Day 2: Going out of the way (Nebraska to Colorado)

The me from ten years ago wouldn’t understand the me from today. 

We had another respectable drive today, 6 hours from central Nebraska to Denver. That's already pretty brutal, yet I willingly agreed to add another hour past our destination, then to backtrack an hour to Denver, where the tour finally starts. 

Why? 

To go visit Rocky Mountain National Park. That's why.

It made no logistical or financial sense, but that wasn’t the point. The point that the me from today wants to hold above any other is to maximize enjoyment. Sometimes that means going out of the way. 

I doubted it a bit even as we were on our way; we were all hungry, tired and under-caffeinated. Striking the balance between comfort, rest, and fun on a longer tour is crucial and I try my best to make decisions that keep that equation in harmony. But my doubts faded as soon as we hit the park. The payoff hit me in the face as we got out of the van and stepped onto to the first scenic point.

“This is bigger than you or your plans,” the park told me. 

I felt the grace of the fresh air, of the elks, and of the mountains giving us their medicine for us to absorb ahead of our journey.

Knowing when to optimize for efficiency is as important as knowing when not to. To do one without the other is to miss the views.