The Lonnnngggg Colorado Goodbye

This post is about SEVEN months late as we moved to Bend, OR in late July of 2022! GAH! Oh well, better late than never. Saying goodbye to a beautiful place and people who have brought so much joy over the past 20+ years, is one of the hardest things in life. However, the 45 days before we left Colorado were some of the most overwhelming, loving and fun days EVER. This post is dedicated to the longest goodbye in history, one we will never forget!!!

The car was sold. Who cries when they say goodbye to their car? – me. lol. I had it for 9 years – felt like I lost a limb. Lots of fun adventures in that ride.

We attended a beautiful wedding for some amazing friends. Happy to report that a photo I took ended up front and center on thank you cards. Such a loving, sweet wedding – one of the best.

We camped in a new spot – Hartman Rock outside of Gunnison, CO with some friends we actually met at a bar in a pizza restaurant!

Not one, but TWO backpacking trips made the cut. My friend and I have others planned for Idaho and Oregon. So pumped about that. It rained like hell on us both times, but the scenery and company were tough to beat!

It wouldn’t be a good sendoff if golf weren’t involved. Luckily, some of my besties are big golfers. We played in Keystone, CO at the River Course – it’s been on my bucket list for a while. SO.MUCH.FUN.

We went to one last concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater – Ziggy Marley and Ben Harper. It was such a blast. I love RRA but the crowd is sometimes a little too much – too many THC edibles and beer don’t mix. UGH. We also have some great friends who live in Salida, Colorado so a concert (Thievery Corp) and camping made the agenda. It was such a beautiful, FUN night!

Some generous friends gifted us a weekend in Winter Park at one of our favorite resorts (Devil’s Thumb Ranch) and we got to experience a place in Boulder, CO that’s been on our bucket list for YEARS (Chataqua Cottages).

Going away dinners, parties and breakfasts were planned – Sean and I so appreciated every single one of them. A BBQ hosted by some of our favorite people just happened to be the same night the Colorado Avalanche (hockey) won the Stanley Cup. What a send-off!

Every day was spent doing something fun (and not so fun, getting our house prepped for showings- BOO). Hikes, SUPs, fun runs, cocktails on the patio, solstice celebrations, shopping, goodbye hugs to our neighbors, visits to the museum, great seats to see Moulin Rouge. There was even a last-minute surprise visit from my soul sister from college.

The day we pulled out of our driveway was bittersweet – tears flowed for about an hour, then reality set in. We were moving to Bend, Oregon. Exciting things are on the horizon!

So – goodbye Colorado! Thank you for all of the wonderful memories. We will always love you and every human who has crossed our paths (even the jerks!).

Fast forward: We miss Colorado, but we are happily settled in Oregon, meeting new friends all the time, and adventuring as often as we can (More on that in the coming months)! One good thing is that the flight to CO is only 2 hours or so from Bend so I’ve been back a handful of times for work, concerts, Christmas celebrations, etc. It’s been heart-warming to re-connect with my pals and the state that kick-started a life of adventure and the inspiration for this blog!!

….i choose this…

Pam