Road Trip!!!

Telluride to Monument, CO... 347 miles ((driving.))

Yesterday was a good day. Blake and I stopped off in Ourey, CO. This is where the memories of Blake's 2011 bicycle ride from Monument to Santa Fe, NM start. He stopped in Ourey and went to the hot springs... So that's what we did. The sun was shining so crisp and warm while we swam around the huge hot springs.  Mainly it was a hot spot for people watching, one of our favorite things to do anywhere we might end up. The springs were nestled in a valley and the view was... serene. The natural elements continued all through town. We stopped off at Goldbelt Bar & Grill and had a gluten free, dairy free, meat free pizza... Mmmm swimming and pizza brings me back to elementary birthday parties. 

Telluride!! Blake's favorite town in Colorado. I felt like I had a personal, smoking hot tour guide who liked all the same things I did. He took me on these great adventures: to good, healthy places to eat, a ride through town on bikes, window shopping. He must have known the perfect evening to show me around because we caught the brightest and closest rainbow I've ever seen. He even made sure the black bears didn't nab me out of my tent that night :)) Its been fun hearing Blake's stories about his bike ride alone that summer. He hiked to Bridal Veil Falls about 3 miles from town and said they were incredible. So we got up from camping at a great campground right at the bottom of town and headed there on our bikes. After a while I dropped my bike off and hiked up the switchbacks hearing the thunder of this great waterfall. At the top was an incredibly huge house. We sat and imagined if we got to look at that view everyday waking up.... Maybe one day we will be in Telluride, CO. It was pretty epic. 

Blake and I are in Monument!!! It was a long 7.5 hr drive today but we grubbed on bananas and watermelon and then got some sushi in Buena Vista. We both have a busy month ahead of us & looking forward to celebrating three birthdays, two weddings, and maybe a hike up good 'ol Pikes Peak. 

We've been discussing our future, laughing, sometimes yelling, and reminicing about the past on this trip. It's been good for us to take a break from the day to day paradise we have in Dana Point. Getting back to our roots with the mountains and crisp air has been humbling. Blake and I are so appreciative of our past, thankful for our present, and passionately excited for our future!!! Here's to the next adventure!!! 

Dream Big, Ride Far!!!

Road Trip!!!

Durango to Telluride, CO... 121 miles ((driving))

Once we drove through Durango last night, Blake and I set up our tent at a beautiful campground right outside of town. You'd think we were pros at setting up and taking down our little green MSR sleeping shack... 

It was so refreshing and exciting to be walking the streets of this beautiful mountain town. It's a lovey-dovey kind of a story about why Blake and I like it so much. 

We had been dating for two years and both hit a point where we needed to be apart. During this time we both were falling in love with ideas and adventures that we each wanted individually. Eventually Blake had called me and was telling me he was outside of Durango on this incredibly brave biking trip. He had quit his job and left Monument to move to Sant Fe, NM and he was biking there through the mountains. I had decided to meet him in Durango just to see where we were at and move on from there. He was sitting on his mat in a white athletic shirt. His face was weathered and burnt and his dreads were longer. I got out of the car, walked into the park, and immediately hugged him.  We both knew then and there we weren't letting go. It only took a few days walking around Durango in the sunshine and the rain to change the course of our both our lives. 

So there we were again. It was heaven. We fueled up at a modern sushi place, Rice Monkey, and walked the streets. Once it got dark we headed to the campsite and slept under the stars, breathing in fresh, newly rained, mountain air ((aaahhhh.))

Up at 6:30 refreshed and ready for the day!! ((Haha, it's a good day if you can wake up from sleeping next to a Dready on the ground like that! but I love him.)) We headed back into town and grabbed fruits for breakfast at Natural Oasis. Then walked the early morning streets again. Last time both of us were here we got breakfast at Jean Pierre Bakery. Today we got a fruit bowl, apple and cinnamon crepes, and fresh squeezed orange juice.

On the road again, headed to Telluride. Blake took Red Mountain pass to get to Ourey. The pass was breathtaking. It amazes me how the ocean and these mountains make me feel so small, and at the same time I get comfort in knowing they are there for me to be in awe at. This earth is incredible and knowing that Blake and I have made the choice to try to respect it a little more each day helps me appreciate these natural beauties even more and care more for where our future is heading. 

Dream Big Ride Far!!!