Alamosa

I’ve lived in Colorado my whole life.
I’ve boiled in the Ouray hot springs,
Romped around Devils Kitchen at the Colorado Monument,
Climbed to the two highest points on the Grand Mesa,
Canoed the Colorado River,
Mountain biked the perilous, stupendous, terrifying, wonderful, brutal, Kokopelli’s trail,
Hiked through the red rocked Dominguez Canyon,
Shredded the steep slopes of Telluride,
and driven through the rolling  barren deserts toward Utah.
Only very recently (2 days ago), did I realize that all those things are alarmingly close to me.  I can drive 3 hours in any direction and arrive at any and many of them.  The reason for this realization was a trip to Alamosa CO. A place with completely unfamiliar landscape, culture, and atmosphere.  I’ve  seen topographical maps of the eastern side of Colorado, and apparently it’s flat, but not until last weekend did I finally understand the seriousness of that flatness.  I suppose you’re curious about why I descended from the mountains in the first place. This weekend I went to my first Young Single Adult (ages 18-30) conference for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I’ve been a member of that church since I was eight, but only recently have I become a “Young Single Adult”.
The events followed a familiar pattern.
Eat, meet (socializing youth and young adults in the church is a very popular phenomenon), listen (to speakers),  dance ( Mormons can dance), sleep, serve, eat, play, eat, listen, share (spiritual experiences and testimonies). I’ve been to a few youth (ages 14-17)  conferences before, and most frequently they follow this pattern with minor differences.  I always leave them happy that I went. For some reason however,  I was very hesitant to go to this YSA Conference, but a friend dropped me a line asking if I’d be willing to take the 4 hour drive with her and I spontaneously agreed. The drive was quite nice. We went over some of those Colorado mountains that I love so much and ventured forward into unknown territory, another thing I like. My favorite parts of the drive from Saguatch (supposedly pronounced Sawatch, though more probably referring to a relative of our dear Sasquatch) to Alamosa were:
Abundant signs in recognition of Korean War veterans,
12 Mile Road which is straight as a pin and has a large sign at each mile indicating the 11, 10, 9, 8. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 miles remaining,
And The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee building.
I enjoyed the conference. We worked with Habitat for Humanity digging a foundation, planting trees, and oiling cupboards built by convicts at a very progressive prison. I loved listening to the great men and women who spoke to us. I am always inspired to be a better person when I listen to the leaders of the church. I wept at the testimony meeting, overwhelmed by the beautiful insides of all the people there. We drove back in the night.
I kind of liked Alamosa. It’s a small town with a lot of unusual local businesses, and unlikely tourist attractions.  I hope to go back someday to more fully experience what Alamosa has to offer me. Next time I would like to visit the alligator farm, which I hear is a somewhat amazing collection of alligators that have been rescued from unsuitable owners. A guy at the conference claimed he had a horse skeleton in his fathers shop that belonged to a horse that was abducted by aliens. I would like to see that too.
Another adventure to come!
http://www.alamosa.org/ColoradoGators.aspx