I recently graduated UHCL with a bachelor’s degree in communication. As a present to myself and a “last hoorah” before I jump into the career world. I decided to go on an epic road trip with my boyfriend, Faisal, and our dog, Vinny, revisiting some of the places I went to as a child and, of course, go to a concert.
We left Clear Lake around 6 a.m. one morning and set our sights on making it to Clayton, New Mexico as our first stop along the trip.
We honestly could have drove the 16 hours straight to Colorado, but it was the first time driving for an extended period of time with our dog. Of course, Vinny was an excellent road dog and had his own car seat. I highly recommend a car seat or seat belt for dogs if you are on a long road trip. Most people treat their animals like their actual kids anyways; why not keep them safe like you would a human child?
We stayed in Clayton for a night and the next morning set off for our next stop Morrison, Colorado. Morrison is a small town located a few miles southwest of Denver. Morrison is home to the Red Rocks Amphitheater, a geologically formed open-air amphitheater. When we arrived, we checked into the Cliff House, formerly the private residence of the towns’ founder George Morrison which now functions as a bed and breakfast.
Later in the afternoon our friends began to arrive and the excitement of being in Colorado for my birthday weekend with the ones I loved, about to see three nights of my favorite band, The String Cheese Incident (SCI), fully set in.
Once we braved the stairs at the venue and situated ourselves at the spot we wanted to watch the show from, I didn’t know the surprises I was in for. The first surprise came as we were waiting for the show to start when a friend from home that I was not expecting to be there. Another surprise came when SCI played “Parker’s Blues,” a song that had not been played in thirteen years.
The second night, the members of SCI came down from the top of the stage lighting structure down onto the stage as the “Mission Impossible” theme song played. The final night they played a fan voted set list, which also prompted them to play a few songs they have not played in a while.
After three nights in Morrison, it was time to say goodbye to some of our friends and the wonderful people at Cliff House. We left Morrison and spent a few days with a friend in Longmont, Colorado. We recharged and hit the road once again and headed for Ouray, Colorado.
Along the way to Ouray, we stopped in Colorado Springs and explored Garden of the Gods, a public park with beautiful rock formations. We hiked around for only a few short hours, but Vinny sure had the time of his life. I’ve never seen him smile so big.
Growing up, my father would take me and my brother camping multiple times a year. We frequently camped in Colorado, and I remember one of my favorite spots was Ouray, Colorado.
We arrived in Ouray late afternoon lucky enough to get the last available campsite at a first come, first serve campground with only eight spots. Even luckier, it was a beautiful spot with an extraordinary view.
In town, we went into a mineral and gem shop that I had been in when I was around 8 or 9 years old that sparked my interest in collecting rocks.
We also delved into our inner tourist and took the old timey photos that you see available at many tourist destinations. What made it special is they let Vinny be in the picture as well. We giggled the whole process and had the best time taking these pictures; it was one of the highlights from the trip, at least for me. Playing dress up probably wasn’t as much fun for Faisal.
After two nights camping without a shower and only a port-o-potty as the bathroom, we were ready to head to our next destination – Santa Fe, New Mexico for the Meow Wolf museum.
While we were in the tent packing about to leave the campground, Vinny started to growl lightly and bark. I turned around to see what he was fussing about only to find, you guessed it, a bear roaming our campsite! If Vinny had not started barking, the bear would have made off with our food bin.
Everything was out of the truck at the moment while we were packing; our stuff had not been out for but a few minutes when the bear came. We happened to be in the tent at the moment and, luckily, I had brought Vinny in there with us as I knew I could not keep an eye on him and pack at the same time.
When the bear tried to run off with our food bin, Faisal instructed me to run to the car with Vinny as the bear was not near the car. I ran with Vinny, and Faisal yelled at the bear, which scared it into dropping the bin. When the bear ran away, we could see its cubs nearby, thus making our situation even more dangerous.
Faisal quickly put the food bin and cooler in the truck, and we waited until the bear and cubs ran into the woods. After the bear was out of site, Faisal quickly packed the rest of the campsite as I kept an eye out in case the bear returned.
We were hyped up on adrenaline as we drove away from the campsite, thankful to be unharmed. Now we were on our way to New Mexico.
We wanted to make a stop in Santa Fe, New Mexico to experience the Meow Wolf museum. Meow Wolf is an art collective comprised of more than 100 local artists based out of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Meow Wolf’s “House of Eternal Return” is a 20,000-square-foot interactive art museum built inside of an old bowling alley that is fun for all ages.
A neat fact about Meow Wolf is George R. R. Martin purchased the bowling alley where “House of Eternal Return” is located. For those who are not familiar, Martin is a novelist and short-story writer who is best known for his novel “A Song of Ice and Fire,” which was later adapted into the critically acclaimed HBO series “Game of Thrones.”
When you enter the “House of Eternal Return” you can follow a story line or explore at your own free will. Walking into the exhibit, it looks as if a house is built inside.
Once inside, Faisal was quick to notice one of many secret passageways, something every kid wants in their house growing up. Exploring the secret passageways was just the beginning. Some of them led to bigger rooms with interactive art exhibits.
One of my favorites was a dark room with only a few lasers, illuminating the room. When you ran your fingers through the lasers they made a noise like plucking the string of a harp. Another fun aspect is that you can and are encouraged to touch almost everything. Look into a small hole in the wall and you will find tiny dioramas that most would miss otherwise. We spent almost three hours wandering around and I’m sure there was plenty of stuff we missed.
After Meow Wolf, we rested up for the night and headed back to Houston in the morning. On the long path home, I reflected on a few thoughts that stuck with me from the trip. First, there is always more to learn about camping and bear safety. Second, make time to do the little things; some of the most fun we had on our road trip was unplanned. Lastly, visit Meow Wolf again!
Also published on Medium.
