Teller County

Green Mountain Fall is a blink you miss it small town about 3 miles from the campground. The camp hosts said it would be a nice bike ride and there's a great little restaurant for breakfast.

We rode up the curvy mountain road into town and ate breakfast at The Pantry. I had huevos rancheros vegetarian style and Doug had biscuits and gravy while I read my Pattern reading about mercury being in retrograde and how that messes up communication. Set aside your expectations for the next three weeks as you realize things just won't work so smoothly, it said. Doug received bad news from his mother about her health and we held that space for a moment.

Doug and I are learning a lot about each other on this trip. Over coffee we were talking about how a new couples' van camping trip would make a great reality TV show. We're learning how to communicate, be patient with each other, our likes and dislikes and our triggers. Stories of our pasts keep coming out. Who would have known that Dougie used to be a Mormon but was shunned after he got the skull of the dead tattoo on his left ring finger. So we both have our cult story experiences! No matter how crazy, I love hearing people'sstories. "Live FREE or die," we agree.... our experiences have taught us that there is no other way to live.

The bike ride was fun and beautiful, but it was difficult as well. Not only was I riding a road bike on a mountain trail and trying not to slide it out from under me, but also my gear shift was broke as the cable was shredded. Also, we're oxygen deficient due to the high altitude at 8500 feet.

A beautiful older woman with long white hair seated us at The Pantry. She told us that she was here in the area visiting her daughter who just had her first baby, but despite the fact that she had four 10 pound babies naturally herself, her daughter knows everything. Doug tells her that I'm a midwife, and she shares her story with us. Her mother who is currently living at age 103 was a midwife for years in the hills of Virginia. The doctors called her to help them with their deliveries. After she lost her mother at age 6, she was raised by distant relatives where she was basically a servant for them living on a steam ship on the Mississippi River. The kids however were not allowed to sleep on the ship. Our host had 4 natural births out of the hospital back 37-47 years ago in Washington state. "You must have been a hippie," I said. As she's walking away, she turns and smiles, "My first baby, I named Freedom."Read more