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Road Trip Notes
Monday, August 11, 2008
We left at 8:05 to go on our Grand Colorado Tour (GCT). Uncle John, Ryan and Tim went with us. They flew out on Sunday. Ryan graduated from Auburn on Saturday (August 9th) Yea! Yea! He is going on and getting his Master’s degree, so he and Tim will start back to Auburn on August 18th. Zach returns to school the same day. Sarah does not start until August 25th. We were packed into the Suburban. Ron drove, Uncle John navigated, Zach, Ryan and Tim sat in the middle, and Sarah and I sat in the back. Sarah and I had muffins, (which we ate for breakfast), a pound cake and brownies sitting between us. We took McCaslin to Highway 121 to Highway 93. It was 73 degrees, with clear blue skies. We took Highway 6 at 8:29. It was still 73 degrees. At 8:45, we took 6 West. It was now 65 degrees. Must be colder in the canyon. We reached Interstate 70 West at 8:50. Traffic on the interstate was not bad. We did have to slow for construction, but we never had to stop. We passed Georgetown without stopping for a bathroom break. That is probably the first time for us. We reached the tunnel at 9:19. (For those who do not know what the tunnel is, it is the Eisenhower tunnel on interstate 70.) It was 55 degrees, with sunny blue clear skies. We exited the tunnel at 9:22. It was 56 degrees with clear sunny blue skies. There was road construction on westbound 70 after we went through the tunnel. Westbound 70 had been repaved. We passed Copper Mountain at 9:40. It was 54 degrees. This is where Ron, Zach and Sarah ski. We stopped at a rest area at 9:46 for our 1st bathroom break (Here after known as BB). This was the same rest area we stopped at in 1994. We left at 9:58 and returned to Interstate 70 at 10:00. Some of us had Banana Split Cream Oreo cookies and some had jelly beans. Some had both, but I will not name names. We also discussed the various flavors of jelly beans. We stopped at Vail at 10:12 and drove through the town. While driving through the town, Ron said he would give points if they knew the name of the artist singing on the radio. (It was Tone Loc singing “Funky Cold Medina”.) Sarah didn’t know the artist, but she knew the song. Zach said no points. Uncle Johnny said Zach could give out points. Zach gave ½ point to Sarah, but she argued with him, so he gave her -10. While we were driving around Vail, Ron drove on the sidewalk. (The sidewalk was a brick pathway that was right next to the pavement.) There was a lot of construction going on in Vail. We returned to Interstate 70 at 10:25. We saw a sign that said “Vehicles wider than 14 feet must use exit 133.” Sarah said, “Holy Crap.” It was through Glenwood Canyon. We stopped at Exit 121 at a rest area at 11:16 for a picnic. We found a table by the parking area and by the Colorado River. We had pork (home cooked) sandwiches, turkey (bought) sandwiches and leftover fried chicken nuggets (home cooked), chips (a variety), and pound cake. Zach threw a rock across the river. Tim barely threw a rock across. We had our 2nd BB. I also took the time to explain the bathroom rule to Ryan and Tim. If you do not go when we stop, then you do not get to request that we stop later. I did not bring the contracts for them to sign, but hopefully it won’t be a problem. We left at 11:59. We saw rafters and kayakers on the river. Sarah said she saw the kayakers pass us while we were eating lunch. Zach said she was lying, so he gave her negative points. Ryan said he saw them, so Zach gave Ryan points. Uncle John thinks he had meat on his sandwich, possibly double meat, but he was not sure. (Ok, on a trip to the mountains one time, I made sandwiches and took them with us. Zach ate half of his peanut butter sandwich before he realized there was no peanut butter on it. Uncle John had emailed me earlier in the month, and asked if I could make sandwiches with just bread, but make everyone think there was meat on it. I told him you just had to tell everyone there was meat on it and they would believe it.) I think he had triple meat. Zach had control of the rear air