Home Sweet Home!

After two long days of driving, I arrived home today at 5:00. It is good to be home, but at the same time I had a great trip. I intended for this adventure to be a learning experience for future trips. I could learn what I like and what I don't like. And I did.
 In the last two weeks I have spent nearly sixty hours driving my car. Lets see what I learned in that time!
1. Quality of drivers...wester=better!
2. Indiana has the worst roads. The "new" roads, still jet black, are falling apart. If you put up flashing signs that say "watch out, our roads suck!" Then you don't need to fix them.
3. People out west understand the concept of drive on the right, pass on the left, this may be due to the hundreds of signs they erect that spell that out and tell you it is the law. Ohioans have never heard of this.
4. A speed limit out west of 75 mph is really nice.....unless you are in the mountains in the dark.
5. A 2007 Lexus IS 250 is not a mountain car.
6. Don't allow bees to enter your vehicle while driving in the mountains.
7. The half life of paranoia once your car breaks down, is about one week.
8. People speed much less when the speed limit is 75.
9. Nothing exists between Topeka Kansas and Denver.
10. Apparently there are these things called time zones that can mess up your arrival predictions.
11. A 20 year old is able to sleep all night and then continue to sleep an entire 12 hour drive.
12. Do not try to pass four wheel drive trucks with campers, they don't like it.
13. Sinclair gas stations still exist, with the green dinosaur and everything.
14. The toll road around Denver charges you automagically based on a picture of your license plate, I am told it is $20!
15. If a national park is having a slow day, nobody sits in the booth and collects the fee.
16. Get AAA if you are traveling. Paid for itself in one trip.
17. Kansas must be part of the Bible Belt, because it is hot as hell there.
18. Ohio has the most impressive "Welcome to our state" sign, hands down.
19. " Falling Rocks" signs are all a bunch of hype, never saw a darn thing fall!
20. And lastly...every single car will stop to take a picture of a bear and her cubs.

Friday

Spent most of yesterday driving to Fort Collins to see Joel. Got here while he was still in class. Gave me a chance to get all my laundry done. Checked out his dorm room and got up to date on school. We had a great dinner in town. He is acclimating very well based on everything I see. I am very proud if how he has adjusted and even how he has started to meet new friends.
 Today I start my long drive back. No hotel reservations, I will just drive as far as I can and stop and get a room.
 I look forward to being home after a long trip and reconnecting with friends and family.

Thursday

Spent this morning hiking the great sand dunes. Thirty three square miles of dunes 750 feet high. I went early to climb in cooler weather. Good idea since it was 65 when I started and over 80 when I left. Climbing in the sand is hard work. I would take about 80 steps then take a break. But most people turned back well before me. I was able to see everything I wanted to in about four hours.
 Leaving here in the morning to go visit Joel at Colorado State University before heading back.
 Every time I get out of my car and look out at the mountains, it makes me smile. I am happy.

Wednesday

Yesterday I drove from Mesa Verde to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was about a three and a half hour drive. Everything from steep mountain passes to desolate dessert. How exciting can a drive be? I had a bee get in my car and buzz around my head and land on me while I was going over Summit Pass, one thousand foot drop offs beside the road and I am swatting at a bee! I got him though! If that was not enough, during one of the flat stretches a four wheel drive truck pulling a fifth wheel camper was going about 63 mph on a 65 mph stretch, but he decided he did not want anyone to pass him. I noticed when the guy in front of me tried to pass him that he floored it and tried not to let him pass. When I tried, he not only floored it but he drove his camper into the passing lane trying to force me off the road. Not sure what that was about since it was just a simple pass.
  Spending many hours in the car alone gives you a lot of opportunity to reflect. What makes you happy? Who do you love, and who loves you. What have you done right and what have you done wrong, what is next? So many questions. As I sat at Arby's yesterday I had this very strong sense that I am starting to create my future right now. I am learning every day what I want and what I don't want. My plan is not complete, it is a work in progress. Until 2010 I thought I knew what the rest of my life would be, that all fell apart for me and I had to start over. This is my future and I am creating it one day at a time. The memories that I am creating on this trip will be mine forever. This trip will help me define what the next steps are for me, I am figuring out what works for me and what does not. All of this will help define what my future will be.
 Time to get out of bed and go hike some sand dunes.
Best wishes from Alamosa Colorado!

Spruce House

Tuesdays activities

Spent eleven hours at Mesa Verde National Park today seeing all of the sites. Was able to see it all in about a day and a half. The one benefit of traveling alone is that you move pretty quickly. The downside is that all the hiking guides say do not hike alone since you make a good target for mountain lions. I was about a half mile out on the woods all by myself looking at some ruins and I could hear a mountain lion roar in the distance. I quickened my pace getting back to the car! Today alone I saw two elk, one coyote and a bear with three cubs. I toured several sites today, on one the ranger said this is not a hike for people with a fear of heights. You had to climb up a 32 for ladder on the side of a cliff and climb and walk up a cliff face holding on to chains. I made it without any problems, but then so did the 12 year old in front of me!

Cliff Palace

Home away from home

Black Canyon

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Monday

Today was a travel day. I drove from the last national park to Mesa Verde. I took one wrong turn which took me through downtown Teluride, I am glad I made that wrong turn. I got to Mesa Verde in time to take a tour of the cliff palace ruins. This place is really large and will take two or three days to cover it. I plan to get an early start tomorrow.  I had enough of the tent and upgraded to a hotel for the next few nights. A good call since it is raining for the third night in a row.  The views here are all just beautiful.

Tent camping in a thunderstorm makes things interesting. But not a drop of water got in. Got up at 7 and was hiking by 7:30. Did not stop until 1:30. Such great views. Took a million pictures.

Returned my rental car first thing this morning. Yesterday I called a cab yesterday to get to the rental place and I ended up getting a freelance cabdriver named Bob. Bob and I talked quite a bit during the trip and he told me about his wife who has cancer and his two kids also went to Colorado State University . Bob gave me his card yesterday and told me I could call him anytime for any questions about Fort Collins or anything else, so today when I needed to go back to the rental place I called Bob this morning and he happily came and picked me up and gave me several pieces of advice about places to eat and where we could go shopping for Joel. Joel I went to Home Depot and got the lumber that he needed for his class. I will tell you that a 3 x 5 sheet of plywood does not fit well into the backseat of a Lexus, it took a lot of ingenuity in a little bit of rope to get that back to school. This afternoon I let Joel spend some time with his roommate and I went down to downtown historic Fort Collins walked all around the town square got a feel of what the town was like. After dinner tonight with Joel and breakfast tomorrow morning I will set out for the Black Canyons of the Gunnison national Park and leave Joel to start his great experience here at Colorado State University. .

Day two had some challenges! After driving over 600 miles from Kansas to Fort Collins, my car decided to break down 7 miles from my final exit. This provided me many challenges. Had to have the car towed, get a rental, transfer all of Joel's dorm stuff and get him moved in. And guess what? We got it all done. Through it all, I remained calm, never panicked and just focused on the task at hand. I got my car back even though they could not figure out what happened. Today Joel and I go shopping for his list if school supplies he will need.

This is my first day of retirement. Life is good.