Home and Thankful

Sunrise over Missouri.  We left this morning at 6:00 when it was still dark but I just can't pass up a sunrise picture.

 We arrived home at 2:00 p.m. Stopping only for gas and eat in Springfield at Golden Corral.  After we got back in Decatur we picked up Sandy from the kennel.   She was ecstatic and jumped all over both of us kissing and licking us over and over.  We went to Kara's to pick up her food for the Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and see the boys.  Finally, home around 4:00.

We are tired and glad to be home.  I usually use my last entry to wrap up and post statistics and numbers but tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day set aside to be thankful.  I wanted to start my thankfulness a day early because as I thought back over the trip I have so much in which to be thankful. Here are just a few of so many.

Our car has 175,000 miles on it and it brought us home safely with no problems.
John's van has 140,000 miles on it and it took he, Linda, two kids and a mother-in-law to Colorado.
John and family are in their new apartment.
Linda has a job.
John had a job interview yesterday and a follow-up today.
For all the beauty of nature we saw which includes not only the majestic Rocky Mountains, but the plains of Nebraska, the rolling hills of Northern Missouri, and the corn and bean fields of Illinois.
For the beautiful snow that made the world look clean.
For being able to spend time with John and his family.
For both of us being retired so we could help John and his family

These are just a few things of so many for which I thank God.

I was also thankful to see this sign when we crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois.  

It meant we were nearly home.  

It was a great trip but there is no place like home!

Flatlanders on I-80

According to Dean and Sandy, Carol and I and others who don't live in the mountains are called "flat landers."  We are easily recognized by the shortness of breath we exhibit when exerting ourselves in the high altitudes of the Rockies.    This morning it was time for the flatlanders to return to our flat land.  At 6:00 we were on the road and spent all but an hour or two on I-80 heading east.  We put our car to the test.  We carried it on a car dolly 950 miles out and now it was time for it to carry us back those same 950 miles.  We drove 550 miles running between 70-75 MPH.  Carol drove like a speed demon, which is very unlike him.  I think he is anxious to get home.

However, he did slow down and stop in Sydney, Nebraska, to spend some time at Cabela's. We were not able to stop last year when we were out this way so we made sure to stop this time.  We are spending the night in Nebraska City at a Best Western.  We ate supper at Valentino Grand Italian Buffet.  Now we are stretched out trying to get some relief to our stuffed stomachs.  Unless something unforeseen happens, we should only have another 8 hours to drive.

Sunrise in Colorado.

I-80 heading east away from the front range of the Rockies.

Cabela's - a favorite stop in Sydney, Nebraska.

An inside display of wild animals of North America.

Flags fly at the entrance to the store complex.

There are several bronze figures of wild animals outside the store.

Mission Accomplished - an Empty Truck!

We had a quiet morning and good part of the afternoon as we waited for the final paperwork to be signed and the keys put into their hands.  By 3:00 Carol was getting restless and the wait was getting to him.  He was very anxious to get the final unload completed and the big truck returned.  At 4:15 we took the truck to their apartment to unload.  The parking is very congested and as we were driving the truck into the parking area we wondered where and how we would be able to park close enough to their apartment to unload.  God provided.  There were empty spaces right in front of their door and the construction crew that was also parked there, moved some of their trucks to give us space.

Linda's friend, Sandy, and her husband and two sons came to help.  We started at 4:30 and were finished at 6:15.  It was a beehive of activity as we finally unloaded the truck.  As the truck emptied out, their apartment filled up.  They have a big job ahead of them to unpack all those boxes.  Linda has to work tomorrow but then she is off for Thanksgiving holiday so maybe they can make a dent in the unpacking during that holiday time.

Carol and I really hated to leave then with such a mess for an apartment but they are the ones who need to put things in their place so we hugged and kissed them goodbye.  They are on a new adventure and feel this is where God wants them to be.  We left feeling sad because we know we won't see them for awhile but knowing that just as He has always done, God will provide and protect.

The Super 8 in Fort Collins - our home for five days.

John, Linda, Katie and Aidan - newest residents of Fort Collins, Colorado.

Dean, Sandy, Lucas, and Logan - the work crew

The Living Room

John and Linda's Bedroom

The Dining Room

The final item coming off of the truck!

An empty truck!

Rocky Mountain High

This morning we drove with John and Aidan to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Because it had snowed Thursday, the park looked so different from other times that we have been here.  The snow made the trees, rocks, and mountains look so beautiful.  We got pains in our necks from all the looking up.  The main road that goes across the center of the park over the mountains was only open the first seven miles.  That road won't be open again until May.  Aidan liked throwing snowballs.

After we dropped John and Aidan back at their motel, Carol and I hit a few antique malls.  We are back at our room trying to rest up for the big unpack tomorrow.  We probably won't be able to start unloading until 3:00 so it will be a long day.  If all goes well, we will be on the road to Decatur early Tuesday morning.  I am posting a few of the pictures I took in the park.

Grandpa and Grandma with Aidan.

Santa Claus Came to Old Town Fort Collins

Today we discovered the feel and flavor of Fort Collins.  It is a very unique city.  Linda says it is "hep."  We spent about four hours in Old Town Fort Collins.  Bicycles are a popular form of transportation. If you own a dog, it is welcome.  We saw Santa come to town and he was hep.  He arrived with his merry band (literally) on a unique (maybe you would call it hep) bicycle.  The pictures I will post of the bicycle will explain.  After Santa and his band got off their bicycle, they played their musical instruments and led us in Christmas songs.  Santa played a squeeze box accordion.  It was fun!

