places

Last weekend Ashley and I rode our bikes up the Santa Fe trail. We've done this several times throughout the summer but we've always gone south, not really knowing what the terrain was like going north or where we would end up. Taking the trail south isn't particularly exciting (especially after you've done it once), but the scenery is pleasant enough and the paved path has mile markers, which were helpful when we were training for the triathlon.
But Saturday, we decided to head out for the unknown. We parked in the usual lot, but instead of turning south, we went north. The day was perfect—sunny and warm (but not hot), and the first dusting of snow had just appeared on Pikes Peak. We followed a creek through meadows and along rock formations, seeing wildflowers, grasshoppers, and even snakes (which are much less scary when you're on a bike than when on foot).
Eventually the path entered Air Force Academy land, and the scenery became even more picturesque, with trains chugging over green hills in the distance and cadets practicing their piloting skills in gliders silently soaring in the blue sky.
We couldn't believe we were even still in Colorado Springs, which is a bit of a desert, with few trees and green spaces and lots of traffic.
I love finding beautiful places when you least expect to. It's one of the things that makes a "town you live in" start to feel like it could someday maybe be considered "home."
It's taken me awhile to find those places here in Colorado. Probably because I haven't made a huge effort. In a foreign city it's easy to become a tourist every weekend and find places to love because you know you won't be there forever, and claiming those special places is what makes your time in that city feel real. But it's harder when you're living in a normal, everyday city that you could end up living in for years. You justify that you'll have plenty of time to explore—right now you need to run errands and rest up for a busy week and just relax.
But I'm glad I'm finding places in Colorado Springs to love. Because no matter how long I'm here, it'll be nice to remind myself someday of a gorgeous fall day when I rode my bike through meadows and hills and discovered that even normal, everyday cities have plenty of beautiful places to call my own.