Durango Archives - Rachel What If

When the leaves change in Southern Colorado, the display of colors kind of demand your attention. Fall is beautiful, but, for me, it has a way of bringing with it feelings of loneliness, and somehow I start to feel a little bit invisible. I’m sure it has to do with how busy my family gets in the back to school, back to sports, back to business as usual, that I start to actually mourn the loss of our carefree summer months. This year, I’m getting a very clear message to pay attention, and that I have a whole lot in common with a leaf.

Yellow is my favorite

Did you know when leaves change from green to yellow, orange, or red, those colors were actually there all along? The leaves themselves are not actually changing, it’s their environment that is. The days are shorter and colder, which forces the plant to stop making chlorophyll. This causes the green to disappear, allowing the other colors to become visible. The most vivid and common color: yellow.

Yellow has always been my favorite color. It’s so cheerful and sunny. It’s not all loud and energetic like red. I do like green as well, which reminds me of abundance and life. Sometimes, I feel other colors, or want to love them, but yellow has always been what I most identify with.

Not invisible, just hidden

So you see, like those leaves, I have discovered that I am not invisible. It’s okay to be all covered up in green for a while. As I said before, I like green. I love my life and am so abundantly blessed. What I am trying to say here is that I believe fall is happening just for me this year. Sorry everyone else. When you look out at the landscape, what is the color you see most? Yellow. I kinda feel bad too, because Summer has always been my favorite season and truthfully it always will be. But this year, I’m getting a great big hug from fall. It feels so good.

Fall canyon
Molli with fish!
He let me have this one.

It seems extra important during the changing seasons to get outside and experience it. Why else do people jump in huge leaf piles but to get the season literally all over them? Mostly, I wrote this post so I could show off my pictures of us getting outside to get fall all over us. However, I have been feeling a little invisible lately, and not in the way that would be awesome if you were a super hero. I hope fall is happening just for you this year too. I also hope you know you are not invisible either! (Unless you really want to be 🙂

Jason, on the bridge to the Silverton cabin.
My dog Blue

As always, thanks for reading and for your awesome support.

Rachel

Waterfalls and mountains are still the best places to gain perspective and peace.

I usually can’t pass up a good self-help book. Maybe it’s a weakness, but I like to help myself. Sometimes, there is some life saving advice in those pages. I also love reading in general, especially if I can escape whatever thoughts aren’t helping at the moment. While reading is wonderful, I love it when I get to escape for real, on a four wheel drive road, to experience some actual self-help wisdom from mountains and waterfalls.

If you ever have the chance to go on a drive (with an expert driver) from Silverton to Lake City, count the waterfalls you see. It’s almost like the license plate game, but much more inspiring. This portion of the Alpine Loop is by far one of my favorite off road adventures. It has a lot to do with the fact that it is a loop and not a there and back. It comforts my need to “get more done,” that you just don’t get traveling back on the same road you went in on.

Rough roads

The rough and untamed old road over Engineer Pass and back through Cinnamon is not your average jaunt over the hills and through the woods. People die on this route all the time. It’s steep and narrow, and there are no guard rails to stand between you and a whole lot of harm’s way. A simple mistake could result in a major tragedy. Some river crossings could be shallow and easily traversed in the morning hours, only to be raging rivers, and impassible that same afternoon.

As any good passenger, I am totally engaged in the scenery, pointing out the amazing waterfalls in every direction, and searching for wildlife. I don’t like driving for this reason. You just miss so much, staring at the road all the time. Thank goodness my husband loves to drive. We make a good team.

From Lake City to Silverton
Waterfall on the way to Lake City
Avalanche blocks the route from Silverton to Engineer

Waterfall science

The abundance of waterfalls we saw on this drive is more than just the fact that snow was melting. There are waterfalls big and small around almost every corner in this part of Colorado. I just learned you can’t even help but feel calm and peaceful when you are near waterfalls. The constant flow of water over the rocks are releasing negative ions that our bodies take in as positive energy. I dare you to just try and be grouchy the next time your near a waterfall. You just scientifically can’t do it. Don’t believe me? Check out this website. (They are trying to explore the world one waterfall at a time.)

Did you know that someone who loves waterfalls a cataractophile? And someone who loves trees is called a dendrophile? If you love the sun, you are a heliophile, and a pluviophile if you love rain. Words are cool, and we get to make them up. Still, it’s hard to describe in words the emotions you feel in the mountains.

My hubs, Jason, driving the high elevation near Silverton.

Mountain top perspective

The peak of the mountain is always a natural stopping place for people to take in the views. On the Lake City loop, there are several opportunities to park and gain some perspective. Usually you can see where you came from, and where your headed, and a whole lot more. It looks a little like opportunities and possibility, and feels alot like being small and sorting out priorities.

Reaching the top is awesome, but it’s usually pretty cold and windy so we move along after a few moments. And also, there are no waterfalls at the top. I don’t know which I like better, mountain tops or waterfalls. Each hold significant value on our round trip from Silverton to Lake City. The cool thing is we get to experience both.

We spend a lot of our free time getting out in the mountains. Even if there aren’t any waterfalls or mountain tops, it always manages to help us get our heads straight and our hearts balanced.

Having lived in Durango, CO for so long, I am still overwhelmed by how much there is to see, and lucky I am to be able to experience so much. If you are interested in learning more, check out this post on the best places to Paddle board in my area. Please reach out to me, or a leave a comment below to share ideas on the best places to get some perspective or gain a little peace.