Montana to Colorado

Alright so the next segment of my adventure this summer consisted of a (roughly) 11 hour drive from Bozeman, Montana to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Devon, my friend from the first part, and I had just finished all of our business in Montana and were ready to begin our trek back home. 

I was the first to drive, I drove from Bozeman until right after the border of Wyoming. We stopped in Billings at a subway, this was the first subway sandwich I ordered after becoming vegetarian so I wasn't quite sure how much I was going to like it - luckily it was quite enjoyable. Devon and I talked about a lot of things during my first shift, how leaving after the first year of college had an almost bittersweet feeling to it, how much had changed over the last year and how we each had truly become our own person. It's hard to explain - the feeling of being able to pave the path for yourself, especially moving a thousand miles away where no one knows you. Something I think everyone should consider going through, I learned a lot about myself over the last year. 

Devon took the wheel once we were in Wyoming, arguably the worst state in the nation, and drove until we crossed the border into Colorado. Wyoming actually had one exceptionally gorgeous area called Chugwater, it looked like a camping paradise; other than Chugwater there wasn't really a whole lot going on in that wretched state. 

Chugwater, Wyoming

Colorado was wonderful to be back in, it had a certain smell to it - I'm not sure if it's the air or the nostalgia. The entire vibe of being so close to home and seeing things I had known my whole life was so welcoming. Denver was definitely different because I hadn't been in a city larger than about 120,000 people in a long time, and Denver is weighing in at over 600,000 residents. I dropped Devon off at his house around 1 am and I arrived home around 1:30 am. It was the most pleasurable and freeing drive I had done thus far and it consisted of great company, engaging conversation, and spectacular places in the country. 

-Umar

Music pt. 3

Montana

So this has by far been my most eventful summer yet and I have had the privilege to travel several beautiful places across the country. I don't want to cram everything into one post and make any less genuine than the others so I will be dividing the places up by posts. This post will be about my time in Montana from the time summer break had started. 

Finals week reached a close and I had figured out my plans to get back to Colorado with a friend who wanted to ride back with me. He was the only other student from the same high school as me and when we started school we went up together, so it was both symbolic and convenient to ride back together. We weren't allowed to stay in the dorms once break had started but luckily he had just signed on for an apartment with two friends and we were able to stay there for the few days we would be in Montana. The first day after we moved out we went on a hike in the Bridger mountains that were about a half hour away from town, it was a really relaxed and fun hike (in the picture). After the hike Devon, the friend, brought me to a house that his friends lived at and we played some video games with them while they introduced me to Rosa's pizza, which, if you are ever in Bozeman is a must have. Devon was very different from most of my other friends because the content of our conversations was so different. It was actually a bit refreshing. We discussed things like love, emotion, diversity of the individual and - as we have in the past - we once again realized how similar we were despite us never actually being around each other all that much. During my adventures in Bozeman with Devon I had been talking to this amazing girl and on one night we stayed up on the from from about 11:45 pm to 6:00 am. It was absolutely wonderful. I hung out with my friend Bjorn, one of the people whom I will be living with in the fall, and we also had a nice philosophical talk in the mountains just outside of town. Soon enough the day of departure had arrived and we began our adventure back to Colorado. 

-Umar

The Boy

I recently had a friend who I knew in high school. He was a freshman my senior year and about two weeks ago he took his own life. Unfortunately I have not been able to go to any of the events honoring him because of traveling, so I wrote something for him after I found out. He was a sweet boy and he was far too young, and I'm sorry to everyone who was affected by this. You were a boy. Life promises these things to you. We expect it. You expect it. The difference with you was that you didn't expect it. You didn't ask for anything. All you ever wanted was someone to go on a bike ride with. Someone to make up urban legends with and to go bowling on the summers with. You never had it because you were good - and people knew it. They would walk over you and give you a hard time because they knew they would get away with it. You were a simple boy and you just wanted to have fun. I think back to your smile and it makes my heart hurt. It feels like I was robbed. Two months ago you reached out to me and I was "busy". I answered with one word answers and my replies were intermittent. One month later I saw you ask for someone to talk to. I did nothing. I'm so sorry. And I'm so sorry to everyone else. You have inspired me to treat each person like it's the last time I will see them. I was your mentor for the time we knew each other in this world but now you are mine. Since you left us I have changed a lot about myself because of the emotions you invoked. Its amazing how someone who I never realized was so important to me can matter once they are taken. I hadn't talked to you much after I moved away but hearing about what happened to you hit me. Hard. You were a good human, and you will not be forgotten. You touched my heart and left with a piece of it. I dearly miss you my friend. We all love you and miss you, and we hope you are doing awesome wherever you are now.

I was listening to a song the other day and it made me think of you.

"I got myself a mission, I'm going to find heaven, I might create paper wings I think they'll carry me a while. I left you a love poem, the best I have written, my favorite words were the ones I couldn't spell. They say that I'm a lunatic, they say that I'm full of it. I say that it's worth dreaming just for the dream of it. It's all about passion. It's all about perception."

The song itself didn't have a whole lot to do with my thoughts on you but that excerpt specifically made me think of you.

My condolences go out to all his friends and family. If any of you readers need anybody to talk to just throw something to my inbox at umaratempleton@gmail.com I'll always reply.

-Umar