conditioner. This was not going to work. Sarah said she was not arguing about everyone taking away points, but she was. Ryan said he was just suggesting that points be taking away from her. At this point in the trip Ryan was in first place, Tim was in second and Uncle John was in third in points. We started seeing white, puffy clouds. I got 15 points for spotting the clouds. It was 20, but Zach took away 5 because I argued with him. Uncle John spotted the same clouds and Zach gave him points, too. Ron blew the horn because it’s Monday and we were not working-- micro-celebration! We saw a homemade sign: “God Bless America – 2 Chronicles 7:14” on the side of a barn. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14) We reached Grand Junction at 1:16. It was 87 degrees with sunny blue skies and white puffy clouds. We took Exit 19 (Highway 340 East) at 1:27. We passed the Colorado National Monument sign at 1:32. Ron bought an annual pass for $80 because ours had expired. We like having the annual pass because then we get into national parks for free. OK, they’re not free because we did pay $80 for the pass, but it is cheaper than paying to get into each park. There was room on the back of the card for 2 signatures, so Ron could share the card. Sarah said she wanted to share the card. Zach said no, and she lost points. Zach said if she kept talking out of turn she would lose more points. Sarah was looking at the park map to find a trail for us to walk on. Sarah said if we kept going about a ½ inch we would run into a trail. Zach said Sarah had lost 150 points since entering the park. We drove through a tunnel and of course Ron blew the horn. Tim spotted a fox. Zach gave him 60 points for the first animal spot of the trip. Sarah lost 30 for arguing that Tim should have gotten 100 points. We stopped at the Visitor Center at 1:47. We have been 268.1 miles on our trip. We did have our 3rd BB. We walked along the Canyon Rim Trail which is located behind the visitor center. We saw an eagle flying around the canyon. We found out that Ryan does not like the edges that drop off. When we returned to the visitor center we took our 4th BB. We left at 3:25. Sarah saw a sign that said, “Crooked road next 20 miles”! We like these kind of roads. At 3:31 we stopped at Otto (not Auto, why everyone was calling it Auto, I don’t know.) Trail to walk out to look over the canyon. Tim and Zach, of course, threw rocks over the side. We returned to the car at 4:05. We drove on through the park. We stopped at 4:43 at Cold Shivers Point. It was very windy there. We left at 4:50. We left the park at 4:58. It was 89 degrees. We turned right onto Colorado Road 340 at 5:04. We turned left on Interstate 70 Business Loop at 5:06. We somehow found the hotel at 5:16, by driving through a mall parking lot. We had been 296 miles. Uncle John, Ryan and Tim had room 300 and we had room 326. They are very nice suites. They had 2 full beds, 1 king bed and 1 bathroom. We decided to go to Red Robin for supper. We left at 5:45 to go to Red Robin. While we were driving there, Tim told us he had found out that in Gainesville, Florida it is OK for 2 guys to ride on a scooter. Who knew? Our hotel rooms have a mini fridge and a microwave. Sarah was trying to find a use for the microwave and Ron suggested if we had ice cream we could warm the brownies. Sarah said the brownies probably didn’t need warming because they had been hanging out in the car all day. Zach took 30 points away for negativity. Ron got 10 points for spotting a tiny RV. Sarah got 10 points taken away because she said it wasn’t a real one. We arrived at the Red Robin at 5:52. Tim had a monster burger with fries. He ate it before it ate him. The rest of us just had regular burgers. They were very good. We left at 6:46 and arrived back at the hotel at 6:53. Ron dropped me and the kids off and he and Uncle John went to get ice and gas. We had been 300.5 miles on our trip. The gas was $3.79 a gallon. Sarah, Zach, Ryan and Tim played cards for a while and watched the Olympics. [Note: This is the year that Michael Phelps (an American swimmer) won 8 Gold Medals.]
