FOR THOSE WHO SUBSCRIBE:
Hey Friends and family! I believe I have finally figured out the technical aspect of getting my website blog content to sync up with the mail chimp delivery system. It has been challenging for me to problem solve this as there doesn't seem to be any personal support via phone or computer. I have to read, read and reread much of this before it sinks in and following the instructions can be like going down a challenging rabbit hole. If you have ever picked up a true medical journal and tried to read an article about disease for example it would be nearly impossible as the medical language used would be beyond most lay people. This is my analogy for my learning some of the computer language used when building the website, mail delivery service and all the various computer based platforms I'm using to build InspireJourney.life and share the trip. Thanks for your patience and support!
COLORADO!
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn”
The weather in Colorado is about as radical as any place I've ever been! I love weather and so this has been a real treat for me and also quite challenging at times!
Just before I got here it was raining so hard I could barely see! I almost wimped out and got a room but there was no one at the front counter and it was too expensive for this gypsy's blood!
The adventure Blog!
Well the first idea I want to address is the fact that I have not been blogging. Guess what I needed a vacation! I have been charging out there, so my vacation has not been from adventure or physical output, but from the computer and techy work. I have spent more time on a computer in the last year and a half getting ready for the trip than all my previous computer time over my whole life! Well maybe not quite, but you get the idea. I actually I have spent time continuing to problem solve foundational and functional computer website, domain, e-mail delivery system stuff and so on. However you followers have not been getting content so I will try and rebalance the equation. Facebook has made it so easy to share that I've been posting pictures there pretty regularly. For instance, I can load around thirty pictures to Facebook in about the same time it takes me to load one picture to the blog and sometimes with poor signal I can't get a large file to load to the website at all! There is a reason why 2.2 billion people use Facebook! The platform is brilliant and insanely fast for pushing content and sharing. What I have realized out there in the world talking to people though is that I need to continue to focus on the sharing of the story, not just images. I think I will try to blog more often with less content than I originally planned so we can start enjoying this process. This is all a learning lesson for me and I have much to learn and also finding the balance of my sense of responsibility with sharing. So, Onward we go!!
Cottonwood pass, just over 12,000 ft. This is like driving over the top of Mt. Hood ;-).
Since the last blog, much adventure has happened! The road out of Grand Junction east to Mesa and then up the mountain began my adventures through, over, around, down, up and back and around a few more times thru the San Juan range of the Rockies. This is the largest mountain range in Colorado by area. They are tall, rugged and wondrous and truth be told I love it here! It is hard for a literary laymen like myself to put this kind of beauty into words. In fact I think it has to be experienced! As I first climbed out of Mesa past Powder Horn ski resort to the area they call the Grand Mesa my mouth was hanging open! The Aspens, high mountain lakes, myriad of shades of green and golds, deep blue sky's with white puffy clouds and mega views of distance are astounding. It has been challenging to get the camera to capture the enormity of this landscape!
Nearly 10,000 ft looking north from where I came. Huge View!
A guy from Italy took this picture of me. He had rented a motorcycle after he finished his business for a colorado tour. He was super nice and we shared a few moments and stories together. Hope to see him again on the journey of life.
I had a 6 day conference to attend (I'll talk about this in recovery blog) in Crested Butte. So, while I was roaming around a bit and taking more remote highways on the first part of my trip. I had a deadline to meet which kept me on the move. I was fortunate to have time to enter Crested Butte from Kebler Pass which is a dirt road passing just over t 10,000 ft. It winds thru the aspen groves and high meadows as it drops into the backside of town. I remember when I rounded the corner and looked down on Crested Butte, the valley and surrounding mountains I was stunned in mind and warm and fuzzy inside. One of those places that feels like home! The conference was amazing and touched me as deeply as any event has touched me in this life. I did some amazing activities while here! Even traded in my iron horse for a few hours for the real flesh and bones horse! I remember I kept think those cowboys and cowgirls have strong backs and tough booties! After the experience I realized I am grateful to be a modern cowboy riding an iron horse with all the cool camping amenities available these days!
Houdini was the name of the horse I rode. I wanted to mention his name as he was a good horse and I was thankful he took me for a ride!
I'm going to sum up my time after Crested Butte. Diverse beauty, solitude, amazing little mountain towns, good coffee, good friends, never ending twisty paved and unpaved roads, incredible camping, gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, true beauty again and again and.............. you guessed it! Again! Colorado has really touched my heart and soul and I hope to return here time and time again. The next time I come back I will be with Car, camping gear, hiking gear, and a dirt bike to really get deep into the mountains.
My first moose sighting! It was prime time because we were super close, but safely above on the road. Watched him for five minutes hang out and drink the creek.
Independence Pass on the way to Aspen.
The Mines of Creed. These folk were hard workers and the structures they built in these remote dangerous locations are impressive.
Just south of gateway!
Sunrise! Found this big awesome piece of Granite to camp on. The night sky and shooting stars were off the hook here.
I want to encourage the people reading this blog to spend time on the Delorme map page. All the routes I have ridden are in the field of epic! If you planned a trip and followed some, part of all of the paths I have done so far your trip would be amazing! I promise! I have given tips on how to use the map page on my website at the Follow page. In the map page use the Aerial tab to view the page in a google earth style image. Sit down with your favorite beverage and let your imagination go as you wander down the route. My parents use the aerial view page everyday and follow in a somewhat real time experience. They can report that this type of viewing really leads to and experience of living vicariously thru the imagery. Imagination and wonder is a great human gift that we often leave behind as we exit our childhoods. My hope is too help flower peoples imaginations and wonder again so they become inspired to follow there dreams and get out and experience our gorgeous mother earth that we live on. It is outrageously beautiful and touching to get reconnected with Gaia, our living and breathing planet that supports our lives every second of everyday!
““Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity”
“I am losing precious days. I am degenerating into a machine for making money. I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get into the mountains to learn the news.”
Thank you, Jason