Reinvented

Our third and final day in Steamboat came too quickly. We kicked it off with a revenge-timed-payback early morning breakfast with Corey, Kristin, and MattyP at Freshies. Great food, large portions, and I was unable to finish my half stack (much to Corey's chagrin). We chatted as the sun came up over the mountains then headed back to Moots for the start of the day.

We finished our laundry and cleaned the Moots apartment until lunchtime. MattyP was taking us out for a final ride and cooked up a great loop for our send off. We loaded up and headed down the road to Mad Creek for a Mad Creek/Red Dirt trail loop.

The trail was everything you'd imagine a Colorado trail to be: Steep climbs along a canyon with a raging river roaring below, loose rocks opening up to rippin' downhills, open field sections, followed by more climbing, a wooded section, finally finishing with a swoopy sweeping rock littered downhill roller coaster run. In a word "perfect."

Getting to ride with MattyP was a perfect treat to put the final stamp on our magical Steamboat trip. It's the friends that make the place, and MattyP pretty much makes most places feel like home. We got to chat about life, small things, the important and the unimportant things, about friends, and about riding. For a chilled out lunchtime ride it really hit home and left a bigger impact than the effort required to climb to the top.

It made me realize the longer you sit in your field without getting across the fence once in a while leads to a pretty heavy case of the grass being greener syndrome. Once you get over and experience the other side you realize the grass really isn't any different and the grass you had around you is pretty damn green too. The difference is all in your perspective. It made me realize that although much different than I had imagined 3 years ago, I am truly happy where I'm at and where life is currently headed. Though it is nice to get out of the pasture once in a while.

I love my job, my home, my family, my rides, and I'm surrounded by amazing friends the world over. I just need to make a better effort to make time for myself and for them apart from work and other obligations. It's in them that the magic happens and it's been too long between visits. I need to make an effort to correct that.

Once finished, we dropped MattyP back at work then H. and I headed up to Strawberry Park to get her third and final vacation requirement checked off the list: experiencing the healing powers of the hot springs.

We soaked in the hot mineral springs and reflected on our trip thus far. Things we liked, things we wished, things we missed. Once all pruned up, we dried off and headed back to gather our things. Our time in Steamboat had come to an end.