By Heitor Gabriel Santos
Back to my adolescence, Jack Kerouac’s books were a significant factor to
increase my passion about traveling and, most important, an encouragement to pack and go. On “On the Road”, Colorado is a state that plays an essential role on his journey, not only for its location on the middle of the way from east to west, but mainly for the people he met and everything that used to happen once he was there.
From the flat to the hilly to discover the Colorado’s color spectrum
Kerouac describes Denver, the capital,
However, when we truly want something the
as a magical and transforming place, and I
opportunity eventually comes. Two friends of
was easily caught by the mysteries the city
mine were talking about the desire of making
could hide. Situated on the Rocky Mountains’
a quick trip by car to somewhere close and
feet, Denver represents the madness and the
cheap. It was only one week before the spring
cure right by side, a place to have fun night
break, but when I heard their intentions, I
out and to contemplate after the sunrise.
almost screamed on the dining hall’s table:
The years had passed and I saw myself with
“WHAT ABOUT COLORADO?”. I had found one
the opportunity to live in the United States. I
more friend willing to go, and at the end of
would be in the land of Kerouac to experience
the day we were in five with a car and hotel
my favorite novel beyond the imagination.
booked. Two British girls, Alice and Laura,
I ended up in Lawrence Kansas, the state on
and three Brazilians, me, Carol, and Harry. We
the east side border of Colorado, and I was
had only three days available to explore the
sure that it would be my first destination. It
most of Colorado, low budget and only one
wasn’t that easy to get there, though, due
inexperienced driver, but a lot of excitement
to the very poor schedule and routes of
to hit the road. It would be a short last minute
buses and trains leaving from Lawrence.
trip with risks to take and we were totally up to.
Somewhere in Colorado, Heitor 2016
We booked four nights in Denver, which is located in an ideal area for those who wa
to explore the diversity of the state’s landscapes, not to mention that it is the biggest city wit
lot to be seen. We got there on Friday late night with no itinerary planned, but with a few place
mind that we searched and discussed during the eight hours ride. The general plan was to visit
Rocky Mountains first, as we would be full of energy and it was the most desired place; to exp
the south in the second day, famous for its exotic areas; and to stay in Denver and surroundi
in the last day, so we could visit what we hadn’t had time to do in the gap of the other d
In the hotel room, we actually had
Denver has an interesting class
just two full-size beds, so we dragged them
modern and contemporary architecture. Du
together to fit all of us sleeping horizontally.
the days we visited the Botanic Garden,
The good thing is that when one woke up,
Civic Center Park, and we even got the cha
everyone else also did, and I chose to believe
to learn some history at the Colorado S
that it was an essential factor for our everyday
Capitol, where there is a portrait of all for
punctuality. By 9 a.m. we were always ready
America’s presidents. The 16th street, w
to leave, considering it was winter. In the
artists all over it, is the main place for ea
early morning, we had time to eat, shower
and shopping, where we found ourselves ev
and fix a route for the day with no hurries.
night because of the Cheesecake Fact
ants
th a
es in
t the
plore
ings
days.
sical,
uring the
ance
State
rmer
with
ating
very
tory.
Denver, Heitor 2016
䜀 刀 䔀 䔀 一
Boulder, Heitor 2016
a treasure on the way
We rested on Friday to be ready for our actual first
day. Before sleeping, I had found Boulder on the map, half way from the Rocky Mountains’ park we were heading to. We decided to give it a chance on the morning shift.
Boulder, Heitor 2016
Once in Boulder, around 45 minutes from Denver, we parked on an urban park in the
city’s center. It was a nice green area crossed by a river whose water was coming from the first melted ice of the mountains, announcing the coming spring. With no expectations, we walked around through beautiful but empty streets. We got back to the car and we headed to the west border of the city, where it seemed to have a natural park by the foot of the closest mountain. We arrived in a place that looked like an old village composed by people who knew each other since a long time and shared the passion for hiking. Behind the houses, we found a long open field ending up in a forest, which was the entrance to the mountain’s trail.
We had no choice instead of following that
trail, officially starting our nature expedition. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were many other people doing the same. The weather was a way hotter than what I expected, but soon we were under the trees getting a fresh breeze. I simply love walking through nature over a rustic trail, step by step, stone by stone, while contemplating the highest trees. It was invigorating being there, and I could keep walking up the mountain forever if we all weren’t starving. We took the trail back watching more and more people arriving to that place we had discovered by luck. Back to the city’s center to find a restaurant, the same streets were surprisingly crowed, full of artists and families. Painters, performers, bands playing folk songs and children running all around and having fun. The environment was like being at home. We had a delicious lunch in a Mexican restaurant before continuing on the road. We left Boulder with a feeling that we had found a hidden treasure. According to Carol, a perfect place to move in when retired.
眀 栀 椀 琀 攀
Sprague Lake - Rocky Mountains, Heitor 2016
We continued our journey to the Rocky Mountains
heading to the north. Our gateway village chosen was Estes Park, which had a bridge over a blue lake right at its entrance. Huge fancy cabins all over the charming village, blessed with a magnificent mountain scenery all around it.
