Sunday morning was the time of my rescheduled Glider flight with Glider Bob. Sam had homework to catch up on, so he opted to stay at the hotel while I ventured into town with my beloved Chai Latte by my side.
Soundtrack of the Day:
I arrived at the Regional Airport about 15 minutes early and watched like a little kid, all of the private planes coming and going against the incredible backdrop. I met up with my pilot and we made our way to the tarmac where our tiny plane was waiting.
 |
Standing next to it, I had no idea how we were both going to fit inside, but thanks to some excellent direction, I was able to fold myself up and shove myself inside, where I was strapped in and stretched back out again. We were off the ground within 10 minutes, and I was instantly in love.
 |
| Occasionally I took a pic with my phone, so you'll notice the color is a little bit off...I needed to make sure I didn't have all of my eggs in one basket :) |
It was an incredible time, I would definitely recommend it. He took me over so many iconic spots like Blue Lake and various trails. He took me over an abandoned mill from 150 years ago and we stared in awe and wondered how they built that so long ago in such a remote location without machinery or electricity for that matter...pretty remarkable. There were moments where we'd catch a thermal and he'd cut the engine and we'd just spin and rise...not one for a weak stomach. I felt a little motion sickness a few times, but nothing too bad. I'd do it again, for sure.
After my scenic tour from above, I made my way into town and rented a Mountain Bike for the afternoon. I was fitted, warned of the extremely touchy brakes that would most certainly result in an epic endo, and sent on my way, up the Gondola to Mountain Village where I unloaded and checked out the trail map.
 |
| Diana Photo is my new obsession...basically a double exposure app that blends 2 or more pics together with a filter. |
It was right about at this point that I took a nasty spill. Being unfamiliar with the trails, I wasn't sure if I needed to gain momentum on a steep hill or slow down for an unforeseen obstacle. I started hauling down the trail and came, very suddenly, upon a hairpin turn. I hit the brakes a little too hard and flew off of my bike (reference the endo that the bike shop guy warned me about), sliding down in the mud until a nice Aspen caught me. I was totally fine, just a little bruised up and very dirty.
Somehow, at the end of one of the runs, I came out on the golf course! I always manage to get lost...it's kind of becoming ridiculous. Anyway, I meandered around the cart paths for a while until I met a couple of guys that directed me back to the Village Gondola so I could get back on an actual trail. 
I stopped for Starbucks and ate under an umbrella outside in the rain. Eventually, I made it back safely, (my coffee frappuccino fit perfectly in my water bottle holder :) ) covered in mud from head to toe, dropped off the bike and hit the road back to Ridgway to take a shower and meet up with Sam for dinner at the True Grit Bar. When I got in the shower, I tried, for several seconds to scrub what I thought was black grease off my shin, but it wouldn't budge. Turns out it was just a massive bruise...one of about a dozen all over my elbows and legs. I'll call them battle wounds :)
After our final dinner in Colorado at the True Grit Bar, we wandered around town and checked out a couple of shops. Sam was mesmerized by all of the vintage Fire gear we saw in the old mining towns.
We ended up watching movies late into the night...hoping to start getting our bodies back into their schedules of shift work. We slept in extra late and checked out, knowing we had quite an excursion ahead of us.
Sam had made it abundantly clear that he was over taking pictures, so I have very few from the drive back down the San Juan Skyway...just these :) He looks thrilled, doesn't he?
Soundtrack of the Day:
We drove and drove and drove...and then drove some more until we started seeing signs for Mesa Verde National Park. We were both feeling pretty good, and had made excellent time to that point, so when I saw the sign marked "1 Mile", I asked Sam if he wanted to check it out, and he said "Sure!". After driving through the gate and paying our $15, we passed another sign saying, "23 Miles"...of winding steep, "can't go over 25 or you'll fall to your death" roads. It's safe to say that our little excursion added about 3 more hours to our drive time. We were deliriously tired and laughing hysterically at our luck...getting ourselves into these types of messes has become our M.O. I believe Sam even said to me at one point, and I quote, "Curse you and your sense of adventure!". Once we got to the Cliff Dwellings though, they were pretty magnificent. The rabid picture-taking resumed:
Even though the little side trip added a few hours to our drive time, it was worth it...so much fun.
Sam and I always have an adventure together, that's for sure. I'm not sure if I'll be able to drag him out for another road trip for a while, but I certainly enjoyed this last one! Until next time, my friends... :)
