Wednesday, April 10, 2024 Entry #98
For a place I have never actually lived in, I have spent a whole lot of time in Colorado. Ski trips, wedding officiating, concerts at Red Rocks, rabbinic conferences, and visiting friends just keep me coming back over and over again. My last flight before the COVID lockdown was for a trip to Colorado, and it was the state I visited on my first flight a long year and a half later, after life got (more or less) back to normal. The particular beauty and aura of Colorado is so imprinted deep in my psyche that at this point, whenever I am within its borders, I automatically just feel better. With Northern Minnesota, I consider Colorado one of my “spiritual homes.”
I felt it immediately when I drove into the state this time, even without being able to see much in the dark of night. I woke up extra early in Grand Junction, rearing to go. I had one day to spend in the “Rocky Mountain State,” and I was determined to make the most of it.
Thanks to some internet searching, I found a great sounding hippie style outdoor hot springs just a few hours south. It was a stunning drive to get to Orvis, and the place itself was heavenly (no photos allowed in the natural pools area due to their clothing optional policy).
I was good and soaked by the time I left for Telluride, a place I hadn’t visited since a road trip I took with friends in 1984 during spring break in our college years. Turned out this time I had arrived the day after ski season ended, a strange transition point. A lot of the businesses were closed until the summer brings back the crowds, but I’m a sucker for mountain towns no matter what. I happily bopped around and found a Mexican cafe that was open. I had my tacos outside, deeply appreciative of the sunshine and the incredible surroundings.
I ended up staying longer than I had planned in both Orvis Hot Springs and Telluride, so I needed to reconsider my hoped for last Colorado stop in Boulder, one of my touchstone places. I had run out of time for any more excursions, so I “settled” for miles and miles of glorious daytime mountain driving.
There isn’t much substantive Springsteen content in this or the next post as I make my way home, but I will say that I am really glad I had my day in Colorado. If I had merely flown home from Los Angeles after two transcendent Bruce Springsteen concerts, the transition would have been somewhat jarring. The fact that I was instead on the road, in one of my favorite places in the world, meant that I was able to stay longer in the deeply affirming spiritual space that the Springsteen shows had carved out in my soul.
I traveled east of Denver as the sun set behind me, but by then I was moving away from the green areas on the Colorado map that signify the scenic parts of the state. I stayed at a Holiday Inn in Limon, my last night on this truly epic journey.
Day 10
I left the western slope of CO 38 years ago. Your description and photos reminded me how much I’ve missed it. I’ve been to the Ouray hot springs many times. Breakfast in Silverton ( I was there for a month as artist in residence in 1985. I’ve been terrified driving Red Mt. Pass/Riverside slide in winter (pre “snow tunnel,”) camped at the top of the pass, watched from town the “controlled” avalanches triggered by a howitzer, and ridden the D & RG.RR. I miss everything about the state.