There is nothing that stokes my excitement for traveling more than planning for traveling.
With our upcoming trip to Colorado in the not-too-distant future, I’ve been on the prowl for things to do while we’re out there. Sure, we already have tickets for the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, and yeah, I’m sure we’ll take a hike or two, but there’s got to be more, right?
Cañon City
We’ve been to Canon City, CO, before when we took our trip to Estes Park and a bunch of other small towns in Colorado back in September 2020 but we weren’t there long, only passing through on our way to Florence where we stopped for our last night on the road before returning home at the end of the trip.
I did know that Royal Gorge was nearby but did a little snooping to find out what else there is in the general area.
First, there’s a short scenic byway called Skyline Drive, what looks to be a thrilling three mile drive up and over a hogback. The one way road shows steep drop-offs on both sides with no guardrails to keep drivers contained on the road.
Then, there’s the Museum of Colorado Prisons, a museum built in a former prison, and is directly next door to a still operational prison. As Brandy isn’t a big fan of museums, I’ll likely explore this one on my own, which is fine, I have no problem doing things alone.
In addition to Skyline Drive, the prison museum and the Royal Gorge Railroad, I have a handful of trails saved on AllTrails for those early mornings/late afternoons when I want to get some scenery in.
And, as it turns out, Colorado Springs is only an hour away.
Colorado Springs
So, what is there to do in Colorado Springs? Well, there’s a little park called Garden of the Gods. With 21 miles of dog-friendly hiking trails, plenty of drivable scenery, and, best of all, it’s free, there’s absolutely no way I’m going to let this opportunity pass me by.
I’ve watched several videos on YouTube about the park and can already tell, this is going to be right in my wheelhouse.
Brandy at some point invited Christy to join us so I’ll have a hiking buddy once Brandy taps out.
Crested Butte
We’ve been to Crested Butte a million times before already and a few times in the winter as well, so we know what to expect: cold temperatures and snow.
What I would like to do, however, is make sure I hike at least once while we’re there.
We will be staying in exactly the same place we stayed last time we were out in Crested Butte, and I know there’s a trail leading away from the cabin we will be in. I hiked it twice last June. It will likely be a different experience in the winter.
Aside from that, I did want to try snowmobiling. In fact, Brandy went so far as to buy some snow pants for me, but the timing isn’t going to work as I will be working during the entire time we’re in Crested Butte, and we will be leaving on my flex day (Fridays) so I won’t have a day off to be able to do that. In fact, there won’t be a lot of daytime activities for me while we’re there. We might go to town for dinner or some light shopping or something, but there won’t be a lot of exploring for me.
But that’s fine! Working away from home is a perfectly acceptable thing. I did so during the last trip to Crested Butte, our trip to Albuquerque, our trip to East Grand Forks, MN, our trip to Tucson… Having the flexibility to be able to travel and work, not draining all of my PTO, is an amazing thing. Having a flex day every week certainly helps as well and will come in handy once we pull the trigger on our camper. We plan on finding spots to camp for a month at a time and having that extra day off every week to squeeze in activities that Brandy may not be up for (crowded spots, museums, etc.) will definitely be beneficial.
Exciting Times
These are definitely exciting times for us right now. The prospect of months-at-a-time travel is burning at our souls. We are both gypsies at heart and our wanderlust is insatiable. Knowing that travel is within our reach is getting us both very excited, and we are both super grateful to be in the positions we are in- to have the jobs we have, working remotely, to have the financial means to be able to travel (big shout out to Abigail for helping with that one! hahaha!) and to have that desire and willingness to compromise.
And knowing that we can find the joy and beauty in even the smallest of things will definitely make this chapter of our lives something to remember.
Rambling
My last few posts now have been kind of disjointed, talking about the growth I’ve experienced in the last five years, and nerding out over the spreadsheet I put together for the stuff we need for our traveling, and not that I have to justify anything, this is, after all, my blog and I can do with it what I want, but that’s exactly what this blog is for is talking about 1) what makes me happy (the spreadsheet) and 2) the growth I’m experiencing as a person- emotionally, mentally, financially…
And now I come with this post which is basically me ranting on about planning for our upcoming trip. And that’s what makes me happy.
Again, it’s for me. I’ll come back in a few weeks or a month to read all my blog posts and be reminded of the joy that I’m experiencing now and will relive it as I do every time I re-read through my posts. Every time I read about my first outing to the Jim Henson Exhibit at the Albuquerque Museum, I’m transported back to that sunny January day and I relive the happiness I felt going through that exhibit.
And I love every minute of it.
-Phil