Every town has it’s story and folklore. My hometown is said to have a curse that was placed by the natives when then settlers pushed them out of the valley. Of course there are multiple versions of what the curse is suppose to be or how to “break” it depending on who you ask. I was told that the curse was you were destined to live a miserable life in the valley once you had a residence there. UNLESS you go to the summit of the three major mountain ranges that make up the valley and take a handful of dirt with you when you leave the valley…. So this last weekend, I decided to pay homage to the summits. Now, I believe in “leave only footprints and take only pictures” so the powers that be are going to have to be ok with that and let’s hope that it works.

The first place I visited was the Colorado National Monument. I’ve been there a handful of times but this was the first time I did more than just drive through and took my time seeing everything. It was also my first time going there solo, and it was also Valentine’s Day. My first one as a single girl since probably high school. I honestly was worried about spending the day alone, but I can’t tell you the last time I felt my soul fly. I ordered a steak, mashed potatoes, and green beans from a local restaurant and found the perfect place to eat my romantic meal for one. It was so serene that I could hear the crunching of the snow landing. I also got to see some awesome wildlife! I’m fairly certain this is my favorite place in the Grand Valley.

My next visit was to the Grand Mesa. Unfortunately there was SO much snow that I didn’t get the chance to get out and do any hiking, but the drive across the mesa was gorgeous and completely worth the attempt. I even had some spare time to meet up with an old friend of mine from high school!

Over the weekend, my brother and I took my niece up to Rifle Falls State Park and Rifle Mountain Park. I honestly haven’t spent much time in this area so it was a lot of fun to get out and see some awesome things! I also REALLY like caves… A LOT… And I got to teach my niece all about them. I’m not sure she was as impressed as I was. And I’m fairly certain she was annoyed with all the quizzing throughout the hike. If you ever decide to go to visit either park during the winter, be prepared to deal with ice, and possibly falling on your butt. Also know that it’s totally worth it. These parks aren’t a part of the curse, but they were something I wanted to check off my list while I was in the area.

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The last place that I needed to visit was the summit of Mt.Garfield. I will admit that I have tried a few times in the past to make it up to the top and haven’t been able to. There has ALWAYS been something out of my control that preventing me from making it. One time it was a time restriction, the second was the weather changing, and this last time was not having a vehicle that could reach the trailhead. So, my brother and I went back up to the monument and hiked out to Liberty Cap. It was just as amazing as it was when I was there a few days before. We ran into a snowshoer on her way back to the trailhead, and got to make some fresh prints on the trail. This time the sun was out and I wasn’t alone so I had some great conversations along the way.

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First things first. I want to send out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who read my first entry and gave me feedback. I can’t even begin to tell you how much your support and encouragement has meant to me! Second thing, it’s truly amazing and terrifying how much can change in a week. So many things have been added to the mix since my last blog and I think that things are finally organized enough to share with you guys.

I have been applying to be a brand ambassador with a handful of companies in hopes that I can eventually get sponsored. To be honest, I have NO idea what I’m doing and I’m just taking advice from a few people that seem to know what they’re doing… Well, I applied to a handful of companies and I’ve been accepted in into 5 of them so far (I’ll post those companies and my promo codes/website links in a bit). I am extremely excited about being associated with these companies, their mission, and the possibilities of being their ambassador even if it doesn’t turn into anything more than that.

I have also switched up my summer/fall schedule. I applied for a volunteer position and I’m currently in the “hiring” process. I am incredibly excited, terrified, and nervous about this new addition to my plans. This will probably defer my adventures for a bit since this position will be June-Sept, but I’m fairly certain that I’ll still be able to make my 50 in 5 years deadline. This position gave me some anxiety with all the phone calls, and emails, and talking to people I don’t know, and the fear that I’m not good enough for the job. But all that anxiety just motivated me to actually follow through with it all. I can’t wait to share with you what this position is when I get the decision!

Here’s a list of the companies I’m a brand ambassador for, a little bit about what they’re about, and my PROMO codes or weblinks. If you use my promo code or my weblink, I will get paid a portion of whatever you buy, should you decided to buy something.

