The mountains are commanding, standing guard over Boulder, Colorado. My family and I decided to drive up one of the mountain roads, to watch as the sun sets on a gorgeous day. The road to the top goes around the side of the mountain, a journey up that gives a view of Boulder below and the surrounding landscape, rock faces, and pine trees covering the mountains. The clear air and the smell of pine trees sneak through the open car windows as we continue driving. Dusk enters its final stages-the sky pink and serene. We get to the top and hop out. It's still warm even at a higher elevation. We walk down a small path to the spot where we have a direct view of the sun beginning to dip below the mountains. 

Everything here is so calm, like time has stopped and all anyone cares or worries about is what is directly in front of them. I take out my phone and start snapping pictures, eventually leaning my phone up against a rock to get a timelapse of the sun dipping below the mountains. Other people stand around us as well, chatting about the sunset and about their own lives, quickly taking pictures of the sunset before it's finally gone. My family and I find a bench to sit at and continue watching the sunset. We talk about our day, our trip, what we want to do for the rest of summer. The opportunities are endless. No mention of school or work or stress, just the feeling of complete peace. Writing about that time, I am envious of the stress-free person that I was then. When the sun finally set we walked back to the car, using our phone flashlights to see in the dark of night. Getting in the car I remember never wanting to forget that moment, to always hold on to the pictures I had taken that night, and to always think back to how I felt on top of that mountain.