Farewell Colorado

Flatirons at sunset

Tonight is my last in Boulder. Tomorrow lunchtime I'm jumping ship or rather plane and heading out west to California. I'm going to be spending the next (and my last) four weeks in the US exploring California's incredibly rich and diverse landscape. I've intentionally not made any plans besides hiring a car, the delight of traveling alone is that plans can me made and unmade at will giving me complete freedom. I plan to go where I want when I want without the words 'itinerary' or 'schedule' ever passing my lips.

View across downtown Boulder

There are naturally a few things I'm hoping to experience along the way; the famous Big Sur coastline and small Spanish pueblo towns dotted along its length, the belittling majesty of the giant redwood forests up north in the Avenue of the Giants, the arid deserts of Mojave and Death Valley, the waterfalls and mountains of Yosemite, the vineyards of Napa, the horror of Las Vegas and the cosmopolitan energy of San Francisco. No doubt there will be much more to see and do along the way but this fistful of names is enough to make my mouth water for now.

I celebrated my last day in Boulder with a long hike up the Chautauqua trail and reveled one last time in the extraordinary natural beauty of this place. The colours, textures, variety of flora and fauna as well as uninterrupted views out East never fail to be anything besides breathtaking.


Various shots from the hike

I've had an incredible time in Boulder, Colorado. It's been made special as much by the people I've met and shared conversations with as it has been by the splendor of the natural environment. My time at CP+B has been at times frustrating and eye-opening in equal measure and is an experience I am hugely grateful for and lucky to have had the opportunity to pursue (thanks Jane). I leave with fond memories, firm friends, and a massive sense of excited anticipation for the new.

Whilst ultimately I know that the Boulder lifestyle isn't for me I wholeheartedly recognise the appeal it holds for so many. Health, exercise, adventure and community are words so ingrained in this small mining town it is no wonder people flock here from around the world. Boulder is not so much a physical place as it is a way of life to embrace. As the muddied and peeling sticker on the back of my friend Christian's battle scarred dirt bike reads: "This is my life and I envy no one". There is both pride and mental satisfaction among Boulder's citizens that make their collective affirmation of health and worldliness not to mention general disdain for financial status symbols hugely refreshing, and I suspect increasingly rare. Boulder is a special place and one that I shall miss hugely.

I leave you with the music of that late great American prophet Mr Johnny Cash and the song that keeps going round in my head on the eve of my grand roadtrip adventure.