To Denver

I love air travel.  Although it resembles public transportation more these days than the suit-and-fedora crowd of the 1930s and 40s, looking out the window at the clouds and squares of landscape is exactly the same.  Here I am, tens of thousands of feet in the air, speeding towards a destination that carried terrible risk throughout the vast majority of human history.  And I’m just going for a vacation.

I visited Colorado when I was a little boy.  I don’t remember it, but I have pictures to prove it.  I had a week of vacation that had been delayed several times and I decided just to GO.  When I told people I was taking two weeks of vacation, they typically responded with an allusion to my worldly travels of years past.  It was only then that I realized it had been nearly a year since I’d done any kind of traveling outside of my home state.  I must not let so much time lapse before I travel.  Sitting in the aipoirt, waiting on my flight in Tulsa brought back so many memories.

I’m staying with friends in the city of Denver.  Sophie and Kurt remind me of so many people I met abroad; free spirited, open minded, and generous souls.  I’m eager to experience their city with them.  Our conversations in preparation for my visit were also very familiar.  Eating habits, hobbies, interests, sights I’d like to see.  Honestly, the biggest appeal for me is the social aspect of learning more about my friends and just BEING in a new place.  There are places I’d like to see, sure, but I’d much rather experience a corner pub or local diner that isn’t “special.”  That’s what makes it important.

That being said, I do hope to take a short road trip down to ‘Garden of the Gods’.  It’s one of the places featured in classic Martin family photos that I’d like to see with adult eyes.  I wonder if I will be able to see the Rockies clearly. 

-Some Time Later-

So, it’s a little cloudy today.  I can barely see the mountains, but I can still see them.  The air is cool and the city feels relaxed.  Shortly after arrival, Kurt and Sophie took me to a favorite little Mexican food place and we went to the Denver Art Museum downtown.  I definitely appreciate museums a lot more these days and the setup here is pretty great.  There was a little interactive area and plenty of art that I didn’t mind taking in and discussing with my hosts.  After we finished there, we drove to a little place I read about called the Forney Transportation Museum.  None of us had high expectations, but the warehouse of old cars, trains, and motorcycles far exceeded them.  I got a lot of great pictures!

Anyway, this post is a little jumbled.  It’s been a while since I’ve written travel posts.  I hope to get back into the swing of it quickly.