Bookstore Revisited

We three authors wrote about visiting the bookstore, Off the Beaten Path in our book. The store is located in Steamboat Springs, a great place to visit in the mountains of Colorado. Twenty years ago, in June 2003, our writing group, which was five at that time, traveled to Steamboat, driving two days to attend a writing conference at Rocky Mountain College. During the conference, we happily strolled every morning to two of our favorite places – Molly G’s coffee and the aforementioned bookstore. I have a picture sitting on my bookshelf that shows the five of us standing on steps in front of it.  

I am in Steamboat once more, only this time with my family. It just made sense to journey downtown in search of Off the Beaten Path, wondering if it still existed so many years later, considering the perils of being an independent bookstore, along with Covid added to the mix. It’s there. A different location, smaller, but still alive. When I turned a corner and saw the sign Off the Beaten Path hanging overhead, it was as if I ran across an old acquaintance, happy to see them. 

Cheerful memories flooded in as did melancholy. Back then, we were all full of desire to learn more about the writing process and looked forward to the time spent with each other as writing partners and good friends. Not that I still don’t look forward to workshops and classes, it was just different then, with our group walking the same writing path. So much has changed in the past years, as have we. Less members, long distance moves, spouses requiring more care due to illnesses. 

However, just as the bookstore has changed and down-sized, the memories of former times haven’t. In that, there is contentment.