What a good week I have had here in Wyoming. Mostly, it was just filled with lots of little things that made me happy. For this post, I'll go with the mildly boring 'synopsis' method that I employ when I don't feel the urge to write creatively. Where do I even begin?...
I think it all began when climbing a week ago with my roommate Andrea at the University bouldering gym. While working on a problem, we bumped into Mark Jenkins, author of National Geographics well known mountain gorilla story and overall badass adventurer. Just to give some scope to the situation, I like to think about this as, 'Laramie is cool enough that Mark Jenkins lives here'...Laramie is really cool!
Following a sunday afternoon of Laundry at spic and span, I began my new job as a lift operator at Snowy Range Ski area. The summit elevation of 10,000 feet provides striking views and on a clear day I can see quite some distance down the rockies. Sometimes the job is slow, boring, and cold, but most days the satisfaction of taking a ski break instead of a lunch break is enough to keep me content. Two days this week I ventured into a whole new world by checking out a snowboard and fighting my way down the bunny hill. By day two, I had worked up the nerve to go down a very long and gradual trail on the board. Learn by doing, right?! RIGHT. Half way down the hill I ate shit, essentially smashing the back of my head into the ground and sending my sunglasses flying about 10 feet. I got up rather quickly in dull spirits, and then spent the next three days unable to turn my head in either direction. Thus came my decision to rent skis for two days and enjoy my new free season pass on the badass trails that I can only do in skis.
The last few days in particular have provided BEAUTIFUL weather. In a place where wind chills can be debilitating, I was ecstatic to shovel snow at the lifts in a long sleeve shirt in temps around 40 degrees. Aside from getting sunburn every day, the conditions also allowed me to carve a gigantic snow turtle about 8 feet long under the lift. Something about a ski area is just special. It's not like a gym where people feel they must go every day to stay healthy. People ski or snowboard just because they like it and get satisfaction from it. Certain groups, like middle school kids, are extra funny to watch while boarding a lift. Other customers include parents teaching children how to ski on leashes that might have just learned to walk. I even met some older folks who lost there skis in their garage 40 years ago and decided to dust em off and hit the snowy trail.
Theres a saying in the mountains here that if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. Sure enough, as I basked in 40 degree conditions today I got an advisory on my phone that an arctic front is moving in and the high temp for tuesday is negative 4 degrees without windchill.
Personally I like to think that below 0 degrees there's no difference anyway... But, I guess if you never had bad weather then the good weather wouldn't seem so good, right?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Leadership Reflections
As an assignment for my conservation leadership course I must reflect on two personal leadership strengths and two challenges.
Strength #1-I am driven. I don't completely understand the forces that compel me to be this way, but I am task oriented and to be frank, I get shit done. My follow through is outstanding and I'm proud of it.
Challenge #1-I like to be in control. As a leader, this brings about big dillemas. It means I have an undeniable urge to always be in the drivers seat, literally in a car and figuratively in leaderhip situations. This can drive a co-leader crazy. I've spent quite a bit of time in the last few years working on this and I'm getting better, but I still have a long way to go. In time, I know I'll be much more comfortable as a back seat leader.
And then there's this thing called passion, my greatest strength and also my biggest challenge.
Passion carries me through every single day. When I wake up in the morning I think, 'what can I do to make myself better today' and 'what can I do to make the world better today'. It's part of what drives me and part of what drives me crazy. It's difficult to explain exactly what I mean, but my best shot is a bit of a metaphor. Passion is like the fire in my soul that makes me operate. I feed it every day with substantial stuff and at the end of the day I usually feel warm and fuzzy. But once in a while, my fire gets extinguised by a matter of circumstances and I'm left with terrible burns. Passion can be great, but it can also hurt.
"I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers"-Ralph Nader
Strength #1-I am driven. I don't completely understand the forces that compel me to be this way, but I am task oriented and to be frank, I get shit done. My follow through is outstanding and I'm proud of it.
Challenge #1-I like to be in control. As a leader, this brings about big dillemas. It means I have an undeniable urge to always be in the drivers seat, literally in a car and figuratively in leaderhip situations. This can drive a co-leader crazy. I've spent quite a bit of time in the last few years working on this and I'm getting better, but I still have a long way to go. In time, I know I'll be much more comfortable as a back seat leader.
And then there's this thing called passion, my greatest strength and also my biggest challenge.
