Colorado and Onward....

Our time in Colorado in all was a time of great preparation for what is to come with the trip. We entered into the lives of four amazing young men, who are living together in a solid community of holiness and fellowship in Littleton, Colorado. Tim Danaher and William Heffernan are both old friends from Steubenville, Ohio where our families all started out. Francis and John are two friends that we made there and who will continue to be great friends into the future. Thank you to you all for your hospitality and generosity.

We left Nebraska for Colorado via Wyoming. Early on Monday morning of September 21st we jumped into our vehicle to avoid the rain that was spattering our water-resistant Walmart tent in the middle of a cornfield in rural central Nebraska. A coffee and an early morning grocery trip and we were on the road. As per usual, Daniel caught up on his sleep meanwhile I caught the pristine and breathtaking views of the western Nebraska wilderness. We made it all the way to Sidney, NE and discovered the world headquarters for Cabela’s but unfortunately nothing that we were interested in buying inside. From there we crossed the border into Wyoming, and we started to realize that we were in a new state. In Cheyenne, people immediately stop for you as a pedestrian. You can be standing motionless fifteen feet away from the intersection and the cars will still hesitate to move unless they observe you motionless for at least ten seconds. The Cathedral was beautiful, but no public bathroom in sight. And then we met the lawn mower man outside the Capitol building who stopped his work, not to tell us to get out of the way, but rather to encourage us to go ahead in! Not only this, but he also pointed out the State History Museum and the local rodeo, both of which we checked out and much enjoyed.

From Wyoming then, the plan was to drive to Fort Collins and spend the afternoon in a café, however Daniel took the wheel, but did not get the memo. So when I asked, “How far are we from Fort Collins?” he responded, “Uh, we passed it like 20 minutes ago…” I was somewhat frustrated, but later elated as we made it to Denver and were able to reach Littleton in time for dinner with Fr. Michael and the aforementioned four men. Dinner was a wonderful Francis-style gnocchi extraordinaire, and conversation interesting and intriguing as we were all introduced and shared our about respective jobs and journeys. Afterward, Fr. Michael blessed the house and then departed shortly thereafter. We the men remained and discussed life, ending the night with a “Salve Regina” and intentions in a beautiful harmony of prayer.
Wednesday morning brought a return trip to Fort Collins, only this time it was raining. This was our first impression of the place, the second was that it is possible to make a large university very difficult to find. After picking up some food, including a glorious $7 sub sandwich, we drive-wandered around the city for literally an hour finding neither the multi-thousand student institution nor the infamous “Old Town” portion of the city that we had heard so much about. So we were forced to ask at a gas station, where we found out that we had passed fairly close to it earlier on and simply had not seen it. Campus is beautiful and fairly compact considering its size. Stepping out of the car, we were both excited, and as we waited to approach the road, we never could have predicted or expected what came next. Out of nowhere, with no puddles in sight, a car passed and flung a wave of water literally ten feet high, right at Daniel. Not the clear kind of water either. Daniel, with cat-like reflexes narrowly avoided the spray, and kept his eyes peeled from then on. The rain thankfully did not last long, and we were able to get a good sense for the campus, the home of the Rams, and also of an interfaith chapel we happened upon on the edge of campus. Entering, we saw five persons evenly spaced sitting motionless in the front row. Intrigued, we entered and contemplated the scene for a good fifteen minutes, during which time no one moved so much as a muscle. Interesting and eerie at the same time, an experience that we will not soon forget. Has anyone seen “Inception”? Well a walk through Old Town and a stop at a café pretty much topped off the day for us, and then we wandered slightly out of the area and happened to find train tracks in the middle of the road. Then a whistle. Then a full-size freight train came right down the middle of the road. Crossing signs lit up, although no gates came down, the traffic lights flashed yellow, and the train lumbered on through, fitting neatly between the stoplight poles. Absolutely bizarre, and one of my favorite experiences in Fort Collins.

