Are You All By Yourself?

My Week Adventuring through South Dakota, Colorado, and Wyoming (July, 2015)

The entire trip was humbling and empowering, and even though I decided on Tuesday that I would be leaving on Thursday (this shouldn't be surprising for anyone who knows me), this past week was nothing short of wrong turns that brought me to even more beautiful places.

I have a feeling this will be quite long, mostly because the internet never deletes anything you send into it (take note, bathroom selfie-ers!) and this experience is something I want to always be able to look back on. I also want to share with my friends, family, and all sorts of strangers, what I was able to learn about myself and the world through this small adventure.

If you find yourself curious about how I would answer any of the following 20 questions (questions others asked me or questions I asked--or am still asking myself), read on! If you could care less, then look at my pictures!! If you don't like pictures, who are you!? 

1. Are You Crazy?? (yes.)

My parents didn't think it wise for a young woman of my age (and perceivably low level of survival skills) to head into the big, bad wilderness on my own, leaving more than 2,200 miles of roads and trails for me to make poor life-decisions on. Well, I am happy to report that the most unintelligent decision I made all week was to let my car (Lola) blast out Trampled by Turtles late at night at my campsite in Wyoming (to ward off man-eating deer), which, of course, drained Lola's battery and forced me to flag down a man driving by in a pickup with Texas plates and ask him to help me jumpstart my car. (I had my very own jumper cables already hooked up--though mildly incorrectly, which I thought made up for at least half of the Trampled by Turtles incident). 

2. Are You Prepared? (yes. mostly. for the important parts.)

As I already mentioned, I did have jumper cables. Also, see picture on the left. This great book was with me at all times. And I never even had to open it. 

2.5 Hold on… WHY are you going to Colorado? 

1. To visit my adventure soul-mate, Aunt Jaci, who lives near Denver
2. To Visit Harvest Farm in northern Colorado, an amazing place I learned about from a friend, who helped me turn this spontaneous (slightly careless) trip into a "business trip" :) 
3. Mountains. I have this thing for them that I just can't articulate. They fill my SOUL!
4. Because why not? 
5. Lola, my car, also loves the mountains, and she's the closest thing I have to a child, and who would deny their children such opportunity? 

3. Just How BAD are the Badlands, Anyways? 

They're pretty bad. Bad in the sense that you can, at any moment, drive off the side of one those… cliffs? bluffs? mini mountains? Whatever they are, they're pretty, but also distracting. 

I had to pay $15 to get into the park, so when the woman at the gate mentioned "free campground" (free because it is "primitive," or in American terms, doesn't have electricity you can plug your 17 ton RV into) I jumped at the opportunity. 

Those Big, Bad cliffs, mountains, bluffs? 

The drive to Sage Creek Campground was more than spectacularly beautiful. I had already been driving at that point for about 8 hours, so I was eager to get out and go for a hike. Within the 1.5 hours it took me to get to the campground after entering the park (the brochure assured me it would take 45 minutes--I either drive really slowly or need to work on not stopping so much to take pictures, or both) I was able to see a few herds of buffalo and some friendly um, they were either goats or sheep… see picture to make your own judgement.

Goat? 

After my first sunset of the trip I had finally reached my camping spot. It was a huge field surrounded by a road. And I was in Badlands HEAVEN. Though it wasn't the most gloriously beautiful campground I had ever been to, it was the first that hosted a free-for-all in terms of tent placement and parking. I found a great spot, or so I thought, on the east end of the loop (I know this because of the direction the sun rose the next morning, of course). Halfway through setting up my tent I realized I was in the family section. My neighbors to the south had 4 children under the age of 8? and my neighbors to the north had one very excited and jubilant 12? year old. We all managed to get a full nights rest despite these young tent dwellers.

To sum up the rest of my Badlands experience I will include bullet points of the most exciting happenings:

• Came 2 feet away from stepping on a rattle snake at the beginning of evening hike
• I took a lovely evening hike up the bluffs and found a view that was breathtaking
• Ate instant mashed potatoes via jet boil
• Got attacked by first swarm of mosquitos while eating mashed potatoes
• Spent first night in new and wonderful tent
• Was woken up at 4am by a pack of howling coyotes 
• Climbed the bluffs again at 5:14am to watch the first sunrise of my trip (I am NOT a morning person… but apparently I am in the BADlands) 

Sage Creek Campground framed by awesome CAIRNS! (evening hike)

Overall Badlands experience rating: 3.9 Stars out of 5. 

