I awoke this morning, at 6:15 am after a fitful night, to grey skies and cool temperatures. It seemed that the view outside my window mimicked the way my heart felt. Although excited to be getting back on the road to new adventures, I knew the three little faces I am leaving behind will change dramatically before I set eyes upon them again - in person.
Last night we had our "Last Supper" and bath time. It was a fun-filled night with Chick-Fil-A for dinner, time in the playhouse there, balloon creations, frozen yogurt from Smart Cow and then home-sweet-home. I held it together the whole time, even up to the end, when kissing and hugging goodbye, but once out of sight, the tears fell.
Although sad, I am so happy and blessed to have my #1 by my side, heading down the road for sights unknown and unseen. Any campground we stay at after this one will be an improvement. The isolation was really starting to get to both of us. I felt like a distant cousin at a family reunion...out of place and not knowing who to sit with. However, the view from our windshield for the last two weeks made up for the negatives.
Our goal for today was to find a campground close to our next stop, The Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was a necessary stop, on my part, since we hacked off a visit to The Grand Canyon and a surprise visit to friend, Bill, in Las Vegas, from our original itinerary. Those will need to be fulfilled next trip out west.
Most of today was traversed upon smooth roads that offered vistas of wide expanses of land spotted with scrub brush, pines and distant mountain peaks. We located a campground that had availability and it turned out to be the highest rated RV park in the vicinity - Circle The Wagons RV Parkin La Veta, CO.
This place turned out to be a sweet little campground with friendly staff, wide and level gravel sites, a stream running right behind our rig, some shade trees, and fortunately for us, a couple of lovely people on an adjacent site, Bill and Dolores who hail from the great state of Texas. Finally, we have come across fellow RVers with whom to swap stories. Before we were even fully settled in, we received some sage advice about one of our next stops, Amarillo, TX. Actually, not advice, but a comment that will alter our plans, significantly. The comment was, "Amarillo is very close to Kansas. Have you driven through Kansas?" That did it for us. I don't think I want to stay in a windy, dusty, and desolate location. Tonight, back to the map to find a better location to put down our jacks for a few days of much needed R & R.
Tomorrow will be a visit to our first-ever National Park. I'm so excited to get my National Park book and my very first sticker!!!!! I just love stickers.
Deep thought for the day: Whenever you miss me, look up at the night sky. If you see a full moon, howl, and know that I will be howling with you. If you see a star, I'm looking at the very same one...make a wish...When you look up in the daytime, the sun that warms you, warms me as well. Although miles apart, we are surprisingly just a thought away. ~ vc
On Tuesday, we picked Nina up from Clear Sky Elementary School, where she is a 4th grader. The itinerary for the afternoon and evening was clothes shopping, dinner out and an sweet treat from Smart Cow.
We got a lot of cute outfits for school, but needed to order her boots. Those are expected to be delivered before we leave. We sure worked up quite an appetite trying on clothes and deciding which ones to get, that we made our next stop Chick-Fil-A. Lucky for us, Tuesday's are Family Night and we were entertained by a woman who was making balloon figures (Nina got a Snow Leopard) and the Mascot, Cowie, was there "hamming" it up and interacting with each child (and adult). It was a fun evening and I never witnessed Nina eat as much as she did that night!
After dinner, we headed over to Smart Cow, a yogurt shop where you can fill your own cup and choose your toppings. Cups are then weighed and you pay per ounce. A great deal for someone like me, who only wanted a little bit. Unfortunately, Nina's cup was still pretty full when we realized the time. She reluctantly, but obediently tossed it when we had to leave for home.
Pictures from our special time together.
A left-over tattoo adorns her arm.
Wednesday, September 23 - Nina's School Trip
After filling out the appropriate paperwork and showing ID, I was able to meet Nina's class at Festival Park for a culmination of a project on Eco Systems. The students had worked for several weeks on the subject and they created posters, wrote speeches, wrote music and lyrics to a song about their specific Eco-system, which was Grasslands. The groups were paired with 2 adults and we visited four local businesses in the area. Presentations were made, rejection was faced, and determination won out. That all did a great job.
The trip concluded with a two-mile hike along the Festival Park walkway to pick up litter. It was a very exciting, hands-on, multi-sensory learning experience.
First presentation to a business owner.
My group!
These two guys were the best audience, by far!
My group partner and the group ready to pick up trash,
Discovering a beaver dam.
Nina was the first to discover this "Bigfoot" - like footprint.
Sign of a Grassland's ecosystem, a beaver brought this tree down.
