Peak of Interest

I wanted to stay in Colorado forever.

A land where the coffee shop on the corner remembers your name, and where your neighbors grow a vegetable garden out of the sidewalk. Throughout the day, runners push their giggling babies and golden retrievers pull their chatty humans. The local parks steadily buzz with activity and beam with happiness.

The sun shines brighter here, literally, because this mile high city rests closer to the sun than those on the coast. The breeze crisper, the sky bluer, and the grass greener all must be from the altitude, or is it from the residents’ thoughtfulness?

Why did life here seem so different than Los Angeles or New York? Why did everyone seem to care about their neighbor, their streets, and their trash?

Years spent in other cities had blinded me, but within a few days I could see that this was more than just another city. This place was a playground for 20- and 30-something-year-olds, to run rampant and enjoy 300 days of sunshine. The Rocky Mountains within eyesight just constantly beckoning adventure.

I wanted adventure.

It had been a long couple months on the road, and Aspen was the one last stop I had to make before continuing west. I had dreamt of waking up to the trees and the mountains lifting me up to greet the sun, to be cleansed by nature and all the good things that come with seeing Mother Earth in all her glory.

A stranger offered to let me drive his Mercedes, for free, through the mountains if I could drop it off in some casino parking lot for him. My newfound friends questioned this method of travel, and tried to poke holes in the validity of the agreement, but they knew I had already taken the plunge.

The old car puttered away from my safety net, with the last of my reservations, and I pushed the car up the mountains with my dreams. The sun was beginning to set behind the Rockies, but I could feel the fire inside myself burning stronger than ever. The car was gliding amongst the swaying Aspens and raging rapids. We were climbing higher and higher soaring over the Hanging Lake and Maroon Bells. The sun was kissing the mountain tops goodnight, while the night sky began to explode with hundreds of thousands of stars.

Then everything froze.

Sometimes, moments are made to last forever.