Stateside

Monday, August 28, 2006

Decided to Drive

I have decided to drive to Colorado as opposed to flying. This is motivated by a few different reasons. I want to have my car while there, I'm probably not coming back in December but will stay the whole winter, and I really want to snowboard as much as possible with the season just kicking off in December. Here is downtown Durango in the Spring.




Link to more lovely Durango pics if you are interested.

http://www.godurango.com/multimedia/photogallery.asp#downtown

My elderly grandma is having some health problems so I might be taking a trip to the OC if she doesn't get better soon. She is 85 so it is not unexpected but I'd like to see her and support my mom who just flew there tonight. I'll know more by tomorrow.

Just in case any of my friends/family are curious, roundtrip flights from Portland to Durango are around $420. It is very expensive but this is mostly due to the fact that the airport is small and not international. The nearest international airport is Albuquerque which is still 3.5 hours away by car. However the prospect of a remote mountain experience is exciting to me so I don't think I will miss the city too much. And digging my car out of the snow semi-frequently will be exciting for a while. Now I just need a job when I get there...

Sunday, August 20, 2006

State Hopper

I have decided to go and spend a couple months in Durango, CO. I have never been there before but it is recommended highly by my boyfriend who lives there. Of course it will be much easier to continue dating if we don't live five states apart. This move also feeds my ravenous appetite for all places new. In case you don't know where it is...



Durango is nestled into the Rocky Mountains and the town itself sits at 6500 feet with higher peaks all around. The nearest ski slopes are at Purgatory resort; 20 minutes away. Durango is also a big rafting town with several nearby rivers. With over 300 days of sun a year it will be a nice place to spend the fall. I have heard that Autumn in Durango is famously beautiful, particularly because of the Aspen trees and their changing colors...



I'm looking forward to experiencing the Rocky Mountains in all their grandeur. Now, how am I going to get there?...