Colorado - Home Again!

 It was bittersweet this morning: we were all looking forward to seeing home , but that meant saying goodbye to dear friends once again. The first four left from the hotel shortly after 7:00 and the rest of us boarded the bus and turned east for the final leg of this journey.

In Middlebury we stopped at the Rise and Roll bakery to buy some of their famed honey cinnamon donuts and JR. and Sam found an old car to play with.  I convinced Merv and Pearl to pose for one more crazy picture (they are always game for some fun) and then it was back on the bus to deliver Anna Mae to her houe.  

It was nice to see the familiar horse and buggies moving along the roads.  I felt like I was back in familiar territory. As soon as the bus pulled to a stop on Anna Mae's street, four little kids from next door ran lickety split to welcome her home.  It's clear she is loved there as well as by us.  Two of our Michigan people disembarked with her because they had left their car in her driveway.  They still had a few hours to drive to their place.

Those of us left on board stopped in Fort Wayne for a quick bite to eat then continued on our way.  The closer we got the more the pull of home drew us.  We didn't stop again until we reached Holmes County.  A few final hugs and good-byes and "can't wait until next time!" before we all dispersed. In the last week we've seen rain, sunshine, snow, sleet, fall foliage, bare trees, and now we are home and it's beautiful, sunny, and just a touch humid.  I don't think the leaves have started turning yet and I'm glad they waited for us to get back.  A small Amish neighbor welcomed us back with a wave.

There 's no place like home! But what lovely memories we've made.  Sometimes I'm overwhelmed at how blessed we've been by the people we've come to know.  Safe travels and Godspeed to y'all from Florida as you make your own way back home.  And we hope to see you this winter!

Colorado Day Twelve

We left our hotel at 7:00 this morning for another day of mostly driving.  I think everyone was pretty tired because as soon as Levi had finished the morning devotional most of the bus promptly fell asleep.  It was cold and rainy which wasn’t conducive to perky alertness either.

Several hours later at our first stop I was marveling over the long row of gleaming stainless steel stalls in the restroom.  Nevada is to be congratulated for their obvious concern regarding their tourists.  I wanted a cup of hot coffee in the worst way but with memories of dead ants floating through my foggy brain, I decided not to risk the vending machines.  I’m not sure I will ever be able to try that route again.

Since we would not be eating lunch until 1:30 today, the snacks came out as soon as everyone started waking up.  Sarah had brought spice pretzels along to share but could not get the plastic container open, no matter what she tried.  Dave tried as well, with no luck.  One of the things we noticed with the altitude changes was the pressure it created in our make-up and lotion bottles.  They would make hissing noises when we opened them.  Presumably this same phenomena had affected the pretzel container as well and no amount of twisting, prying, or turning yielded any results.  Finally Paul went back to try his hand.  Or should I say knee, since that’s what he used to try to hold it in place while he forced it open.  It opened, all right!  The whole lid exploded and it sounded somewhat like a gunshot.  Everyone was now awake.

Anna Mae finally announced the winner of the scavenger hunt.  A completed game sheet, finished honestly and with no cheating whatsoever, had been turned in about a week ago.  Since neither our tour guide nor the person who won had told anyone, the rest of us on the bus, or at least those not as lazy as I am, were still scurrying about trying to find everything on the list.  Paul was rather bitter about his inability to find a black and white cat.  One day when the aroma of a skunk was wafting about someone asked if that would qualify as a black and white cat. Anna Mae said it had to be a tabby they were willing to pet.

Pearl won the prize, a one thousand piece puzzle of the Colorado Fourteeners.  It was perfect for her.  She loves puzzles, and the Colorado Fourteeners refers to the mountains over 14,000 feet in altitude.

Later Anna Mae passed out a number of items and told us to inspect them carefully then hand them back in.  I assumed, incorrectly, that we were going to have to try to remember all the items.  While I was busy memorizing what they were, I was completely missing the information I actually needed to win. 

“How long is the tape measure?”

“How big is the measuring spoon?”

“What color was the spool of thread?”

One thing is sure: I should never try for a career as a detective.  I was pretty much oblivious to all the details and didn’t even come close to winning.  We had a lot of fun though so it didn’t matter.

