Anchored in Africa: Colorado Catch Up: Part One

The ship set sail a couple of days ago and is currently on its way back to Madagascar for the next field service. Reading countless facebook posts and seeing pictures on instagram documenting the journey has got me reminiscing a bit about my own time with Mercy Ships. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was packing up, panicking, and heading out on my own unforgettable journey. Who knows, maybe one day I'll return to that floating hospital, but for now scouring over patient pictures and retelling my experiences during little Mercy Ships reunions will have to suffice.

Speaking of little reunions, my experience in Denver, Colorado was just that. Becky and I landed travel assignments at one of the hospitals right in Denver from March until June. Much to our excitement that meant not only would we get to explore the gorgeous state of Colorado, but we would be able to catch up with five of our friends, four of whom we knew from the ship. The sights were breathtaking and the experiences refreshing. Surely that assignment will not be my only visit to Colorado.

In the beginning of our stay we met up with Laura Jo - she introduced us to Rocky Mountain National Park. Our friend Kari, also from the ship, made a little weekend visit from Atlanta to get in on the fun.

This was after we braved walking over the "frozen" Bear Lake. The ice was thick but the creaking beneath our boots made us squeal a bit.

We all took a turn sliding down the little ice slope, on purpose or not remains unknown.

Elk for days!

Fast forward to Easter...

Becky and I headed out to Red Rocks to participate in an Easter Sunrise Celebration. It was pretty amazing. After I caught my breath walking up the hill and then up a ton of stairs (the altitude actually does make a difference, that and the fact that I am ridiculously out of shape), I was greeted with hundreds of people celebrating the day as the sun peeked over the horizon. We kept thinking - last year we were in Congo, this year is Colorado, what does next year have in store for each of us? I can assure you, we soaked in the experience for all it was worth.

One weekend Becky and I found our way to the Mexican Festival that was being held downtown. We wandered through food booths and checked out the souvenirs while being serenaded by catchy tunes. After we pulled ourselves away from the dip mixes and wine slushies we continued our little downtown Denver tour. We stood on the Mile High step and struggled to take the required awkward photo of ourselves.

I'm sure onlookers had their share of laughs...

We had been told to venture down to the Colorado Springs area and check out the neighboring town, Manitou Springs. There is a common hike that some friends suggested as a "must do before you leave kind of thing." It's a good thing I didn't do any research prior to the drive up to the trail, otherwise I may not have gone through with it. As we approached the Manitou Springs Incline, I was excited to learn that it was only about a mile long...then I learned it was a 2000 vertical foot climb. Too prideful to turn back I got out of the car and Becky, Laura Jo, and I prepared for the work out.