Here's the quick and dirty...it's Sunday and I've been locked in a hotel room since yesterday evening in order to finish a work project with a Monday due date!  Lucky for me I was saved by Emory earlier today for a hike and some sightseeing in Boulder, CO.  I believe I have finally had a cup of coffee as strong as I make at a local hot spot in Boulder.  Our hike was lovely following a babbling brook for a few miles.  Sam managed to completely behave himself and has settled into his afternoon nap.

Wyoming memories remain as beautiful as ever.  My last day in Lander, WY I hiked up to some beautiful waterfalls with my new friend Bob and his dog Rusty. Finishing up my day with some bouldering and research for my book...Coffee Across America (working title) I ran into Katie from Bozeman!  Imagine, she arrived the day I was leaving and we by chance met in one of three coffee shops in Lander!  I can't help but remember a story my mom told me about meeting a friend for hiking in Cool, California (yes there is such a place!).  They decided to meet at what they believed was the only grocery store in Cool.  My mom waited at the grocery and her friend waited at the liquor store.  They never saw each other in a town of less than 100 people!  

 
Bob, Sam, Rusty taking a break along the trail.

After sharing beers and swapping stories we parted way and Sam and I headed for Laramie.  Thanks to Bob's meticulous notes we found Happy Jack Recreation Area.



And here is where we rested our travel weary heads.



This journey has not been without some incredible sadness and reflection.  When meeting fellow travelers or just local folks there is so much to learn.  It seems that we are all searching for something we may never find.  For some just a happier existence, others a good job, and many a soul mate.  I learned today that there are four laws of attraction the first being proximity.  I just simply found this sad.  We find our mates by those that are around us, closest to us.  Or are we actually just afraid to meet new people, to say hello to a stranger?  It reminds me of my favorite poem and what I will close with today.    

Life is like a journey taken on a train
With a pair of travelers at each window pane
I may sit beside you all the journey through
Or I may sit elsewhere never knowing you
But should fate sit me by your side
Let's be pleasant travelers it's so short a ride
~author unknown 


Thanks Emory for the mouse!  It is fabulous!