At a little after 1:00 we arrived in Kalona, Iowa where we had a hot and delicious home-made meal waiting for us.  I had arranged for Paul’s niece, Dorothy, who lives nearby, to meet us there and eat with us.  Her husband Lowell was joining us too.  Several other people had relatives and friends from the area coming too.  What Paul didn’t know was that his brother Ray from SC was visiting his daughter and was also going to be there.  Paul was very surprised but totally delighted. He said it was a highlight of his trip.

After lunch a local tour guide boarded the bus for a brief tour around Kalona.  Dorothy suggested Paul and I join her and she would bring us back to meet the bus in an hour, along the tour route. So we went to her house to say hi to her kids and to her mother who had stayed there with them while we had lunch. 

After we were back on the bus we stopped at a local cheese house to by some curds (always squeaky good fun!) and I asked some friendly girls coming out the door if they would mind taking our group picture.  They were most gracious and happy to help us out.   

Then it was several more hours of driving until we reached our hotel in Ottawa, Iowa.  We walked to a nearby restaurant for supper and then back to the hotel for a final card game. Our much-anticipated trip is winding down and while we are all sorry to see it end we are also ready to be home in our own beds again. 

Colorado Day Eleven

Today was a travel day. We left our hotel at 7:00 AM and since we are driving east we have already lost one hour.  We drove past several huge stockyards (one was over a mile and a half long with 600,000 cattle and a pungent manure smell for miles) and we met several very long trains loaded with coal (125 cars, according to Leroy).  Other than that there was not much of anything noteworthy until we stopped for lunch.

Everyone listening to their handsets on the tour.

The Great Platte River Road Monument stretches in a huge arch across Interstate 80 in Nevada.  The staff there had prepared lunch for us and then handed each of us a small device with which we could take a self-guided tour through the museum. Impressive displays memorializing the pioneers that crossed our great country before there were roads, automobiles, trains, or planes, included life-size stagecoaches, campsites, a cabin, a diner, old cars, and much more. 

As we walked through at our own pace we were taken on a journey that showed what those brave and hardy souls faced as they set their faces toward the west in search of adventure and a better life. From Donner’s pass where some survived by cannibalizing the less fortunate, to the Mormons who were rescued by Joseph Smith, the hazards faced by those who conquered the unknown were harsh and unforgiving.  One in ten died and some reported they saw graves every 300 yards.  When a husband died it was not unusual for the widow to remarry a recently widowed man within days, for survival, not for love.  What desperation would drive someone to such incredible risk?

At our first bathroom break, early in the day, I walked into the roadside rest area lobby and told Paul that I think we have finally found a nice bunch of bathrooms.  I spoke too soon.  The ladies’ restrooms were, well, let’s just say we were all laughing heartily.  In fact, we took pictures.  Martha posed for us in the one with no door and sporting the big taped X across the opening.  Handwritten signs instructed us to “push button to flush” and warned us of the one “out of order.”  A mysterious wadded up towel was shoved into a corner, stemming the flow of who knows what.  And there were only three stalls open for business, once again.

What the restrooms lacked in quality, the two elderly gentlemen that were manning the info center made up for in hospitality.  They gave us fresh, hot coffee; it was so weak you could see the bottom of the cup but they served it with smiles and kindness.  I reached for a sucker from the candy bowl and they said, “Take more!” So I did.  They had a puzzle set up and some of the ladies immediately hunched over the table and got to work.  We were well entertained while a couple of the guys emptied the bus toilet. 

You might wonder why we don’t just use the bus bathroom since we have one.  Well, with a whole lot of people contributing, it takes very little time to fill the holding tank.  So we only use it under duress and with great urgency.  So to speak.

We stopped for the night in York, NE.  There was a Runza eatery across the driveway where a bunch of us walked to get supper.  Everything was good but they kept running out of things.  I don’t think they were expecting a crowd.  Those tubular sandwiches were very tasty though.  They reminded me of the Pasties from the U.P. in our snowmobiling days.

Us ladies gathered for a rousing game of Golf (the card kind) when we were back at the hotel.  I can’t believe we only have one more night away from home after today.

