But very much mentally in the mountains, in Colorado. Almost exactly one year ago today, I was exploring mountain passes with two of my very, super cool kids. We took the road less traveled, which thankfully they are almost always down for, and ended up at the top of a pass when a little but intense storm blew through. In a flash, the weather went from 50 ish degrees and sunny to 29 (per the thermometer on the car) and raining, rapidly becoming sleet, then snow. In July.
We weren’t dressed for such weather, but as I said, the heavy part was brief and blew through quickly, leaving us free to wander in the almost freezing tundra at 12,000 feet a few kilometers from a public park. We took full advantage, found a lovely alpine lake, and just took it all in for a few hours.
We explored and wandered for a while. The kids were totally in love with the place and blown away that they could find something like it just a few hundred meters from a regular road frequented by folks going to work or grocery shopping. I think I managed to set the hook for a move once Grace graduates.
Once the cold set in fully, we took to the road, enjoying the switchbacks and one “oh my lord” view after another as we came down the backside of the pass and into Keystone, where we picked up coffee, and warmed ourselves at the lower altitude. It was their first exposure to how the mountains can present two entirely different personalities just a few miles and a few thousand feet in elevation apart.
Man, it’ll be fine… 