Epic Trip Out West, Day Thirty-Seven: Colorado Springs

Today has been a leisurely stroll through the hours, wandering around Colorado Springs, popping in and out of coffeeshops, sitting on park benches reading “The Hobbit,” buying stamps and sending out letters, eating a ridiculously large double hot-dog topped with a gallon of chili, and finally meeting Beki, the owner of the farm where I’m going to be volunteering for the next week.

The drive from Colorado Springs to Cañon City gave me a panorama view of Colorado in all its glory: a tapestry of mountains, cobalt in the distance and russet dotted with evergreen in the foreground, with ruffled cumulus clouds overshadowing them. Behind the nearest “foothills,” I caught glimpses of the snowy peaks that entranced me when I first came out west. Even after more than a month out here, I still get chills when I see the Rockies.

~Lisa Shafter 

Money spent today: $17.92 (acai-blueberry-pomegranate shake, book of stamps, and massive hot dog)

Leeway so far: $75.11