It's a Colorado Rocky Mountain High...

When he first came to the mountains his life was far away
on the road and hanging by a song…

It’s Tuesday night and we’ve just come from a banquet. It’s time to pack and try to leave early for the drive to Colorado. It will most likely be one of the last times we travel this road, for a visit to the boys anyway.

We’ve been coming this way for seven years now. It just occurred to me that we didn’t come as often the last three years as we seemed to the first four. If we didn’t, it’s our loss. We should have.

The plan is to get up early in the morning, like around 2:00 am, and leave. I’m still gathering things at midnight. We are all tired, apparently, because it is 6:30 when we finally get on the road.


I have dibs on the backseat. I can nest back there. I can spread my stuff where I need it and have plenty of room. And I can cover up with a blanket. Or two. And a jacket. And a pillow. They keep the air conditioner on high at the coldest temperature. They have short sleeves. My nose is running I’m so cold. I settle in, get comfortable and promptly go back to sleep.


From Crane to Golden is about 750 miles. It will take us at least 12 hours to get there. We go up 385 to Dalhart then across to Raton. There we’ll hit an interstate and go on to Colorado. It’s a scenic trip with plains and mountains and long stretches of highway where there is nothing but open space. We see cows and antelope. And we can see for miles.


Colorado is the 38th state. Because it was declared a state in 1876, which was a centennial year, it is nicknamed the Centennial State. The landscape in Colorado is outstanding. There are snow covered mountains in the distance. The nearby mountains have pine and fir trees. Some mountains have green grass going up to them. The air is clear. The sky is gray today because of the snow. Yes, it’s snowing on us as we drive. May and it’s snowing.

Colorado School of Mines is in Golden. The Coors Brewery is also in Golden. It’s a strange feeling to leave your young son(s) at college down the street from a brewery! Golden is a growing city that has kept its small town atmosphere. It has an old fashioned look. The houses close to the school are old style, brick usually, with grass and flowerbeds. It seems to be a healthy place with bicyclists and walkers everywhere. We really haven’t explored much more than where the boys lived or the school or the brewery. We go downtown on the Main street but that’s about it. I'm thinking now we should have been more adventurous.


Golden has been youngest DS’s home for the past four years. But a new chapter is opening for him with his graduation. Do you remember your graduation? How you felt with mixed emotions; excitement, fear, apprehension and even sadness? It’s scary and a great adventure all at the same time. It’s a bit different when you graduate from college. This is it. It’s real world from here on out.


Our hotel is in Littleton, about ten miles from Golden. The little towns run together to me. I think I’m in one place but I’m actually somewhere else. It's still snowing. We settle in and find somewhere to eat, visit with youngest DS (YDS) and call it a night. We have a lot to do in the next few days.


Knitayear is coming along. It’s tough to do while traveling. I try to gather some yarn to take but I don’t know if my mood is going to be in those colors or not! If it's not I make a note of how I was feeling and catch up later. Today I was lucky and had something that fit. I added a thick white and multi-colored yarn for Wednesday. I wasn’t sure I had everything. I was trying to do too many things. This yarn reminded me of confusion for some reason and I thought it fit my frazzled mood. Thursday deserved a unique yarn. It was a happy day, with the whole family together, and snow on the mountains and in the air. I found some homespun that I had made in high school. It's antique yarn! It’s lumpy and bumpy and not very good and I don’t remember if it was from the wheel or from a spindle, but I wanted to add it in. The color and texture fit all I was feeling on this day; happiness for YDS and awe at the falling snow in May! It will be hard for him to leave here. It’s a very nice place to be.


But the strings already broken and he doesn't really care,
it keeps changin' fast, and it don't last for long.

Now his life is full of wonder, but his heart still knows some fear,
of the simple things he cannot comprehend.

It's a Colorado Rocky Mountain High,
Rocky Mountain High...in Colorado....