Bear Lake - Rocky Mountains, Heitor 2016
We made our way to a point called
Bear Lake into the mountains. The path was already unbelievable, with changeable landscape frames while we were entering more and more inside of the park, full of trees covered by snow. We stopped in every little parking spot to drop off and deeply feel that energy and calmness. The first one was at the Sprague Lake, which had only a thin layer of ice on the surface. Small cabins and little bridges made by wood added up to the view.
A few miles ahead, we arrived at the Bear Lake point dreaming to see its blue water,
but it was completely frozen. The snow left no evidence of the lake, even though it was still an amazing place to be. We walked over the frozen lake until find a trail to the Dream Lake. We were not prepared at all to walk over the snow, but we kept going anyway. It started to snow softly and the trail was getting narrow and sloping. Occasionally we crossed a few people paths, and we got a bit scared to see they were all equipped. However, one family had a baby with them, so it shouldn’t be that dangerous. Well, we got lost, we passed through very hard trail stretches and we were freezing, but I was actually realizing a child dream of going up an iced mountain and nothing could destroy my peace at that moment. We never made it to the Dream Lake, but we reached a peak with a stunning view to the Rocky Mountains. It was definitely one of the best days of my life, an important experience that taught me what it means to be here and now.
爀
攀
搀
Garden of the Gods, Heitor 2016
The first day was already enough to say that the trip had
worth it, but we still had a lot to explore. The Garden of the Gods, the main visit planned for our second day in Colorado, is an exotic park located in the south of the state. The area was once a sand dune before the geological transformations that ended up on the ones we see nowadays. The shape of the rocks are incredible, not to mention its reddish shade.
Garden of the Gods, Heitor 2016
We first stopped in Colorado Springs,
the second biggest city of the state. When I was walking around holding my camera, I remembered I had a portrait assignment for the photograph class. That was much probably because of the amount of genuine people I had found on the streets. Everyone seemed to act and dressed up in a unique way.
After fueling our energies with a good lunch, we went to the Garden of the Gods at the
beginning of the afternoon. It was a sunny day once more, what might had encouraged people to going there: it was crowded. There were many trails leading to a variety of different peaks. Some people adventure climbing it or they try to fit in the corridors and into the holes that the stones built. In one of these trails, we found a man wearing a T-shirt from KU, the university we all attended in Lawrence. When we passed by him, we screamed a good “Rock Chalk!” and he instantly answer “Jayhawk!”, which is the traditional chant of KU. He told us about his time at the university and how he used to love it since then. It was amazing to feel I was a part of it, and quite nice to realized how KU had brought Brazilian, British and American together.
爀 攀 搀 爀 漀 挀 欀 猀
and surroundings
On the last day, which felt like a month later, we went to the Red Rocks to watch
the sunset after exploring Denver on the day light. The park is located on the west of the city, and it has an unmatched amphitheater where famous bands go to give concerts. It has a privilege view to Denver’s landscape right behind the stage, and the rocks surround the audience. It must be the perfect place to watch the favorite band playing.
Red Rocks Amphiteather, Heitor 2016
The sun was gone and so did we. That nostalgic
feeling of a trip coming to the end was already in the air. Nowhere specific to go, we just drove towards west on a narrow and curved road. The landscape was so breathtaking that we didn’t even realized we were going upper and upper until we got to a point we just couldn’t go forward. Driving down the mountain, the view was even better. We could see distant cabins in the middle of nothing, valleys, peaks and a river passing by many meters under the road. Inside the car, silence and a sense of peace prevailed, and this is the only picture I took on the entire ride. I wanted to live that moment the most.
Alice Cunningham
Carol Oliveira
Daniel Jales (Harry)
Laura Pullen
It turned out I went back home with my portrait
assigment done. This trip to Colorado also taught me that taking a good portrait is related to the connection you
Rocky Mountains, Heitor 2016
have
with
whom
you
are
photographing.
That was with no doubts a very special trip to me. Colorado is a territory of
extremes, and I had the best companies to enjoy it with me. From the organized city to the wild mountains, we went through snow, rain and sun on desert, forest and frozen landscapes. It wasn’t Kerouac’s place as I expected, but it was mine. My own experiences and senses shared with loved ones. If I had made it by my own, it would never be so unforgettable and special how it ended up being. When I see the pictures I took there, I don’t look at sceneries, but at funny stories we lived together in every corner we passed by.
It was a simple and quick trip, but with many significant lessons learned. We got
along since the first moment we jumped into the car, but mainly because we shared the love for the Cheesecake Factory’s brown bread and butter – which we used to take some extra ones for our breakfast in the hotel. I was able to know the British girls better, even if they were always laughing at us when trying to teach us their accent. It was amazing to realize how chasing the new and sharing difficult but exciting moments could bring two different cultures together. Colorado were definitely more colorful when we were there, and I can’t wait to go back there with my Butter Group one day.
“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.” Jack Kerouac