Colorado Day Ten

photo by Carolyn Hostetler

We arrived well after dark last night to our hotel in Dillon, CO.  The views that greeted us this morning were wonderful.  I was sad I didn’t have time to sip a cup of coffee on our balcony.

view from Buffalo Bill's grave

Our first stop (not counting the traffic jam on the freeway) was at Wild Buffalo Bill’s Old West Museum overlooking Denver.  Bill Cody was a remarkable man and over 25,000 people came to pay respects at his death.  His grave lies at the top of Lookout Mountain which, according to his widow, is where he said he wanted to be buried.  And no wonder!  It looks down on Denver and, according to Buffalo Bill, four states can be seen from there.  I tried to find out which four states but was unable to so I’m not sure was he referring to Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas directly east, Wyoming  to the north, and Utah to the west, or was he including Colorado in those four?  Whatever, it is an amazing view.

William Frederick Cody lived a life to inspire millions of people.  By the time he was twenty-five he had been part of the Pony Express, a scout for the army, a buffalo hunter, and a slew of other things.  Of course he started at age 8, running messages, after his father died, so he had already been a productive citizen for seventeen years.  He is probably best known for his Wild West shows that included real Indians, real vaqueros (Spanish cowboys), and of course Annie Oakley, the first, or at least the most famous, female sharp shooter in the west.

Next we drove to Rocky Mountain National Park to experience another bunch of sharp curves, switchbacks, and views that cannot be described to my satisfaction.  By the time we reached the tourist info center at the top the sunshine had given way to a stiff breeze, rain, and sleet. If there is one suggestion I would make to the Colorado bureau of tourism it would be to improve their restroom conditions and quadruple the quantity.  At some places there was only one toilet for both men and women to share.  Today we found eight but what a state they were in!  We joined the growing line of men, women, and children, shivering in the frigid conditions, resigned to the fact that some things can't be avoided.

While some of the braver among us left to hike up to the best lookout, I opted to stay snug on the bus.  Dave was sitting there visiting with our bus driver, Noah, when he suddenly bolted up and said he had left his phone in the bathroom.  He met a man coming out of the stall, carrying his phone.  Thankfully, he willingly handed it over to Dave; I assume he was planning to take it to the information center.  What a relief that it was found and so quickly!  I admit I felt reassured that I’m not the only one who forgets things.  I was further reassured when Anna Mae found her room key from last night’s hotel in her pocket! I think I checked at least twenty times today to make sure I had my phone.  I’ve heard people say their whole life is in their phone and I know what they mean.  Losing it would be like losing my computer.  It’s so handy to have all your information in a pocket-size device but it’s also traumatizing when you think you’ve lost it. 

As we wound our way down and through the last half of the park we left the bad weather behind along with the high altitude.  Everyone was hoping for some elk and bighorn sheep sightings.  In fact, they were praying for it.

photo by Pearl Barkman

Silence fell as we all intently searched out both sides of the bus and when it seemed like we might not be fortunate enough to see any there was a large elk bull right beside the road.  He stopped and posed for pictures before slowly ambling into the woods.  That was exciting but we were still hoping to see a whole family.  Several miles further and we got our wish.  Far off in the field in the Moraine section of the park were about six females and another large bull.  A few of us were even lucky enough to hear some them bugling.

We finally drove on when everyone was finished ogling through the binoculars and Helen had managed to get a surprisingly good shot with her zoom lens.  Not a half mile further up the road toward the Estes Park end we came across another group of females with a large bull attempting to be in charge of them. They were much closer to us and took their time moving through the woods, allowing us lots of camera shots with no need of binoculars.  The bull was obviously in the courting mood but he was dealing with uncooperative females.

As evening approached we headed out of the mountains for the final time, leaving through Thomson Canyon, the rock walls at times only mere feet away from the sides of the bus.  Now we were watching for the big horns and we were not disappointed.  Anna Mae was the first to see them, a group of about eight,  high along the cliff walls, but we had no place to stop or turn around so only a few of us saw them.  We kept looking and Irene was the next to spot one, right next to a convenient pull-off.  We exited the bus and were taking our pictures when up ahead we saw two more.  Before it was over more vehicles had pulled over and the sheep looked like they were posing for us intentionally.