For a great sunrise and sunset, my first (and hopefully last) rattlesnake encounter, and a free campground with noisy children and coyotes. 

4. What is Harvest Farm and Why Don't We Have MORE of Them? 

Harvest Farm is located just north of Fort Collins, CO. There are currently 71 men who are living on these 200-some acres on a short-term basis, who are there to make their lives better through overcoming addiction and leaving behind other destructive life decisions. I was able to meet with one of the directors of the program, and he gave me a tour and answered my (seemingly endless) questions. 

I was nothing short of amazed at how Harvest Farm is changing lives of the men who decide to enter its  New Life, 5-step program and strive to better themselves through the counseling, education and life skills, work therapy case management, and bible study opportunities they are presented with. The bottom line is this: the individuals who are there are there because they want to be better. If at any time they want to leave, they are free to, but the amazing thing is, there's always a waiting list. 

Goat Selfie Attempt 1: FAIL

After the hour-long tour I started my car and was ready to leave, but I looked behind me and saw John, one of the young men I had met on my tour, hanging out by the goats (yes, I am sure these were goats). Not only did I get to learn from John how to take a proper goat selfie, but I also got to talk with two other New Life participants (these were the dairy men!) about their experiences at Harvest Farm. Their stories were humbling and they could not say enough about how they are being transformed through their time on this farm, a farm that, just at first glance, seems to be a place where the focus is on growing plants and animals. 

"I was in and out of rehab 10 times before coming to Harvest Farm. This is the only place I've been where I know I can actually get better." 

"It's real life here." 

"We all know what each other is going through."

Powerful. Encouraging. Real.

I left Harvest Farm with a full heart and a head full of new ideas.
And, the question I asked above… WHY DON'T WE HAVE MORE FARMS LIKE THIS ONE!? 

My friends and I are working on changing that…  


5. What's So Great About Fort Collins? 

I didn't spend nearly as much time in this city as I wish I could have. I found myself walking around downtown still high on life after my visit to Harvest Farm, and it turned out that all that excitement made me quite hungry (let's be real, life makes me hungry).
I would recommend visiting Spoons and getting a chipotle chicken sandwich and the Apple Poppyseed Salad! If you aren't a lover of cute soup/salad restaurants on the corner of even cuter mountain city streets, then I still recommend going in to Spoons and letting the staff make you feel like the most important person, not just in Spoons, not just in Fort Collins, but litrally in the entire world. I think their friendliness made my sandwich/salad combo taste that much better, if that is even possible. 

After SPOONS I finally met up with my Aunt Jaci and her friends at a quilting show! Although I was quite underdressed for this magnificent occasion (Nike baseball cap, hand-crafted farming hope t-shirt, jeans with obnoxious holes, Chacos, and baby cow still on my hands--I am not my mother's daughter…), I left with a much bigger appreciation of the ART of quilting and the pieces that hands, fabric, thread, and hours and hours of hard work can create.

And those h'orderves! 

Mexican beer, chips and salsa, quesadillas, Spanish practice, and passionate and meaningful conversations with my Aunt and her friend ended this beautiful day.

Max and Ziah! 

5.5. Weekend, What!? 

• Went for a solo hike at Apex Park in Golden, CO. (It was a lovely park, but I don't recommend hiking on a Saturday morning unless you enjoy being marginally killed by mountain bikes going 20 mph down the bluffs) Other than that, it was great! 
• Took some time on my hike to paint trees!
• Went to a party in the mountains with Auntie and Fred
• Made best friends with two young men who helped me come to the conclusion that I am, indeed, a vampire, orrrrr maybe a werewolf? 
• Was treated to a lovely breakfast at La Peep on Sunday (amazing)
• Headed to Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday afternoon!!

  

  Top of Apex Trail--Denver in the wee distance!

Waterfalls and such!

6. If you have never visited RMNP, WHY NOT!?

See following pictures for argument: 

Glacier Basin Campground- lacked trees, but that view...

Alberta Falls

Mills Lake (use Bear Lake Trailhead) 6 miles round trip!

Bull Elk hanging out by the Alpine Visitor's Center

The highest I got in Colorado

7. Is it Possible to Get Lost in the Rocky Mountains? 

Yes.

8. Is Getting Lost in the Rocky Mountains at 10pm terrifying, yet awe-inspiring? 

Yes.
 