The following day Thursday we laid low until afternoon, and then headed off to the infamous Red Rocks. What an experience. The site overlooks the city of Denver, revealing the skyline and the airport in the distance, then all the lakes and scrub grass, that then turns to urban sprawl. Such an amazing town. Altitude, oh yeah, we decided to emulate the dozens of runners we saw there by running up the 69 rows of seating. Cross country runners, oh yes we are! Boot camp, perhaps not ready, but the 6 and 10 year old sons of the Rambo-like individual we saw there certainly are. While we watched Father Rambo subjected sons 1 and 2 to stair-running with a tire around the neck, then the same exercise bearing a backpack loaded down with stones. These sprints would of course be interspersed with pushups and pull-ups, the former in a variety of positions including on the ground, upper body elevated on stairs, and in a sort of headstand position. I doubt many boot camp drill sergeants could keep up with this guy.

After Red Rocks, we left on a highway unsure of where we would end up. After passing through the same town twice, we decided to continue up the mountains until we reached within 12 miles of Mt. Evans. The views were breathtaking as the evening expired, revealing the true beauty and majesty of the foothills of the Rockies. From here then, we returned home to try for a night of swing dancing. As it turned out, there were about 5 couples present, and so we decided not to go in, and instead sat downstairs, had a few brews, and observed the unique band of music played live before us. I would describe it as a group of hippies with a unique set of instruments purring indecipherable lyrics into a microphone. Strange evening it was...

Friday we slept in a bit before lunch with Tim at a place called Hop's, a brewery and great burger place where we enjoyed some blue cheese burgers and a nice view of a beautiful lake to which we would later return. We then saw Tim's place of work, called Light of the World Catholic Parish. A unique sanctuary and adoration chapel framed what I believe to be an all-in-all unique diocese in Denver. Many many holy young people in great community. The afternoon was spent in Columbine Public Library, not far from where the events of Columbine School transpired. A beautiful place where Daniel and I took some time to reflect and catch up online before a walk around the lake. Every day has been a journey in discovering what this journey means to each one of us, and each day has brought a new insight or understanding. That is it we realized, we seek new experiences to help broaden our understanding of the
world, and where we want to fit within it. Yes there are risks, and certainly the safety net is not necessarily always there, but the adventure calls us ever onward.
The night came and we cooked up an Italian sausage and pasta caserole for the boys and feasted on the food and good conversation that followed. Then came ice cream at Dairy Queen and we turned in early for the night.

8am came early Saturday and we shortly headed off to a park in Denver for a little flag football. It is truly amazing the community of young Catholics that live in Denver. The group amounted to nearly thirty people including all of the wives and friends that came to watch the fourteen or so of us that actually played. And man did I learn how long it had been since I played. I certainly felt it the next day, and even still do now to a certain degree. The evening then brought a trip to Breckenridge, a place renowned for skiing for good reason. The fall there was quite beautiful with the changing of leaves, and our mountain hike brought a good deal of satisfaction, but we still anxiously look forward to the majesty of the places that are to come. The night brought the movies "V for Vendetta" and "Shooter".

Sunday morning brought 7:30am mass and then pancake breakfast. Following, we headed to the annual FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) vs. Thomas Aquinas Institute football game, where Daniel and I served as referees to an energetic and fellowship-oriented game that ended in a bit of a lopsided victory, but that later sparked a lot of good conversation. The game also brought a great deal of sunburn for both of the referees, so we relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon. A trip to Target, some tea, and some groceries later, we cooked up what we had acquired and feasted, just before heading off to the swing dance.

Swinging is something I have missed out on for a long time, but this brought it all back. What an amazing club in the Mercury Lounge that allowed everyone plenty of space to dance openly with anyone else. The fans were going so the temps were good. A great venue, some great people, and an all-in-all great last hurrah for our time in Denver.

Monday morning brought departure, but not before we hit one last morning mass in the "cave" Church of the Holy Ghost in downtown Denver, and then some breakfast burritos from a very authentic cafe just down the street. Tim D pointed out some great destinations for Cali, and off we went by about 8:30 or 9 in the morning. Destinations? The Garden of the Gods, the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, then good friends in Albuquerque, New Mexico.