Colorado Springs - Solo Journey Resumed

One of the last hikes my friend and I did together was to Mt. Culter via the Columbine trail in the middle of the week. I have rarely hiked during a work week, but it was something different to do, so together with a Meetup group my friend and I ascended 1,100 ft to get spectacular views on top of Mount Cutler. On the way there we saw a large bear which made the hike even more special. Some members of the group were a bit too friendly with the bear. Sadly, some people don't realize that it is a wild animal with unpredictable behavior and by approaching it closely you risk to get the bear in trouble. Luckily, all went without an incident this time.

That little stream of water you see is St. Mary's falls that we visited earlier

I changed my mind about hiking in the middle of the week; I'd like to do it more often.

On the weekend, I decided to go to Red Rock Canyon and hike Sand Canyon Mesa, Greenlee, Red Rock Canyon Trail. While the day was overcast, my friend went out with a Meetup group, so I didn't want to stay home and went hiking solo. With a cooler day comes less crowd which I enjoyed quite a bit on an early Saturday morning when I was pretty much by myself for the first hour and a half.

Stream from the recent rain

I got home after the hike and made lunch. My roommate arrived from her meetup and we had a brief exchange where I mentioned to her that her pot has been in the sink for the past 3 days and that I had to finally wash it myself. She was genuinely surprised, and after attempting to avoid conflict and any further conversation, she said she was leaving the following day.

I went to the symphony by myself...

It was wonderful, almost a breath of fresh air.

My seat was very close to the stage

The following morning my friend was gone with an apology note left on the coffee table. There was so much more to it, but who wants to read it here. I can only say that I was relieved to be living without her. It sadly ended the friendship chapter, but it brought a lot of lessons learned, so time was not wasted. And so my solo journey was resumed.

Colorado Springs

My room was upstairs. It was a large master bedroom with an attached bathroom. The window air conditioner obstructed the view partially but served as a white noise maker as the house was near a road. At night, I could hear the traffic without it, so it became my best friend.

As I mentioned previously, the house was not in the cleanest condition, and the sheets provided were paper thin and synthetic. My first purchase was flannel sheets.

I was also allergic to something in the carpet although the landlord said that the carpets were professionally cleaned. I didn't believe it for a second.

I settled in and had another 2 days off from work, so as my new roommate settled on the main floor with all her computer equipment to work, I headed for my first hike in Colorado. Templeton Trail was only 15 minutes from the rental house, and on a Tuesday morning there were few people at the trailhead. As I started the hike, I realized that I was getting out of breath quicker than usually. The elevation of Colorado Springs is around 6,000 ft above the sea level compared to Nashville of just over 500. I didn't feel the sickness I felt years ago when I visited Brian Head, but it took another few weeks to get my heart rate closer to what it was in Nashville. The hike was beautiful. It didn't feel like I was in a city (albeit a small one).

After a short work week, my friend and I headed to hike Manitou Incline, one of the top rated hikes in Colorado Springs. Somehow I decided that 5 days would be enough for acclimatization and I would not have any issues with this challenging hike where in the first mile you gain 2,000 ft elevation. I was mistaken. It took me about an hour to get to the top, and I was completely drenched in sweat. 

At the start...

Miserable people below

Almost there...

The view at the top

The view at the top was very nice, but I felt more satisfaction about the accomplishment of the hike from a fitness perspective. I don't think I would do it again, but it was a good experience.

In the meantime, my relationship with my friend who became my roommate was getting worse and worse. She did a lot of things by herself, and besides a few hikes that we did together, it felt like she was my roommate. Perhaps that was her intention all along, but I did not address this when we decided to live together. Now it was too late. I was annoyed with her about cleanliness, cooking, space and several other things. She consistently avoided conflict, so it was impossible to resolve anything. The fact that we had separate living areas (hers was downstairs and mine upstairs; we shared the living area and the kitchen on the main floor) allowed us to avoid each other which we did successfully. She would come home from a meetup event and head straight downstairs while I watched TV on the main floor.

We did buy tickets to the magic show and symphony. Cosmo's magic show was a fantastic way to get away from the everyday routine. The theater was hidden in a shopping area, but was beautifully decorated in a vintage style.

The show itself was very entertaining and unique. There were at most 30 people in the small theater, so the experience felt intimate and personalized. From the card tricks to audience participation, all exceeded my expectations. My friend has never seen a magic show before, so it was a child-like experience for her.

The following day we went on another hike to see St. Mary's Falls. The hike still felt pretty tough although I was starting to get adjusted to the altitude. It was another cloudy day, but the weather held up with rain starting only in the afternoon.

The weather was odd in Colorado and unpredictable. Just by looking at the forecast you don't know what it's going to be like. Several days it hailed out of nowhere...

...and other days it was eerily cloudy...

...but the views were almost always spectacular.

Year 2 of Digital Nomad Lifestyle

On March 19th, I celebrated my one year anniversary of living "on the road" (well, not really, but it sounded good!). It almost did not feel like digital nomad lifestyle after I had been in Nashville stationary for 4 months. I got used to the neighborhood (yes, and the train noise too), regularly see the same neighbors and was even asked out by a late-middle aged man who regularly walks his dog by my house. It was time to move on to the next destination. 

After 4 months being in one place, I felt rather comfortable, so getting out of my comfort zone and travel for 2 days to reach Colorado Springs was a bit an anxious process. The last night in Nashville my host returned from Texas where they stayed in their RV at a camping spot. The parked in the driveway and slept in the RV, while I spent the last night in the house. 

Early in the morning, we did a walk-through, and I was on my way to Missouri where I would stay for the night. The drive time was just under 8 hours, but it turned into about a 9-hour trip. Good timing! Kitty was pretty calm most of the way, and as we checked in in our Airbnb, he felt right at home. I can't stop admiring his resilience! 

The Airbnb was not as private as I thought but had amazing details and was extremely clean.

Bedroom - note lavender on the towels

Second bedroom - this is where I slept because of the more comfortable mattress

Bathroom

Fresh lilac flowers - I intended to take them with me, but forgot :(

Homemade muffin - it was eaten within an hour of arrival

Kitty stretching his legs after a long drive while blending in with the carpet

My favorite piece - "Not all who wander are lost"

I also bought a dozen fresh eggs from the owner who had chickens in the backyard. It was a lovely experience.

The following day I was on my way to Colorado Springs where my friend had already checked in the house we rented together. The second day was a bit longer, but I arrived safely by 3 PM local time.

The house was big, and I took the upstairs, while my friend liked the basement. Compared to Airbnbs, this house was rented directly by the owner through Furnished Finder. The host was not experienced, so the house was not clean. In fact, I had to clean a lot myself. The kitchen had some stuff, but not like it would typically be equipped in an Airbnb. While disappointed with the cleanliness of the house, I was happy with the neighborhood. Very quiet and peaceful even though the houses were squeezed in together. 

The views were also very nice.

I knew it was going to take a little while to get used to living with someone. I has been almost 10 years since I shared living space with another human! And surely it did!