Okay here’s the story in a nut-shell:

After spending three days with Aunt Jaci—going to a party at one of her friend’s homes in the mountains, getting breakfast at La Peep, and spending one night in Rocky Mountain National Park hiking, camping, laughing, and just embracing the joy we found in every little stream and friendly bull elk, I headed back north on my own.

I planned on staying the night at the Horseshoe Reservoir Campground—I hear it is beautiful and full of fun hikes and people! As it turns out, everyone else got the idea before me, and my streak of being able to sleep at the first campground I decided to roll into had officially come to an end.

The sun was beginning to set, but I found some campgrounds on my cell phone that were only about an hour away and looked quite promising and lovely. They were located inside the Roosevelt National Forest, right in one of the butt cracks of the good ol’ Rocky Mountains.

This particular first road I got on was quite windy, quite lonely, and I quickly realized that mountains do not permit the entry or exit of phone calls to or from worried mothers. I chalked this up as a potential future problem and kept driving. The farther I drove, the less cars I began to pass, the darker it grew, and in my rear view mirror were black clouds that seemed to be mocking me and my “bravery.”

Please don’t break down. Please don’t hit a bear. Please don’t get caught in a storm and drive off of this mountain.

I literally started singing Jesus Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood.

That sunset, though. Well, here it is.

I pulled over to snap this picture, and I allowed myself to take a moment to be confident that I was, indeed, exactly where I was supposed to be in that moment (wherever that may be). That is, of course, what the wrapper on 1 of the 10 Dove Chocolates I had devoured the day before told me. And just who doesn’t believe what their chocolate tells them…?

What is it about fear that makes time slow down and almost run itself backwards? I realized that I had only been driving for an hour and ten minutes by the time I reached an intersection that had some nice arrows on it, pointing me towards either Fort Collins or Walden. I knew Fort Collins was a place that had people and cell phones, but I also knew that that is exactly where I had begun this “courageous” drive of mine. It was like an A+ being dangled in front of a nursing student.

This story is getting quite long. Here is the bullet pointed version of what happened during the next 12 or so hours.

·      2 miles later: Reached the Mishawka Bar

·      Asked bar tender to use landline to call mom

·      Told mom I was almost to my campsite and I was alive

·      Felt a little bit guilty for lying to my mother

·      Decided to keep heading towards Fo. Co., to a campground 3 more miles away

·      Campground full. 0 for 2.

·      Kept driving 15 miles east and got to the end of this road

·      Decided to turn around and go back same way I came—not doing so would be giving up, right?

Breakfast Round 1 reminded me of the night
I had just had… a good idea, but could have used
a bit more planning. 

·      Drove 45 more minutes

·      Ended up at The Narrows Campground

·      Set up tent in the dark

·      Called it a night.

·      Woke up and spent 20 minutes trying to start a fire

·      Improved my kindling game and started fire

·      Attempted to make French toast

·      Had oatmeal for breakfast

·      Spent some quiet time with God—thanked Jesus for taking the wheel

·      Went for an amazingly beautiful hike up the mountains across the road

·      Saw a doe

·      Painted a watercolor flower (I still need to look up the name of that intricately bizarre species)

·      Packed up camp and headed towards WALDEN, CO.

·      Called Mom from a payphone at the La Poudre River “Resort” to let her know I was still alive

Side note: If ever find yourself with 1-2 days to leisurely drive through northern CO, take highway 14 (Poudre Canyon Rd) and follow the La Poudre River. This canyon is beyond describable. There are trailheads everywhere, places to fish, CAMPGROUNDS, waterfalls, and just pure joy in every mile.

Morning Summit Hike--surrounded by beautiful things. 

The La Poudre was, by far, a highlight of my trip, but it didn’t come easily. Maybe that’s why it tasted so sweet.

La Poudre Falls

9. “Now, Hun, Are You All By yourself?”

This was the question that was asked of me by one of the cutest ladies I have ever met wearing a state park uniform (hat and all). She looked to be just a bit older than my mom, and when she asked this question, I couldn’t help but smile. 

I had stopped about an hour before Walden at a visitor’s center in one of Colorado’s State Parks to ask for advice on where to camp in either Colorado or Wyoming that evening (apparently I decided now would be a good time to start planning these things in—what I consider to be—“advance”).

I answered her question after a brief pause with a long, drawn out, “Yeeeees…” and followed it with “But I am being very, very safe” (trying to convince myself as much as her of this truth). 