1: Madera Hammock Co. is based out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They are an Organization that works to establish commitment to spirit, nature and service. Doing Good is their motive and they want all who are involved with them to feel of the spirit known to Jackson Hole. Madera 2 plants trees for every hammock sold and are partnered with trees.org. Their goal is to raise awareness about their solution to solve hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation. I get a portion of what you buy which helps with my traveling. Here is my weblink information for Madera.

2: Wildish Outdoorsy Gear is a new company started in 2017 that is based out of Bend Oregon. They have a “karma coin” program where you earn coins based off of items you buy and you can use those “coins” to donate to a cause. Their current causes are reducing extreme poverty & restore healthy forests by employing local villagers to plant millions of trees, booties for Working Dogs for Conservation rescues & then trains dogs for conservation detection & wildlife protection, and providing families ways to earn sustainable income by boosting income through sales of honey, wax & pollen. I don’t get any income from this company. Here is the link for Wildish

3: Livingstone Brand is a Canadian company that donates a portion of every backpack back to National Parks through their Packs for Parks!!!! No code needed. Just buy the Alberta Pack. Go check out their site here

4: beyondBeanie supports the work of a talented artisan in Bolivia who proudly hand-signs their creations and whom you can meet and greet through their website. At the present time, beyondBeanie is collaborating with 23 artisans from El Alto, La Paz and Cochabamba, who have the privilege of working from home which allows them to earn a living without having to disattend their children and families. Their focus is to work with the most needed women, usually coming from rural areas and/or disadvantaged communities, who are trained in the art of weaving and knitting by members of our team.

I’ve never experienced being homesick. Ever. I moved around a lot as a kid, joined the US Army right out of high school, was married a man whose job included moving, and not once did I feel like I was at home or that I missed being home. It didn’t even occur to me that it was something that people honestly felt. And I didn’t think it was weird either. That is, until I was getting ready to turn 29, going through my second divorce, was recently diagnosed with being bi-polar, and didn’t know where to go.

At first, I thought it was a problem. That not KNOWING where I wanted to be or spend the rest of my life was an issue. Somehow I had failed as a decent human because I was almost 30 and had close to nothing. There were multiple moments, between when my marriage was over and when I decided that this was something that I wanted to do, where I was worried about the decisions I had made over the last year and if they were the right call. But the more I thought about it, the less is bothered me and the more it inspired me.

It wasn’t too long before the possibilities started to take seed and the planning process started. I just had no idea where to begin so getting overwhelmed and anxious happened a lot. I started by making the decision of physically where I wanted to start this journey. I chose New Mexico as my starting point since I was currently located in Colorado and I haven’t done much exploring in the Land of Enchantment. I thought that starting in a southern state would be a good place to start because of the season but this year has been strange so I’ve had to adjust some things in hopes that I won’t freeze. One of those adjustments is taking just a trip down to Carlsbad Caverns during February instead of exploring all the sites I wanted to see. I plan on looping back to New Mexico once it thaws out a bit.

My next step was figuring out my budget. I will be living off of my veteran’s compensation so my funds are limited and only come in once a month. One of my symptoms of being bi-polar is not being to money manage so this probably will be my biggest challenge and I’m having a lot of anxiety about it. I plan on tent camping/sleeping in my car or staying with a friend in the area that I’m exploring to save on money. My car also gets really good gas mileage so I’m sure that’ll help a lot too. I think the hardest part about being on a budget is making sure I don’t get carried away with my food spending. If anyone knows me, they know that I LOVE food. The other thing I’m concerned about is paying fees to get to the places I want to see. I do plan on buying annual  passes that I’ll need to see the national and state parks to help out with those costs. I’ll just have to be careful about buying souvenirs and such…

My final hurdle is making sure I have all that I will need. I follow a ton of groups on Facebook that have helped point me in the right direction, but again, anxiety tends to get the best of me and I panic about not having enough stuff or the right stuff to survive on the road. I’m constantly having to reassure myself that I can buy things along the way if I need them and that this whole thing is a giant experiment for me to grow, heal, and learn. I have to have faith in myself and know that I’m going to make mistakes, I’m going to get stranded, I’m going to cry. But I’m also going to explore, I’m going to laugh, I’m going to stand in awe of some of the most beautiful places in the nation. And that alone will make it all worth it.

I hope you all enjoy following me on this journey. I really would enjoy the company.

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