Sorry for the Delay in the advancement of my journal- Life sometimes gets in the way Day 9- Sept. 29th Denver Co to Golden Co I wake up early, my alarm is set for seven a.m. but my mental alarm goes off at six thirty. Anxious to escape the city I pack as quietly as possible and leave my belongings at the front desk while I walk the few blocks to retrieve my motorcycle. Each and every time I store Sylvia out of sight I brace myself to find her no longer residing where I left her last; this time she sleeps peacefully awaiting my return. The bargain rate at the hostel was soon diminished by the twenty three dollar parking rate to store my motorcycle overnight. Recalling the conversation with the attendant the evening before I precisely remember him saying the max rate for overnight was twelve dollars, he was obviously bothered with me interrupting his long distance conversation to Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan at the time. Only two choices remain this morning; pay or flee. I paid angrily and a have a few choice words with the A.M. attendant, then moved on with my morning. My research told me the quickest way out of big city was thirty minutes west and soon I would be in the small and friendly town of Golden. Traffic was thick this morning and it was cold but the commute was quick and I was relieved to arrive in a quaint and quiet downtown. I settled into a café and found a power outlet to energize my efforts to align tonight’s accommodations. Every option outside of Denver was expensive, as I Google searched cheap accommodations I stumbled upon a website called couchsurfing. A community of like minded people willing to offer accommodations to travelers in their home at no cost. I then had one of those ‘ah ha’ moments, quickly I created an account reaching out to several potential hosts and devised a plan for the day. I would roll the dice and worst case check into a hotel later that night; I wasn’t going to waste a day in Colorado. The weather is dreary; misting rain keeps me from a planned ride up to Lookout Mountain. Twenty minutes later I was in line to visit Coors brewery, a free tour and beer samples await me; this was a win-win. I have my first invite to couch surf before I even enter Coors Brewery, my potential host has class schedule that would keep me from securing residence until after nine p.m., I hold out for more invites. The Coors tour was both educational and time consuming, it’s what the doctor ordered. Afterwards I land at a local dive called Aces Hi Tavern in downtown Golden, cheap banquet beers and a local crowd. It wasn’t long before Larissa Phillips accepted my couch surf request, she and her boyfriend Tyler Lemmon had some experience hosting couch surfers and I was comforted with the idea of staying with someone seasoned to hosting. Following a few text messages it was decided I would be bringing the wine and bread, Larissa had a plan for the entrée. I mapped the address and was at their doorstep in 30 minutes, wet from the rain but excited to meet the people that would house me for the night. I never paused a minute to evaluate where I was sleeping tonight or under whom I would share a roof, these kind people were willing to put me up and I had no reason to doubt there kind intentions. That is after all the intent of the website; those that couch surf are the same that host the ones in need. A picture of humanity at its best, found online amongst strangers. I was invited to make myself at home, shown where I would sleep, and treated as a friend. I opened the wine I brought and we conversed like old friends, four other roommates eventually joined us and we enjoyed each other’s company as the evening progressed. Bye the time dinner was mentioned I found myself taking over the kitchen and whipping up Chili Mac, I insisted. Stupid human tricks where soon demonstrated by Larissa, both of which I can show you today if you ask. I demonstrated the tonsil click I have been able to do since I was in kindergarten, which resulted in a flashlight down my throat. I retired after midnight, thankful for my new found friends and looking forward to my next day’s adventures, Tyler and I have plans for a ride tomorrow.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 02:11:02 +0000
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