This is when the tall ranger-man in his mid-thirties with red hair and an even redder mountain man beard butted in. “Oh, she is just fine! She looks like a smart girl. Nothing’s gonna happen” (either he really believed this—which I think he honestly did—or he was following the unwritten ginger code of ethics that states we all must stick together, even if that means false assurance and/or encouragement)

I didn’t leave with a set place to camp for the night (why start then?) but I left with something much better—knowing that even strangers are here to care about me, and that Wyoming would be a beautiful place to sleep that night, no matter where me, my red car, and my stuffed moose ended up.

10. How many matches does it take to start a fire?

• With enough kindling and years as an Eagle Scout or Girl Scout Ambassador , I would imagine 1 would do the trick.
• With little appreciation for kindling and being an 8-year old Brownie dropout: 13.5

(I actually had to google the girl scout equivalent of Eagle Scout… this made me sad. Get it, Ambassadors!)

11. Why Did it Take Me 23 Years to Fall in Love With Wyoming? 

Beautiful mountains, rolling hills, small towns, REAL cowboys riding horses, and Wyomans(?) turned Texans who are willing to help jumpstart your car.

I took some time in the afternoon to do a self-tour of the University of Wyoming.


They have a giant dinosaur.

And a great library where I spent 2 hours feeling all important and stuff while sending emails and doing other things that I told myself were productive.

It was neat, but I still bleed blue and gold ;)

Another reason why I love Wyoming------------->Guernsey State Park!

Yes, this was the very first place I attempted to sleep that night.

I had an entire camping area to myself, right on the reservoir. I went for my first run and bike ride of the trip… because you couldn’t not experience the winding road that circled around the water, surrounded by mini mountains and the occasional deer or bunny (I almost murdered 6 bunnies with my bike).  

It was a Tuesday night, and the park was basically empty.

Perfection.

Bike Ride around Guernsey Reservoir 

Guernsey Dam, a CCC project, competed in 1927! 

My own Wyoming Oasis

This was my favorite night on my own.

I shaved a good 10 minutes and 17 matches off of my fire-starting time.

I wanted to burst out and yell,

The "roof" over my head for 4 of the 6 nights

I am WOMAN! Hear this fire roar!

But I didn’t.

And after turning off my Trampled By Turtles, I laid on the picnic table, listening to the crackle of the fire, the light breeze, the occasional rustle of a bunny (or what I hoped were bunnies) in the woods, and I let myself be entirely captivated by the Wyoming stars--stars I will not even attempt to describe, for it is impossible.  

When I saw a shooting star I couldn’t bring myself to make a wish.

To be in that moment and possibly have anything else to long for seemed far too ungrateful.

But what I did allow myself to do was to be quiet.

To be thankful.

To feel powerful, peaceful, and full.

I was by myself. But I wasn’t alone.

12. How Tall is George Washington’s Nose?

LOVING it. 

Loathing it? 

I guess that is fitting because that’s exactly how my trip ended… 

With George Washington’s nose (or at least a large, stone version of it)

Moral of the entire story:

If you want to be impressed by four faces carved into a mountain, (which, by the way, do look exactly like they do in 5th grade American History textbooks) don’t save it for the last thing you do on your Rocky Mountain Adventure!

I believe I am still offended about the $11 entry fee.

And at that point I had not showered in 4.5 days. 

And in-your-face tourism just drains me and freaks me out in general.

But to the answer the question…. George Washington’s rock nose is precisely 21 feet tall (if you start measuring at his brow line)  I’m not sure how tall the real one is… or was.

Well, I said so long to my friends Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln, and I punched out the remaining 8 hours of my trip (I am grateful to those of you who endured an hour or more of phone talk and spontaneous hang-ups due to Badlands and South Dakota hills—you’re all so great and likely kept me from falling asleep and dying). What a shame would it have been to have it all end in the second most uneventful state of my journey (sorry, Nebraska).

13. What Happens Next?

I arrived in Chisago and collapsed into bed at 4 am, with both my tank and Lola’s on E, but with a soul that was refreshed, a mind that was clear, a heart that was inspired, and memories that will be forever cherished, and very likely shared with every grand and great-grand child I have.

Grandma… we already know the story of how you got lost in the mountains in Colorado, but were never actually lost, and through being lost you found yourself…  

But most of all, I arrived with the reminder that I can get lost on my own anywhere in this world, but I will never truly be alone.

14. What's My Advice? 

(if, at this point you would be willing to take any from me)

Go. 

Love, Amanda

Psalm 139: 9-10

If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest ocean,

Even there you hand will guide me

and your strength will support me.