Road Trip Lessons

Sam stared out the car window with a vacant expression, one earbud in, trying to ignore the world around him. Was this really happening? Were his parents really dragging him on a weekend road trip across the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway just for some “bonding time?” This was a setup. Sam didn’t want anything to do with his parents. He wanted to spend some time with his friends on Pearl Street, but no, Mom and Dad had to yank him out of Boulder to take him on a tour of “interesting historical landmarks.” Great, so basically a bunch of old, rotting buildings. It sounded like the trip of a lifetime.

As the car drove past the mountains, Sam didn’t even bother taking in the view. He just stared out into the distance, music blasting in his ear, trying to pretend he was still home. His parents were more eager to talk than he was. As usual, his mom spoke to him first.

“Isn’t this exciting, honey?”

“Sure.” His voice clearly lacked enthusiasm.

“Oh, come on, this’ll be such a fun trip! We’ll get to see old mines and small towns, we’ll get to drive along beautiful scenery, it’ll be a fun family adventure.”

“We’ll see.” He was purposefully avoiding answering with long sentences. He was subtly communicating that he wanted to be left alone without starting a conflict.

“You know, the last time your mom and I went on a road trip like this with you was when you were a little kid.” His dad was clearly trying to intervene to make the tension less palpable. In actuality, all it did was make Sam more annoyed.

“Must have been exciting.” He was still not in the mood for small talk.

“Sam, what’s bothering you, honey?” Her enthusiastic tone of voice felt condescending.

“Nothing.” He knew they weren’t stupid. They knew he was lying. But he didn’t care.

“Oh, come on, aren’t you looking forward to a little quiet time in a small town?”

“I was looking forward to spending time with my friends.” He was sick of holding it in.

“Oh, you go to the mall every weekend with those boys, change things up a little, appreciate the little things, embrace the spontaneity!”

“I suppose I’ll have to since you’ve given me no choice.”

There was silence for a second. “Alright, I’ll give you some breathing space, but when we get to our first stop, I want you to live in the moment. Take out those earbuds and breathe in the scenery.”

“Can’t wait.”

True to her word, she didn’t speak again until they parked at their first stop. Exploring the small town of Ward, Sam’s parents gasped and gawked at every rustic building and stopped to say hi to every resident they met along the way. Meanwhile, Sam, who had stupidly decided to listen to his mom and leave his earbuds in his car, was humming to himself, using the background noise to keep him sane. The day kept passing by, and they went to stop after stop after stop. Ward, then Sugarloaf, then Mud Lake, and finally Nederland. Every time they stopped at a new location, his parents gawked at the old buildings, despite the fact that in Sam’s eyes, they all looked the same.

Where Sam found some solace during his inner ennui was in the nature around him. The creeks and rivers they drove by, the mountains near the horizon, the changing colors of the aspen leaves. Sam didn’t take the scenery in, per se. He just let himself stare blankly at it, letting his mind wander and relax. It took him away from the embarrassing reality of two full-grown adults geeking out over random buildings and allowed him to concentrate on something that quieted his thoughts.

At the end of the day, the family rented a room in the Boulder Creek Lodge. When they finished bringing their stuff in for the night, Sam told his parents he needed some space. He walked out to the balcony of the lodge and leaned his arms on the railings, looking up at the night sky, hearing the sound of running water as Boulder Creek flowed downstream. He intended to lose himself in the blackness of it all, zoning out for a few minutes before going to bed. But then he noticed a small bright light. A star. He always liked seeing a lone star or two outside his window at night. Tonight, however, he kept noticing them. As he looked around the sky trying to focus on individual stars, more kept popping up. Finally, he took in the entire sky at once. Dozens upon dozens of stars shining above him in this quiet, small town with nothing but the sound of Boulder Creek to keep him company. For the first time, he truly took in the sights and sounds of the environment around him.

And then it hit him. His parents were right. He had been so focused on wanting to spend his weekend in a certain way that he refused to embrace the spontaneity of this sudden family trip. He hadn’t even bothered to ask why his parents were so fascinated in the scenery, he automatically assumed that anything involving looking at buildings all day had to be boring. He realized he needed to try learning and exploring new things. He wouldn’t know if he was truly interested in them unless he understood why other people found them interesting. With this newfound epiphany, he went to bed, fully intending to invest himself in the next day.

The next morning, the family checked out of the lodge and drove to their next destination. They stopped in Rollinsville, then in Black Hawk, then in Clear Creek Canyon. Throughout the entire morning, Sam was much more attentive. He listened to his parents explain the history and significance behind each town. He learned that Black Hawk was established as a mining settlement that took its name from an ore mill. He learned that Clear Creek Canyon was used as a hunting ground for native tribes such as the Arapaho and Ute. He even asked about the towns he had visited the previous day and learned they were also once mining settlements and Native American tribal grounds. Suddenly, with the stories behind this small little byway in the middle of nowhere, the buildings came to life. They didn’t feel like old, dilapidated constructions anymore, they felt lived in, like important pieces of local, if not national, identity. They embodied the traits that made the state of Colorado thrive in the first place. With this new knowledge, Sam wasn’t annoyed with his parents for taking him on this trip anymore. He felt thankful to them for allowing him to understand that every now and then, it’s necessary to gain a new perspective and find appreciation in every single moment. Sometimes, you’ll learn something new about your identity that is so much bigger than your own life.