Forget Texas - Let's Look to the Northwest

My son and I took our first “adult” trip to Colorado last week and it was a real eye-opening experience for both of us. We had both been there before, but all dating back more than a decade ago when I was a new parent and he was working his way through infancy.

 

Our trips are always great no matter where we go – Disneyworld, trips to the lake, Branson, Dallas. The destination never really mattered as much as the time spent together. But this time it was both. He seemed to be having a good time but he said something that surprised me. He said this was probably his favorite trip ever. And that he felt like this was his “home.”

What I know about Colorado is that it is full of nature. And not just the green, leafy variety everyone thinks about when I tell them I went to Colorado. The fact is, I didn’t notice a single marijuana store while I was there. I also know my phone was unable to get service half the time I was there, which was slightly annoying. But I can completely understand where my son was coming from.

I’m sure he was somewhat impressed with the mountains. We spent most of our trip at a higher elevation than we can find anywhere in Oklahoma. But the activities I planned for us weren’t anything all that exciting – a walking tour of Denver, a quick look at dinosaur tracks, hiking some trails near the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a free concert outside of a local restaurant and a trip to Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods and Pike’s Peak. OK, so those are some fun things to do. But they aren’t all that different than what can be found in a lot of states.

What stood out were the people and the environment. Sure, in Oklahoma, there are plenty of “nice” people. They are polite and they are often willing to help out a stranger in need. But that is the way people are everywhere. There was a different attitude in Colorado, however. Nobody was excited that Donald Trump had been in town recently. Nobody seemed too wrapped up in anything. They just seemed to enjoy life. Even the hipsters seemed to just keep to themselves and not act as arrogant as Oklahoma hipsters. And as far as the environment, it felt clean. Sure, I was having more difficulties breathing normally due to not being used to the higher altitude, but there is a reason people move to Denver to heal themselves. The people there appreciate nature to the point that they actually do something about it. They actually base voting decisions on how the candidates treat the environment. It was so unique!

I have lived in Oklahoma my entire life and have no immediate plans to change that. However, I can recall during my years as a reporter at the State Capitol having to listen to elected officials consistently compare Oklahoma to Texas. I’ve been to Texas and I’ve been to Colorado. And in my experience, Oklahoma needs to be much more like Colorado than Texas. It’s your choice, Oklahoma – the youth of Oklahoma are watching and waiting.