Colorado: Amtrak and Speeding Tickets

Not normally two things that would go together, I know! Never fear, they were two separate Colorado experiences.

First Amtrak

One Sunday while I was in 9^th grade, my aunt Kayleen and her husband Bill brought their young son Kyle over to visit my family. It was fun – but also a little out of the ordinary. After we’d been sitting around talking for a bit, my aunt introduced the reason they had come over to visit.

Bill had won four Amtrak tickets from Salt Lake City, Utah to Denver, Colorado as part of a call in radio contest. They were there to invite me to be their fourth travel companion. I could go, if my parents agreed, and if I promised to help care for my cousin Kyle on the trip. Win!! I loved helping with children, and a train ride to Colorado sounded like a grand adventure to me.

Then the other piece of information came out: I would have to miss about a week of school. I nearly refused to go immediately. And I was sure that if I didn’t refuse, my parents would decline to give permission. And if my parents were willing, I was sure my teachers would never approve. Luckily, my parents asked for time to think about it, and after discussing further and checking in with my teachers (who gave me work to do as make up for what I’d miss), I was given a green light that I choose to take.

The train ride itself was incredible. I remember there was a car that was nearly all windows, and the amazing dessert landscape that rolled by was breathtakingly beautiful. On that note, I’ve never understood people who feel that the only beautiful natural landscape includes a lot of green. Don’t get me wrong, I like green scenery too, I just love that there is such variety on this earth!

In Colorado, we stayed in an AMAZING hotel. At that point I had never stayed anywhere so fancy. At breakfast our first morning there, I learned a little bit about the unfortunate reality that often the more you pay for a hotel, the more you pay for everything else at the hotel. My family had always stayed at places that had very few amenities, and one of the things that some of them did have was a continental breakfast (which we took full advantage of). At this hotel, they had a restaurant downstairs. Aunt Kayleen and Bill had us go there for breakfast. When Bill got the bill, he realized that the orange juice was $3 for a glass – and that was for each glass. I felt very grateful that I had not asked for a second glass and cost even more money.

We got around the city on public transit. My job was to help lift Kyle’s stroller into the buses. I remember feeling scared that I wouldn’t get in or out in time and the doors would close on me.

One of the places to went to in the city bus was an aquarium. It was pretty cool. And Kyle loved it. There are two things that really stayed with me about that place 1) I think I spent nearly as much time looking at cute boys in the aquarium an on the grounds outside as I did looking at the fish. I know for sure I used my wind up camera to take photos of people so far away that when I developed the film I couldn’t even tell which body in the distance was the cute boy I wanted to see again. 2) A few years later I read this adventure novel and it talked about a woman getting into some ducts in the Colorado Aquarium and there were corners she talked about in the building and various fish tanks that I could so vividly picture because of my trip there – it was so cool!

Bill made a video of the trip, and he gave me a videocassette copy. So fun.

Second Speeding Tickets, well, just one really

The summer that my friend Amber and I drove her car from Boston to Utah, we stayed with various friends and family along the way. Our first night in Colorado, we stayed with some of Amber’s family. We got to see some beautiful red rock

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And pretend to be a part of a buffalo stampede

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And found an awesome book painting

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My uncle Jon and his family lived in Castle Rock (I believe!) at the time, so we were able to stay with him. The Olympics were going during that cross-country drive, and I remember watching volleyball and other events that evening.

I also remember that uncle Jon had a shower that was different from anything I had experienced before (but exactly like the one I have now :) and I couldn’t figure it out. Since I was already undressed and in the tub, I just let the water pour out of the spout and did my best to wash up. Uncle Jon knocked on the door and tried to explain to me how to turn the shower on. Despite his best efforts (and lots of laughing) I was unable to figure it out, and unwilling to get out and decent so he could show me.

Luckily for Amber, I went first, so uncle Jon was able to help her learn how to work the shower, and she got a real one!

We headed out the next morning, and there was a construction zone. It was downhill, and there were no workers around. Amber was driving, and apparently we missed the sign that said the speed limit had decreased from 45 to 35 MPH (remember – downhill, unknown area, normally 65 MPH). Next thing we knew, there were flashing lights behind us, and Amber was edging over towards the construction barriers.

Instead of passing us, the police officer got out of the car and came to talk to us. We tried explaining that we were new in the area, and that we didn’t see the sign for the further decreased speed limit. We didn’t point out that there was no one around. There was no mercy. And it was a ticket in a work zone. So sad.

An especially sad note on which to leave Colorado, and for ending our adventure. But, certainly memorable; especially since Amber drove all the way back to contest the ticket!