Passion carries me through every single day. When I wake up in the morning I think, 'what can I do to make myself better today' and 'what can I do to make the world better today'. It's part of what drives me and part of what drives me crazy. It's difficult to explain exactly what I mean, but my best shot is a bit of a metaphor. Passion is like the fire in my soul that makes me operate. I feed it every day with substantial stuff and at the end of the day I usually feel warm and fuzzy. But once in a while, my fire gets extinguised by a matter of circumstances and I'm left with terrible burns. Passion can be great, but it can also hurt.
"I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers"-Ralph Nader
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Determination
The funny thing about New Years resolutions is that I find it generally hard to decide in December what I want to do in January and for the remainder of the year. With that in mind, I've spent the last 20 days contemplating what it is that I would like to accomplish this year. Task one...having an awesome roadtrip and getting to Wyoming was rather easily achieved. But now, I have come down to the more complicated parts of the list-the parts that require determination. I would say that determination is a comittment to overcoming obstacles and recently I have been overcome with a relentless bout of determination to do several things.
The first of which was to get a job. After getting rejected from the front desk of Laramies rec center, I spent the last week walking and driving all over this town responding to newspaper and craigslist ads and filling out applications. Finally yesterday I caved out of frustration and drove to snowy range ski area where two feet of fresh powder had accumulated over night. I should explain that snowy range is not just down the road. It's about 40 miles from Laramie and depsite winds, the drive makes me feel like i'm in Narnia. So, after some slow turns and hand shakes, I scored a job as a lift operator. Luckily the job comes with a free season pass which means I will finally get my fix of powder skiing at 10,000 feet.
The second of which is to get my degree. This unfortunately, is slightly more complicated than obtaining a job. But luckily, Laramie is a small town and everyone I need to talk to has or makes time to meet with me. After an early morning coffee chat with the Dean of Students at UW, I feel well equipped to tackle this challenge and get back to school for the fall semester. Not only did he remind me that it's important, but he reminded me that it's possible.
Next, to continue my quest towards a more healthy body. This task has been moderately overwhelming, as fitness at 7,000 or more feet is much different than fitness at sea level. Aside from the oxygen depletion I experience, with wind chill the temps are usually around 15 degrees during my runs making me cold, tired, and starved for precious oxygen. This is the thing thats going to really take patience.
And also continue my quest towards a more healthy mind. So far this has meant appreciating my plethora of free time and seizing every opportunity to read books and newspapers. In addition, I've comitted to writing this blog and promising myself day after day that I will not neglect it. My blog is my minds expression outlet and gives me the clarity of thought that I find difficult to achieve without writing. I can definitely do this.
Lastly, to pursue a relationship. This time last year, motivation from a family member prompted me to go on my first date. My logical mind realized all I had to do was ask my friends to set me up on a date and that resolution would be accomplished on the spot. I wound up with much more than just a first date, but now I'm back at the drawing board. Who wants to find me a date?
Time to have at it...
The first of which was to get a job. After getting rejected from the front desk of Laramies rec center, I spent the last week walking and driving all over this town responding to newspaper and craigslist ads and filling out applications. Finally yesterday I caved out of frustration and drove to snowy range ski area where two feet of fresh powder had accumulated over night. I should explain that snowy range is not just down the road. It's about 40 miles from Laramie and depsite winds, the drive makes me feel like i'm in Narnia. So, after some slow turns and hand shakes, I scored a job as a lift operator. Luckily the job comes with a free season pass which means I will finally get my fix of powder skiing at 10,000 feet.
The second of which is to get my degree. This unfortunately, is slightly more complicated than obtaining a job. But luckily, Laramie is a small town and everyone I need to talk to has or makes time to meet with me. After an early morning coffee chat with the Dean of Students at UW, I feel well equipped to tackle this challenge and get back to school for the fall semester. Not only did he remind me that it's important, but he reminded me that it's possible.
Next, to continue my quest towards a more healthy body. This task has been moderately overwhelming, as fitness at 7,000 or more feet is much different than fitness at sea level. Aside from the oxygen depletion I experience, with wind chill the temps are usually around 15 degrees during my runs making me cold, tired, and starved for precious oxygen. This is the thing thats going to really take patience.
And also continue my quest towards a more healthy mind. So far this has meant appreciating my plethora of free time and seizing every opportunity to read books and newspapers. In addition, I've comitted to writing this blog and promising myself day after day that I will not neglect it. My blog is my minds expression outlet and gives me the clarity of thought that I find difficult to achieve without writing. I can definitely do this.
