. Splinters and skinned knees made you tough. They were part of the risk. You don't see parks with large, metal slides. You might burn your bum on a hot summer day. But climbing up them without getting hurt and sliding back down without allowing an inch of skin make contact with the silver sheet of death...well, that was the whole point. Parks like that made you tough. Parks like that are legendary.

This afternoon, in Denver, after catching up and laughing with my two favorite grad school professors and before driving to hang out with Veronica for the night in Fort Collins, I went on a walk with Elizabeth around City Park. I've been to City Park before. Only a few times, but still, I've been there. But I've never noticed the playground before. I've never noticed this wonderful piece of adventure built in the middle of Denver. It was a true, old fashioned, wooden park. It called our names. We answered and went over to the swings. My favorite. 


It was a good day.

Crested Butte