Telluride, Colorado is a scenic place, rich with history, culture, mountains, and most importantly, friends!! My friends from college, Sami and Reid, moved there shortly after our graduation three years ago, so I was really excited to see them both and see the little town they’ve set up camp in. We had an awesome time catching up (read: talking constantly for two days straight, bless Rocky’s heart), helping Sami move in her new apartment, and hiking above the town, which has been thoughtfully planned to maintain a surprising amount of “green” space. It was also the perfect place to work on our Halloween costumes, sewing away while the snow fell on the mountains. Thanks for the hospitality Sami!

We woke up to beautiful snow on the third day!

Reid was very patient with my hiking speed at 9,000 ft

Telluride has a free box, which is a great resource for van-bound travelers looking to exchange things!

I helped Sami sew her hat for her halloween costume 🙂

We finally made it to Colorado, where we are so grateful to see some interesting topography and friendly familiar faces! Look, it’s not even a little flat!

We started with a very quick surprise trip to see my friend Annette who’s in vet school in Fort Collins. It was so fun, and we talked so constantly, we forgot to take any pictures. Love you Annette!

Next we took a scenic drive to visit my cousin Chad, his wife Stacy, and their girls Millie and Zoe in Carbondale, CO. I hadn’t seen them in six years, and we had a great time catching up and playing at their off-grid yurt up in the mountains. We enjoyed the last few warm days of fall hiking around and riding their side-by-side in the backcountry. Thanks for the good times, y’all!

Kansas just may be the sole inspiration and evidence for the Flat Earth conspiracy theory, where the earth is just a flat square that drops off on either end.

Out of our 1,628 mile or so journey from NC to Colorado, I would bet that 1,500 of them were in Kansas alone. Or maybe it just felt that way.

Halfway through our journey, we started googling things to do in Kansas and at least found this cool rock. (Yes, Kansas is so boring this single rock is notable.)

But at least we had good homemade snacks to keep our spirits high.

And we are very grateful for our cozy van nest and sweet altar space!

We couldn’t ask for better friends. Seriously. Rocky and I left during a time of year when it seems like everything was getting squeezed in before the cold, but somehow our friends made time to make Rocky and I feel so special as we departed Burnsville, where I’ve lived for over two years now.

It was such an honor to be celebrated by you all. I am so grateful for all of your words, gifts, and thoughts. I’m leaving my Burnsville family more inspired than ever to keep contributing to the beautiful world we are all co-creating.

Here’s some photos from my last week of work and our going away parties.

This particular photo is a promise to “cover the earth” with love and goodness!