Day 19.5: The Final Word

We crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois at 3:00, into Macon County at 5:00, and home at 5:30.  We had driven 3600 miles on this trip.   It was 967 miles to Colorado and approximately the same for the return trip.  That means that we drove nearly 1500 miles in the two weeks we were in Colorado.  That was a lot of curving roads up into the mountains and down into canyons.    We did make two road trips to Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming and Carol went to Denver.  The average cost per gallon was $3.51.  Both the highest ($3.71) and lowest ($3.32) being in Nebraska.

I will wrap this up with a comment on rest areas.  These are very important to a traveler.  We found that the rest areas in Nebraska were both the best and worse.  They are the best because they were clean and almost always had a connection to the land they sat on through history.  On the negative side, if you are towing something, the parking is terrible.  The space is limited and it is one lane running along the edge of the stop.  Many times as we were driving by, we could see there would not have been room for us had we wanted to stop.  On another note, there is not one rest area between St. Joseph, Missouri and Decatur.  That is over 300 miles.

It is hard to see but these are wheels representing the hundreds of wheels that crossed Nebraska on the Oregon Trail on this very spot.  This was a history lesson at a rest area in Nebraska.

One of the first things we saw when we crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois was this farm.  It had a nice collection of windmills and I loved the display of the huge American flag.

Even corn fields are beautiful.

We left the wide open spaces of Nebraska and Wyoming and drove into Illinois and tree-lined roads.

Day 19 - Random Stories from the Traveler

We both had a restful night.  We actually slept until almost 7:00!  We left the Double Nickel at 8:00, filled up with gas at a small truck stop at this exit, and then headed east and home.  We left I-80 at Lincoln, to US 2 to I-29, then US 36 across the top of Missouri.  This part of Missouri is home to several famous people.  Walter Chronkite, John J. Pershing, and J.C. Penney were all born nearby and Walt Disney spent most of his childhood in this western part of US 36..  Also, Mark Twain was born on the east end of US 36 in Hannibal.

I am taking this driving time to get down some random thoughts.  I met some interesting dogs on this trip.  Wanda was an Australian Sheep Dog or so her parents thought.  They said she adopted them as a stray who showed up at their home.  They thought Wanda would be a perfect name since she wandered in one day.  She was very sweet. Winston was a small totally blind dog.  His parents told me that he was living in a shelter and needed a home so they adopted him.  They have another dog that helps keep Winston going the right way.  Yeti is a beautiful, sweet Samoyed.  Yeti has his own business card.  As you are petting him, his parent hands you a business card which  has his name, what breed of  dog he is, and thanks you for petting him.  The last dog is nameless because I only saw him pass us on the interstate.  He was riding on a tool box in the back of a pickup.  As the truck was moving 75 miles an hour, he was pacing back and forth on that box all the while keeping his balance. Below is a picture of that dog and his truck.

This campground must have felt like a safe haven to rabbits.  They were everywhere and did not seem  afraid.  Nearly everyday we would have one or two in our yard eating and resting under our picnic table.

Sandy and I enjoyed walking every morning and evening around the small pond at the camp.  From our site, around the pond, and back to camp was at least a mile.  It was especially beautiful in the early morning.  These pictures will help keep those walks in my memory.

This is the entrance to the trail.

The swans are waiting to take families around the pond.

These are just a few of the many wild flowers I saw as we walked.

Day 18 - Our Home for Two Weeks

We left our home for the last two weeks.  When we checked in, I was bummed about the fact that visitors were charged $10 per person to be in the campground.  I still don't like the charge but we managed to have John and family here two different days.  The kids loved being able to swim and use all the facility activities.   One of the things they did not do was drive these carts.  On weekends the campground filled up with families and  these carts were popular.

We were in site 21 and if we come again, we will request that spot.  Except weekends, we didn't have neighbors.  A KOA cabin was on the north and three luxury spots with hot tubs were on the south.  Those spots were only filled on the weekends.  The camp was clean, showers nice, staff pleasant, and recreation facilities wonderful.

You can see the KOA cabin on the north.

The patio/hot tub site is on the south.

This shows how the camper looked at the corner of the camp.  Mountains are in the background.

You can see all kinds of RVs as you camp but this one was a first for us.  This guy had an extended bed on a semi tractor.  He connects his fifth wheel on the end of the extension. This leaves enough room between the fifth wheel and back of the tractor for him to carry a smart car.  He carries ramps and winches the car up and down the ramps.

We left the KOA at 7:30 and arrived at the Double Nickel Campground near Waco, Nebraska at 4:30.  We had never camped here before but wanted to give it a try because it is near the halfway point of miles between Decatur and Fort Collins.  We are so glad to find this place.  It is an old campground but the new owners are trying to make positive changes.  One change is to make all sites pull through which makes the sites very long.  They have also built and put swings around the camp and we were lucky to have on on our site.    It is near I-80 and you can definitely hear the truck traffic but we are used to that from other campgrounds.  The campground adjoins a golf coarse so the view of the meadows and greens is very nice.  Tonight there is a cool breeze blowing.  We don't have the air on and think at least one blanket will be necessary.

Day 17 - Goodbye to Our Family

Our final day at Fort Collins is here and we wish it hadn't arrived so quickly.  We went to John and Linda's apartment at 9:30 to go with them to their church.  Aidan had several seizures before we got there so Linda stayed home with him while the rest of us went to church.  It is a very non-traditional church.  It is held in a gym of a preschool.  Most people dressed very casually...shorts, flip flops.  The service opened with several choruses and Communion.  The pastor was gone but a young man who is church planting a church in Northern Fort Collins spoke.  He did a powerful job of reminding us that we are God's temple.

