Colorado Springs Farewell

Another excellent stay, however Colorado may be much like California in the sense that I may never get out. I was able to put my feet up a little more while I was here and visit with my great friend Jen from back at MSU. Once again it’s always nice to hang out with my own generation. In five years at Michigan State that’s all I saw was my own generation. I suppose part of this trip was wanting to see outside of that college box.

Yesterday Jen, her brother Brian, and his fiancé Lindsey took a nice walk through the Garden of the Gods, just on the outside of Colorado Springs here. I’ve always said it’d be nice to explore some places like that with a good friend and share some memories. Thought the trip is still going on and I’m constantly observing, taking notes, studying, etc., I was able to be myself a little more, relax while being absolutely carefree and goofy. And in the meantime we definitely managed to get some fantastic photos.

Rice. What do I say? Rice is the true celebrity of the trip. There have been many many people to travel to all 50 states. But it’s quite possible that Rice could be the very first squirrel to make it to all 50 states. It won’t be long before I fall to the background of all this and Rice becomes a national celebrity. He could be the next big thing in some advertising campaign, perhaps like the gecko from Geico. I had to show a lot of love towards Rice while his mom, Jen, was out visiting.

The original plan for today was heading up to the top of Pike’s Peak. Plans are good, but one thing I’ve learned on this trip is that plans change. For example, a little snow and a big wind can change things. What would usually be a spectacular view from 14,000+ feet would have probably looked more like a big white wall. One must always be ready for a spontaneous change of plans. Plan B: backlight miniature golf at the mall and watching Will Smith’s latest movie “The Pursuit of Happyness.” Now let me tell you, I don’t claim to be a connoisseur of many things, but miniature golf may very well bed one of them. Now I haven’t played in years and I don’t think I ever played inside, but I improved my score from a 57 in the first round to a 43 in the second. That’s fast improvement. As for the film I can talk of inspiration. The story of Christopher Gardner is great and his book, which inspired the movie, is one more book to add to my wish list.

So today I feel like a random quote, this is the 3rd one I came across: “Having a dream is what keeps you alive. Overcoming the challenges make life worth living,” as stated by Mary Tyler Moore.