I am peacefully lost in the sound of relaxing music, nestled in warm blankets, happy to be unwinding and not thinking about anything when a small, nervous voice breaks my cozy atmosphere:
“I think you’re breaking out in hives.”
These are words you never want to hear, but are especially bad coming from your masseuse.
A masseuse who has just rubbed a now suspect oil over your entire body.
But let’s rewind a little bit. As you may have guessed massages and freak allergic reactions are not a part of my daily routine. No, this began when two friends and I piled into the car after work on a Friday afternoon and headed out on a girls getaway [a treat yo self trip if you will] to Telluride, Colorado.
We were prepared with a full tank of gas, snacks, music, hotel reservations, plans, and directions. This was not our first trip. We felt we knew what we were doing.
Until we missed our turn off, putting us off course by an hour or two. In the middle of the night. On an unfamiliar road.
The next morning we also discovered almost all the places we’d written down to eat at or visit… closed for off season.
We typed new destinations into the phone gps, only to have it take us to an old location on the wrong side of town.
Then we went to our planned hike … to find the road unaccessible for our little car. So, it became a longer, steeper hike.
Sometimes mountains are intimidating.
Which became a slower hike, after I fell and sprained my ankle.
The same swollen ankle that soon became in danger of hives.
On paper it looks like a serious of unfortunate events. In reality it was anything but.
Those two unplanned driving hours were filled with great conversation, the kind of talk and laughter that only happens when you are stuck in a car for hours upon hours. When we did arrive to our hotel in the late am, the front desk guy was beyond nice, our room inviting, and our beds soft.
The seating area in our room. It’s hard to tell, but there was a lovely fireplace for us to sit by.
This was the view from the hotel balcony. There is a little river running just under these trees.
The next morning our wandering lead us to some wonderful food including this cinnamon roll from Maggie’s Bakery and Cafe. While we ate funny signs and a little cookie jar collection [only some for sale] kept us entertained.
Another guy at the hotel gave us new off season friendly recommendations and all our misdirection gave us ample time to absorb the town and discover street art and unusual graffiti, all while filming a mock horror film [it was the week before halloween so we were trying to get in the spirit of things!].
I very much loved this plastic street art.
Brainwashing.
I’ll save you the squint. It says “Save the World, Ban the Press [Predt?], Free the Hugs, Keep the Peace.”
“Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.” This may have to be my new mantra actually. So relevant to life lately.
Our extended hike? The bark was worse than the bite, if you will. The hardest part was not knowing how long the road was, but the view at the end was worth it.
Bridal Veil Falls, Telluride [Not Utah]
This is me trying to figure out the new macro lense I got for my iphone. haha.
A little rock moss for you. up close and personal thanks to more macro lense experiments.
Rocks and water at the base of the falls.
One last one of the falls. I think our original hike plan would have taken us to the top of the falls? Regardless we were happy with where we ended up.
My ankle, though swollen and bruised, did not stop me from enjoying a steam room,a hot tub under the stars, and scary movies and pizza in our hotel room.
Garlic knots and pizza from Brown Dog Pizza. Forgive the blur and trust it was delicious. They even gave us diet coke to go [so best friends for life?]. Also, there was in fact, a dog, only he was tied up outside the place waiting for someone.
Oh, and that massage? Those mystery hives? Still a little bit of a mystery [we’re blaming the sesame seed components], but easily remedied with a quick shower and a switch of treatments [that nervous voice was also a bit dramatic; no medical intervention was necessary].
This is me playing with my new iphone color filter thing. It looks like a multi-color slide you put in front of your lense. Basically I’ve been really into photojojo lately. I bought their starter kit for iphonography and it’s been really fun.
More of the falls.
That tiny town in the distance is Telluride! There were a few more hikes and stops on this trip, so I’ll have to do a part 2.
All surprises and minor calamities aside, it would be ungrateful and completely missing the mark to say our trip was anything but a wonderful adventure. The best laid plans never did make the best stories and I am appreciative to be in a window of life where I can have the total luxury of purely-for-fun vacations, see the gorgeous scenery of the country I live in, and enjoy the company of great friends.
Currently: getting ready for the little sister’s big day!! I can’t believe the wedding is almost here.
Bedelia 