Today was the last day of this five month adventure, and what a wonderful last day it was. I've been in Boulder, Colorado since Sunday staying with my sister's best friend, Hannah, and her fiance, Yoni. I hadn't met Yoni before but Hannah is so kind and caring and Yoni isn't far behind. They're really lovely people to stay with. I originally planned on coming here to visit the Naropa University campus but that only took about 30 minutes out of the two days I've spent here; the remaining time was used for hikes, goats, chickens, pizza, cooking, and Harry Potter. Quite possibly the best way to end this trip.
On my flight from Tucson to Denver I sat next to a pilot (not the pilot) which ended up being quite interesting because, after being on about 20 flights, I had accumulated a couple of airplane-related questions which he answered as well as telling me all sorts of interesting flight stories from his 40 year career. Since I hadn't been to Denver Airport before and it's a bit confusing he offered to guide me to the bus I had to catch to Boulder. Thanks to him I just made my bus and would have otherwise had to wait another hour. Sometimes people are just really generous and helpful. By the time I got to Hannah and Yoni's apartment it was dark and rainy; they say Colorado has been short on rainfall this year so that was good for the state but not the most pleasant time to arrive. Still, it made the warm, dry apartment and dinner seem that much more welcoming.
Monday morning followed in Sunday's footsteps with grey skies and rain. Hannah and Yoni are part of a farm co-op where they do Monday morning shifts from about 7-9am feeding chickens and milking goats. I got up (not so) bright and early and went to work with them. It had its moments of being slightly miserable with the rain and the cold but it had some really nice moments as well when we drank fresh goat milk and played with new baby chicks and collected chicken eggs. Then when we got back to their apartment we had those eggs for breakfast and they were so delicious. There's something really satisfying about knowing where your food comes from and, better yet, collecting it yourself. I think I spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon napping and reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. With some encouragement from Hannah and Yoni, for dinner I put my new Thai cooking skills to test and we made a variation of green curry that was really good despite not having most of the authentic ingredients. Having that success with all the improvisations makes me excited to try again at home.
Today was lovely and sunny and warm at last! I think Monday was possibly the only day Maine has had nicer weather than wherever I've been. Of course I hear it's supposed to rain when I get home. We took advantage of the weather and went for a hike in the neighboring mountains. I never really think I'm going to like hiking but I always do, and today was rewarded with a better-than-usual view of surrounding mountains. Hannah and I perched on top of a peak with our picnic lunch and were joined by a lone hiker who, coincidentally, also comes from Maine. He left before we did and we took our time going back down the slope. Our actual plan had been to walk or hitch hike up to the top of Flagstaff where there's an even better view but we got a little misguided by the hiking map and ended up on a different mountain, but when we walked back down we found ourselves near the base of the road going up to Flagstaff. It was still early so we figured we might as well try to hitch a ride to the top. Pretty quickly we were picked up by a very kind older man named Arnold who took us all the way to the viewpoint. From up there you could see much farther, all the way to snow-topped mountains in the distance. On our way down we were picked up by Megan, Sarah, and their dog, Theo, who were really cool and took us almost all the way back to the apartment. I know you have to be careful hitch hiking, but I really like it and you can meet some very cool people. We finished off the day with pizza and a movie; such a lovely way to end this trip.
Tomorrow I fly home! How crazy is that? I'm really excited but I also can't believe it's been five months since I left. It doesn't feel that long. It often doesn't feel like one connected trip, either. When I flip through my camera or journals I remember all the things that have happened within the past months and it seems so amazing to me the amount one can see in a not-so-long amount of time. It always makes me wonder how much there is to see in a lifetime. Now it's time for me to go to sleep because I have to get up not unreasonably early to catch the last bus to the last airport for the last two flights home.
welcome home!
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