Lastly, to pursue a relationship. This time last year, motivation from a family member prompted me to go on my first date. My logical mind realized all I had to do was ask my friends to set me up on a date and that resolution would be accomplished on the spot. I wound up with much more than just a first date, but now I'm back at the drawing board. Who wants to find me a date?
Time to have at it...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Engagement
The following is a response to "The Open Space of Democracy" by Terry Tempest Williams...
Mardie Murie(considered the grandmother of the conservationist movement) once said..."Give yourself the adventure of doing what you can do, with what you have, even if you have nothing but the adventure of trying. How much better than standing in a corner with your back to the wall." Often as conservationists, we find ourselves with our backs to the wall, overwhelmed by the enormity of environmental challenges in a country where the power of politics in Washington seems to trump or intimidate us all enough to be disengaged from our democratic rights.
Tempest Williams argues that it's easy to be apathetic to engagement. Believing in the reality and possibility of the democratic process is what takes courage. Williams claims that "the human heart is the first home of democracy", and "It is through the act of participation that we change." Engagement then, is only the first half of democracy. The other half is the expression of our engagement; how we respond to it, share it, and move forward with continued action. After all, "What is wealth if we cannot share it? What if freedom if we cannot offer it as a vision of compassion and restraint rather than force and aggression?"
In a nation where a history of bravery has witheld the democratic ideals we all cherish, we must step up to reclaim our rights through the exercise of shared knowledge and power. We cannot look for leadership in anyone but ourselves.
The time has come to ask "If I am comitted to seeing the direction of our contry change, how must I change myself?"
Mardie Murie(considered the grandmother of the conservationist movement) once said..."Give yourself the adventure of doing what you can do, with what you have, even if you have nothing but the adventure of trying. How much better than standing in a corner with your back to the wall." Often as conservationists, we find ourselves with our backs to the wall, overwhelmed by the enormity of environmental challenges in a country where the power of politics in Washington seems to trump or intimidate us all enough to be disengaged from our democratic rights.
Tempest Williams argues that it's easy to be apathetic to engagement. Believing in the reality and possibility of the democratic process is what takes courage. Williams claims that "the human heart is the first home of democracy", and "It is through the act of participation that we change." Engagement then, is only the first half of democracy. The other half is the expression of our engagement; how we respond to it, share it, and move forward with continued action. After all, "What is wealth if we cannot share it? What if freedom if we cannot offer it as a vision of compassion and restraint rather than force and aggression?"
In a nation where a history of bravery has witheld the democratic ideals we all cherish, we must step up to reclaim our rights through the exercise of shared knowledge and power. We cannot look for leadership in anyone but ourselves.
The time has come to ask "If I am comitted to seeing the direction of our contry change, how must I change myself?"
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Democracy in the Equality State
Only in Wyoming could you find a legislative branch where cowboy boots and hats are not out of the ordinary. After being here for a grand total of 6 days, I seized the opportunity today to attendy the Equality State Policy Center's Citizen Lobbyist training with my Program Coordinator Tim and our Field Supervisor Darren in Cheyenne. Most simply put, the training explained how bills get passed through the state House and Senate in Wyoming and how to employ the most effective lobbying techniques. Although I have nothing to lobby for just yet, the training opened my eyes to a personal democratic opportunity and right that I've never exercised-having my voice heard by law makers. Fun fact-the term lobbying originated from folks who would wait in the lobbies of hotels to have their opinions heard by lawmakers.
Luckily, I have the benefit of residing in a state where there stands not a single person between myself and my legislators. They are literally all accessible in person. I should add for the record just how extremely proud of this concept Wyoming is. Personally, I hope to some day employ the note passing method where during a house or senate session, a door man brings a representative a note on a small 3 x 4 sheet of paper. You can actually check off a box that says 'meet me in the lobby'. This carried little significance to me until I understood that in most states, contacting a legislator is not so simple as many aides and staff members filter communications to reps. During our brief tour of the capitol building, our group even bumped into the states first lady whose Jackie O style reminded me that looking good is in fact a great tool, political or otherwise.
Essentially, my to-do list has now tripled. On top of my first assignments for class, I've added to the pile a serious political task list. But, I'm running on some great energy after the training. In addition to my intellectually stimulating day, I am the recipient of a free bed and I have an interview tomorrow for a job at the town recreation center.
