Up until this past week, I had never seen an earthly sight that stretched further west than Indianapolis (and how "western" is Indianapolis, really?). I had only a weak, ambiguous notion of what to expect from the grandiose Rocky Mountains beyond the fact that I knew that they were grandiose in the first place. However, upon my economy class Delta flight's descent into the Centennial State, I was swept away onto a whole other level of awe. The scenery possessed a sort of natural magic, binding each mountain to valley to mountain again with the fluidity of the oceans so far away. I was overtaken. Every airport stress factor, every outstanding assignment from school back in Atlanta, every insecurity that flowed through my veins -in that very moment - vanished into the snow-capped mountain peaks.
"We will now begin our descent into Colorado," chimed one of the flight attendants as our plane (quite literally) fought through stomach-dropping turbulence to the ground below. Ten or so minutes later, we had made it.
As my family and I drove our rental car down Interstate 70 west toward our Denver hotel, I felt the excitement in my heart swelling. I didn't know what exactly I was in for, but I knew it was going to be wonderful.
Fast-forwarding things to my last night in powdery, mystical Keystone, I could hardly put the wonder into words. This trip not only amused but also challenged my mind, teaching me valuable life lessons (some more topical than others) in the process. Here is a list I compiled of the seven most important things I learned while visiting Colorado:
1. The roads aren't so treacherous.
I'm being honest when I say that the south is entirely inept when it comes to managing some simple snowfall and sludge. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to trash the homeland, but I certainly won't deny the fact that a snowpocalypse or two might have instilled a fear in me that was completely unnecessary in retrospect. For starters, the temperature in and around Denver (lower photo) was considerably warm in contrast to my expectations. We're talking 55 degrees Fahrenheit upon arrival.
Now, as I-70 West wound upward through the mountains on our way to Keystone Resort (top photo), I recognized that infamous icy road fear bubbling in my gut. To my surprise, the sludge and ice were almost entirely kept clear of the roads, piling up with dirt and debris on either side. This shouldn't have come as a surprise given that the citizens of Colorado deal with this harsh, high-altitude weather on quite a regular basis, but it does go to show how location shapes our experiences and expectations of the rest of the world around us.
2. The people? Super calm.
Southern hospitality, as jovial of a concept as that may be, comes with a price every now and then. There's this constant pressure on us Atlanta millennials to say the right thing at the right time to every person of remote authority that we encounter. My question has always been this: does it really matter that much?
Spending time in Colorado gave me a solid answer, which is that it doesn't. In fact, I garnered a few puzzled looks from store employees while profusely apologizing for my wallet clutter, or dropping an exuberant (and probably unnecessary) "yes, ma'am" or "yes, sir" on cashiers. My frustration on the slopes was met with extreme amiability and steadfast encouragement from the ski school instructors, and my family's public airhead episodes were met with lighthearted empathy among workers and regular citizens alike. Maybe living near the Rockies really does pour a bit more serenity into one's life.
3. Marijuana is legal, but no free-for-alls.
This one threw me for a loop, yet I should've expected it. As most would probably know, recreational usage of marijuana is now legal in the state of Colorado, even for tourists. What most of you probably wouldn't know is that you have to jump through several vital hoops to legally consume the green. Now, I'm not speaking from personal experience here, but rather from personal observation, as you have to be 21-years-old to even have a shot at stepping foot in a dispensary. However, your age doesn't automatically determine whether or not you're going to fall in the cannabis safe-zone. According to an insightful hotel employee back in Denver, the law isn't as cavalier about consumption as one may assume; it is absolutely illegal to consume any legal marijuana products in any remotely public areas within the state, and some ski resorts and hotels will ban smoking altogether, separate of Colorado state law.
In other words, if you're a 21-year-old smoker looking for a good time in Colorado, you'll find it. Just don't mistake privilege for invincibility. Privacy and courtesy still matter.
4. Skiing isn't necessarily easy.
This one was definitely to be expected. No, I didn't create some Olympic snow prodigy false persona for myself before hitting the slopes (and I use the word 'hitting' quite literally), yet, I did seem to forget how uncomfortable the whole experience can be to a still-beginner like yours truly. My last attempt at the winter sport was about 14 years ago and nothing short of miraculous: I was a peanut-sized 6-year-old flying fearlessly down the slopes. Fortunately for me, relearning to ski was a bit less of a hassle than it would've been had I never tried it before. Unfortunately for me, the process was one hell of a hassle regardless. I, with the help of an awesome ski instructor, fought through awkwardly-positioned wipeouts and toddlers with more talent than myself to finally conquer a decently-sized beginner slope, and I can't quite explain the rush of pride and utter euphoria that comes along with conquering a slope. It doesn't matter the skill level. Skiing isn't easy, but it's so worth the attempt.
5. Snowmobiling? Incredibly easy.
There's not much else to be said about snowmobiling other than the fact that it is a must if you're visiting the Rockies. I was blown away by the simplicity of it all; it truly is more difficult to drive a four-wheeler. All you do is listen to the simple instructions provided by your guide in regards to operating the snowmobile, hop on, and play follow-the-leader in a tour group that increases speed with experience. We rode along open, snow-covered planes, through powdered, silent forests, and everywhere in-between. Unlike skiing, you don't need any experience to go fast and far through the winding mountain trails, and the views are unlike anything I had ever seen before.
6. It helps to prepare, but don't over prepare.
What do you get when you put my family and vacation planning together? A whole lot of luggage. Granted, ski suits and snow gear take up a lot of room, but I cannot stress how vital it is to one's sanity that they pack as lightly as possible on a trip to Colorado in the wintertime. To put it bluntly, we brought way too many check-in suitcases and lugging them around the airport made me wish at times that we had forgotten some of the bags instead. So, where am I going with this? I'm imploring that it is essential to pack only the essentials. Ski resorts rent anything you can think of anyways.
7. The Rockies are that captivating.
This lesson was the most essential to my trip, seeing as it reminded me of why I yearned to travel out west in the first place. Everyone who knew that I was taking a trip to Colorado, and those who had seen the Rockies with their own two eyes before, tried to verbally prepare me for their breathtaking beauty. However, nobody could prepare me for the profound impact that that very beauty would have on my perception of the world around me.
These mountains captivate you. They draw every human eye in their range simply by existing, telling the stories behind those eyes back to each individual human that they belong to. At one point during my trip, the anxieties that define my reality were running wild within me and I felt myself losing sight of the captivating beauty that was all around. In response, I walked out onto our balcony in Keystone, stared up at the snow-covered mountain range before my human eyes, and for the next 10 minutes or so, I felt my anxiety slowly fade away into contentment. I allowed them to tell me the story of myself.
It is for this reason primarily that I urge every single pair of eyes reading this article to visit Colorado. Allow the Rocky Mountains to captivate you. Allow yourself to learn.