It was a tired but well-satisfied group that pulled into our hotel in Loveland, Colorado where a dog waited for us on the bed and a monkey hung out in the closet.  

Anna Mae told us that every year people send their love letters and valentines to Loveland to be mailed from there to their sweethearts so the envelopes will bear that postmark.  The city includes a new poem every year created just for that purpose. Paul and I are lucky if we even remember the day let alone plan months ahead for it.  I admit, Paul is better at the sentimental stuff than I am, although, since our oldest grandson was born on February 14th, that day is special indeed!               

Paul says he can breathe better already since we are only slightly above 5,000 feet now.  Others are saying the same thing.  The altitude didn’t bother me much except when I was exerting myself by climbing steps or walking uphill. I’m not eager to leave the mountains behind but home lies to the east and back there is where my heart lies as well. That is where the most precious things in life are – and they call me Nana.

Colorado Day Nine

We woke to a cold drizzle but most of us were looking forward to the jeep rides to Yankee Boy Basin scheduled for this morning, in spite of the chilly conditions.  They had put tarp roofs on but the sides were left open.    Everyone that went along was bundled well and the Jeep drivers provided ponchos and wool blankets so most of us were cozy enough. Those in the front seat were a bit frosty and windblown but they took it in stride.

The scenery was indescribable.  The Aspens were truly at their prime and banks of thick mist lay in the valleys.  Snow is predicted for tonight and our guides had warned us that they will turn around if the weather becomes threatening. 

Anna Mae told us about their adventure last year.  While they were up top it started to snow.  They quickly headed down but the snow coated an icy roadway and at one point everyone who was physically able got out and walked, except the drivers of course.  They walked about a half mile or so until conditions improved and they continued down in the Jeeps. One person claimed they walked three miles but it only felt that way slipping and sliding on a narrow roadway high above the valley below.  Our driver today was also driving on that day last year and he told us there were several times when he thought he was going over the side.  “Going over the side” does not mean a dip in the ditch.  It means certain death on the canyon floor, hundreds of feet below.

There were several places where water was running across the road and there were impressive ruts to be crossed.  We came within inches of the edge several times and drove under a huge rock outcropping at another place.  We saw an old mine, its building only a skeleton of rotting beams.  Thick wooden doors were fastened against the mountain wall indicating where the entrance was.  I wonder, is Gollum down there somewhere whispering to His Precious?

We drove past another mine that is slated to open before long.  Bulldozers were cleaning debris in preparation to reopen.  There was much silver and gold brought out of it many decades ago (in today’s money, around one billion dollars) before it was sold to a company from England and closed down later when production costs exceeded profits.  Government regulations were also prohibitive but with the recent relaxing of those business stifling laws the company is planning to start up operations again.  Seeing the trucks bringing up heavy equipment gave my stomach a few lurches.

After stopping at the top of our tour route we were happy to see a picturesque little outhouse and made good use of it.  On the way back down the mountain we detoured slightly to see two Victorian style houses in great disrepair.  The mining company is planning to restore at least one of them for their offices and maybe the other for a B and B. It would be a breathtaking spot for a vacation.  Miles from anywhere and views that are indescribable.

After we were back down to Ouray and on the bus we turned toward Montrose for a quick lunch on the go.  And that’s where I lost all the equity I had built up over the course of the past week and a half.  We dropped half the bus at a KFC and the rest of us went to Wendy’s.  After everyone had their food and the bus was rolling back up the highway, I discovered I did not have my phone.  I was almost hyperventilating when I realized I had left it on top of the paper towel dispenser in the Wendy’s restroom.  By now we were twelve miles away!  Since we were only a few miles from our next stop at Black Canyon, the decision was made to drop everyone there and Noah would drive me back to pick up my phone.  I called the Wendy’s and yes, they found it.

Driving twenty miles on a curving mountain road and then through town is not the same by bus as it would be in a small car.  The round trip took just under an hour.  Everyone on the bus was so gracious and understanding it almost made me misty.  And I told them they are free to question me every time I get on the bus as to the location of my troublesome cell  phone.  It seems I've switched from absconding with other people's phones to not having any phones at all.  I seriously get weary of myself sometimes.

