Sunset Valley

By: Sydney Cox

Sunset Valley: 

I chose this place for many different reasons. Though I haven't been visiting for a long time I feel deeply connected. The place I chose is just a little bit up the road from my house, but still within walking distance…

I walk up my driveway and make it to the path that leads me there. As soon as I step foot on the wood chip trail, I can see it. The rolling, hilly, valley below leads into the mountains. The gorgeous, bright, orange sun beams all around. At the end of the trail is a little area made of rocks. Flowers bloom all around and tall grass brushes against my upper legs. I can hear the birds chirping and see the small, fluffy rabbits running through the field.   The cool air feels so refreshing and immediately calms my soul after a long day of work. The tall Aspen trees are all around.

One of my core memories of this place is bringing friends to take pictures. I know we take pictures all the time, but these are special. These are some of the last pictures I got to take with my friends before some of them moved. I go there and all of the memories of my closest friends and family come back to me. But, another reason I visit is to clear my mind.

I go to this special place to get peace and comfort from the world around me. The warmth of the sun and cool breeze helps me to relax after a long day and lets me take a deep breath. Seeing the beautiful sunset reminds me of my dad. It reminds me of his sweet yet competitive nature. Like me. If you couldn’t tell already I will go there to talk to my dad. I go to tell him every detail of my day. The highs and lows. It helps me feel at home. It makes me feel safe and as if I belong. When I close my eyes and he is right there next to me. I can feel his presence though he is not there, but in a sense he is. It makes it feel more like home. 

 It also reminds me of where I'm from. I'm from the northern part of Texas. The reason I say it makes me feel at home is because it reminds me of my grandparents’ ranch. Not the mountains or the snow, of course, but the fields and grass, and the sheep and cows you can view down in the valley. It reminds me of the way I would get up at the break of dawn, to go tend to the animals. The way we would watch the sunset in the backyard, and the smell of the morning air and fresh grass. The sun beams bring back the dripping sweat down my face and back as I walk through the dead heat in the summer. With my brother, we would go running to any body of water we could get to, to escape the heat. We never turned down any opportunity to swim in the cold refreshing water. we go running to our neighbor’s house, ready to submerge ourselves in the bone-chilling water. I may not fit in here in Colorado, but this place makes me feel at home. It brings me back to Texas in a weird way. 

Seeing the cows and sheep at the dip in the valley, makes me think of people who brought cattle here years ago. I don’t just mean years, I mean as long ago as the 1800s. The cowboys traveling through with cattle had to think about a lot of different things just to stay alive and keep their animals alive. They were always thinking about weather conditions, especially up here on the mountain, because of the heavy snow during the wintertime. To keep the cattle alive, they needed to have good grass, so they probably only traveled here in spring and summer. Even then, they had to make sure that it was a good time of year for themselves to hunt for food, too. They also probably thought this was a harder place to go to because of the altitude, especially if they were just traveling through. My place is so remote that it's hard to imagine anyone else being there, but it was different a long time ago. 

Yet, walking up the path, it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn’t want to go. With their vision filled with glowing sunlight and a valley filled with beautiful flowers, the only word to describe it is beautiful. In your head, you are filled with absolutely nothing, but relaxation. When you walk in the grass you see all the animals run quickly to hide, but they don’t go too far because even they know how special it is to live here.