Last month I was inspired to start a “Meet a Travel Blogger” series by a new friend, Kana Imamura. This month I decided it was a great opportunity to feature a dear friend, Tracey Flower who writes at Bright Stars Big Mountains. I’ve known her for 6 or 7 years, and have always enjoyed reading her blog. Honest and heartfelt are two adjectives that come to mind when I think about her writing. I am looking forward to having her back in Colorado and I hope you enjoy getting to know her!
Tracey Flower, Bright Stars Big Mountains
Tell us about yourself.
Let’s see… I’m a writer. I love being outdoors; going for a long hike or bike ride is my favorite way to relax and re-energize. I’m really close to my family, I’m the oldest of four kids – two sisters, one brother – and we all got a long pretty well growing up and then grew up and somehow ended up still really liking one another, which makes holidays and family get-togethers really fun.
What motivated you to start your blog, Bright Stars Big Mountains?
In the beginning I started it because I wanted a reason to write, you know, something to keep me accountable. For awhile I thought I did it because writing helps me sort through my thoughts and understand how I feel about things happening in my life and in the world. And, that’s still a big part of it, but somewhere along the line I realized I enjoy sharing those thoughts, ideas and feelings with other people. I hope that what I have to say might resonate with someone else or start a conversation.
Where is home?
I like to say my roots are in Michigan but my heart is in Colorado. I grew up in South Haven, Michigan, a small resort town on the shores of Lake Michigan, in the southwest corner of the state. I went to college not far away from there and then moved to Vail, Colorado right after I graduated. I lived there for just over ten years before moving back to Michigan, to Grand Rapids, a little over a year ago. Now, I’m getting ready to move to Denver. So, home is something I’ve thought a lot about, especially recently. Here’s what I’ve realized: I’m at home when I’m with my family, with my parents, my siblings, my niece and nephew, all of whom live in Michigan. But the only place that’s every really felt like home to me is Colorado. Home is equal parts in the mountains and with my family, even if those two things aren’t always in the same place.
So you aren’t a travel blogger, but this is a travel blog, so tell us about the place or places that have impacted you most.
Yosemite National Park is another favorite. I went there for a yoga and hiking retreat last spring and it was a pretty amazing experience. It was late April/ early May and the waterfalls were near peak flow from all the snow run-off. It was spectacular.
Where are you headed now?
Anything else you would like to share?
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