When last you heard from me, I posted that my
next contract was taking me to Pueblo, Colorado.
I need to addend that statement to say
‘Colorado Springs.’ Poor Pueblo didn’t stand much of a chance. I’m still
working there but, after being counseled by travel therapist friends who’ve
worked in Pueblo previously and, after driving around Pueblo and taking stock
of it myself, I decided that living in Colorado Springs and commuting was the better option.
Poor Pueblo had the cards stacked against it from
the start. It was gusty ‘two-hands-on-the-wheel’ driving weather as I crested
my final mountain pass. Descending onto the Colorado plains, the winds began to
blow more and more frenetically, kicking up dust and sending dozens of
tumbleweeds careening across my path. I
actually had to switch on my headlights and slow down substantially because the
visibility was so poor. Good thing most tumbleweeds are super light! Upon
colliding with the car, generally exploded into straw-like confetti- still
disconcerting, though, when you see them coming at you! First dust storm, in
the books.
It also doesn’t help that I’ve essentially been
living in California for the last 2 years- LA barely has seasons and most
things (minus the grass) are green year-round.
So arriving somewhere where everything- and I mean everything- is either
straw-colored or brown and looks almost entirely dead- is not super welcoming.
Pueblo does have some beautiful government
buildings, a few blocks of Victorian houses, a newly re-done Riverwalk area,
and a number of run-down brick warehouses with enough architectural merit to be
made into industrial lofts one day. Otherwise, aside from the motels and chain
restaurants lining the freeway through town, it doesn’t look like there has
been any new construction in the last 50 years.
One travel friend tactfully described Pueblo as
‘gritty’ and ‘a little dirty.’ Call it what you want, Pueblo is not an affluent
town. In fact, it might just be one of the most entirely blue-collar places
I’ve been. I’m spoiled, I admit, and I just couldn’t get excited about it. (I’ve
since learned that crime and drug usage rates here are higher than average so
yes, its gritty.)
Instead, I’ll be living 40 miles north in
Colorado Springs- it is a straight shot along I-25 and the speed limit,
conveniently, is 75 mph. I apologize regularly to my little car for having to
rack up so many miles each week, but she just got a new set of tires, so I
think she’s feeling alright. With that being said, feel free to send podcast
recommendations my way!
PS: Truth be told, I was never aiming for
Pueblo. I was aiming to get myself a
contract as close to the greater Denver area as possible. This is surprisingly
hard to do as a traveler, especially when trying to steer clear of nursing
homes. Too many people are vying for jobs there for travelers to be needed. So,
on the bright side, living in Colorado Springs puts me 40 miles closer to
Denver!
PPS: I don’t have any pretty Pueblo photos to post- as
I mentioned above, this is a landscape of brown and beige- not especially
photo-worthy. Spring is on the way,
however, so hopefully I’ll have more photos ready next time!