In conclusion, I haven't exactly put my finger on why it is, but things seem to be going well here in Wyoming. The only reason I've come up with has something to do with the peoples connection to the land that somehow brings them together. In my wanderings on this subject, I found a quote that I will leave you with...
"Gardens, scholars say, are the first sign of commitment to a community. When people plant corn they are saying, let's stay here. And by their connection to the land, they are connected to one another. "
-Anne Raver
Luckily, I have the benefit of residing in a state where there stands not a single person between myself and my legislators. They are literally all accessible in person. I should add for the record just how extremely proud of this concept Wyoming is. Personally, I hope to some day employ the note passing method where during a house or senate session, a door man brings a representative a note on a small 3 x 4 sheet of paper. You can actually check off a box that says 'meet me in the lobby'. This carried little significance to me until I understood that in most states, contacting a legislator is not so simple as many aides and staff members filter communications to reps. During our brief tour of the capitol building, our group even bumped into the states first lady whose Jackie O style reminded me that looking good is in fact a great tool, political or otherwise.
Essentially, my to-do list has now tripled. On top of my first assignments for class, I've added to the pile a serious political task list. But, I'm running on some great energy after the training. In addition to my intellectually stimulating day, I am the recipient of a free bed and I have an interview tomorrow for a job at the town recreation center.
In conclusion, I haven't exactly put my finger on why it is, but things seem to be going well here in Wyoming. The only reason I've come up with has something to do with the peoples connection to the land that somehow brings them together. In my wanderings on this subject, I found a quote that I will leave you with...
"Gardens, scholars say, are the first sign of commitment to a community. When people plant corn they are saying, let's stay here. And by their connection to the land, they are connected to one another. "
-Anne Raver
Monday, January 10, 2011
Welcome Home
My first few days in Laramie have been good enough that I haven't had the time or mental composure to write. Today was particularly great, and although I'm exhausted, I need to get my thoughts down ASAP.
This morning around 11 a fellow crew leader Patrick picked me up to go skiing. Although getting to know Patrick was really great, I couldn't help but be continually distracted by the landscape as we drove up through the Snowy Range Mountains and skied down the slopes. Calling Wyoming beautiful is a severly harsh understatement. In fact, I still don't even know what words I could use to actually describe the place. From the peaks of the Snowy Range Ski Area(about 10,000 feet) I am at a loss for words and just can't really grasp the concept that I am not a temporary visitor in Wyoming. No matter how long I continue to look around like a tourist in New York City, I don't think I'll ever get bored of the new animals, the different trees, and the everlasting comfort of how close I am to all of it all of the time.
I'm so excited about Wyoming that i've decided to attend a citizen lobbyist training in Cheyenne on Wednesday. To be completely honest, I know very little about what will go on there but I figued at the very least, I will be mildly more informed about Wyoming then I am now.
Best of all, this is really only the beginning. The stories I've heard about the views in the Tetons make me cringe with excitement for everything that's ahead of me.
Stay warm out there!
This morning around 11 a fellow crew leader Patrick picked me up to go skiing. Although getting to know Patrick was really great, I couldn't help but be continually distracted by the landscape as we drove up through the Snowy Range Mountains and skied down the slopes. Calling Wyoming beautiful is a severly harsh understatement. In fact, I still don't even know what words I could use to actually describe the place. From the peaks of the Snowy Range Ski Area(about 10,000 feet) I am at a loss for words and just can't really grasp the concept that I am not a temporary visitor in Wyoming. No matter how long I continue to look around like a tourist in New York City, I don't think I'll ever get bored of the new animals, the different trees, and the everlasting comfort of how close I am to all of it all of the time.
I'm so excited about Wyoming that i've decided to attend a citizen lobbyist training in Cheyenne on Wednesday. To be completely honest, I know very little about what will go on there but I figued at the very least, I will be mildly more informed about Wyoming then I am now.
Best of all, this is really only the beginning. The stories I've heard about the views in the Tetons make me cringe with excitement for everything that's ahead of me.
Stay warm out there!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Western Hospitality
Whoever coined the phrase 'southern hospitality' clearly forgot to consider life west of the misissippi river. Since the completion of the last post in St.Louis, Steph and I have enjoyed the company of not one but two total strangers for dinner in St.Louis and Boulder. For the protection of ourselves and these characters, we will give them code names.