Thursday, September 24 - Lola's Day for Shopping and Dinner
Lola's day finally arrived and we made our first stop at Chick-Fil-A for lunch, then on to her shopping spree for some school clothes. She was the perfect little companion during lunch, shopping, dinner, and beyond. While at Chick-Fil-A's, Lola decided to bring Remmy, the rat from Ratatouille, into the restaurant for lunch. At one point, the store manager came over and exclaimed, "That's the biggest rat I've ever seen here." Then, caught himself, and said, he shouldn't say something like that too loud. We all had a good laugh. While shopping, we were sure to get a shirt that had a cat on it that looked a lot like Lucy. With matching leopard pants, we couldn't pass up that outfit. We finished up shopping and had a quick dinner and then a stop to Smart Cow for dessert. We were sure to bring home some for Nina and Emma, since Nina never finished hers and we never got the chance to bring Emma. The day ended with everyone happy! Especially, my smiley face, LOLA!
Does anyone else see a resemblence???
Friday, September 25 - Special Bonding Time With Emma
Emma is the only child with whom I never had the "bonding opportunity." We solved that on this trip quite quickly, but sealed it with our special day out together. Papa "G" and I picked her up from daycare and made a quick stop for lunch and then on to the Park Meadows Mall in Lone Tree. Our first stop for the day was at a Build-A-Bear workshop where we picked out her bear, placed a heart inside of her (after kissing it) and then got her stuffed and sewn up. We also put a voice recorder in her front paw that says, "I love you," each time her paw is squeezed.
Once fluffed, she was ready for an outfit. It was a really fun thing to do with a two-year old. She hugged her "Beary" all through the mall. Our second stop was to The Disney Store where her eyes lit up and she made a beeline to the Minnie Mouse display. We couldn't leave there without themed place settings of Frozen, for Sissy and Nawnee and Minnie for her. She actually picked out the ones for her sisters.
A stop for dinner and then home sweet home to mommy and sisters.
Happy girl and Beary
Loving the time together...
Sunday, September 27 - Tiny Town
On Sunday, we took the kids to visit Tiny Town & Railroad in Morrison, CO. Tiny Town is celebrating their 100th Year Anniversary this year and the background of this attraction has a very storied past. The first miniature replica of a Denver building was built in 1915 by George Turner who was the owner of Turner Moving & Storage, located in Denver. George Turner was a friend of Buffalo Bill Cody and he ended up building an entire miniature town for his daughter, called Turnerville. He opened the site to the public in 1921. Unfortunately, two floods and a fire by 1935. The buildings were rebuilt and and train was added in 1939 and the name changed to Tiny Town.
Today, Tiny Town and Railroad is owned and operated by a non-profit historical society. Admission is very low, and the buildings look to be in need of upkeep and preservation. Buildings that would not have been in Tiny Town back in 1939 have been added by business owners who could purchase a "plot of land" and have a replica of their enterprise created to be displayed.
It was not all what we thought it would be, but I think the kids enjoyed being able to crawl into several of the buildings. Emma kept calling the buildings, "Yucky," and "Disgust." Nina and Lola were more able to peer through windows to see the few that had furnishings.
Sunday, September 27 - Rare Supermoon/Blood Moon/Harvest Moon Eclipse
Tonight, "G" and I watched the slowly unfolding event of a lunar eclipse, not just any lunar eclipse, but that of a super, blood and harvest moon. There have only been two such eclipses in my lifetime, One in 1964 and the other in 1982.
This one was a spectacular event that we shared in a warm embrace. The next Supermoon eclipse will occur in 2033, when I'll be 78 years old. I wanted to burn this one in my memory so I can reminisce about this 2nd Great Big Adventure. It made me wonder what we all will be doing. Summer will be 28, Nina and Cooper 26, Savannah 25, Lola 24 and Emma, 20! A lot will transpire before then and I pray for happiness, health and hope for each of my grandkids.
Monday, September 28 - Grandparent's Breakfast
What an honor to have been able to
participate in breakfast in the Bison Bistro!
On Monday, "G" and I arose at 5:45 am and trekked over to the kids' home to drive the two oldest to school so we could participate in the kindergarten "Grandparent's Breakfast." Lola was extremely excited to have us there, and I was so happy to have the opportunity to participate and witness her smiling face as she told teachers that I was her Meema.
The school planned their fundraiser perfectly by scheduling the Scholastic Book Fair's kick off day to correspond with Grandparent's Breakfast. Books were purchased, kisses were exchanged and the girls were off for their day at school. Papa "G" and I were then ready for a long winters' nap.
Lucky us to have been serenaded by Nina's Choir Group during breakfast.