After we got back to pick up the group I ran to take a look at Black Canyon (WOW!) at Anna Mae's insistance.  It looked like Jurassic Park when the helicopter first lands on the island.  I was the last one on the bus but only by about a minute or two.  I had deliberately left my phone on my seat before I had dashed down to look at the canyon  and it was gone!  I knew right away that one of my loving fellow travelers had swiped it.  They all denied it but when I turned to confront them all it magically appeared back on my seat.  I told them my sanity is hanging by a thread and if I snap it’s their fault.  They didn’t look the least bit ashamed of themselves.

We stopped at another amazing overlook - the tallest cliff in Colorado, the painted rocks.  Just when I think I’ve seen all the beauty I can handle, there’s more.  The cliff walls stretch upward almost twice as far as the Empire State Building and the river below that looks about an inch across is actually forty feet wide. I noticed what looks like a reclining alien on one of the walls.  You'll see him in the photo above.

After a number of people had settled in for a nap and others were reading or quietly visiting, Dave yelled, “Bear!” and everyone sat bolt upright, looking eagerly in the direction he pointed. 

“Those are cows!” someone said and everyone sank back down, groaning and ribbing Dave for thinking Black Angus cattle look like bears.

We drove past the Blue Mesa Reservoir and onto the reservation of the same name, entering through a canyon loaded with more brilliant aspens, mingled with deep green pines and grey rocks; several varieties of shrubs had also changed to autumn colors creating an incredible tapestry, a visual feast.  The dam is at its lowest level since 1987 because of drought conditions the past three years.  The mountains surrounding the twenty mile long reservoir looked like landscapes from another planet (or what I imagine another planet would look like) with little plant life to soften up the harsh terrain.  It was easy to see how low the water level is compared to where it had once been; one of our guides told us that the roofs of houses are visible, jutting from the water in some places.  It would be interesting to know how many people were transplanted and their homes flooded by the construction of the dam.

Earlier today during one of our driving stretches Anna Mae announced the winner of the scavenger hunt.  At the start of our trip she had handed out a sheet of paper with a list of about thirty things we need to look for and the race was on.  Paul has everything but a black and white cat and I'm pretty sure Pearl has everything except a Maryland licence plate. I'm too lazy to even try; I'm on vacation.  Anyway, Anna Mae said someone had handed theirs in last week already and we were all amazed.  Then she started reading the "winner's" paper.  It seems that someone had decided to edit the game to fit his or her own agenda.  Child in a stroller was changed to  read child. Green truck was changed to Blue.  Bird nest now said only bird.  And so on and so on.  Everyone was laughing and trying to figure out who had taken cheating to a new level.  Merv was the proud winner of a children's story book  that Anna Mae thought matched his grade level.  And so the race continues between the rest of the participants.

We stopped for a fast food meal-on-the-go and continued on through the night to our hotel; I'm finishing this as the bus is cruising down the highway; we should reach our hotel in Dillon by 9:30.

Colorado Day Eight

Last night when I went to join the ladies playing cards I discovered I had missed all kinds of excitement.  Anna Mae, our fearless leader, had her prayer to see a bear up close answered a little more literally than she had bargained for.

Our leftovers from the picnic were stowed in an ice-chest in the luggage bays under the bus.  Most of us had eaten supper in the hotel restaurant while Noah, our driver, had left to fuel up for the next day.  When he returned, Anna Mae opened the bays and started making sandwiches for herself, Noah, and his wife Anne.  She noticed a dark shape sticking from under the bus and thinking it was a dog she tried to shoo it away, waving her foot at it and telling it to “gay vek!”  When it army-crawled out from under the bus she thought maybe it was Dave or Paul playing a joke on her.  It wasn’t until the dark shape stood on all fours she realized it was a bear and instinctively she ran, still holding the mayo in one hand and a bun in the other.

Noah, hearing the ruckus came hurrying over, waving his arms and yelling at the bear, which by now had its two front paws in the bay, intent on getting the food.  Noah’s wild shouting succeeded and when the bear backed away, Noah slammed all the bay doors shut. The bear walked around the bus, standing on its rear legs and sniffing at the driver side window, maybe trying to get a better read on the wildly gesturing driver, determined to chase him away.  With several of the guys strongly encouraging the bear to be gone it finally retreated to a nearby bank of scrubby bushes and trees, where it hovered, hoping for food, no doubt. 