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
I got up at 6:30 and Ron a little later. The kids got up at 7:00. We meet Uncle John, Ryan and Tim at 7:30 for breakfast in the hotel. We had scrambled eggs, bacon, cereal, cinnamon rolls, muffins, milk, chocolate milk, and juices for breakfast. We left the hotel at 8:10. The kids discussed last night’s card game (Hearts). Sarah said she was kicking butt, but lost the last hand. We took Highway 50/Interstate 70 Business Loop at 8:16. We took Highway 50 South at 8:20. At 8:25 it was 72 degrees with sunny, clear blue skies. Ron said he would give Sarah a nickel if she knew the lead singer of Fleetwood Mac. She said Stevie Nicks. Ron was impressed. Zach said I told her so he took away 30 points from Sarah and 30 from me for cheating. Zach got the nickel. Sarah accidentally misspoke the name of a song and Zach took way 10 points. Needless to say, Sarah was not happy. We reached Montrose at 9:21. It was 71 degrees with sunny blue skies. We took a left at 9:24 at San Juan Avenue and then turned left at 9:26 onto Main Street toward Gunnison. We turned left onto Colorado 347 at 9:35. We passed the Black Canyon of the Gunnison sign at 9:44. It was 70 degrees. We used our park pass and entered the park at 9:44. We took the East Portal Access Road to the river. We passed the “Warning Extreme Grades & Sharp Curves Ahead” sign. We like this road. We passed the 16% grade sign. We saw some squirrels and a squished one in the road. We reached the bottom at 10:04. We had our 5th BB. Remember BB’s in the hotel room do not count. We left at 10:20. Oh yeah, Zach, Tim, and Ryan threw rocks in the river. We had a snack of grapes while driving back to the main road. Ryan ate Boulder BBQ Chips (I know what Ryan is getting for Christmas). We returned to the Rim Drive at 10:39. Ron had to turn the heater up and let the windows down, because the Suburban was getting a little overheated. We stopped at Tomichi Point at 10:41 and looked out over the canyon. We left at 10:49. When Ron and Uncle John were getting back in, Ron flicked a Big Giant Grasshopper off the hood and it went up Uncle John’s nose. Sarah though that was funny. We reached the Visitor Center at 10:54. The last time we were here they were still working on the visitor center and it was not open. We walked around the center and looked at the exhibits and then walked out to Gunnison Point Overlook. We left at 11:27. We listened to 70’s on the XM radio. I love my XM. We stopped at 11:33 at Pulpit Rock Overlook. We walked down to the overlook walking in the Great Outdoors, but Zach pooted and now it is the Mediocre Outdoors. We left at 11:47. Ryan still does not like the edges, but he does not mind that we go look over the edge. We stopped at Cross Fissures View at 11:40, but then decided to go on to find a picnic table. Sarah’s sugar was low. We stopped at Sunset View Overlook, but the tables were next to the edge of the canyon. Ryan said he would sit in the car to eat. We decided to drive on to the next picnic area. We stopped at High Point at 11:58 to eat. We found 2 tables close together, so the kids ate at one and we ate at the other. Bees attacked Zach’s chicken and Ryan’s sandwich. I killed one, but we had to sacrifice part of Ryan’s sandwich. One bee carried off a piece of turkey, so Timmy let it live. Zach stood up to eat and Ryan ate with us. It was a nice shaded area. Zach said it was shaded by the giant bee hive. When we put the picnic stuff back in the Suburban, we noticed one ice chest (the one with the food in it – the ice was all in the bottom of the ice chest) was leaking. We put a towel under it hoping it would stop leaking. Tim’s Tip of the Day: Always have a towel. We had our 6th BB. We left at 12:46. We stopped at Painted Wall to take pictures. We left the park at 1:11. It was 76 degrees, sunny with blue skies and a few white clouds. We took Highway 50 East at 1:20. We turned left into Cimarron Morrow Point Dam and drove down the dam road to the dam end and parked in the dam parking lot at 1:37. It was 82 dam degrees. We decided to walk on the Mesa Creek Trail. The trail followed along the dam river for about a mile. The kids threw rocks in the water and tried to skip some. They threw small and big (really big,) rocks in the water. It was a very pretty walk. You could look at the cliff walls and tell how they had been formed by the water cutting through them. The trail was rocky, and up and down in places (read: steep). We read that you could do a self-guided tour of the dam. (You could walk up to the fence posted with “No Trespassing’ signs and look from