After church we went back to get Aidan and Linda to go eat at The Silver Grill Cafe.  This is the oldest continually operating restaurant in Northern Colorado.  It first opened its doors in 1933 and has  since purchased the shops/buildings next to it until now it is actually five buildings as one.  If you look carefully, you can see the difference in brick as each new adjoining building was added.  The food was awesome.  They only serve breakfast and lunch.  Their specialty is homemade cinnamon rolls.  They are huge, about the size of a man's hand.  We brought one for our breakfast tomorrow.
Aidan rode in his wheel chair because walking would have been hard.  The waitress who served us was very compassionate and respectful of Aidan and his needs.  After lunch we posed for pictures and at their apartment said our goodbyes.  We hope to come back next summer.

On both sides of the Silver Grill sign you can see where two other adjoining buildings have been made a part of the restaurant.

John, Katie, Aidan, Linda, and Carol.

This is what a sunset in the west can do to clouds in the east.

Our last Colorado sunset for this trip.

John, Katie, Aidan, Linda, and me

Day 16 - Another Family Fun Day

Sandy and I were on the trail by 5:30.  John, Linda, and the kids were coming to our camper at 1:00 so we relaxed and read while we sat outside.  We decided to eat breakfast at The Chuckwagon at the KOA.  It serves breakfast, pizza and wings.  Our breakfast was three pancakes, three slices of bacon and coffee for Carol.  It was good.  It started raining just about the time we were finished so we went back to the camper.

This isThe KOA Chuckwagon.

This is the train that carries adults and kids around the campground.

John, Linda, Aidan, and Katie hop a ride to the recreation area of the KOA.

They enjoyed a game of miniature golf before the 4:00 rain set in.

The kids had fun playing in the puddles as they returned to our site.  We sat under the awning, talking and enjoying each other's company.  I ordered pizza for supper from the Chuckwagon and it was delivered to our site.  John had to work tonight so they went home about 6:30.  Carol and I took Sandy for another walk and then read and relaxed.  It was a very relaxing day.

I had to end this post with another beautiful sunset.  I am going to miss seeing a view like this most evenings.

Day 15 - Two Meals and a Shopping Trip

This morning we decided to eat breakfast at a place we had eaten at 10 years ago.  Ten years ago, Carol and I and Jason and Kara went on a vacation together to Lake Powell.  We spent five days on a houseboat on Lake Powell and toured several other national parks in Southern Utah.  On our way home we stopped at Fort Collins so Jason could visit with an uncle.  We all ate breakfast together at this restaurant.  They serve an excellent breakfast.

After breakfast we drove through the Big Thompson Canyon to Estes Park for some shopping (really more like looking).  I wonder who Big Thompson was to get a canyon named after him.  There are still some houses that have not been repaired or torn down after the flood.  I don't know their story.  Maybe there are problems with the insurance companies or maybe the don't plan to rebuild after such a loss.  We spent a couple of hours walking the streets of Estes Park.  Estes Park is just like Gatlinburg and West Yellowstone.  There are lots of t-shirt, tourist, and taffy shops along with many interesting places to eat.  We got back to the camper just in time for another thunderstorm.  That meant nap time for me.  For supper we ate with John, Linda and the kids at Dickeys, a BBQ place. It was delicious.  We got the family pack which was two different kinds of meat and three sides.  It was served family style.  We will have to eat there again when we are back this way.  Now we are relaxing outside.  It has cooled down and we shut off the air conditioner.  It should be a good night to sleep.

Day 14 - Katie and I

Today Carol drove John, Linda, and Aidan to the Denver Children's Hospital to see a specialist in epilepsy.  I stayed at the apartment with Katie.  We had some girl time.  I don't get much of that since Katie is my only granddaughter and she lives 18 hours away now.  We had fun.  We played cars in Aidan's room, dolls on her room, watched Frozen and The Lego Movie and went to the park in her apartment complex.  She is so sweet, and has a fantastic imagination.  I don't know if she had a good time, but I did!

John and Linda felt positive about the new doctor.  He wants to see all of his records from the Indianapolis doctor and do another MRI.  The doctor offered several treatment options but no decision was made today.   They feel the move to Colorado will be good for Aidan medically.

I only managed to take pictures of another beautiful sunset so I am posting those pictures along with a few I took two nights ago.  This campsite is on the western side of the campground and we are on the outside row so we have a perfect view of the sunsets.  When the sun sets behind the mountains, we see some beautiful sights.

Day 13 (Part 1) - A Day in Wyoming

We headed to Cheyenne to see the USAF Thunderbirds.  The show was to begin at 9:30 but because of the clouds, it was delayed until 10:30.  We were very impressed with the skill of the pilots as they flew in close formation.  Pictures were hard to take because the planes came in so quickly and just as quickly flew by and then out of sight.  After the program we ate lunch at "The Pie Lady."  I had the chicken potpie and it was delicious.  Nearly 50 different kinds of pie are on the menu.  Carol had his favorite strawberry/rhubarb.  He said it was delicious.  It was an old-fashioned restaurant decorated with vintage aprons.  Very neat.   I am also posting pictures of views we saw on US 287 highway which we took from Laramie to Fort Collins.  We really enjoyed the day.

This was the sky at 9:30 and it didn't clear up until mid afternoon.

The three pictures I was able to take.

The rest of the pictures were taken on US Highway 287 south out of Laramie to Fort Collins.

I loved the way this little country looked in the valley