Sisterly love
Both wearing outfits I bought. Lola is wearing her "Lucy" shirt
Deep though for the day: Don't keep looking back at what has been that you cannot change, for you rob yourself of the glory of today and the wondrous possibilities of tomorrow. ~ vc
On Monday, September 21st, "G" and I took a ride up to the tippity top of Pikes Peak! Me, who is petrified of heights, decided to bite the bullet and ascend to the summit - no matter what. I'm not sure who suffered more during the drive, either me, from agonizing over the sheer cliffs, or "G," who had to listen to all my pleas to slow down, move away from the edge or PLEASE BREAK!
"G" picked the best possible day to take this trip. The temps at the top of Pikes Peak are 40° lower than at the base of the mountain, so with high 80's in Larkspur we had the perfect combo. It was only a short drive south on I-25 to the park entrance and we recorded the drive up to the peak on our Go Pro Camera. I tried for hours to upload my video to YouTube, however, not being on my desktop with all of my saved passwords popping up automatically, I'm locked out of my account after too many attempts trying to gain access. Once I get over the desire to toss the laptop and iPad out of Allie's window, I'll try to get one posted here.
There are no words to describe the magnificent beauty of the trees, turquoise reservoirs or rock formations that envelope the entire area. The photos below give you an idea, but breathing the cool crisp air (not much oxygen over 14,000 feet) and glimpsing the 360° panoramic vista is, as fellow RVer, Frank would say, "AWESOME."
Interesting facts about Pikes Peak
It's the highest summit "southern Front Range" of the Rocky Mountains in North America. Highest point east of its longitude.
It was named after Zebulon Pike, who never made it to the top.
It was inhabited by the Ute Indians and then the Arapaho
It is the 26th highest peak in the Continental U.S.
In 2006, Crayola dedicated the color "Pikes Peak Purple," in reference to the line "Purple Mountain's Majesty" in the song, America the Beautiful.
The correct spelling is not "Pike's Peak," but "Pikes Peak."
Pikes Peak is a State Park, not a National Park.
A photo of Sir Duke's GPS screen. Only clouds over 7,000 feet.
Glad we drove up and didn't take the Cog Rail Train.
My proof.....
Winding roads, without guardrails, the whole way up. 13 miles.
We haven't mastered the art of the selfie.
Sir Duke, in all his regal glory, basking in the sun just below the summit.
Deep thought for the day: America the Beautiful. The words to the song have begun to make sense to me. We drove beneath, "spacious skies," saw "amber waves of grain" and finally understand the "purple mountain's majesty," which overlooks the "fruited plain." I always thought this should have been our National Anthem.
For those of you who follow my other Blog, you may remember the story behind the lobsters. For anyone who doesn't and wants to know their significance, click HERE! Just be sure to come back.
"Meema," whose a little worse for (loving) wear.
I chose to stay at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park because of its close proximity to my grandchildren and for the fact that it was one of only a few that offered cabin rentals, which was a must. Upon arrival, the first thing we noticed was dust. The second thing was more dust. Between "G" and me, all we do is sneeze. We are in the middle of a dust bowl. It hasn't rained here in quite awhile, so it's even dustier than normal. Dust, dust everywhere.
We don't think we will stay here again unless it was to book just a weekend RV site along with a cabin to be with the kids. Otherwise, we will stay at Colorado Heights in Monument, which is 10 minutes further down I-25. We already checked it out for when we make our next trip, and both agreed that it would better suit our needs. Yogi Bear is priced higher than other parks due to all the children's activities that they offer, of which we never had the time to partake.
We are enjoying the time with the kids and they loved the cabin with the loft bedroom where Nina and Lola slept. It had a fully stocked kitchen and they provided all bed and bath linens. You only needed your own food to survive a weekend in the woods (and dust).
Yesterday, we went to Santa's Workshop at the North Pole near Pike's Peak. It was a terrific amusement park filled with rides geared for 2-10 year-old's. Us big people were even able to get on some of the rides and everyone had a blast. Emma, the littlest, was able to go on a couple of rides all by herself. She was so excited to do what her big sisters were doing. Another exciting happening was that Emma and I were able to get into the park for free! They didn't charge for kids under 2 or adults 60 and over. A first for me making me happy and sad at the same time.
The concession stands offered high-quality food and beverages, so enen with paying premium prices (as you do at every amusement park) we felt like we got a bargain. It was a fun-packed day with lots of walking, rides, and a special visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus! Santa spent a lot of time with all the kids and interacted with each one lovingly and genuinely. I included a clip of the visit below. It had to have been the BEST SANTA VISIT ever.
