The Royal Gorge The Gondola The Climb and The Gratitude

The wind is so strong the flags turn into a speedometer, and the Royal Gorge Bridge starts to feel alive under our feet. We’re out in Colorado with my wife Brenda for her birthday, trying to soak up the canyon views even while the bridge shakes and the gusts keep changing the plan. Then a truck rolls across the span and the whole moment becomes equal parts awe and “okay, that is wild.”

We use the trip to talk about something simple that most of us forget: you don’t have to wait all year for a one week vacation to feel fully alive. Day trips, quick overnights, and little local adventures can do real work for your mindset, your marriage, and your family. We also share a faith-forward perspective on gratitude and enjoying the good God put around us, even when the wider world feels less beautiful.

There’s an accessibility angle too. As a blind traveler, I guide you through a short listening pause so you can experience the soundscape of the outdoors: birds, running water, wind, and even faint music. We hike toward the gondola and zip line, only to find the gondola closed because of the wind, and that becomes the lesson. Sometimes the goal slips away, and the climb still matters. If you’ve ever had plans derailed, needed help, or had to reframe “success,” you’ll feel this one.

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Transcript

Windy Steps On The Bridge

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Now you can see that flag. That's how windy it is. Yep, that's a good measure. And this bridge is actually shaking a little bit as well. Craziness, all right, here we go. Here's the Royal Gorge, and we're looking straight down. I can't see it, but you can, and I want you to experience even what I can't necessarily experience. But I will tell you, this bridge is shaking. It's pretty windy today, so it's kind of wild. I'm gonna walk over to the other edge of the bridge. The other side. Everybody say hi to Miss Brenda. Hello, hello. So we're walking to the other side of the bridge. Pretty much the same view. I don't know why this side is a little shakier. I'm gonna climb up just a little bit. Oh, there's the down. Oh yeah, and there's somebody coming, and the bridge is shaking really hard. What is that? It's a little bit apart. Oh, okay. Well he's shaking the bridge. Oh, those. Alright, guys. A little bit of what we're seeing at the Royal Gorge Bridge. Hope you dug it. Okay, this is how big the bridge is. Apparently, there's a truck coming down the freaking Royal Gorge Bridge, which is kind of cool, but then they shake the bridge. Here it comes. Whoa.

unknown 1:45

Hi!

Take Day Trips And Enjoy Life

Hiking Up And Listening Closely

Gondola Closed And Life Lessons

Wind Sounds And Asking For Help

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Damn it. Yep, and the boards under my feet were moving. Just wiggling and jiggling. I didn't get a shot of how windy it was a second ago. These flags were like flopping everywhere. But the wind has calmed down a little bit, so that's kind of cool. But again, just a little bit more of what's going on here with me and Miss Brenda, my loved wife. This week is her birthday, so we're doing some cool stuff. Cool, cool stuff. I want to encourage you do cool stuff. Even if it's just day trips, if you don't have to wait a year to take a one-week vacation, find somebody that's somebody, sorry, find somewhere that's near enough that you can take. Whoa, there's the windy, but there's no flakes. Whatever. Anyway, find a place that's close enough for you to take a one-day vacation. Even if you stay overnight somewhere, just do cool stuff, do fun stuff, enjoy life. God gave us all this beautiful stuff. We're in Colorado. I freaking love it. Find a way to take cool little trips. You and your wife, you and your kids, you and your family, you and your friends. Live, love, laugh. Yeah, that's not just the same. Do those things. God wants us to have a full, fulfilled life in Him and in all the things that He's given us. Which is a beautiful world all around us. Even if society doesn't seem as beautiful. Let's appreciate the things that are. Have a great day. Now you can see that flag. That's how windy it is. Yep, that's a good measure. And this bridge is actually shaking a little bit as well. Craziness. Alright, so this is kind of where we're headed. Walking up. Yep, I'm a little winded because back here is where we came from. So that's a pretty steep incline. Hopefully, I'm facing the right direction. So you can see the incline that we're climbing. It's really fun. I do like to hike, even if it wears my chunky butt out. It's still really great, still really cool. Um, yep, here we go. Back for more. Alright, this is just for my blind friends. Okay. I'm just gonna be quiet and just listen. It's a little windy, but maybe that'll slow down for a second. I want you to hear the sounds that I've been hearing. Birds, running water. Man, if you hear something else besides that, drop me a comment. Let me know what you heard. Sighted folks, no, my hearing didn't get better because I went blind. I just learned to pay better attention to things. So let's take a second. Let's be quiet. Let's just listen I love the sound of birds. I even love the sound of wind. That might sound crazy to people, but I heard water, I heard wind, I heard birds, and yes, I heard music. We're getting close to where the gondola's at and the zip line. Alright, hope you guys are digging it. Just in case you thought I was tripping a minute ago, here's the water I was hearing. Alright, our final destination was that gondola right there. But it was open for a second, and now it's too windy, so they shut it down for a while. They're not sure if they're gonna open it back up or not. Fun fact, we did that entire hike all the way up to get on the gondola. Sometimes you've got a goal in mind that through no fault of your own, you're not going to achieve. That's okay. My daughter used to listen to a song by Miley Cyrus called It's the Climb. Or the Climb, whatever. And honestly, if you'll take life as an adventure, not just a goal, man, you'll have so much fun and you'll enjoy life that much more. That goes for your life as a blind person, a sighted person. It even goes for your life with Jesus. If we'll take it as a journey and a in an adventure, not just a goal and a destination. When you get to the top, whether you get your goal or not, you can look back and look around and say, Man, look how far I made it. And all that God graced me and gave me the strength to be able to do and overcome. Timeout for a few more sounds. The wind kind of shaking those chains. It almost sounds like a train, but it's just the wind, I guess, coming through and around the gondola, maybe. I'm not a hundred percent sure. But again, I love sound. Let's check out another downward view of this canyon. Woo-hoo! Guys, this lookout where I'm standing is shaking with the wind. Mercy.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

A little bit. I'm gonna move the face again.

SPEAKER_00 8:18

So yeah, they even thought this is a video. I didn't tell her I was shooting. But sometimes, even with the glasses, to get a proper video and to see what I wanted to see, it still takes a little bit of sighted assistance. Guess what? That's okay. Alright, guys. Little bit of what we're seeing at the Royal Gorge Bridge. Hope you dug it off.