Steph-the friendly spirit that she is- believes in complementing total strangers. This unraveled as Steph approached Elliot at Kayak's to tell him he was cute. As the conversation went on and I sat nearby watching like a guard dog, Steph managed an invitation to dinner in St.Louis and a place to couch surf for the night for both of us. We contemplated this for about 5 minutes before we decided that there was no good reason not to go. So, after changing clothes and applying deoderant in a grocery store bathroom, we met up with Elliot at Pi's, a fantastic pizza spot in the Loop neighborhood in St.Louis. Steph says it was easily the best pizza she's ever had. I think it was a close second to Pies and Pints at the new river gorge in West Virginia. As the conversation ensued, Steph and I both got an itch to get back on the road to our almost final destination-Boulder. So at about 10 pm we bid farewell to our new friend and hit the road to Colorado.
We drove through the night alrernating 2 hour shifts of driving and sleeping. Kansas was brutally long and boring, but had the most beautiful night sky and so many shooting stars that we lost track. Temps dropped into the single digits and as we made our way into Colorado the sun came up. Enjoying coffee in Boulder, we decided to join a gym for a week long trial with the main purpose of being able to shower at the completion of our exercise. While I was enjoying the sauna, I over heard Steph strike up a conversation with some locals in the hot tub about where we could camp for free close to town.
Once again, fate had its way and next thing you know JB(a contracter) was offering to let us stay in his 'extra' house in Boulder for the night. With a bit of hesitation we decided this was a solid idea. For extra security, we gave the address of the house to a few of our friends and told them that if they didn't hear from us shortly they should send the police to the address. Thankfully, JB was not an axe-murderer picking up young girls at the gym as our imaginations had allowed us to think. After a nice cruise in his 0-60 in 3 seconds porsche, we enjoyed beers at a few brewery's and spent the night in our sleeping bags in the spare bedroom of the spare house.
Every person we've met since St.Louis has been unbelievable friendly and welcoming to two total strangers. JB even joked to me yestereday that we could totally make a life out of this bumping into strangers thing. I think we'll stick to our original plan and head to our final destination tomorrow morning. Can't wait to see what Laramie has in store for us!
Smokey and Looseleaf
Steph-the friendly spirit that she is- believes in complementing total strangers. This unraveled as Steph approached Elliot at Kayak's to tell him he was cute. As the conversation went on and I sat nearby watching like a guard dog, Steph managed an invitation to dinner in St.Louis and a place to couch surf for the night for both of us. We contemplated this for about 5 minutes before we decided that there was no good reason not to go. So, after changing clothes and applying deoderant in a grocery store bathroom, we met up with Elliot at Pi's, a fantastic pizza spot in the Loop neighborhood in St.Louis. Steph says it was easily the best pizza she's ever had. I think it was a close second to Pies and Pints at the new river gorge in West Virginia. As the conversation ensued, Steph and I both got an itch to get back on the road to our almost final destination-Boulder. So at about 10 pm we bid farewell to our new friend and hit the road to Colorado.
We drove through the night alrernating 2 hour shifts of driving and sleeping. Kansas was brutally long and boring, but had the most beautiful night sky and so many shooting stars that we lost track. Temps dropped into the single digits and as we made our way into Colorado the sun came up. Enjoying coffee in Boulder, we decided to join a gym for a week long trial with the main purpose of being able to shower at the completion of our exercise. While I was enjoying the sauna, I over heard Steph strike up a conversation with some locals in the hot tub about where we could camp for free close to town.
Once again, fate had its way and next thing you know JB(a contracter) was offering to let us stay in his 'extra' house in Boulder for the night. With a bit of hesitation we decided this was a solid idea. For extra security, we gave the address of the house to a few of our friends and told them that if they didn't hear from us shortly they should send the police to the address. Thankfully, JB was not an axe-murderer picking up young girls at the gym as our imaginations had allowed us to think. After a nice cruise in his 0-60 in 3 seconds porsche, we enjoyed beers at a few brewery's and spent the night in our sleeping bags in the spare bedroom of the spare house.
Every person we've met since St.Louis has been unbelievable friendly and welcoming to two total strangers. JB even joked to me yestereday that we could totally make a life out of this bumping into strangers thing. I think we'll stick to our original plan and head to our final destination tomorrow morning. Can't wait to see what Laramie has in store for us!
