  I don’t know what I expected of this place. Maybe nothing at all – an experience with no preconceived notions, I don’t know.
But however I got here, this place is a mixture of nature and nirvana. It’s what you would expect if you put Montgomery, Vermont in some real mountains instead of those rolling hills that Vermont has to offer. I’m just east of the Continental Divide right now, in a cabin owned by Dan’s sister’s boyfriend’s parents. They’re extremely nice folks, salt of the earth type. I guess you have to be to live out here, so isolated from people. Their property is smack in the middle of the Roosevelt and Arapaho National Forests, so there’s no worries about anyone ever spoiling the scenery with big houses or other development.
The setting begs for reflection and spiritual contemplation. Being such an integral part of nature out here also serves to provide some much-needed perspective into many things. The silence is deafening, until you open your ears and hear all the sounds of the woods around you. We drove up Mt. Evans today. At 14,260 feet tall, it’s the highest I’ve ever been in my life – and certainly the highest my little car has ever ventured. Up until this trip, the highest she’d ever traveled was 6,280 feet up the Mt. Washington Auto Road.
We got snowed on today on the top of this mountain. Yes, snow. In July. That’s what fourteen thousand feet will do to you, I guess. I also got high today… from the altitude and lack of oxygen on top of the mountain. It was curious how the air just seemed to be thin, and completely useless where breathing was concerned.
It just wasn’t enough for my system. I got dizzy and couldn’t talk or think straight. A very curious experience altogether, and one I’d recommend if you get the chance just to see what it feels like. Just don’t drive off the edge of the road on the way up – there are no guard rails, just steep cliffs to tumble over. This evening, Dan and I went into Boulder and found this “mall” that is basically like a really clean and artsy Fanueil Hall from Boston. Lots of street performers and cool stores characterize this area of the downtown that’s been set aside solely for pedestrian traffic.
We later found a dueling piano bar called The Reef and hung out there for a few hours. Connecticut needs a place like that. Oh, and fans of The Onion will be interested to know that it’s published here. Well, here and in Denver. It’s available in print for free on the street. How cool is that? Sleep is calling. I plan on picking up and having a nice long conversation. Hope everyone is well. Sleep loose. 