When the hotel staff heard about the excitement, one of them chastised Anna Mae for shooing him with her foot and then running away when she realized it was a bear.  I wish she would have asked him what he did the last time a bear chased him.  He didn’t look like he had nerves of steel.  I have a feeling if I were unexpectedly accosted by a bear my feet would have a mind of their own regardless of what my head would be telling them to do.  We were all very thankful that Anna Mae was unharmed though!

This morning we drove more scenic highways, stopping frequently for photographs, and once at a rest stop we found high up on a lonely stretch.  There was one toilet to be shared by everyone, men and women.  The line formed and I saw a number of the men disappearing into the trees. I didn’t ask but I am pretty sure they were returning to nature to answer the call.  We women lined up, patiently waiting our turn and other travelers stopped and joined the line.  Bodily functions are the great equalizer; we made friends while we waited and Anna Mae told them about her close encounter of the bear kind. They were duly entertained and time passed easily enough as we tried not to shiver in the cold mist that reminded us how far up we had come. 

We arrived in the historic mining town of Silverton around lunchtime.  The Wild West flavor of the place came through in the weather-beaten buildings lining the dirt streets, like The Shady Lady Saloon still standing and open for business.  Well, not as a saloon or bordello but still doing business of some sort.  What looked like the original jail stood abandoned next to a ramshackle two-story with a For Sale sign in the front.

A steam engine train runs regularly, hauling in tourists, chugging straight up the main street where the track abruptly ends in the middle of town.  There are a number of restaurants, antique stores, souvenir shops, and I even passed a pot shop.  Marijuana merchants haven’t been nearly as much in evidence as I thought they might be when I heard it had been legalized in Colorado.  Much of the town shuts down in the winter.  As one storekeeper told me, the tourists don’t want to walk up muddy dirt streets when the weather is miserable and the skiers that come in don’t buy anything.

After eating lunch at various places in Silverton, our group re-boarded the bus and continued on to the Million Dollar Highway.  I asked Anna Mae why it was called that.  She said there are four reasons and I can take my pick.  Some say it cost a million dollars per mile to build.  Some say it has a million dollar view.  Others say the high mineral content in the materials used in the paving is worth a million dollars and still others say they wouldn’t drive it again if someone gave them a million dollars.

It was an unforgettable experience for sure.  No guard rails.  Pavement reaching to the very edge of the cliffs in some places with areas that looked like erosion could eat its way under the roadway.  Semi trucks, campers, cars, even a snowplow were out there on this two lane highway that wound its way around these mountains, numerous switchbacks and sharp S-curves providing an amazing view of certain death should our fearless bus driver not pay attention.  No room for error. None.  I’d rather ride that swing over the Royal Gorge than drive this road.  But it was breathtakingly beautiful! And an exhilarating feeling to realize I was still alive after we reached Ouray.

Around 3:00 pm we pulled into Box Canyon on the edge of Ouray.  A beautiful waterfall cascaded between giant rock formations.  Anna Mae and I climbed the trail to the walkway up top for a beautiful view of the town, completely walled in by mountains.  It is beautiful, yet I can’t help but feel slightly trapped.  It seems flash floods could be a threat, here at the bottom of all these sheer rock walls. Yet it’s obvious these buildings have been here for decades.

We ate supper at Red Mountain Brewing.  Mouthwatering, it was.  Ribs with homemade three-cheese macaroni that left all macaroni previously tasted seem as nothing.  Beer batter fish and chips that were unrivaled in our experience, and we’ve eaten a lot of fish and chips.  A waiter that liked his job and knew how to do it.  And good company while we ate.  After supper some of us walked around town, stopping for coffee and ice-cream at Mouse’s Chocolate and Coffee. How could we resist such a name? Paul bought some of their candy as well.  All home-made and delectable in the extreme.

I spent some time this evening face-timing with the grandkids.  A plaque I saw in one of the local stores here says it all: My Greatest Blessings Call Me Nana.

It was a good day.