Smokey and Looseleaf
Monday, January 3, 2011
Greetings From St. Louis!
Today I co-blog with the wonderful Stephanie Smith-my road trip co-pilot. It turns out that Steph (minus her current illness) was and is the perfect person to bring along for my journey. She is funny, helps me take of my jacket while driving before I even say a word, and she appreciates the cool little places along the way just as much as I do.
We departed New Years Day from Silver Spring Maryland around 12pm. Cruising through rainy and very warm Pennsylvania, my car got a nice 70 mph bath in preparation for the 1800 miles ahead. After trudging through Ohio we finally arrived at my sister Cali's place in Covington Kentucky around 8pm. On monday we embarked on a closet organizing extravaganza with my sister which included a trip to Ikea. Best thing hands down in Cincinnati was Jungle Jim's- a grocery store the size of a super wal-mart loaded with the biggest selection of international foods, beers, ciders, honey, and hot sauces I have ever seen! Big love goes out to my sister Cali for being such a wonderful host!
This morning we set out from Covington at 9 and took not one or two but three wrong turns that led us on a long stretch of road next to the Ohio river. Eventually we made our way back to the big highway that brought us to Indiannapolis and route 70 west-our final road until we make it to Denver. We passed a good bit of time today by partaking in what we call 'carobics'. Its an ecletic blend of traveling exercises that go great to the beat of good coutry tunes. All exercises can be completed sans weights, but sometimes we use water bottles for extra resistance.
Finally, we reached St. Louis-crossing the mighty Misissippi River and entering the gateway to the west. Steph picked out a cool spot for lunch in an area called 'the loop' where St.Louis's old trolleys used to make their turn around. We had some food and then walked as much as we could while enjoying some awesome shops and an adorable neighborhood.
Finally we made our way to our current destination-Kayak's coffee shop which I spotted from the road. Its easily, the coolest coffee shop I've ever been in, but no one here seems to know just how awesome it is. Steph is drinking tea that came on a cute little plate with its own kettle and I'm having a delicious mayan mocha. We took pictures of both drinks...such tourists!
From here, our plan is to drive through the night until we reach Boulder in the morning. We will benefit from another spot to go 'back in time' an hour making our arrival time seem earlier, but in reality be exactly the same amount of flat mid-western driving that promts us both to do carobics.
RW4L-(road warriors for life)
Smokey and LooseLeaf
We departed New Years Day from Silver Spring Maryland around 12pm. Cruising through rainy and very warm Pennsylvania, my car got a nice 70 mph bath in preparation for the 1800 miles ahead. After trudging through Ohio we finally arrived at my sister Cali's place in Covington Kentucky around 8pm. On monday we embarked on a closet organizing extravaganza with my sister which included a trip to Ikea. Best thing hands down in Cincinnati was Jungle Jim's- a grocery store the size of a super wal-mart loaded with the biggest selection of international foods, beers, ciders, honey, and hot sauces I have ever seen! Big love goes out to my sister Cali for being such a wonderful host!
This morning we set out from Covington at 9 and took not one or two but three wrong turns that led us on a long stretch of road next to the Ohio river. Eventually we made our way back to the big highway that brought us to Indiannapolis and route 70 west-our final road until we make it to Denver. We passed a good bit of time today by partaking in what we call 'carobics'. Its an ecletic blend of traveling exercises that go great to the beat of good coutry tunes. All exercises can be completed sans weights, but sometimes we use water bottles for extra resistance.
Finally, we reached St. Louis-crossing the mighty Misissippi River and entering the gateway to the west. Steph picked out a cool spot for lunch in an area called 'the loop' where St.Louis's old trolleys used to make their turn around. We had some food and then walked as much as we could while enjoying some awesome shops and an adorable neighborhood.
Finally we made our way to our current destination-Kayak's coffee shop which I spotted from the road. Its easily, the coolest coffee shop I've ever been in, but no one here seems to know just how awesome it is. Steph is drinking tea that came on a cute little plate with its own kettle and I'm having a delicious mayan mocha. We took pictures of both drinks...such tourists!
From here, our plan is to drive through the night until we reach Boulder in the morning. We will benefit from another spot to go 'back in time' an hour making our arrival time seem earlier, but in reality be exactly the same amount of flat mid-western driving that promts us both to do carobics.
RW4L-(road warriors for life)
Smokey and LooseLeaf
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