Moments ... in Colorado (XF)

I said in the last "Moments ... in Colorado" that the some of best memories of my trip where around this coffee place in Crested Butte. I'll explain ... 

Thursday, July 4th

I was driving from Telluride to Gunnison, where I had a reservation for two nights. Gunnison is a town really close to Crested Butte, with a best location once I had to move forward on my trip. I arrived to Gunnison around 6pm, with the idea to drive directly to Crested Butte to see the 4th of July fireworks. Oh, surprise, they were cancelled as the weather on the last days was so dry, they had a huge risk of forest fire.

Thinking about what to do, my only option to see fireworks was to stay in Gunnison, so I did. The city (small town or village) is the typical west American one, where the main street is directly a 5 lane road crossing from one side to the other. And the fireworks where ready in a small park almost in front of my hotel ... the fire department was ready, as conditions were really dry, and a big truck was placed in the middle of the road. Big surprise, the truck was not there to throw some water if needed, it was 4th of July, so there was a more important function to accomplish ...

Once I was back on my hotel room, I decided to try a crazy idea, sending a short message using Facebook to XF, catalan guy living in Crested Butte. Honestly, I was thinking it was a lost of time, as maybe he was out of town, or even he was not going to look on his Facebook page that night, but it was worth a try.

Friday, July 5th

I wake up on my room early morning, and prepared my bag with the camera to drive up to Crested Butte, when I was packing my phone rang, it was a local number, and oh surprise, a catalan voice on the other side of the line answer my "Hello this is Javier" with a "Bon dia, que fas a Gunnison?" ... some minutes later I was on my way to meet XF, oh my God, I don't know how many times I thought I will love to live on that amazing place from where he was opening a window for all the bikers in my country !!!!

Once I arrived to Crested Butte, I called him again ... "Hey, soc al parking de l'entrada del poble ... XF: continua, tomba a l'esquerra pel carrer principal, quan arribis a 1st street i un petit parking, jo sere alla" ... two minutes later I was almost there and a thin guy, with a black shirt was waving his hand. XF was there, he answered my Facebook message, and was ready to spend with my almost three hours on a Friday morning. I will be always thankful for his hospitality, and as I said to him, my house will be always open for him or his family.

We walked all Crested Butte, talking about live, about what drove us to this country, about our experiences far away from Catalonia, about a lot of things...and incredible, maybe just a 10% of our conversation turned around MTB.

All that we discussed and talked about will remain in my mind for a long time, and I will keep this for me, but I can say here, he is a brave man, somebody who moved 28 years ago to a small town in the Rockies, with nothing on his pockets, to start a new live.

This is my small present to XF, he made my day and my trip better than I ever thought it will be.

From SC, Xavi Paricio ... in fact this is how I close all my posts, and it was an idea I took from all his articles years ago.