The Trip --- Part I

A month or so ago, I decided to travel back to CO and climb a 14er. This trip really had 2 objectives. With the latter being mentioned, the primary reason was to see friends left behind 20 months ago.

OK, so here we go. I picked up Aaron at 5am on the dot. He kissed his sweet wife goodbye, and off we went. I met Aaron at church, and somehow we have hit it off. He is a great guy, and we share the same sense of humor. It just so happens that he grew up in SW MO-just like yours truly. Here we are motoring along I-70 trying to "feel one another out", since we haven't had the chance to spend much 1on1 time (with the exception of golfing 9 holes).

We both brought IPods, so we started out sharing music we like. This is where we differ (ie: Tomatoe, Tomato). He (like Benny's Uncle) likes Bluegrass. He also likes fringe southwestern flavored music, and Gospel. After listening to his selections, I still haven't embraced Bluegrass or Gospel. There's some definite talent there, but I prefer not to hear someone belt out nasaly, falsetto, yodels. In the background, it always sounds like some coot on speed is hammering away on a banjo-like he is experiencing hillbilly nirvana. Regarding Gospel. I can appreciate it, but just find it ....we'll...boring. I'll take Contemporary Christian any day. One bright spot was a band called "The Shins". They have a great song called "New Slang". Liked it so much, that I went out and bought the CD today. This is definitely 2 thumbs up.

So here we are, driving in the dark across I-70 listening to tunes and just talking. Around KC the A/C pulls a Ricky Williams. It just quits. Taking it in stride, we crack the windows and keep chatting. We talk about life, family, likes, dislikes, crack jokes, and share thoughts on Hot Button Issues such as Stem Cell Research (adult and embryonic), and The Death Penalty. I think there are great possibilities with researching adult stem cells, and am starting to sway on my traditional death penalty stance. I realize there always needs to be consequences for actions, but it's getting harder to endorse the death penalty. It's fine that it is "on the books", but my preference would be to not push it. Despite the fact that Jesus was a victim of Capital Punishment, It just seems contrary to the overall message Christ was living out. If you believe in capital punishment, that is fine. Stick to your beliefs.

So back to the drive. We end up getting to DEN after 12 1/2 hours. It was great to be back. The first thing before heading to L&L's house was to drive by our old house. No changes. 20 kids playing in the street. We even had one girl riding her bike giving us the evil eye, because The Tahoe dared to tread on her street while she pedaled away with her friends.

Once getting to L&L's, we set out to Colorado Hacienda. I had a hankering for Chile Rellenos. With that checked off my To Do list, we went back to hang out. We played foosball, Tiger Woods Golf, and JL came over to say howdy. He is a great guy that I really miss. Aaron and I planned on sleeping downstairs. I gave him the bedroom, and I planned on sleeping on the couch. That was until I saw a little brown spider (non-poisonous). They scare me, so I ended up sleeping on the floor with 2 little blankets-as far away from the couch as possible. I'm such a wimp with spiders. I even tried to breathe shallow as to not create much heat-thinking that spiders are attracted to warmth. How crazy is that.?...I'm trying to figure out which is worse. Brown Spiders or Bluegrass.