a distance at the outside of the dam.) We left at 3:40. We returned to highway 50 and returned to Montrose. We took Highway 550 South/Townsend Avenue at 4:13 in Montrose. It was 87 degrees, sunny with white clouds and blue skies. We found the hotel (Holiday Inn Express) at 4:17. Ron and Uncle John checked us in. We got to our rooms at 4:39. We were in room 247 and they were in 249. We left the rooms at 5:10 to go to Pizza Hut for supper. We left the hotel at 5:14 to go hunt the Pizza Hut. Zach said he saw one when we were driving to the hotel. We drove back toward downtown Montrose and then took Highway 50/Main Street. We found the Pizza Hut at 5:21. It was not the best Pizza Hut we had ever been in. The pizzas were good, but the service was not. We think they only had 1 waitress working. We ordered first, so our order got there first. We were almost finished eating before Uncle John, Ryan and Tim got theirs. We thought maybe they didn’t have enough pans and were waiting for us to finish our pizzas. We left at 6:41. We saw a really weird looking truck camper parked in the parking lot. We saw a combine driving down Main Street on our way back to the hotel. We reached the hotel at 6:49. It was 88 degrees. We dropped the kids off at the hotel and went to the Safeway next to the hotel for ice, bread, drinks, and turkey. We decided to get gas at the Safeway while we were there. Gas was $3.85 a gallon and we only needed about ½ tank (11.723 gallons). We have been a total of 454.8 miles. We left and went back to the hotel. The kids played cards again and watched the Olympics.Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I got up at 6:30 and Ron soon after. The kids got up at 7:00. We ate breakfast at the hotel. We left the hotel at 8:00. When we were loading the bags into the Suburban, the blue ice chest (the one with the food in it) was still leaking. We decided to stop at Wal-Mart and replace it. We took Highway 550 South toward Durango. We stopped at Wal-Mart at 8:04. They did not have an ice chest, so we bought 5 cheap towels ($3.50 each) to put under the ice chest. We put a towel down, then a garbage bag on top of that, and then another towel on top of the garbage bag. The ice chest seems to be leaking from the bottom. Tim’s second tip: Always have garbage bags. We have 3 extra dry towels, so maybe we can finish the trip without buying an ice chest. We left at 8:29 and returned to Highway 550 South towards Silverton. We saw some teepees by the road, so we discussed the merits of teepees. Sarah said she liked Yurts better. Uncle John said say ‘Excuse me.” At 8:44 it was 60 degrees with blue skies with lots of white clouds. We listened to Sarah’s IPod – Dad’s Playlist. Ron asked Zach if Sarah could get points for knowing Bruce Springsteen’s nickname (The Boss). She did, but Zach decided she didn’t get any points, and then he said 1 point. Sarah saw a deer, but Zach said she lied and took 1 point away. But she did see one by the road. Tim had Adam Sandler’s “Kill Me” from the Wedding Singer movie on his IPod. We listened to it. We all like that song. We reached Ouray at 9:11. It was 59 degrees, still blue skies with some clouds. There was road construction on the road going into and out of Ouray. We had to stop for a few minutes going up the mountain outside of Ouray. We saw some waterfalls, and wondered, “How far does water have to fall to be considered a waterfall?” We saw a flock/herd of chipmunks by the road. We stopped at 9:43 at an overlook to look at an old mine site. We left at 9:50. We listened to Silverton by CW McCall on Zach’s IPod. Sarah’s IPod gave her a sad face when we stopped at the overlook. She let it rest hoping that it would fix itself. (It is working now, but she is afraid that it will die soon. She has had it about 2 ½ years.) We entered San Juan County at 9:56 and passed Red Mountain Pass. The elevation is 11,018 feet. Gold ore wagons first crossed here in 1878. Yes, I am a very knowledgeable historian. Ok, it was on the sign. It was a very pretty drive. There are mountains, rivers, and waterfalls. Sometimes the water looks green and sometimes it looks orange, and sometimes it is clear and cold looking. There were lots of places for moose, but we did not see any. We are still looking for a moose with antlers. We do not think Colorado moose have antlers. We reached Silverton at 10:11. It was 56 degrees with blue skies and white clouds. Sarah was happy. She needed a BB. We drove down to the public bathrooms next to the park at the edge of town. We stopped at the park at 10:16 and had our 7th BB. The building that the bathroom is in is