“TEXAS license plates? No way, we need a different car,” it was Saturday, Josh and I had been up since 5am and we were standing in the Alamo rental car parking lot. The sun was beautiful, blinding in its strength at 5,000 feet above sea level. Josh had waded through line after line, finally getting us a crappy American mid-size sedan for our Colorado trip. We had pre-paid for our rental car (the most expensive part of our trip besides the plane tix) through priceline but had forgotten that it was President’s Day weekend. EVERYONE had the same idea: let’s run away to Colorado where it’s sunny and there’s tons of snow in the mountains. The SUV’s were snatched up by eager New Yorkers, desperate for a slice of Rocky Mountain living–and driving. The forecast called for spotty snow but mostly sunny weather. Our sedan would be fine for the trip, but the Texas license plates offended me.

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“We’re not trading,” Josh informed me. “This car is fine…let’s get out of here.” He was right, normally stuff like license plates don’t bother me, but I was super tired and hungry. I conceded, “Fine then, I’m going to have to find some super liberal bumper sticker for the back window…something really over the top, like: ‘Abortions For All’” (quote the space aliens from The Simpsons). Josh reminded me that we would have to go to Boulder to find something remotely liberal (and that was not in our trip plans). While waiting for Josh to get the rental car (guarding our heavily packed bags filled with snowboarding gear) I had made small talk with a couple from Belltown. They were equally shocked by the sunshine and we talked about the usual Seattle related things: the housing market, the cost of living, renting versus buying in the city, and the weather (specifically: the rain). The couple abruptly left me to pile into a very nice rented Range Rover while I half expected Josh to pull up in a car the size of a jelly bean. Turns out it was a nice size, our snowboards fit and that was all that mattered–who cares if Coloradoans think we’re from Texas on this trip.

The sun served as a salve as we began our first trip on the old familiar highway. It was as if the coldest parts of us were warmed, the soaking wet cold from the Seattle winter was temporarily dried. We were breathless, largely from the change in altitude, but also from the flat expanse of land and endless sky. My nose immediately started whistling and my lips automatically needed chapstick. Josh and I went to a sketchy 7 eleven where the cashier neglected to ring up Josh’s cheap sunglasses while bitching to her friend, “I don’t know why she doesn’t come to work, I mean what’s up with that shit?” While traveling in the car I ate some of the worst cheese I’ve ever had (the texture was chunky) and began my love affair with water.

My aunt and uncle always lived outside NYC when I was growing up so the fact that they now live in CO is still new to me. I felt very lucky to be a guest in their lovely home and was thrilled when we busted out the spaghetti press and made noodles.

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The weather shifted from sunny and warm to snowy. The following day we went to Thornton where my bestest friend in the world lives. I hadn’t seen Courtney in three years and we immediately fell into a well worn groove of communication, locked in from years and years of confiding, gossiping, and sharing. Her son is huge (at all of four years old) and very sweet. Her husband, Lyle, and Josh chatted about motorcycles, work, and skateboarding. We ate stew, went on a walk, and watched the beginning of Flashdance. There is no way I could ever convince Court to return to the northwest, so I must be happy in the meantime with occasional correspondence and precious visits. Sometimes when I am running all over Seattle in my new, urban, lifestyle I miss Courtney deeply. When you spend the majority of your formative years with one person (age 5-22) they become ingrained in your spirit and you always miss them on some level. When pulling out of her driveway I realized I had no idea when I’ll see Courtney again and I cried in the car on our way out of Thornton.

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Stay tuned for Part 2 of Colorado (How I Love Thee). And check out my flickr page for more glorious photos.