the problem with getting engaged is that it all happens so fast and you get so caught up in the moment that you forget to ask yourself “do I really know this person?” for example, how in the world did we agree to get engaged before we’d ever even been on a real road trip together?!
so, a road trip it was. our final destination was telluride, where the boy has spent the past few years retreating to, to unwind. telluride was for sure amazing (minus when the boy kicked my trash at foosball…)
the journey there was pretty fabulous too though. the entire trip looked like this:
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we asked a number of friends about fun places to camp near the sand dunes. We ended up with a great recommendation for this place with hot springs. they also had outlet plugs which was important because we for some reason decided to bring the rice cooker on our road trip
so we set up camp (which consisted of pitching up the tent and putting the dogs in there because it was down pouring rain. then rolling out sleeping bags inside the car). then it was off to the hot springs! where we quickly realized…nobody had clothes on… in the entire camp… … … we were inadvertently staked out at a nudist camp…. … … two weeks later and I still have absolutely no additional comments
i guess that explains why everyone left their shoes in the fence posts along the adjacent highway
the next morning we got up bright and early to avoid seeing things i prayed i would never have to see. no use – it turns out naked people wake up pretty dang early. we went to the sand dunes, which neither of us had done before. luckily, everyone was clothed there.
we’re not really this tall in real life
my boys
the gang out looking for trouble
the sand dunes are cool and everything, but they don’t hold a candle to the 5 foot tall ufo watch tower just miles down the road. i bet that guy sees way more ufos than people standing right on the ground.
then to new mexico where we spent the weekend with my ‘rents. and what a lovely weekend. The boy even almost got in a fight with some guy who bumped into me. my hero. it was only afterward that I realized that maybe having my six foot seven dad right behind him maybe gave him a little bit more courage...
we went to the santa fe opera house, which was awesome! even though we all only saw anywhere from 40-60% of the opera due to comfortable seating and a heavy dinner (these are real stats… i asked everyone at breakfast the next morning), we had a great time! and we got this gem of a picture. it’s being taken right as an opera house worker is yelling at the chum we got to take our picture that we aren't allowed to take pictures inside the gates. so mom and I are distracted by the yelling man while dad and the boy are still thinking about beating up that kid who bumped into me.
then it was off to telluride! but what’s telluride if you don’t stop in silverton first. we stopped in just because we’d never been to that town before, but to our utter delight, a whole parade of people came crowding around main street right as we were leaving. the community band was playing right in the middle of the road for no good reason other than to block the entire main vessel in and out of town! what a treat - words can't describe
other road trip highlights:
the boy "throwing up" on some ancient indian ruins in new mexico after downing a dairy queen hot fudge sundae with caramel in about 20 seconds (who does that?)
the lovely town of ophir - birthplace of pointless statistics
four wheeling across the rockies
i now have a sudden urge to go cook rice in the buff
