I have been blessed with opportunities to live just a causeway away from the beach, as well as at the base of the Rockies. I grew up in the Mid-Atlantic region and have most recently lived in three Midwestern States. Each place has provided different opportunities to share time with family, develop new friendships, and expand my understanding of regional and sometimes cultural differences.
I can still close my eyes and picture the magnificence of Pike’s Peak. My Mom and I used to laughingly say that the mountain looked different from every angle, as we went about our daily activities in Colorado Springs. It has been nearly twenty years since I first saw that topographic prominence, but its beauty is permanently etched in my memory. When I was living in Central Nebraska, and commuting back to the Springs on weekends; I would wind my way across the plains of Eastern Colorado. There was a palpable anticipation of that first glimpse of mountains in the distance. It is always the same. Initially you wonder whether you are seeing clouds on the horizon, or the first glimpse of the Rockies. You feel the hope in your heart, that they will sharpen up, and define themselves as distant peaks. Every time I approach Colorado from the East, I am thrown into a reverie, and consider the thoughts of the early settlers who made their way westward (On a sidenote, I want to say that Kansas gets a bum rap. It is not that Western Kansas has a never-ending expanse of plains. The truth of the matter, is that until you see the mountains you never, psychologically, accept that you are actually IN Colorado. I assure you that the plains of Eastern Colorado are formidable, and extremely windy).
As a child, my Grandparents had all retired to Florida’s Space Coast. I enjoyed visiting them immensely. As an adult, we moved to Florida with our children. I was initially excited. I was sure that we would spend countless hours at the beach. In six years, we may have gone to the beach a dozen times. We were all busy with life. There was work and school, and the typical routines that we fall into. Things that we had enjoyed in the Mid-Atlantic region, were not as pleasant. Gardening in the presence of fire ants was unpleasant, and those palmetto bugs were always trying to get into the house, probably to escape the heat and humidity. Last but not least: the sand was everywhere! I remember the childhood pleasure of feeling the squishiness of sand between my toes, and juxtapose that with the discomfort of traipsing across a crowded beach of molten sand in search of a spot to lay our towels. Once situated, it was amazing to look out across the vast expanse of the Atlantic. The ocean is amazing, and sometimes terrifying. The year before we moved, four hurricanes made landfall in a region that had been spared for nearly three decades. I learned a lot about flood mitigation during that time, and when we moved away, there were still blue tarps on roofs. I cried later that next year, as I watched news reports of Katrina, from the comfort of Colorado Springs.
I think it is safe to say that I would prefer the mountains if I only had two choices; but the truth of the matter is that I love the Mid-West. From here, in the center of the Country, no place seems too far to visit, and there are still entire regions of North America that I have not yet explored. I am amused that when we were headed towards Colorado, we imagined a visit to the Grand Canyon, like it was going to be right around the corner. We still have not made the trip. This Country is vast and beautiful. I treasure every mile I traverse, and look forward to seeing more of it, and as an independent Travel Agent, I can help you explore the United States and the World. It is your oyster. Keep me in mind, and reach out to me when you are ready to explore!
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