The Great Adventure, Right in Your Backyard
I spent my final semester of college on a study abroad in the Middle East. Our campus was on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and we traveled frequently around the region. We floated in the Dead Sea and slept in cabanas by the Sea of Galilee. We roamed through Petra’s ancient wonders in Jordan and we climbed Mount Sinai to witness the sunrise. We marveled at the Great Pyramids and sailed the Nile at sunset.
Upon the completion of my studies, I stopped over in Europe with a few of my friends. We backpacked five countries in two weeks and had the time of our lives. One of our final destinations was Switzerland. We stayed at a hostel in Interlaken, the country’s outdoor Mecca. After a day of rafting the mighty Lütschine, we talked late into the night with some fellow travelers.
One of them was named Ralph. He was charming, athletic and drop-dead gorgeous. He was a mail carrier from Australia who had saved up his money for a year-long adventure abroad. He was going home the next morning. Feeling remorseful about the end of my own travels, I asked him how he thought he would adjust back to his humdrum life after being given a glimpse of the world.
His answer still resonates today:
“Before this trip, I was always planning my next great adventure. It has taken this trip to help me realize there is so much close to home I have yet to experience. My next great adventures will be in my own backyard for many years to come.”
This has become my mantra in life. Sure, I still love to travel. I always will. But there is so much to explore here and now. And two weeks in a row, I have had The Perfect Day right here in Colorado.
A couple of weeks ago, my son Bode and I went to The Children’s Museum. After a morning at play, we went to buy our favorite cookie from their cafe, only to discover it has been discontinued. This sent us on a wild goose chase to discover the birthplace of The Great Cookie at Jay’s Patio Cafe, which is nestled in a funky shopping district in Highland. We spent the next couple of hours exploring this cool area–from Red Door Swingin’, my favorite new shop to visit with my girlfriends, to Little Man Ice Cream, the ultimate ice cream shop housed in a giant creamery can.
Who knew?
Last Thursday, Bode and I opted out of a hike we regularly do in Evergreen to simply walk around Evergreen Lake. I have skated it in the winter, driven past it to access the back country and yet have never walked around it. We strolled the dirt path, climbed the steps to a lookout over the dam, sauntered down Main Street, discovered the Pioneer Trail, threw rocks in the lake, marveled at a Caterpillar dredging sediment out of the river and then dined on the outdoor patio of the Aspen Grill overlooking it all.
The Perfect Day.
I am amazed what I find when I leave my daily routine. Whether I am searching for The Great Cookie or attempting to rediscover The Familiar, I feel fortunate to find it all here in my backyard.
And just as my Australian friend wisely proclaimed so many years ago: wherever you live is your Great Adventure.
What do you love about where you live? What would the perfect day in your backyard consist of?
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Oh, Amber, I love this post!
I am a travel freak, and had a similar experience after jetting all over Central Europe. I expanded my horizons, but also turned inward a little bit more to appreciate what was around in my ‘normal’ life.
I don’t know if where I live is as important as how I live in it…when I’m all spazzy and freaked out and go go go, then I tend to miss the good stuff. Slowing down is the hardest part, but when I do, there’s so much to love in the small stuff!
http://www.childplay.wordpress.com
Great point, Tiff. “Bloom where you’re planted” is what it is all about!
I’m reminded of this every time that family comes to visit which isn’t often. We make an effort to show them the town and area, we usually discover something new and are reminded how much we have in our area that we don’t see often enough.
http://onemomsopinion.blogspot.com/
I think it’s a good reminder to appreciate right where you are at for the moment. Life is too short!
i have found some of those perfect moments lately and been glad that I took the time to allow them to happen!
Great perspective, Lauri!
It’s funny because we were recently in Boston and did a Duck Tour of the city. After it was over, I had a much deeper appreciation for the area and couldn’t helping thinking how little I really know about Denver’s history. And how some random tourist on a tour here would probably know more!
This post is a terrific reminder.
Sometimes I lament the loss of my gallivanting days. You’ve reminded me that there’s plenty of gallivanting to do right here! And you’ve pointed me toward some new places.
I put this up on Perfect Moment Mondays — thanks for contributing!
http://weebleswobblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/perfect-moment-monday-fac-ing.html
Is the correct answer 50 pounds of worm castings?
JUST SAY NO TO 50 POUNDS OF WORM CASINGS. (To find out what this is all about, the insanity is http://crazybloggincanuck.blogspot.com/2008/10/your-vote-needed-to-stop-insanity.html )
Ahh. . .I have had to remind my husband (HATES our hometown Houston) many times that there is plenty of adventure in our own backyard. That perfect day is anywhere our family is at any given time, for sure!
This is so true. There have been many times when we have moved away from a city/state/place and then wished we had done all the things that we said we were going to do but never had “time”.