We spent some time walking around and exploring the unique (and hep) shops.  There was an indoor farmers market selling among others things, organic dog treats ( Sandy will get some), home grown mushrooms, homemade organic cheeses, wild honey, lots of different sauces, etc.  Organic seemed to be the most important word in what each was selling.  We ate lunch at Big Moe's BBQ.  It was  very good.  There are 84 different restaurants in this part of the city.  We really did enjoy seeing this part of Fort Collins and we will definitely return.

After breakfast this morning, we located the two KOA's here.  One is very rural and scenic but nearly ten miles out of Fort Collins and we want to be closer to the kids when we come back.  The other is called Lakeside KOA and is at the edge of town.  I think we will stay at this one.  Tomorrow will be our last free day here but I am not sure what we will be doing.

These pictures were taken on the road to the rural KOA,

Santa greeting us from his cabin.

Seven of Santa's merry band rode on this one bicycle.

This is a bicycle lending library.  If you are a member of the library, you can borrow bicycles for up to seven days.  It is located in Old Town.

This fountain is frozen.

Katie and Aidan enjoy a bear hug.

One of the unique buildings in Old Town Fort Collins.

A Semi-Frustrating Day

We found out last night that there was only a SLIGHT chance that we could get into the apartment today!  It still had not been inspected and the apartment manager gave them a slight chance that it would be done today.  Now what do we do?  All of their possessions are packed in a Budget rental truck and no place to call home.  Do we hang around until Monday and then find out that it still had not been inspected?  It will cost the kids $85 a day after the agreed upon time of truck return of Sunday.  These questions and many more caused the frustrating part of this day.  We would not know any answers until 2:00 this afternoon.

Since John and family weren't expected until early afternoon, we decided to check out the area.  We found out that the highway through Big Thompson Canyon to Estes Park reopened yesterday.  It had been closed following the devastating rains and floods in September.  It was a beautiful drive winding through the snow-covered canyons and mountains.  We have never been on this road to the park or when there was snow.  We saw a herd of 10-12 Big Horn Sheep along the way along with gorgeous scenery.  We saw some of the ruined houses and fallen trees as a result of the rains.  I will post some of those pictures.

We got back to Fort Collins in time to eat lunch with John and family.  They are staying at a motel nearby.  We went back to our room and waited for the phone call about the apartment.  Finally, some good news...they can get into the apartment at 2:30 on Monday.  Now we could make plans.  Carol and I will stay and help them unload the truck and then head back to Illinois on Tuesday morning.  We should be back in Decatur by 5:00 Wednesday so we can pick up Sandy before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.    I want to relax and believe these plans will actually happen; but with the way this whole process has been going, I still have a few fears that come Monday, something else will happen to delay things.  I am just going to keep praying and trusting God to work things out.  We are in our motel room relaxing for the evening.  I think we will do some more sightseeing Saturday and Sunday.

Moms, dads, and baby Big Horn Sheep we saw in the road.

This picture and the ones following shows some of the houses unfortunate enough to be along the river running through Big Thompson Canyon.

It's Snowing!

Carol didn't have any trouble staying off the rumble strips today.  The wind blowing from the north against the truck kept him on the straight and narrow.  We ran into snow before Ogallala, Nebraska and continued to drive in it the rest of the way.   For the most part the right lane of the westbound interstate was clear so we just cruised along at 55 MPH letting others pass.  We left this morning at 6:45 and arrived in Fort Collins at 3:00.  Fort Collins has about two inches of snow.  It is very pretty. We are not able to see the mountains because of the snow.  Maybe tomorrow it will clear off and we will have a view.

After we got signed into the motel, we got the car off the trailer and returned the trailer so at least we don't have a trailer following us.  It is more easier to get around in the traffic and snow. John and Linda are in Limon, Colorado which is about 3 hours from here.   Before they get here tomorrow, Carol and I will do some exploring ...we will be driving the car.

The cows put on their snow coats.  Can you see the dusting of snow on their backs?

Heading West on the Rumble Strip

We left from the church at 7:00 a.m.  The day started out sunny but by the time we crossed into Missouri it became cloudy and not long after, the rain came.  We drove through the rain for about 3 hours.  It wasn't hard so we kept on going.  Except for the drive from the church, we were on four lanes all the way.  Carol seems to pull to the right so we ended up on the rumble strips running along the road.   Normally, I would ask him if he wanted me to drive; but not today because I didn't want to drive this truck.  We just kept heading west on and off on the rumble strip.

We drove 525 miles and are in a motel in York, Nebraska.  We aren't able to drive as fast as normal.  Carol tried to hold 55 MPH but that didn't always happen.  We are tired and looking forward to a good night's rest before we face the 425 miles ahead to Fort Collins.  We are anxiously watching the weather channel.  It is predicting a sleet/snow mix tomorrow for western Nebraska and 2 inches of snow for Fort Collins.  This is definitely one time we hope the weatherman is wrong.  John and Linda are taking the southern route to Fort Collins (I-70 across Kansas).  They are just outside the western edge of Topeka.  They don't plan to get to Fort Collins until sometime on Friday.

We began our day with a beautiful sunrise over the corn fields of Central Illinois.

This is the way we are traveling to Fort Collins, Colorado.

The Missouri River just outside of Nebraska City, Nebraska.

Today we crossed the Illinois, Mississippi and Platte River in addition to the Missouri.

We ended our day with this sunset over I-80 west in Nebraska.