pink with purple trim. The guys must have had to go pretty bad, because they all used the pink bathroom, too. We left the park at 10:24 and drove on down the road out of town. The road was County Road 110. The pavement ended and became a dirt road. We can never pass up an opportunity to drive on a dirt road. So we went on. There were a lot of Aspen trees. We have never driven down this road before. We stopped to look at a map beside the road. Ron got out so he could read the map. It said we were on the Alpine Loop Back County Byway which runs along Cement Creek. A big, scary bug landed on the map. Sarah said maybe we should let the windows up. Good idea. We saw a mine that was no longer in operation. We stopped beside the creek and of course the boys threw rocks, and Tim waded in the water. Tim’s feet turned orange. I wonder if they are still orange. He did verify that the water was (and is probably still) very cold. We had a snack while we were stopped. We found out the Tim will eat the green gummies, instead of us throwing them out the window. (Do we have the Mr. Bo Jangles song?) Ron grabbed a handful of gummies and got all red and orange except 1 yellow and 1 green. We saw a metal building that looked like something had fallen on it and caved in the middle and one end. It was way cool looking. We reached the 4-wheel part of the road and turned around at 11:02. We saw an old building that was also smashed. Zach saw a chipmunk. We have not seen many animals so far, so even a chipmunk sighting was big news. We reached the pavement at 11:20. It was a very pretty drive. The mountains sometimes have orange tops. We parked in Silverton at 11:23 and walked around the town. We stopped and had our 8th BB. The ladies room was being used as storage. There was a ladder and lots of boxes. While walking around the town, we meet an Auburn graduate from 1951. Ron, Uncle John, Zach, and Ryan all had Auburn stuff on. Here’s is what we remember that he told us:-
• In June of 1952, he received his Army orders (Korean War), just after his older brother did.
• He retired from NASA in Houston, Texas in 1979.
• He was from Mobile, Alabama.
• He helped draw blood when the state of Alabama was checking for Gonorrhea (VD). Found that Mobile County (predominately a black county) had 65% VD.
• In 1991 the last Sunshine Mine closed and that was the year that he moved to Silverton.
• In 1979 on Mother’s Day, a lake imploded into a mine. It took 2 years to muck the mine out.
• He told us about 2 famous whores in Silverton, Nigger Lola and Jew Fanny. One spent money on chauffeurs and the other gave money away and earned the town’s respect.
• There were 18 men to 1 woman in Silverton.
• 10% of the population died during the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic.
• End of WWI, the town partied for 3 days, then found out the war wasn’t really over. When it was really over, they partied for 3 more days.
• He worked in the Visitor Center. A lady from Massachusetts called and asked if it was safe to visit because of all of the Indian Reservations in the area.
• The first shootout was a Marshall versus other guy. The marshal stepped on pistol and the other guy was found mysteriously hanged.
• Mine Company is thinking about re-opening 4 mines around Silverton.
• He uses coal to heat his house.
• His 17 year old grandson lives with him. His grandson is enlisting in the military and will be taking college courses online. Auburn at Montgomery is one of the places he will be taking courses. Remember his grandfather graduated from Auburn and that’s what started all this.
• He had an oxygen tank with him. There is only 65% oxygen in Silverton.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
I got up at 6:30, Ron a little later, and the kids at 7:00. We loaded up the Suburban and got drinks out for everyone. There was no continental breakfast at the hotel, so we were just going to eat muffins while we rode to Mesa Verde. We left the hotel at 7:40. Tim told Ron, “I got this drink for you.” (I really got it for him; Tim just held it while we loaded stuff.) It was 57 degrees, Brrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have been 579.4 miles on our trip. I think we are well below our average miles per trip. We took Highway 550 to 160 West at 7:45. It was a little cloudy today. We passed a guy riding a motorcycle with a kayak strapped to the back. Sarah said she will get her last paycheck tomorrow. She said it was like getting paid for doing nothing because she didn’t work this week. Zach said, “Just like always.” Sarah said he had not gloated about winning at cards last night. Oh