Colorado

At 4 am I wake up to my mom-mom blow drying her short, blonde hair. I slowly crawl out of my warm bed and begin getting ready for the airport. My family is moving in a sluggish manner, wanting to return to our comfy beds and sleep. We begin loading our bags into our car and then we pile in and start our adventure to the airport. When we arrive at the airport, we go through TSA and bag check, waking up with the sun. We grab Dunkin’ Donuts for breakfast and wait in our section until we are called to board our flight. I look around and familiarize myself with the flight attendants. Two shorter women with blonde hair and a tall man with a shaggy beard. We board the plane and the intercom switches on, filling the plane with the deep voice of the Captain. My eyelids grow heavy as I look out the window and watch the world grow smaller. I wake up to the smooth landing of the plane and find myself breathing in the clean, fresh air. I’ve never smelled anything so crisp and cold. My family exits the plane and is greeted by a “Welcome to Colorado” sign. As we drive, I take in the new view. I see vast expanses of green fields, clear blue skies, and smiles on the faces of people we pass. Pulling up to our cabin, we are greeted by the sun and a cool breeze on our cheeks.  The sun bore down on us, giving us warmth against the chilly breeze that made my hair fly this way and that. We go to the restaurant to eat outside, taking in the view of Estes Lake, the people wandering around, paddle boarders and boaters on the lake, and the ducks taking a dip in the cold water. As we eat we take in the huge mountains surrounding us in the park. The different hues of brown and huge white caps you can see from miles away. The gigantic moose and other wildlife are noticeable through the thick lenses of binoculars. As my family and I head in for the night, we look up at the starry sky and breathe in the fresh, thin air, grateful we are here to share this memory.