My Week of Rocky Mountain Highs

A snowy picture of Littleton, Colorado — one of my former hometowns

#52SlicesOfChingonaLife #52EssaysNextWave2021 14/52

When I let everyone know that I was moving to Denver, everyone brought up this song to me and, now that it came on the radio, it took me back. This week marks the time I left California at the end of May/first week of June to start a new phase in my life. In radio, these kinds of moves are super-important, these kinds of moves show that you are serious about this business, that you are willing to go wherever it takes to do the work. A very crucial part of paying your dues.

As I write this, I’m in my office on one of the hottest California days of the year, a lovely 101 degrees. I remember that, in Denver, that my ears were always cold, which was a good sign as I have NEVER gotten along with the hot weather.

‘Rocky Mountain High’ reminds me of that morning, right at sunrise, when I was driving on I-25 into Denver for the first time. Denver sunrises and sunsets are the most beautiful that I have ever seen. So to be driving into that pink/purple/orange haze was nothing like I’d ever seen before. I was getting excited as I drove nearer to my destination.

Fast forward a few months, and, by then, I had been working and driving throughout Denver and all of the suburbs. I lived in Littleton and on my daily drive home, I would marvel at the spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains. I always said that it was impossible to stay in a bad mood while looking at that scenery. There was always snow on the mountains, even on the highest peaks, for most of the year, even in summer.

The very first day that it snowed, or should I say, the very first night it snowed, I jumped into the car and told myself not to drive too fast as I didn’t have chains on the tires. Now I laugh, as I never used chains in all of the time I lived in Colorado, although I did have snow tires. All I did that first night was try to drive in the lines made by the other cars and tried to remember what a friend told me, “drive downhill as fast as you drive uphill and you’ll be ok”.

I think that the one time that my breath was taken away and all I could say was ‘WOOOOOW’ was the one time I was driving back to Denver from one of the ski resorts. I was in my own car as my crew left earlier than me. Visibility was not great and there was a hazy fog as I started down the hill. So there I am, toda careful, trying to keep things steady when, all of a sudden, the fog lifts. The sight of the magnificent, snow-covered mountains with all of the trees that seemed perfectly lined up opened both my eyes and my mouth wide open. It looked like a postcard, beautiful is an understatement.

These are some of the times that I thought of the song ‘Rocky Mountain High’ and, as my DenverFam will tell you, I do not go back to visit UNLESS there is snow. Although Colorado is beautiful year-round, I loved the zero-temperature weather and the snow. I loved that it was so different from all that I knew. At that time of my life, I needed to see the world from a completely different window and the Rocky Mountains did not disappoint. I felt instantly at home. More than the physical setting, I was able to completely start over and to prove to myself that, yes, I could make things happen from wherever I was.

Sometimes taking a pure leap of faith expands your mind and your universe, glad I said ‘yes’ instead of ‘no, I was able to experience life in a completely new way.

Places where I find my Inner Chingona

Some days, I am in search of refuge, of a place to recharge my batteries, to find my creativity, where I can completely be myself.  Today was one of those days…I didn’t want to be in my oficina!  As I drove from appointment to appointment, I thought about the places where I head to when I need to clear my head, connect with Inner Chingona and hear myself THINK, I jump in my Jeep and go…in no particular order…

Starbucks:  My baby niece Yazi always tells me when she sees a Starbucks:  “Nina Carmen, that’s your work!”   Some folks need complete silence, I am not that person.  The music, the conversation, that it’s cool, almost cold, and of course, the cafecitos and teas on ice.  I can actually practice my interpreting drills and usually not bother anyone.   Like today, I came into one of my fav locations escaping the heat, and after a cafe on ice, I am the calmest that I have been today.

Snow:  When living in Colorado, I was both excited and freaked out when I first saw, felt, and tasted real snow. Snow that didn’t go away right away, where it was really COLD, where I felt the cold blast as I got out of the car, and learned to drive in the tracks of the other cars.   I totally LOVED the snow, especially as it was falling or when I woke up to snow.  I remember the first time it was zero degrees y yo toda contenta/happy and I loved it. I remember driving home from an event at Copper Mountain, kind of nervous because I was right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains and it was icy and had that type of what I called snow fog.  So I’m driving with both hands tight on the wheel and then the fog lifts, the sky turns blue and I see the most awesome snow-covered mountains, I remember shouting “WOW!”    After that, I used to regularly get in the car to check out the snow and I love it when it ‘smells like snow’  Pic 1 is the actual street that I learned to drive in the snow in Littleton, CO near my place.  Pic 2 was similar to the snowy mountains I saw that first time, pic is similar and doesn’t come close to how spectacular it was at that instant.

 

 

Beach:  Love love love the beach.  Whenever I get near the beach, I can feel my breathing settle down and I completely relax.  I can sit there for hours watching the waves, listening to the sounds the water makes as it goes back and forth and I’m good for a few days after a day at the beach!

“My” Lake:  I love walking near the water and I have favorite lakes, or ponds in some towns, where I love to walk.  My all-time favorite place is Lake Merritt in Oakland, all 3.5 miles of it!  I remember being told, “…once you decide to walk Lake Merritt, commit to it because, even it you go halfway, you will have to walk the same length to go back anyway…so it’s better to keep moving!”  First time I walked it, I thought that it would never end LOL  Once I got used to it, I knew at almost the exact point that I would start to relax and unwind!  I used to walk it every day when I worked in Oakland…now, a few pounds heavier and a lot of miles away from my Lake, I so need to walk it again.

 

WHERE is your place of refuge, not counting your home, where you connect with YOUR Inner Chingona?