Papa "G" and I are very tired trying to keep up with three pair of little feet. It's not easy. There is a reason women have a limited amount of child-bearing years...I've discovered that fact during this trip.
Lucy allowed each of the girls to touch and/or pet her without one hiss. However, that evening she purposely pooped on the floor right outside her litter box, which is her distinctive way of expressing her disdain.
Today has been spent doing laundry and straightening up, food shopping and preparing for the upcoming week. Tuesday afternoon will be Nina's afternoon and evening for shopping and dinner out. Wednesday is her class trip that I will be attending, Thursday is Lola's day for shopping and dinner, next Saturday will be a visit to Tiny Town and Sunday will be the big trip up to Pike's Peak.
We will finish up our time here with a Grandparents' breakfast in Lola's kindergarten class. What a great way to end this leg of our journey.
I don't think another blog entry will be forthcoming any time soon.
Hope everyone is well - missing our NY peeps.
Deep thought for the day: Life is but a moment, live for the day. Words can be daggers, mind what you say. Listen for children's laughter at play. Innocence quickly fades away. ~ vc
Papa "G" and the girls in the cabin's loft area.
No one really liked heights, but we did it anyway!
Little "Emma Angel" (and mommy)
My "Love Bug," Lola.
My "Suigar Cookie," Nina
The Three Sisters
Hugging (not licking) the frozen North Pole and hanging with a Snow Bear.
Are we there yet? Lucy has been such a good traveller, but yesterday, she gave me this look and all I could imagine her saying, is "Is this almost over?" And I was happy to tell her that we would be lowering our jacks this night and remain put for two weeks.
I think Lucy enjoys Walmart parking lots more than we do. She always seems to be curiously entertained.
We thought that once we were off of I-70 we would see a drastic change of scenery, but as the photos below prove, we were wrong.
The last 60 or so miles of Kansas roads looked the same as those 200 miles previous. The photo above depicts Colorado I-70 West. Eerily, it felt a lot like Kansas.
The photo below shows what felt to be the longest portion of the trip so far. It felt like a scene right out of a Twilight Zone episode. No signs of life, except a cow here and there, for almost the entire section of road. We were on Highway 86 for only 60 miles, but it was mostly an uphill climb and although Allie did her best to keep her momentum, pulling 29,240 pounds was a daunting task.
The longest and straightest roads ever....These are two shots of Highway 86.
The photo here shows the first town we hit on we hit Highway 86. We had driven about 45 miles before reaching the first signs of civilization - Kiowa, CO. I caught a pic of a Sinclair Gas Station and stores along Old Main Street.
Around 4 pm, we were settled into Jellystone Park Campground. I chose this pricier park because it it is geared towards children and our three little granddaughters will be spending a lot of time here. Besides, I grew up watching Yogi and Boo Boo, so a reminder of my past will conjure up some fond memories.
On Wednesday, two days ahead of schedule. I will get to hug and squeeze those three little monkeys. I can't wait to see Nina and Lola, and get to really know and bond with little Emma. The reason for this journey is finally at hand.
The view outside our windshield. Surreal. They haven't seen rain here in a long time and you can see the dry, packed, dusty roadways that run throughout the park. I can almost imagine myself seated atop a huge stallion getting ready to ride the range. I need to get me some cowboy boots!
The coming days will be filled with memory-making, so I doubt there will be time for many entries. However, I'll be taking notes and photos to permanently document the adventure in a future blog or two.
Deep thought for the day: The word "Love," falls so easily off your tongue. It's as if you exhale the word. I love exhaling. ~ vc
Sunday night, I looked up at the sky at about 2:15 AM and saw the most magnificent sky. It looked like diamonds strewn across a blanket of black velvet. It literally took my breath away. So glad to have thought to look up when I did.
My review of Mill Creek Campground came before we settled down for the night and before the first freight train came rumbling through blaring its horn. The first one we noticed was at 11:11 pm and Lucy flew straight up in the air and off the bed for parts unknown. It was enough to shake "G" and me alert. We discovered that the train passes by every three hours. So at 2:11 am and 5:11 am, Lucy repeated her "flying off the bed routine." The poor baby. If this trip doesn't kill her, it will certainly make her stronger.
This You Tube video has been uploaded for the audio only. Turn your speakers up to experience what we heard at 2:11 am. I wasn't able to catch the whistle, because that's what woke me up.
Speaking of Lucy, her adjustment to the long hours on the road is remarkable. She waits to eat her meals and use her litter box whenever we stop. As soon as the slides go in, she gets in her wicker bed and doesn't make a peep. She is the perfect passenger, we couldn't ask for more.
