Currently Malcolm and I are exploring southern Colorado. He goes to Cortez, CO every now and then for work, and this time I tagged along. The drive down was absolutely gorgeous. Around each bend of the road (Just around the River Bend has never been a more relevant song), a new, even more picturesque view solidified. Ragged peaks capped with snow. A dazzling river with white rapids wound lazily next to the road.

We are near the Ute lands and drove onto Navajo lands this morning. To get there, we drove on a road call “Trail of the Ancients”. It was surreal, and I imagined what it would be like if white people hadn’t ruined it for everyone, especially indigenous people. I have been very conscious about where we eat and shop since we’ve come here because I can tell white people are profiting of Indigenous crafts and cultural appropriation. Ethical buying is difficult, especially while traveling, but I want all my money going to the Ute and Navajo nations.

We attempted to go to the Four Corners Monument, but it was closed. It seems the pandemic has hit this sleepy town’s economy hard. Though a lot of businesses and buildings are boarded up, some remain flourishing like the Burger Boy Drive In and others are clearly drug laundering businesses. Like, your side of the road kettle popcorn stand made it through Covid? Not buying it. (Can you tell I’ve been watching a lot of the Good Girls show on Netflix. It’s witty, thrilling, and gives me a bit of a shift in perspective).

I haven’t written on here because I was busy with work. But it feels good to be reconnecting with my travel bug roots and then writing about it on here. If you’ve been a reader for a while, you may remember when my blog was primarily about travel and adventure. I originally started it because I was moving to Thailand to teach English. I even wrote a travel manifesto in the early days of the blog. Search for Travel Manifesto in the search bar above if you want to see Mae Goes West’s humble beginnings.

Thanks for reading, friends! I’ll be back with more travel experiences soon.

xMaegan