About as FAR from the city as you can get.
Ouray, Colorado. Our roads are dirt and gravel, the population has only 3 digits, there are no stop signs, and you have to plan grocery shopping when you 'go to town' once a week or so. Sometimes we lock our doors, but not regularly. We bike around town, and we leave keys out for guests for late arrivals.
There certainly are the right-leaning rural folk, but there are more that refuse to spray their yard for weeds, smoke weed, display buddha in their gardens, sport long gray hair braids, and enjoy the artsy lifestyle.
The homes are all old miners' homes, from the 1800s, totally redone with a starting selling price point of 900,000. It is a picture book fairy tale-looking place.
The air is thin, the direct sun is hot, the elevation is high and there is always a crisp cool breeze. The sky is crystal clear blue with contrasting clouds. The mountains surround you everywhere you look, you can't escape them. If you are looking for a sunrise or sunset, this is not the place, instead, you see evergreens peaking out of the sides of the mountains. Wildflowers, mule deer, and an overwhelming amount of waterfalls. Most of our guests say that even the view from the toilet is pretty damn wonderful.
NEW TO ME EXPERIMENTS
I have never dreaded or regretted a new decade. We both have crossed into our 50's and we are so pumped. We are finding that each decade continues to bring more joy. My current love interests include seed saving, rock identification and collection, elevation hikes, rock climbing, and SEWING. Yes, I purchased a new sewing machine and have embraced my new hobby. Truth be told, if we are going to pursue sailing, a gal has to know how to sew, so that was my true motivation. Look out tho, you may be getting pot holders for your birthday gift!
So Many Visitors So Little Time
Our time is already ticking here. We committed to two summer seasons and only have 6 months to go. We have had the privilege of having many friends and family visit to experience this seriously special place. Here is a photo shout-out to all of them. Thank you for wanting to spend your precious vacation time with us. We love you all.
Our 18-month reset is just what we needed after selling The Take Out, and traveling this entire past year. Resetting and sleeping in the same bed for longer than we have in many years feels pretty darn good.
Gypsy's top 12 Hell Ya perks of living in the USA full-time:
12. Knowing all the laws, customs, and rules
11. Public Libraries-reading real books
10. Having a TV for the first time in 9 years
9. Using the USPO to get things done (OMG....how easy!)
8. Being on the same continent and time zone (or close) as family and friends
7. Walking anywhere freely and being out after dark
6. Sleeping in the same bed for nearly 500 consecutive days whaaaaat???
5. Owning more than the 19 items I carry in my backpack
4. Hanging clothes in an actual closet and having full-size bathroom products
3. Stocking my pantry with staple items I get to keep and use
2. Being around other people who enjoy the NFL and engaging with football talk
1. No pressure figuring out what country we are going to next
But What about the SNOW?
We left snowy and cold South Dakota to begin our gypsy lifestyle nearly 10 years ago to get away from the winters. The beach---we wanted the beach. Well, never say I will never.
Luck has it (so far) it has been an unseasonably warm and mild winter. We have had only a couple of days that we didn't go out on the trails to explore because of the weather.
We never thought CRAMP ONS would be our favorite thing! I haven't even used my snow shoes because we can hop on our favorite hiking trails and cramp our way around our elevation hikes. We still need our sunscreen and are thrilled to have so many windless days that allow you to take your coat off when you are sweating in the Colorado sun.
The Gift of Time
Being hosts at a small vintage hotel feels a bit like playing hotel. I am not painting the picture that it is perfect, we do have to deal with a few irritating and difficult people and have to problem-solve and keep things going on our own, but the flip side is the gift of time. We have so much freedom in our schedule each day to do whatever we wish. There is no need to get in the car and drive, do anything we don't feel like doing, or work that hard.
Instead of trying to move from place to place, we get to stay in our cozy apartment focusing on the things that we have always wanted to take the time to do. Planning and prepping healthy meals, hiking 5 days a week, reading endlessly, planning for guests, learning to sew, calling friends and family and just being present today not worrying about a damn thing. Last week I took an hour hike along with a book, plopped down in the trees, and read for a couple of hours. These are the things that make today great. Focusing on small things that give you joy.......all those things end up being the big things.
The Colorado Experiment-- Was it Fate?
Just a little Gypsy history trivia that you may not know. When I finished college, I did my internship to complete my degree in Littleton, Colorado. This is where Brett popped the question and I said yes. We thought Colorado would be a great place for us to start our journey, but it wasn't in the cards. Little did we know that 26 years later we would be back. I have always wanted to experience living in the mountains---I guess you can say we nailed it and loved nearly every minute of it.
Where to Next?
August will be here before we all know it. Stay tuned. A wink and a blink we will be off to our next adventure. We haven't made any serious decisions yet but of course, have a few ideas in the works. Eventually, at some point, we are going to have to find a home base again and plan on building a tiny home somewhere, the big question is WHERE? Not sure we are ready for that kind of commitment just yet.
Comments