Glenwood Springs is about 3 hours from our friends' couch, but I seriously don't mind following up a little driving with a bit more driving when the scenery looks like this!........Dear Texas, please oh pretty please, grow some damn mountains.
We'd be leaving ol' blacky (the almighty faithful 4Runner) at the trail head in Aspen for our Hut Trip, so we planned on using Greg and Lindsey's place as a storage unit and taking only the bare necessities.
Let me just say that minimalist packing isn't one of my strong points......I've acquired quite the reputation for over-preparedness! Even the backpack I bring to work weighs about 20lbs, just because I like to be equipped for any and all situations or cravings; that doesn't include my lunch bag, and then I have a whole other bag I lug around in case I want to workout when I get off.
Lindsey literally sat on the couch and watched the freak show of Patrick and I having nervous breakdowns, scattering our stuff all over the kitchen and living room floor, attempting to find courage in leaving everything behind while trying not to forgo any necessary items.
All of this preparation, and it wasn't until we reached the proud town who laid the famous Doc Holiday in the ground, I discovered my cash, card, and ID had been abandoned in Denver!!!! DOPE!!!!!!! My youthful fluffy cheeks are an immediate trigger for getting carded when ordering alcoholic beverages and I had big plans to carb-load on beer at the Brew Pub.........Theses are the types of things that happen when you leave the kitchen sink at home.
The cute moderate sized mountain town was full of character and art around every corner, beautifying the normally mundane parts of a functioning community.
I couldn't help but point and shoot my camera to capture all the paintings as we toured the streets on foot. But as a result, something dreadful happened. My camera battery found itself on it's last leg, threatening to abandon me the evening before our big hike.
Okay, okay, so I had no form of legal identification and may not have been able to consume alcohol for the rest of my trip......but to be without my camera?!?! This was a game changer; I didn't have the battery charger. The thought alone triggered immediate panic. This was more disturbing than minimalist packing!..............Worse, this was a direct result of my amateur minimalist attempt!!!
I immediately started to Google any and all electronic stores in the area, with tragically realistic knowledge that my options would be "minimal" (man, that word was starting to haunt me).
Radio Shack was useless. How is that store even in business any more??? Our only hopes were left in the hands of Target or Walmart. Wow, this converted city girl was about to be at her wits' end.
Luckily "Tarjay" pulled through and saved my sanity.....and my battery. Curse you, Nikon, and your extra micro mini USB connections, for being so problematic.
Needless to say, Patrick needed a drink after I dragged him all over town in a frenzied fury, but our group wouldn't be arriving to the Brew Pub for a couple more hours, so we decided to embrace history and experience Doc Holliday's Tavern, where he payed respect to the old West's ways by having a couple glasses of whiskey on the rocks.
Just as we were walking out the door to connect with the crew at our planned meeting place, I looked to my left.........and recognized a few people. Hello!! We are hours away from any place or person familiar and end up at the same unplanned place at the same unplanned time as the people we were suppose to meet at the same completely different place?!?!? Weird.
We all decided to stay put and have our first taste of Calf Fries, or as the people of Colorado call them, Rocky Mountain Oysters........and as it turns out, the waitress got so wrapped up in such a large table consuming large amounts of beer, she forgot to card me!!
So yes, everything worked out in the end........this time.......
What kind of packer are you?
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