Bedrock - Naturita
Time Traveled: 2 hrs 15 mins
Distance: 23.07 miles
Food Eaten: Super oatmeal (3rd power - coconut, granola, flax seeds), coffee w/sugar, Probar, figs, orange juice, pie, fish sandwich, salad, a few onion rings, beer, iced tea
Morning came quickly and filled us with renewed hope and energy. As we rolled out of camp, several rabbits perked their ears up at us, no doubt happy of our departure. Back to the Bedrock Store, we returned for supplies; the most important being water, which we would need a lot of this day.
Right before we checked out, the same woman who helped us yesterday was talking to a local man and he mentioned her music. I looked over at the glass case that held a few CD's along with some other "gifts" and realization hit me smack in the face. Of course, this owner of Colorado's oldest, continuously running store was selling her works.
Another closer look confirmed my suspicions. Indeed, it was her on the cover. The woman who blinked at me through thick glasses seemed to be in disguise compared to the face on the album cover. This face wore no spectacles, and from the look of her vague, abysmal countenance, seemed to have so much more on her mind besides the price of spaghetti sauce.
Her name was Rose Griffin and as she rang up our merchandise I asked her about her music. The conversation escalated into an hour of words about the musicians in and around Paradox Valley. I felt an instant rapport with this stranger when she spoke of her quiet music career. I could imagine myself strumming my Martin Backpacker and cooing out a melody in the shadows of a warm, Colorado sunset.
There was a music festival in a nearby town coming up that Rose was playing in and we told her would go if we were able to. We never did make it there, but we did buy one of Rose's Cd's. I was a bit surprised at the quality of her voice and the creative melodies from that gawky, ragged woman. Still, after one listen of the whole album, Joe and I decided that it would be a fun gift for our good friend and fellow music lover, Brian.
While riding away from the store, I almost wished we hadn't spent so much time there. It was high noon and we could feel the anger of the sun on the road and within the bleak, desert landscape.
It was a rather short ride to Naturita, but it seemed to last forever because of the heat. I had to stop and eat after making it to the top of a nasty "little" hill and we were almost out of water when the road finally had mercy on us. A nice, long downhill took us the rest of the way into the small town, where we gratefully checked into a motel.
All throughout the night, Joe and I went back and forth on whether or not we should continue. Perhaps the very fact that we were even considering putting our trip to an end was a good indication that we were ready to go home. After some food, bad hotel TV and a long evening of pros and cons, I called my mother and our return back home was arranged.
My brother Collin drove our car to Naturita the next day and we all spent an evening at The Ray Motel, watching Phenomenon and making fun of John Travolta. We managed to make a delicious veggie burrito dinner right there in the room.
To our surprise, the next morning we noticed that the place we ate at the first day was shut down now for not paying their taxes. It was really quite sad, as they were packed for breakfast the previous morning. This seems to be a local trend in Naturita, for almost half of the Main Street businesses were closed down. I hope their economy can recover.
On this morning, the day after my brother's arrival, we set off into some gorgeous Colorado scenery. As I marveled at the magnificent Telluride Peaks, my thoughts went back to the very beginning of this expedition. When we started off in Roosville, MT, Joe and I were fully expecting to ride the Continental Divide in one trip. Needless to say, that is not what happened, but I'm all right with that.
Through our days of travel into the rain, wind, sun and snow, my perspective shifted along with the ever changing weather. I realized that what was important is not the mileage, the endurance, or even the routes taken. What truly makes a journey worth remembering are the experiences you live through.
There were a lot of hard times and there were a lot of easy signs. Both were just as valuable to our voyage and I wouldn't trade them in for anything. Someday we will go back and complete the CDT. When is not important, nor is completing the trail all at once. We are here to live life fully, not to prove to people our worth because of what we can do.
So much life is still ahead of us and many sunset vistas are calling our names. When we set out again, it was be with fresh eyes and light spirits. But for now, we'll watch the horizon fade from home.
