Scott Michael Brady's
Broken Library
Where Have We Been?
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving” – Lao Tzu
For me, traveling and books have a great deal in common. When we read, we allow ourselves to be taken on a journey into lives and worlds we'd otherwise never get to see. We experience cultures, religions, ways of life, and perspectives that - if we let it - can change us for the good, forever. Once touched by the beauty of what's different and unique, we are never the same. We think better, we love better, we interact with the universe better. Overly dramatic? Maybe. But give it a try. Let yourself go. See what happens.
When I teach "The Odyssey" - the ultimate travelogue - to my students, I always end by asking, "Was Odysseus happy?" It's an odd question, and my students look at me thinking (hoping?) I've finally lost my mind. Was Odysseus, who against his wishes travelled the world, and in the words of Tennyson, " ... suffer'd greatly, both with those that loved me, and alone," happy?
I'll let you answer that question for yourself. I know, I know - that's a writer's trick, and it can be maddening. But writers, artists, poets, songwriters, aren't any more qualified to answer your questions than you are. Sorry, but that's reality. You want them to be smarter than they are, and they want you to think they are smarter than they are. So in the end, I suspect your answer to my question will depend on whether or not you consider yourself a traveller.
That's why I include a section here on travel. Whether you're traveling with your mind, or with your body, it's all pretty much the same brilliant thing, isn't it? It might be why so many of our greatest stories are about travel: it might just be the greatest metaphor for life there is, and what it has to teach is limited only the the distance we are willing to go,
When Taralee and I moved to Colorado with our children in 2017 we'd spend one or two weekends a month exploring places like Pike's Peak, Garden of the Gods, Estes Park, and Rocky Mountain National Forest. When Covid hit in 2000, things changed; instead of hiking in RMNP, I'd hike to the refrigerator fifty times a day.
Steamboat Springs has always been on our to-do list, but for one reason or another we didn't make it until this recently. We had a wonderful time.
We went in April, during the in-between season, so there were not a ton of people there. We got a mix of weather, but being that we live in Colorado, we weren't bothered by the little bit of cold we experienced.
We stayed at the Hilton a couple miles south of the main part of town.
Although I did a Google search of restaurants in the area, we decided to play it by ear and see where our stomachs led us. Our two favorites were:
Winona's Restaurant and Bakery. This is one of the first spots that will pop up if you search best places to eat in Steamboat Springs, and it deserves the attention. The food was amazing, especially the lemon square dessert we brought with us for later. On a side note, our wonderful waitress didn't quite understand us when we ordered the lemon square, so the next time she came back with Diet Coke refills, she included a lemon wedge on Taralee's glass. It took us a few seconds to connect the dots.
Mai Thai was so good we had to go twice, which is unusual for us. We like trying new places, but Taralee said she had been thinking about Mai Thai the entire day, so I was happy going again. The food was great and the people were wonderful. We became friends an employee's three-year-old daughter, who rode around the restaurant on her tiny blue scooter entertaining all the diners.
If you're into Greek food, you have to try Skull Creek. We had gyros and french fries. Taralee had the sweet potato fries, and I went with the traditional. I don't know why, but Greek restaurants have some of the best fries I've ever had. We both highly recommend Skull Creek.
If you go to Steamboat Springs, be sure to reserve some time to go to Strawberry Hot Springs. It's a little out of the way, and the last two miles is dirt road, but the feeling of seclusion makes it worth it. Keep in mind there is very little lighting, so walking around after dark can be a bit sketchy. Also, if you happen to do the polar plunge while you're there, please let us know in the comments. You're braver than we are!
Lastly, we do love us some good Pickleball. Before we even left home, we looked up where we could play. The Tennis Center of Steamboat Springs was perfect. They have eight courts and we decided to pay the ten bucks for drop-in play. Sean, their Pickleball coordinator did a great job organizing everyone by skill level, and made sure that when someone wasn't playing, they were working together on drills. We highly recommend going, even if you've never played. You can rent paddles, and they provide balls.
We knew Steamboat would be awesome, but we weren't quite prepared for how much we'd fall in love with it. We even spend time looking up condos for sale, which is always a sign of a great time.
If you have any trip recommendations, please leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you.
Still to come: Cancun, Guatemala, Thailand, Alaska, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Greece, and more!