wait, he didn’t win. Ryan and Tim won. Sarah saw some elk waiting to be made into jerky. She was not happy. We saw a deer. We followed the signs to the Mesa Verde park entrance. The clouds were beginning to clear up and there was some sunshine by 8:20. We exited Highway 160 at 8:20 to go to the park. We entered the park at 8:24. It was 58 degrees. We drove through a dark tunnel. Sarah said maybe they should put a light or 2 in. It was super duper dark. Sarah asked Zach how many points she had. “Oh wait, I don’t care”, she told Zach. Zach said she had less than she had before she asked. Zach said Ron got 5 points for every mile he drove, but Sarah thought 5 was a lot. Zach said Sarah was getting negative 1 point per mile. Michelle (Sarah’s roommate) lost 10 points because she didn’t know how far it is to Chicago by Amtrak. (Michelle doesn’t even know she’s playing). The Pizza Hut waitress lost 20 points and the MiniMed guy lost 50 points. Tim saw 2 deer and got 20 points. We saw Virga rain. For those who do not know, virga rain is: In meteorology, virga is an observable streak or shaft of precipitation that falls from a cloud but evaporates before reaching the ground. At high altitudes the precipitation falls mainly as ice crystals before melting and finally evaporating; this is usually due to compressional heating, because the air pressure increases closer to the ground. It is very common in the desert and in temperate climates. It is also common in the Southern United States during summer. We passed an old people work crew working on the road. We reached the visitor center at 8:50. It is 15 miles from the entrance to the visitor center. It was 65 degrees. We had our 10th BB of the trip. We walked around the center and looked at the exhibits. We decided not to do a guided tour, but to guide ourselves. There was a mountain lion (stuffed) in the visitor center. The boys all hoped we would see a real one. Sarah did not. We left the center at 9:22. Some of us had a snack of peanuts or cashews. We drove to the Spruce Tree House. We reached it at 9:34. We saw a herd of deer before we walked down to the dwelling. On the walk down, we stopped to watch a chipmunk. They are cool, rats with racing strips. We saw a skunkbush. We need to get one because there are lots of things you can do with a skunkbush. Native Americans used the fruits in foods, beverages, and medicines. Young stems were woven with grass stems into durable baskets that would hold water. The leaves are said to have been smoked by the Comanches. Yes, we really should get one. We really liked walking around the dwelling and climbing down into the Kiva. We left at 11:14. Our bag of gummi bears had melted and become one giant gummi. Of course, Tim ate it. He said it was good stuff. We found a picnic area on the loop road going into the Spruce Tree House. We stopped at 11:18 and had sandwiches. I only ate a half of a sandwich, because I had wanted a Little Debbie Nutty Bar, but I was always full after lunch. So today I set a good example, and only ate half a sandwich and a whole Nutty Bar. After lunch Ron and Ryan threw grapes for Tim to try and catch with his mouth. He caught a few. We had our 11th BB while at the picnic area. Flush toilets! (I asked those who had already gone before I went). We left at 11:58. Tim let a bug out his window. He said it seemed liked it wanted out. Zach ate the rest of the pound cake. Sarah and I now have nothing sitting between us. Ron and Uncle John shared a Little Debbie. They were not smart and ate a whole sandwich each. Tim finished eating the big, giant gummi. He spent a couple of minutes chewing up the big wad of gummies. Sarah saw some deer. We took Mesa Top Loop Drive. We stopped at 12:10 at Pitt House. We walked around there and looked at it. We stopped at Square Tower House Overlook. It has a 4 story square structure in the dwelling. We also stopped at Pithouse and Pueblo. We stopped at Sun View Point. We could see 6 cliff dwellings from this overlook. A sign said there were 33 cliff dwellings in the area with 600- 800 people living in the area. Ron and I got 2 points for spotting a grey squirrel. We saw a flock of turkeys (4). The skies were sunny, blue with white fluffy clouds. We passed the old guy work crew again, in the same place. We went back through the scary dark tunnel. I guess by now you have figured out that there is just one road in and out. We left the park at 1:36. It was 78 degrees, with grey clouds, but you could still see white clouds and blue sky. We took Highway 160 East at 1:37. At 1:40 it started sprinkling. At 1:42 it stopped. At 2:04 it started