People weren't kidding when they said that driving through that part of the country is bor-ing. Nebraska was beautiful, sure, with farms and blue skies and green landscapes stretching as wide as you can see on all sides.
But it was that. The whole time. Seven hours. 545 miles. And with that, once Emu fell asleep, Olive continued her meowing for literally almost the entire ride. There was a point where I was literally screaming at her because I was so frustrated. Dan was like... settle. Haha. I had done a really thorough job of checking on her carrier to make sure it was clean, pulling her carrier into my lap and letting her look out the window, brushing her, and offering water that she ignored. When can a mom get some appreciation around here?! This is my future. Except with actual kids, I think.
We did get some crazy rain on our way out, the kind when you can see the storm ahead of you and you drive into it. We got pelted with rain and it came on super suddenly. A girl actually had spun off the road into the median. I think we had just missed it as we passed her, but the car and she appeared to be okay. There were cars and trucks pulled over for a couple miles. This was the most quiet the girls were (that or we couldn't hear them).
When we entered Colorado on Monday and were about an hour away from our hotel, the landscape changed quite a bit. We could see snowy mountaintops in the distance and we both got really excited. Because of the weather, the skies weren't clear enough to do it justice in pictures, but hopefully today we can get some good ones. We are here through Wednesday morning.
Once we got settled at our hotel, which is a really fancy La Quinta with an awesome pool, we started getting ready for the big reason we were in Colorado - to go to the Red Rocks Amphitheater outdoor venue. Look it up if you know nothing about it - it is totally incredible. It is a geologically formed rock structure that makes for one hell of a concert venue. We bought tickets to see Sufjan Stevens there about two/three months ago in hopes that all of our plans would time out correctly and we would make it. (Spoiler alert - it all worked out!) Yesterday I made a reservation at the restaurant that is built into the venue called Ship Rock Grille that requires reservations and that you are a ticket holder. The weather looked clear in Denver through the rest of the night, so we were beyond pysched.
We stupidly ate no lunch on our way through Nebraska and just snacked on chips and gummy bears and drank tons of water, so Dan grabbed us a burrito from Chipotle to tide us over as we got ready for the show. As we were driving over to have actual dinner, it became very clear that the forecast had changed. Rain and thunderstorms throughout the evening. I was wearing a tiny skirt and brought just a cardigan. We both had no jackets, no umbrellas, no ponchos. The reality of our stupidity was too much to bear after looking forward to it for so long. Thank GOD the people at the venue had ponchos. It was the one time in my life that I was like YES, OF COURSE I will wear a poncho. Once we knew we had those as an option, we immediately calmed down. With this view, it wasn't going to matter what the weather did.
They finally let us in to the restaurant (they were very strict about entry, even with the reservation). We grabbed beers and salads and tons of water. Guys, altitude sickness is a thing. I was feeling a little dizzy and tingly and lightheaded, and that was before the beer. Once I was about halfway through it, I was getting a little nervous about what was going to happen. I've always been a bit sensitive to nausea and the conditions that typically lead to it. Luckily I think food and lots of water served us well throughout the night. After dinner we headed upstairs to go to our seats.. holy crap.
Literally the most breathtaking venue we've ever seen, and maybe the most breathtaking view we've ever seen. (Though we hit the Grand Canyon in a few days so this may change.) We settled into our seats, took pictures and geeked out for a while.
There was a cloud looming overhead when the show started. Sure enough, it started raining during the opening band's set, which was this amazing band called Rhye. We happily put our ponchos on and sipped our beers. They totally work, by the way. In a bind, I would highly recommend for you to stop giving all shits and just wear them.
The band was great and we loved our seats. Before their set was even done, the rain stopped and it didn't end up coming back for the rest of the show. Yay! They got a standing ovation. For an opening act, pretty solid. We wished they did a few more songs.
Sufjan was great. I don't know what we were expecting from him, but this wasn't it. His albums are so vibey and chill, and this show was so wacky and fun. Everyone wore these glow in the dark and neon costumes and bopped around the whole time. His female back up singers also were dancers. Five of those blow up guys at car dealerships (Always Sunny, anyone?) made an appearance in the finale. Overall, it was an incredible show. I had my typical peeves with crowd members, but they aren't worth mentioning. It was all we could have wanted from the experience and we both felt so grateful. The weather and sky put on a show of their own.
After the show we came back and basically just went to bed. We had experienced the change to the mountain time zone in the middle of Nebraska, so while it was 10:30pm, it really felt like 11:30pm to us. I seemingly coughed all night long, but we both got a lot of sleep. Today we woke up and got waffles and coffee at the La Quinta this morning and then headed out to Boulder for the afternoon. We came across the most breathtaking views of the mountains on the way, so we pulled off the road for obvious reasons and took a million pictures.
Dan wasn't able to get a haircut before we left and he has to start work right away in LA, so he got a haircut in downtown Boulder. We then headed over to the Pearl Street Mall. I quickly realized that shorts and a zip up sweatshirt wasn't going to cut it in 90 degree weather, so we wandered around for a while until I found a shirt at American Apparel, where I haven't shopped in nearly a decade, until I found a tank top I didn't hate. We had lunch at West Flanders Brewing Company and had some yummy beers and food. Our bartender noticed Dan's Red Sox hat and told us she was from Rhode Island, so it was good to talk to someone from our own planet for a while. She went to school in Boston as well, so we had a bit to chat about. When we finished up there we maybe walked around for another ten minutes and headed back to the hotel.
We just got back from spending our time at the hotel pool. It's maybe the most relaxed we have both felt in three months. We have some job/$$/scheduling things to figure out before our arrival in LA, so it was good to talk them through without any sort of immediate pressure in a relaxing environment. We also sort of took a moment to reflect on the insanity that is our lives right now. We can't believe that we, in my words, "quit all the things, sold all the things, and are doing all the things." It really is beyond anything I ever thought I was capable of ever doing.
My mom got us two adorable Corkcicle canteens for our trip and had them inscribed with "Amy & Dan's Excellent Adventure." Such a cute gift and idea. We poured our IPA cans in them for sitting by/in the pool. It maybe isn't what she intended, but we love them already :). We are going to a vegetarian-friendly restaurant tonight recommended by our friend/ex-landlord/mom for life Janet Cimmino, and then we're going to check out a bar that Dan is excited to see. I will update you tomorrow on the rest of our adventures in the Denver area.
I hope everyone is having a great week. We're both feeling really grateful for taking the leap and trying to enjoy every second, while also dreaming and thinking and plotting for the next big adventure.
-A
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