Tiny and enormous beauty in Colorado

From the tiny alpine flowers on top of a peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, to the views of the mountains in the park, our trip through Colorado has ranged from looking at small details to wide expanses of amazing beauty. A theme beyond the natural wonders has been friendship. Yesterday, we left Cheyenne, WY, and drove through RMNP, on our way to visit our good friends Dan and Donna Taylor who retired to Silverthorne, CO after many years in Appleton (Dan taught classics at Lawrence). John wasn't so sure he wanted to see any more scenic wonders as we left Cheyenne, but who can pass up RMNP? Those mountains really are rocky, and quite different from what we saw in Yellowstone, though sad to say, they share the scourge of the pine beetle infestation. It was a great thrill to park our car atop a high peak and walk up a trail, starting at almost 12,000 feet. The tiny blue flowers extended only part way up the trail; at the highest point, no flowers were blooming that we could see.

Dan and Donna served us a delicious dinner and over several bottles of red wine and some sips of grappa (to be approached carefully at 9,700 feet of elevation), they told us about their new life in Colorado. Dan's on the county library board and we discussed how it might be possible to attract interest in the library from the many wealthy people who spend only a few weeks in their neighborhood. The folks at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center seem to have figured out how to leverage involvement from part-timers. We think people who have second (and third and fourth) homes need to figure out how to connect meaningfully to their communities and what could be better that donating time and money to local cultural institutions?

This morning, we said good-bye to Dan and Donna and, on Dan's recommendation, avoided the interstate by taking a beautiful drive through Breckenridge and then across to Colorado Springs, over a high pass and through a wide green valley. I don't know that we'll ever understand anything about ranch life, but we're enjoying seeing them and imagining life in this wide-open expanses of land and sky.

On the way into Colorado Springs, we drove through Garden of the Gods which is definitely a place one should return to many times, in different seasons, and at various times of day, to see the gorgeous red rocks and also the plant life. Tonight was the rehearsal for tomorrow's wedding and the rehearsal dinner. What a joy it is to be with so many dear people with whom we celebrated another wedding on January 1. By coming here, we can now imagine our friends (Dan and Donna, Rick and Cindy) in the places they love so much.