Adventures for introverts

Introverts have a different sense of adventure compared to their extrovert neighbors. We tend to shy away from the exotic or dangerous and stick to more mundane things that we find exhilarating to us.

So imagine the fun two extremely introverted bears could have taking a drive in uncharted territory. Now...lots of you know my hobby is to drive around out in the country and take pictures of whatever strikes my fancy. It's usually clouds, critters, trees, sunsets, moons, barns...you get the gist. I usually gravitate toward the east and north of Carthage even though I have driven those same roads all my life. There is a comfort in familiarity and I always find something interesting.

But while I was out in Colorado this Thanksgiving we decided to go on a different sort of adventure. You see Colorado country roads are nothing like Missouri country roads. With the exception of far Southern Missouri the roads are laid out in a grid. Everything is pretty much in mile squares. So you know that if you get turned around you can always find your way back. In Colorado there is no grid. There are mountains and there are canyons and there are not so many people in some areas. It's far easier to get lost and turned around.

So we gathered the map and the GPS and we got hot chocolate and coffee and peanut butter crackers and headed out. We picked a county road out by the hospital in Trinidad and off we went. This may seem dull to you but for us it was wandering into the unknown wilderness. We were cruising along following the signs and the GPS like good little campers when we saw a mesa or some such geological formation that caught our eye...so we...gasp...deviated from our route. This is when we spotted the sign displayed above this text and we laughed and discussed the many nuances and humor this sign possessed.

And we kept following the road. It wound around the valley and there would be a house every few miles but no traffic. You see in Colorado there is abundant ranch land and the country roads wander through the ranches. Periodically you slow down to go over another cattle guard and you know you are on a different ranch but it's still a county road. It's a little like going to Oz every time you go over a cattle guard...you just don't know what to expect.

We diligently watched for signs to make sure we were still on the county road and not on private property. Being introverts we are especially respectful of other people's property. We are very tuned into the whole "do unto others" thing. We stopped to take pictures of deer and birds and even came across a large herd of antelope. I love the antelope! It was all so very exciting and we had such a great time.

Then we came to the true introvert gauntlet. We came to another cattle guard and the road looked like it ended right at these people's house. I mean in their driveway. Beth stopped and I looked at the GPS and I said it says it's a road. I know it look like a yard and driveway but the GPS says it's a road. So we pulled forward a bit and since no one came out of the house waving a gun at us we crept forward a little more not wanting to trespass but needing to either go forward or turn around. We both leaned forward and peeked around and finally I said well...go around the garage here because it looks like the road might go on once you get around the garage and low and behold it did!! The county road just ran right through their yard separating their house and barns with just a narrow road. I mean that happens in Missouri but the road is much wider and has fencing and pavement and stuff.

We were so proud. It may not seem like much to folks who don't understand but to two timid adventurers it was like finding Montezuma's freakin' tomb! We continued on until we came out to a main road. From that end you would never have known it was a county road. It had a tiny sign and a big ranch arch over the road that made it look like a private driveway. It was like finding a secret road to Narnia. We laughed and we giggled all the way back to town. It was so much fun! It may not seem all that wild but to wander around in the high desert in a state you are not familiar with (I mean this was not another ride out to Maple Grove) was quite exciting to a driver who is completely...I mean completely...directionally challenged and a passenger who isn't always as brave as she should be it was exhilarating and fun and not something we will soon forget. So forge on introverts of the world. Go out and find new adventures...just maybe wait until this freezing drizzle stops.