The older I get the more I realize how important it is to live in the moment and not plan our lives away!
I, too, am usually thinking about the next big trip. One day when The Husband was just The Boyfriend, we were touring around Central Park and someone playing the guitar for a crowd of people stopped playing and said, “we should just all stop, think about how great Central Park is, and be thankful that we are hanging out in a place where many people long to visit right now. And I thought, yea, wow I do take living so close to NYC for granted.
We had amazing fall weather on Saturday so we hopped the subway and hung out in Central Park.
Funny that you mention the duck tours in Boston. I did that one, too. I usually try to do one of those tours as an intro to whatever new city I’m visiting and it dawned on me in Belfast that I never did one for NYC. I should do one and maybe learn a thing or two, or twenty about NYC.
I also love this post… I am not a travel bug by any stretch – I am very content in my own backyard – I love Alberta – you are an hours drive from almost any type of scenery you could ask for – besides the ocean…. it is a pretty amazng place to live!!!
Yes, so very Wizard of Oz, we all think we need to travel but it is all right here in your own back yard. Hey, maybe we should all make a list of our ten fave CO fun trips, off the beaten path.
LuluMom
Words of wisdom from a hottie Aussie? LOVE IT! ;o)
One favorite place in my backyard is the Olde Course in Loveland. We’ve golfed at our fair share of beautiful places and none are as fine as our beloved home course. It’s beautiful, mature trees, ponds and amazing views of the Rocky Mtns can’t be beat.
Great post, Amber!
http://www.coloradodentons.blogspot.com/
It was that much better coming from an Australian hottie. Wink, wink. :-)
Oh, and I love the idea of compiling a Top 10 list of our favorite off-the-beaten-path trips!
http://grumpyangel.blogspot.com
I’ve actually already scheduled a post for later this week about a cool place in our “backyard”. Point Reyes, CA! There’s so much still to explore in our neck of the woods.
Great post!
sounds like two great finds.
there are so many places in the state of colorado that i want to visit. now that the kids are out of the house, my husband and i are planning to take trips to far off places, like the sand dunes, mesa verde, durango and that area, and countless mountain towns. places we just haven’t gotten around to.
http://www.sunshine-on-my-shoulders.blogspot.com
What a great post! I loved this insight and have thought about it a lot myself.
Our adventures are usually, quite literally, in our own backyard. With 3 kids 4 and under trying to go ANYWHERE in public is a nightmare. And traveling is just insanity. So we stay home. A lot. And you know, the kids never seem to tire of the Little Tykes Cozy Coupe. Or the sandbox. It takes so little to make a kid happy!
http://naptimeoptional.blogspot.com
Just perfect!!
I loved it so much that I wrote my own post about it.
Fabiola
what a great blog!! and a great post !
I have never travel the world other than Mexico but I have always loved coming home and holding the things that are dear too me, marina
I agree that coming home after being away is always great. Whether it’s an 8 hour flight or 1 hour drive. My favorite Calgaryish thing is the zoo or maybe ice skating on Allen Bill Pond.
Jenn
Amber, that post had a great lesson. It is so easy to get stuck in a rut where you live.
I was trying to remember moving to Boulder in 1987 and when I first went to Denver to hang out. I can’t actually remember going to Denver until about 1991 or so. I used to go to Rock Island, and I know I went to Tattered Cover when it was in Cherry Creek. But I haven’t really explored Denver much except in the last few years.
One of my favorite places is the walkway along the Platte River west of downtown. It’s a good place for birdwatching.
love your story and posted it up on my blog. marina
This is exactly how I’m feeling – we recently moved from Australia to Philadelphia (via Washington D.C.) and though I miss exploring down under, I’m finding so much in the big city that we now call home. It may not seem as adventurous to me, but for my kids, are days are just as fun.
http://www.pintsizeexplorers.com
Love the idea of exploring your backyard. I’ve spend many summers abroad, not something I’m able to do at the moment. But I recognize that I MUST be thankful and appreciate the adventures that await me RIGHT HERE, right Now! Thanks (I came over from Marinas at Daughter of the King)
http://www.PJDHuerta.blogspot.com
While I have never really traveled, I can certainly understand the sentiment. Friday night I went to a chamber concert at an art museum in Roswell. It was fabulous, and I felt like I could have been somewhere like New York for the night. I had no idea. There all kinds of fabulous things going on locally, we all need to explore them more.
Great post…I knew that I had to read it from reading Fabiola’s blog.
My backyard is always changing…right now we are in Brazil, and we are trying to explore our backyard as much as possible!
Who knows where our next backyard will be, but I will be sure to explore it.
Thank you for sharing, and hope to see you at my blog!
http://rollercoasterriding.blogspot.com
BG
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