raining big fat drops just outside of Durango. At 2:05 it started sprinkling and at 2:09 it stopped raining. At 2:12 we took Highway 160 East toward Pagosa Springs. We stopped at a Tourist Information Building at 2:14 to see if they had restrooms. They did and it was our 12th BB. It was public restrooms. There was no soap, but they had water and paper towels. The restrooms were located at the Santa Rita Park off 160 East next to the Animas River. We left at 2:24. The kids played 20 questions except Tim. The boys played Tic Tac Toe. Yes, all 3 of them at the same time. Tim was a Check mark. Tim got to choose the winner and he chose Zach then. Sarah played too. She was a square. Tim won 4-person Tic Tac Toe. Tim did not want to play anymore since he dominated the game. We reached Pagosa Springs at 3:25. It was 82 degrees, with blue skies and white clouds. We drove by the Pagosa Spring at 3:32. We stopped in a hotel parking lot and got drinks out for everyone except me. At 3:42 it started raining. We listened to the Wolf Creek Pass song by CW McCall on Sarah’s IPod. It is happy now. The IPod. At 3:50 it stopped raining. We stopped at Treasure Falls at 3:56, but there was not a lot of water falling down the fall. How much water does it take to make a water fall? At 4:00 it started raining again. At 4:05 it stopped. We crossed the Continental Divide at 4:08. We listened to Tim’s IPod for a while. I hope I never have to do that again. We stopped at a rest area at 4:19. It had pit toilets. It was our 13th BB. We left at 4:27. We passed the Lonesome Dove Cabins. We passed the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee offices in Monte Vista. The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee (CPAC) was founded in 1941 with the key goal of organizing the then more than 175 Colorado Potato Growers and Colorado Potato Shippers throughout Colorado under a common purpose and industry. Self-regulation and quality standards; production practice management, legislation, marketing, and research funding are some of the key functions of CPAC. Today, CPAC represents a smaller grower and shipper group in both its Regions (San Luis Valley and Greeley) reflecting a consolidated marketplace, but its 175 members and dedicated staff represent a dynamic force working together for the future of the entire potato industry. Later we passed the Feed Store Church. Sorry, I could not find a lot of information on the internet. I think it is a non-denominational church. We reached Alamosa at 5:27. We turned left on Mariposa Street and found our hotel (Holiday Inn Express) at 5:28. We got to our room at 5:39. We were in room 322 and Uncle John was in room 223. We left the hotel at 5:53 to go get something to eat. We drove a little ways through town and then decided on the Chili’s next to the hotel. We turned around at a Safeway and then decided to get gas. We had been 848 miles. (I did not take my road trip book with me, so I told the boys to remember the mileage. Zach – 8, Ryan – 4, and Tim – 8. When I asked Zach what number he had, he said 4. So of course I wrote 484 in the book. Tip: Never ask boys to remember anything for you.) We ate at Chili’s and then returned to the hotel. Ron dropped me and the kids off and he and Uncle John went to the Wal-Mart next to the hotel for drinks. We got to the room at 7:35. The kids played cards; Zach and Ryan won.Friday, August 15, 2008
I got up at 6:30, Ron at 7:00 and Zach at 7:15. We were going to let the kids sleep in a little later this morning. Sarah wanted to get up at 7:50. Ron, Zach and I left the room at 7:25 to go down to breakfast. We met Uncle John in the lobby and ate with him. Ryan and Tim were still sleeping. I went back up to the room at 7:45. Sarah was already up and dressed. She said the TV woke her up. Zach and Sarah left the room at 8:10 to go get breakfast. Sarah’s first breakfast, Zach’s second breakfast. Zach drank 4 ½ pints of milk this morning. We left the room at 8:33 and left the hotel at 8:38. It was 63 degrees, sunny with blue skies and some white clouds, but we will probably get into rain along the Interstate 25 corridor. We took Highway 160 East at 8:40. A big hawk flew right in front of the windshield. Ron hit the brakes to keep it from hitting the windshield, but we hit it anyway. At 9:15 it was beginning to get cloudy. At 9:29, there was no sunshine. It was very cloudy. The mountain tops are covered by grey clouds. It looked like it was going to be a great day for driving home. At 9:37 it began sprinkling. Ron and Uncle John were eating Tropical Fruit slices candy. Sarah wanted to know what fruit was