I just found photos of our trip to Colorado in 2017. We all flew in to Denver. Albuquerque would have been the better choice. But I didn’t realize that until it was too expensive to switch. Lynn and Rick arrived from St. Louis fifteen minutes before we arrived from Nashville. We went to see mountains, fall foliage, and historical sites. And, of course, to catch up with each other.

We all live hectic lives–work, adult kids, aging parents, friends, life in modern day America. And we live six hours from each other. Phone conversations and texts can only go so far in life-sharing. Every once in a while we need to see each other nosehole to nosehole (as my friend Darla puts it) and push each other to expand ourselves by trying new things and experiencing the world up close and personal. We learn and live and love and are thankful. Very, very thankful.

Our first day in Colorado we mostly just soaked in the new elevations and scouted for yellowing Aspens as we drove the six hours from Denver to Pagosa Springs. It was a subdued but exciting beginning with lots of mountain sightings and glorious clouds and sunset. The trees were just starting to turn in the higher elevations. But we were mesmerized by the landscape as we went from the Denver plateau to the high mesa.

These travelers are the people I trust with my life. They make me laugh, cry, and challenge me to be a better person. They know about every secret I have and some I don’t even admit to myself. They pray for me and cheer me on. And if I was going to fall off a mountain or get lost in the wilderness, I know they would have called out the search dogs (mostly because I had the key to the condo in my pocket).

I love traveling. I love exploring new things with curious, adventurous people. The trip to Colorado was chock full of both. We halved the costs by sharing a condo, a car, and food. We doubled the fun by traveling together. Half and double is the way to go!