So, did I learn from my solo road trip mistakes? A little. I took another solo-ish trip a few months later, and I definitely took a different approach. Which brings me to...

Colorado 2-- a trip that was a solo trip for a second, and that also involved lots of Utah

(I'm working on a catchier name.)

I started my journey once again on a Wednesday after work. This time around, the commute was a hair shorter-- about 20 minutes to the airport, where Frank dropped me off so I could avoid paying to park my car. Then, just a quick couple hours of blind terror miles above the ground.

Flying is not my favorite. I hadn't done it in about a decade, either, so I'd actually forgotten how much I hate it. I had the window seat, and the business traveler stuck in the middle seat next to me really seemed thrilled that I kept grabbing his armrest and interrupting his work. I did find that controlling the window helped, though-- I could look when I felt brave, and close the blinds when I didn't.

When I arrived in Denver, my original plan had been to use public transportation to get to my hostel downtown. I realized, however, that it was getting late and dark. I had my purse, a carry-on backpack, and a suitcase. And I don't know my way around Denver, at all. I also had just received an email from Lyft offering me $30 off my first ride. Sold!

I downloaded the app and requested a driver. Within 10 minutes, he arrived and we were off. I'd only used Uber in the past, and even then it was with a group of people and someone else handled it. I was basically new to the concept, and pleasantly surprised. My driver chatted with me the whole way about Denver, being a Lyft driver, and life in general. When it turned out he'd punched the wrong address in his GPS, he quickly took me to the correct location.

I stayed at the 11th Avenue Hotel and Hostel (Insert Link). I reserved a private room with my own bathroom-- I was paranoid about my stuff getting stolen, and I like long showers. It was worth the splurge, and still came out to under $50 for a room right smack in downtown Denver. I'd stay there again in a heartbeat.

Once I arrived in my room, I read for a bit and passed out.

Room for Improvement

Not shockingly, there were a few things on my first big solo trip that I would've done differently. Don't get me wrong, the trip was great-- but next time I might:

1. Look at the weather forecast on my way home

This should've been a given, but the blizzard I ran into on my way home caught me by complete surprise. I could've planned much better had I looked at the weather for my whole drive-- I'd looked at the forecast for Detroit, but Detroit didn't get hit with the storm. Just everywhere else.

Next time around, I'll check that out in advance.

2. Familiarize myself with my route

Losing my GPS signal at night in the mountains made for a good story, but in the moment it was mildly terrifying. If I'd looked at a map and drawn out a route, or printed directions up from Google in advance, I could've given myself a little peace of mind that I was at least headed in the right direction. If I didn't have a set destination it would've been different, but I had a hotel I needed to reach-- since then, I've been religious about jotting down some directions before I leave on any trip.

3. Plan out some stops

I like winging it, but the dingy hotel I stayed at on my way home was just a hair outside of my comfort zone. I don't mind some level of shadiness. This place, however, was extreme. Since I didn't want to reserve a hotel, I should've researched some options along my way BEFORE I was too tired to keep driving or care.

4. Take an extra day

Nearly 40 hours round trip of driving-- not counting the driving I did while actually in Colorado-- got to be a bit much for me. I'm not used to spending that kind of time in the car, and I was sore and crabby because of it. Giving myself an extra day to drive home, or to unwind in Estes Park, would've been very much appreciated. I loved that it was a whirlwind adventure, but now that I've had that experience I'll go ahead and take the extra day next time.

5. Take more pictures

When I travel, I prefer to live in the moment. But afterwards, I love having those pictures to look back on. I haven't found that perfect balance yet, so I need to keep looking. Also, I am really ambivalent over having my own picture taken, and I tend not to take very many selfies. Normally I'd say that's a good thing, but when it's just me on the trip and I want a picture of myself by a rock, I need to take that selfie. One goal for next time is to be more aware of good picture opportunities.

Colorado: the drive home

The drive home was mostly a blur of wind, semis, and open fields. The scenery had lost some of its allure by that point, and selling my car to pay for a plane ticket home began to seem like a better and better idea. I made it to Iowa, near the Indiana border, when I decided to stop for the night at a Motel 6. It was cheap and I was broke and tired enough to accept the smell of old cigarettes and human waste that permeated the hallways.

Still, I cocooned myself in a couple jackets and did my best not to actually touch anything in the room. I've stayed in some cheap places, but usually I do my research first so I find the decent ones. This had been a last minute stop, since I'd originally hoped to make the entire nineteen hour drive in one day.

The next morning I was greeted to a surprise ice storm that stayed with me for the next several hours, turning what should've been a five or six hour drive into an all day event. At one point an ice chunk fell of an overpass and landed on my driver's side windshield wiper as the blade was wiping the window. It wound up denting the wiper right in the middle and exposing some of the metal, conveniently rendering it useless right in the middle of the storm. I stupidly kept trying to use the wiper, and I now have a giant scratch across the middle of my windshield as a souvenir from the drive.

I tried to nap for a bit in a Wendy's parking lot after calling April and finding out that the weather sucked there, too. If I wanted to make it home that day, I was just going to have to take it slow. Easier said than done when you're desperate to get out of the car, but I made it in one piece nonetheless.

Up next-- what I did right on this solo road trip, and what I'd do differently next time...

Colorado Part 4

After hiking Table Mountain, I headed back to Estes Park. It was mid-afternoon at that point, and while I would've loved to hunt down another trail to hike, I had to be up early the next morning to start my nineteen hour trek home. This trip was more about the journey than any one destination.

The ride back from Table Mountain took me on the same roads as my drive to/from Boulder the day before. I was beginning to feel a little more comfortable on them, and found myself wishing my daily commute could be similarly jaw-dropping. Colorado has made it to my short list of places I'd love to live some day. Some private land on the side of a mountain? Yes, please.

Once back at my hotel I relaxed for a couple hours, until the sun started to dip down in the sky. My goal was to take in as much of the sunset as I could while walking the loop around the lake that I'd explored the day before. I'd only walked a bit of it, so I figured this would be my chance to see the whole thing.

I turned a corner and saw a car driving slowly, coming towards me. Initially I hesitated and debated turning around-- I'm easily spooked. But then I noticed why the car was driving so slowly-- a herd of elk were hanging out on the other side of the street.









Fortunately I saw them before I came across the sign about dangerous elk.

The sun was at the perfect angle. These pictures don't do the view justice.











It got a little chilly as the sun set. I made it back to my hotel shortly before dark, and passed out.