red. Ron said it was cherries. Sarah said that’s silly-cherries don’t have slices. We reached Walsenburg at 9:56. Sarah was glad because she needed a BB. Zach said he knew he could go longer than Sarah even after drinking 4 ½ pints of milk. We followed 160/Main Street toward Interstate 25. We found a 7-11 and stopped for our 14th BB at 10:01. We bought 1 bag of peanut M & M’s, 2 scratch off tickets and the winning lottery ticket (it wasn’t – the clerk lied to us). Ryan bought 3 scratch off tickets. He let Tim pick one. Ryan won nothing and Tim won $21. Sarah and Zach won nothing. Ron wanted some crackers from the back. Luckily I could reach them without getting out. We left at 10:14. It was still sprinkling. We reached Interstate 25 at 10:17. We started playing the famous name game at 10:40. Kids versus adults. At 11:15, it stopped sprinkling. It was still cloudy. We passed the Colorado Springs World Arena at 11:32. This is where some Olympic athletes train. It was not raining, but it was still cloudy. We are still playing the famous name game. Sarah used Brody Croyle, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We exited the interstate at 11:45 to stop for lunch. We are low on meat and chips. We found a McDonald’s at 11:49. We paused our game at 11:50. It was the adults turn and we have the letter “S”. We left at 12:16. It was 50 degrees and sprinkling again. We returned to Interstate 25 at 12:19. At 12:30 it was raining, real rain. By 12:44, it was just sprinkling. We did not continue the name game, but I thought of Susan B. Anthony and told Ron and Uncle John in the McDonald’s, so I guess that means the adults won. Ron saw a train and told the kids there was somebody’s house they could climb on. Sarah said there was not a “No Trespassing “sign, so they could climb on it. We reached Denver at 1:00. It was 50 degrees, still raining and very cloudy. Traffic was slow going through Denver. We took the HOV lane and it was much faster. We reached 36 at 1:36. It was 51 degrees, still raining and very cloudy. We exited 36 at 1:47 and got home at 1:53. It was 50 degrees and still raining and still very cloudy. We had been a total of 1,109 miles. We went to Fuddruckers for supper.Saturday, August 16, 2008
We left at 7:50 to take Uncle John, Ryan and Tim to the airport. It was sprinkling and still overcast, no sunshine and 53 degrees. We saw a car that had hydroplaned just before the Broomfield/Arvada exit. They must have moved Denver because we could not see it. Sarah said it was still there. It was very cloudy. Zach told Sarah she had to get his stuff ready for school for him. He starts on Monday, and he has not put his name on any of his notebooks. We reached Interstate 70 at 8:14. It was still raining. Where are the mountains? We reached the airport at 8:26. We know we reached the airport because they have put up a new sign. We also saw the scary, big, giant, blue horse with the red eyes. (If you have not seen it yet, please refer to: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/W3PYBnyspTrQGUPqkwr0ng?select=k1I6P17F8Bp2P7iggmpGcw.) But beware, it’s scary. We dropped them off at Terminal West at 8:32. We left them at the curb at 8:35. It was still raining. Everyone had a good time. There are a lot of new solar panels at the airport. We saw planes taking off, so that was a good sign. The kids enjoyed the vacation where we didn’t ride a thousand miles a day. Zach said we didn’t see as much, but it was fun. Our favorite part was Mesa Verde. We stopped at the Wal-Mart in Westminster to get glue traps for mice. Our Wal-Mart did not have any. When I was putting the food up from the trip, I found signs of a mouse in the pantry. Zach saw it run behind the couch last night. I gave the boys big plastic bowls, so we could chase it out from behind the couch and they could trap it in the bowls. We moved the couch and beat on it, but the mouse did not run out. After I went to bed, the kids saw it again, but did not catch it. I thought for sure if Ryan and Tim could catch a possum in their trailer at Auburn, then surely they could catch one little mouse. We stopped at Wal-Mart at 9:07. We bought 24 glue traps. Hopefully this will be enough. (We did catch the mouse. Yea! Yea! Do the Happy Mouse Dance!) We left the Wal-Mart at 9:22. We stopped at the Best Buy at 9:31, but they weren’t open. They don’t open till 10:00. We were going to look at desk top computers. We stopped at Safeway for gas. It was $3.70 a gallon with discount. It was still sprinkling and very overcast. We got home at 9:45. It was 51 degrees, sprinkling, and overcast.
Updated:Sunday, December 21, 2008