July 28th – July 30th, 2018
Waking up in Moab the next morning, we readied the car and ourselves. We were heading East to Dillon, Colorado, to stay with Jess’ cousin, Topher, who was nice enough to open his home to us. Saying goodbye to our KOA cabin, we exited the campground and stopped at a gas station to fill the tank and to load up on some car snacks. By now, Jess, Lennon and I had gotten into our travel groove. Splitting time driving, Jess and I jammed out to music, worked a bit and chatted about life. Every now and then Lennon would pop up to say hello, and we would smother him with gushy salutations, as one does to dogs. The drive from Moab to Dillon, Colorado was one of our shorter drives, only about 4 hours. Heading East, we wound through the green mountains, came across some wild fires (that nobody on the road seemed alarmed by) and eventually arrived in Dillon.
Settling in, we changed out of our driving clothes, hopped into Topher’s car and drove to Breckenridge for lunch. Driving through the mountains, Topher shared fun stories of life in Dillon and pointed out all of our surroundings. Arriving in Breckenridge, we were greeted by an adorable ski town with cute chalet style shops on either side of Main street. The town was bustling; sidewalks were crowded with tourists and locals alike. After parking, we strolled down Main street and ended up at our lunch destination, Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant & Cantina. Boy, oh boy, do they have delicious salsa! I scooped myself through at least two bowls and asked for another side order to enjoy with my tacos. Mi Casa is a large restaurant, but feels intimate. We sat at a table overlooking the Breckenridge Yacht Club. As we finished lunch, Topher suggested we drive around a bit more, to explore the area.
We headed back into the car and made our way through the town of Frisco. I thought to myself, if I were to move to Colorado, this may be where I would want to settle. It had a similar chalet feel to Breckenridge, but the streets were quaint and quiet. Not as much foot traffic as Breck. Moving along, we drove through Keystone and eventually entered into Montezuma. Montezuma is a desolate town just East of Keystone. With a population less than 100 people, this mountain town had unpaved roads, and (I believe) one stop sign. As we drove slowly over the dirt road, we were greeted with a friendly wave from a resident, a man with dreads and tie-dye sweatshirt. I thought how remote it must be to live there. Coming from Manhattan, there is always someone nearby and action around the corner. Montezuma, it seemed, was a place for quiet, with little or no cell phone service. With the sun beginning to set, we concluded our tour of the area, we headed back home. As we drove back to Dillon, we passed over the Dillon Reservoir. As the sun set over the mountains I peered over my shoulder back over the Reservoir and couldn’t help feeling grateful for this journey, and the beauty of this country. I quickly snapped a photo, as to not forget this gratitude and warmth I felt from this scenery.
The next morning, we headed to Denver! On our way, we made a pit stop at Red Rocks Park Amphitheater. Wow, was this a site to see. The architecture of the stadium is very interesting, but also the amount of people that were there working out was astonishing. Groups of people were running the bleachers, or scaling the stairs. A local fireman, in full gear, was challenging his way up the steps. After taking in the scenery in the amphitheater, we headed down to the Visitor’s Center and learned a bit of history and looked over the famous musicians that had played there over the years. After a quick pop into the gift shop, we continued on our way to the city of Denver.
I was excited to visit this city, as I have always heard so much about it and wanted to experience it firsthand. Denver seems like many other cities, tall buildings and large expanses of highways. Our first stop of the day was at an ARC Thrift Store.
A local chain of Denver, we decided a morning of thrift shopping would be fun! Jess and I quickly discovered milk crates filled with records and started picking out our favorites. Our arms filled with records, we both decided that the next step would be to purchase a record player, as neither of us owned one. Unfortunately, ARC did not have any among their numerous aisles of treasures. Continuing on, we passed aisles of clothes, furniture, nicknacks, and books. With a twinge of nostalgia, I picked up a high school Biology book and placed it in our cart. This book now lives on my bedroom bookshelf. If you are ever in need to a Biology textbook from the early aughts, let me know! Finishing up at the Thrift Store, we headed to get lunch at The Park Tavern & Restaurant, located in Capitol Hill. Newly renovated, the restaurant was clean and spacious. We sat on the roof, wanting to enjoy the sunny, summer day and ordered our lunches. Having enjoyed my BLT (obviously) we headed out for a stroll around the area. Popping in and out of shops, we explored Denver by foot. As the afternoon rolled on, we said goodbye to Denver and started our drive back to Dillon.
Our last night in Colorado, Jess and I prepared dinner for our host. Standing on Topher’s second story deck, we grilled kale, zucchini, and cheeseburgers while overlooking the sunset and enjoying some of Colorado’s finest cannabis. It was definitely an excellent ending to our tour of Colorado. The next morning we would have an early start to our day, with a wake up call at 5 a.m. for our 13 hour drive to St. Louis.