Things I want to remember from my BIG birthday trip....

{I am going to start this off with an important disclaimer: I am on day six of potent pain killers following surgery so I may need to revise at a later date with a clearer mind}

Camping under the stars. Double rainbow in downtown Denver on the day. So many wind turbine "farms". Our campground friend, Steeler Jay. Hail storm starting within seconds on setting up the tent in Black Mesa state park. Eating too much Subway. Finding change on the ground in the most random places in nature. No longer a Western Union virgin. Meeting the kindest people. Freezing the first two nights of camping until I bought a sleeping bag liner and remembered my wool socks. Trying different methods to make the perfect smore. Way too much peeing out in nature. Our traveling mouse from Black Mesa to Buena Vista (I hope you are enjoying your new home little buddy). Campfire dinners. Beautiful aspens. The healthiest people in the world. Downtown Denver. Wearing multiple layers with a jacket and knit hat in June and still freezing. Unbelievable cigarette smell in the rental truck that just wouldn't die. Hiking At Black Mesa. St Elmo. Almost dying at a left turn into WalMart and laughing hysterically while on the phone with Lance ;). Campfire smell in my hair. Amazing bikers on the mountains ( starting at 4 am in Denver to get to the top at noon). Downtown performers. Abandoned buildings at Black Mesa I had seen in photographs before. Farmville water. White water rafters. Using a water pump. Sitting around a campfire before bundling up for bed. Petrified trees. So many latrines that were surprising clean. Sky full of stars. Feeding the chipmunks! Beautiful mountains with snow. Mountain hitchhikers. Marmots. Wild turkeys. Big horns. Deer. Wild horses. Cows, cows and more cows. Prairie dogs. Antelope. Birds, birds and more birds.