Engine Lights and Long Drives

What a whirlwind the past few days have been. 

We began Tuesday in Kansas City, and traversed the entire state in a single day, arriving in Denver late in the day. We stopped in Topeka along the way, visiting a skatepark which was empty, but still offered insight into the community. Driving across Kansas was a memory in and of itself. Flat land stretched to the horizon and beyond with a few meandering cows occasionally breaking the plane of green. But just after we bid the Sunflower State goodbye and entered Colorado, we were graced by the presence of the soft yet ominous check engine light of our intrepid Prius. 

Going across Denver and up into the mountains where we would stay for the next two days, we prepared to both make sure our dear vehicle was fit for more long distance driving and to ensure that we could go to all the places that we wanted to in our one full day in Denver on Wednesday. As luck would have it, we managed to do so, and the car returned healthy, all checked out and cleared. During the day we visited skateparks in Arvada and downtown Denver. They were both incredible places, with people of all ages enjoying the day. The contrast between the parks was also notable. The more suburban Arvada park was removed and isolated, which gave it a more laid-back feel, while the Denver park was in the middle of a bustling city, next to apartment buildings, and a block from a major sports stadium. The downtown park also had a more racially diverse clientele, seemingly at more of a crossroads of identities. 

After another beautiful night up in the Rockies, we began the drive to our next destination, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Starting at an elevation of ~8,500 outside Denver, we climbed up to over 10,000 feet in Leadville, Colorado before slowly descending from the mountains and into the desert. Gorgeous views were everywhere, and there was not enough time to stop for each vista. Settling into Albuquerque now with our trip odometer almost at 3,000 miles, we will start to slow down and spend more and more time in each unique location. 

Arvada Skatepark              

Route 40 outside Denver