Two more stickers have been added to our map - the States of Missouri and Kansas are helping to make our map look more impressive. On Tuesday, we will cross into Colorado and a different time zone, and another sticker will join the current 10 that exist.
If Chicago is the "Windy City," then Kansas is the "Windy State." It was a huge task keeping Allie on the straight and narrow, but "G" did a great job, as usual. The scenery in Kansas is like the movie Groundhog Day. Every time I glanced up at the road it looked exactly the same. For the passenger, it was extremely boring and for the driver, monotonous.
The song in my head for the day was Abilene, which was sung by various artists, including Buck Owens and Waylon Jennings. It got stuck there because there was a town called Abeline in Kansas that was along our route. I kept seeing it on the map and on roadsigns.
Abeline, Abeline,
Prettiest town I've ever seen.
Women there don't treat you mean
In Abeline, my Abeline
Daily gas mileage had been averaging at a low of 5.3 mpg to a high of 6.8 mpg. Heading into the mountains, we're not expecting to get any better than what we've seen thus far.
We continue to experience difficulty maneuvering in Pilot Service stations. However, since gas stations are scarce n these parts of Kansas, we're just happy to find one when needed. There's not much out along the vast expanses of I-70 this far west. We saw oil rigs (that were a lot smaller than I thought they would be) and giant wind turbines that were making good use of all that Kansas wind. Other than that, we mostly just saw corn, wheat, cows and hay for miles and miles.
Monday evening found us in the Colby, Kansas Walmart parking lot, which brings the number of free nights up to three! I can't wait to calculate what it cost to make it out to Colorado on a budget. It was my goal to prepare every meal along the way, stay at reasonably-priced campgrounds and utilize free overnight parking, whenever possible. We done good.
My next entry will contain more photos of yesterday and today. WiFi is not cooperating, and I'm too tired to write anymore tonight.
PS We did arrive in Colorado late this afternoon, two days ahead of schedule! Stay tuned...
Deep thought for the day: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Here's hoping that Lucy will be looking like a weightlifter soon.
We awoke to a chilly start this morning and we discovered Allie's core temperature to be 53°. A touch of electric heat fixed the problem. Since the weather was forecasted to reach the mid-70's, summer attire continued.
Our entrance steps seem to be totally out of commission now. Whenever we open and close the door, we are met with an awful grinding sound. They refuse to come out all the way, so "G" bungied them together so they don't rattle. As Rosesnne Rosannadanna always said, "It's always something."
Crossing the Missouri River, again. It not only runs north to south, but west to east.
The first big adventure of the day happened at lunchtime. We decided to eat out and I chose the Country Pride Restaurant. Their place mats boast, "Taste a bit of Americana." It was an experience for "G," who is so fastidiously clean, to actually order and consume a meal where even I found it shabby, dated, run down and a bit unkempt.
After we ate, we took Allie for her first professional wash at Blue Beacon Truck Wash. For $37 we got the mud, dust, dirt and grime power-washed off our big girl and for just $12 more, Sir Duke got the same royal treatment. Both came out sparkling clean. Props to Blue Beacon Truck Wash.
We patiently awaited our turn
We're up....
Waiting safely outside, while I remain inside Allie with Lucy!
A complete view of our journey through Kansas....
As the long day began to turn into night, we pulled off at Mill Creek RV Campground in Paxico, KS. I had found this place back in NY and had it on my list of places I thought we might like to stop at when we were ready for a break. It turned out to be a charming little place with all the comforts we could require: full hook-ups, 50 amps, level sites with trees, an old barn loaded with old license plates and old tools and an out-house. So many things that we took a stroll and photographed just some of the sights.
The owners are a very nice couple in their 50's with four grown children and 10 grandchildren. We met Cameron and Casey, two buzz cut cuties aged about 9 and 5. After checking in, we saw a girl of about 10 and another boy close to 3. They have only owned the campground for two weeks!
The only two drawbacks we have found are the deafening noise from the cicadas and the rumble of freight trains as they roll across the Union Pacific Railroad tracks located right behind our coach.
Top right, the storm shelter. We checked that out first. Middle right, a cyclone! Oh my!
License plates, tools, wheels and wheels and wheels, and old farm equipment
Many funky buildings, sheds and surprises.
Having fun.
Too many sights to share.
I had to prove I was here.
The railroad tracks
Deep thought for the day: Once out of the tri-state area, a whole new world emerges. One full of hard work, sitting in the shade, striking up a conversation with strangers, listening to the deafening sound of cicadas, learning the lesson of how to stroll and enjoy the beauty of our wonderful country. Middle America is absolutely amazing.
