A Midnight Trip Through the Rockies

Last night was a good night. I believe this is the first blog post since I started on the trip proper, so a little catching up. So far, I've stopped with a friend in Lawrence KS, camped out in Oakley KS, and now I'm in Aurora CO, visiting with my friend Dom.

My first day here was interesting, which I maintain was the fault of the bartender who was giving me 20oz beers instead of 12oz beers without my knowledge while I was waiting for my gracious host to get off of work. Yesterday was a bit more relaxed, though.

We had decided we should hit up a couple of the English bars on the strip here in Aurora for some Guinness. Unfortunately, both places we went to were out of Guinness and only had Murphy's stout on tap, but the second place did have full English breakfasts on the menu. After one or two beers (Dominick only had one, as he was driving) and a good meal, we decided to go for a drive through the mountains to find an overlook out over the city. We hit the road, stopping only for gas, beer, and cigarettes.

We talked, waxed philosophical, and laughed as Dominick deftly wound his way around the crazy roads that follow the topology of the mountains. We were sure we were heading in the general right direction, but not so sure as to exactly where we could find a lookout. Fortunately, we stumbled across a small road named "Lookout Mountain", and decided that we should trust our forefathers' judgments, which turned out well. We came across a small outcrop that looked promising. After grabbing a couple of beers from the pack that we had just bought, we went to take a look, and were greeted with a simply magnificent view of the city lights sprawled across the landscape. We were just able to make out the lines of the main streets, and the dark area where there was a small mountain or large park. After a short cliche but obligatory "It just makes you realize how small you really are" conversation, we decided that it was fucking cold and windy, and headed back to the car, hitting the road once again.

We really didn't know well where we were going, other than having a vague idea of some local attraction we wanted to head towards. This point was moot anyway, as it was pitch black and no matter where we went we wouldn't have been able to see a damn thing anyway. We knew that, and were fine with it, it wasn't about the destination, it was about the drive.

We continued to wind through the mountains, Dominick keeping us on the road, me slowly drinking my beer, both of us enjoying good conversation. I ended up needing to use the restroom when we were close to a biker bar that Dominick had pointed out earlier. Unfortunately the place was closed, so they missed out on the sale of a beer or two, but that building did gain the proud distinction of being pissed upon by the world's newest vagabond.

We headed home in short order, stopping for a midnight fast food meal. We watched about a quarter of No Country For Old Men before both needing to pass out after a long day.

Aimless driving is a favorite pastime of mine, aimless driving with a close friend is all the better. This is why I'm on the road, times like this, moments shared with friends.