Connecting in Ridgeway CO
Hey! Shout out to all three of my readers. Lol.
This trip took me to Ridgeway, CO. This little town is the perfect size road trip town. Not so big you
can't see it all in an hour or two & not so small that there is nothing to see like in Rico. It's the perfect size to have a fantastic meal while having time to walk through the cool shops. I ate at True Grit bar & restaurant. I enjoyed the upper balcony deck for lunch. (See pictures) It is a John Wayne themed joint
because the Original True Grit was filmed in this area.
The food was good. At least what I had was. They were serving liver & onions as a special for dinner later that evening, yum but I was there for lunch & if I spend two meals in a town I always try to discover something else interesting for my second meal. You never know what dive is going to blow your food brain wide open. You know what I mean, don't ya? Yeah, you do, and that kind of happened later that evening. Anyway, the food was good, and the atmosphere was charming & endearing even if you're not a John Wayne fan. Now the service was not awesome, but I think this may be a pattern of service if you are out on a deck or seated outside in the back of a restaurant because it happened to me Sunday when I was out for a ride on the bike at another place. So perhaps I should start expecting that with all restaurants & not use that kind of seating outside if I am in a hurry? Eating outside in the mountains is just the tits, man! Love it!
So I hit some shops, resisted buying anything successfully, I might add I did have the urge to purchase this super cool SteamPunk leather tophat. ($85 bucks) Yikes! Yet, it was pretty cool. But where would I wear it? My trips, you might say. Thought of that but I already get pulled over enough. Not wanting to look any weirder then I do currently, I thought better of it.
For Dinner, I went to Gnar Taco right on the main drag. I got there just before rush & soon it was double lines out the door & down the walk. I
ordered one of the Pork Belly tacos, it was awesome! The flavor was kind of like if bacon went to a party and the party was called delicious. I will definitely eat there when I pass through next time. Little small on the portion but damn good eating. They have other locations in Salida & Telluride. (Telluride's waterfall is pretty cool but the rest is kind of a money trap. That's why I skipped it entirely in the blog)
nd edit me. It's easy.
Okay, Ridgway has a beautiful park to which every Thursday night in July they have a free concert.
I know! Free right? Let me tell you it's not someone's nephew's garage band either. Quality performers & multiple performers at that. I think there were three different groups. Everyone brings folding chairs & the park sells beer & concessions. The concert itself is totally free. In this part of Colorado, all the small towns take turns putting on free shows for one evening a week for their designated month.
Ouray does theirs in June. Paonia in August. There are more, but those are the only ones I know of. Probably worth a Google.
This concert was the last one for the summer at Ridgeway.
In my past, I would always want to do things like this but would still put it off because I didn't have the energy or was too sick. In truth, I think it
was really because I was to busy, too damn fast through this life most of the time. Even, before my health failed me. Actually, I failed my health when I think about it. We take that for granted, all of us, too much.
Anyway, with my new life and new health and some motivation, I am getting out there. To do as many of the things on my Someday List. I'm glad you three readers are with me on this journey. Lol. I spent a lot of years isolating myself from people. When I was sick, I would pull back from everyone. I hate the thought of someone feeling sorry for me, so I withdrew. Who feels like talking when they're sick anyway? I say all of that to say this; now I try to connect with as many people as I can. I talk to strangers all the time, and some become friends. My life is all about connecting to the moment I am in and with the people I am sharing it with.
When you seek not to feel, you cut off the spiritual (connecting) with others, you become toxic to yourself and those around you. I am learning to live open & live free because of that one thing. I dig opening doors for old ladies and chatting with them about their lives. Sometimes in the grocery store, other old ladies see me helping another, then they think I work there and ask me for help. LOL. My point is I dig connecting with people now. I was far too fast and busy throughout my life to even care about other people. I was miserable as a result; I was toxically miserable. Ok, I say all that so I can introduce you to a truly unique person I met at the concert. Now, don't get ahead of yourself. She was just a friend I met named Kayo. Pronounced KO. Like, knock out, KO. I thought that was the coolest name and wrote it down. Sounds like a great character name for one of my books, right? I base a lot of characters on real people I meet. So fair warning. Anything you say or do that is interesting is up for grabs.
Kayo & her friends had all set up their chairs next to mine. Kayo impacted me so because she started right off talking to me like she knew me for years. I thought that showed true authenticity on her part. I asked about her future, as she is college age like my daughter. She said," I want to be a physicist." "That's awesome!" I said with an interest, "Why? "Well I want to know how things work mostly, I am fascinated by what makes everything go round," Kayo said. Again, I was enthused by her intellect and thirst for knowledge. We talked about the universe, God, and a little Buddhism. I told her about my Blog & book I am working on, then asked if I could take a pic of her for a character idea? Her response was hilarious.
"As long as you promise not to masturbate to it." She quipped. "But, then no you wouldn't because people would think you were masturbating to a 15-year-old boy," adjusting her hat, she said with a wide grin. "Hey," I said,
"Who are these people that are watching me masturbate anyway you, Perv?" She let out a deep laugh and proceeded to explain, "Well, I look like a 15-year-old boy, and when I am around girls, I get nervous like a 15-year-old boy. If I had a penis, I would be playing with it all the time like a 15-year-old boy."
I roared with laughter at her honesty. You see now when I said she talked to me like she had known me for years? We had a genuine connection in that little park. It wasn't sexual or weird but a real connection. Just two humans being authentic with one another. There was real flow.
That is my goal for the rest of my days. To connect with other people after a lifetime of avoiding just that. I love my journey. I'm a little bummed it took me so long to get here, but then
I remind myself, at least I am here now.
Well, I guess I have kept you long enough. Hope to see you out there, or I will see you back here next time.
Stay thirsty my friends, for the open road and freedom.
