Day 10 - Broomfield, CO

Today was a day for visiting with family - Dad, Ellen, Margo, and I drove to Broomfield to spend the day at Gina, Steve, and Jayden's house. Although he's only 17 months old, Jayden's vocabulary is astounding. He's not quite putting sentences together, but he is stringing words together and making short phrases, and he knows more 4-syllable words than some of my high school students! He can say "motorcycle" and "calculator" and he will at least try to repeat most words that he hears. It's almost like he has to mull it over in his head a little bit, practicing in his mind what he's going to say, and then the word just pops out of his mouth. Very impressive!

Margo and I had painted a child-sized adirondack chair for Jayden, and somehow Margo fit all the pieces (and her motorcycle helmet!) in her suitcase for the flight out here. After reassembling it, we presented it to him on Monday, and he was quite taken with it. He could identify all of the pictures on the chair - truck, airplane, Elmo, choo choo, boots, and firetruck (even though he sometimes confused it with fireplace) - and he was able to sit all the way back in it and get back out again all on his own. Dad and Ellen also picked up a t-shirt for Jayden in Sturgis, complete with a teddy bear on a motorcycle, and he was happy to model it for all of us.

We all took a nice walk to Starbuck's nearby, with Jayden in his wagon that dad (Pop Pop) made for him. It was a beautiful morning to sit outside at the cafe tables. At first Jayden was happy with his Tilty cup of apple juice, but he soon became more interested in mommy's iced mocha instead. Margo remedied the situation by getting him his own Starbuck's cup full of water, and once he figured out how to use the straw, he was good to go. Jayden and I took a short walk past the shops and looked at the barn swallow nests with the baby birds waiting patiently for mom and dad to bring more food, and by then it was time to head back home for a nap, not just for Jayden but for most of us!

Once up from his nap, dad and I filled Jayden's pool for him, and Margo tried to teach him how to use his rubber ducks to spray water at people. He stayed in the water for a little while, but soon was ready to get "out now, please." By that time Gina had returned home from an appointment and soon after Steve got home too and we all walked to dinner at Woody's Wood Fired Pizza. Jayden was great at dinner, alternating sitting on my lap, Ellen's, and Gina's, and sharing pizza with us - he really likes pizza! He stood by himself for a while, just watching people walk by and taking it all in. He really is just a joy to be around. After we finished our meal, it was time to head back home and get Jayden to bed, and for us to drive back home. Tomorrow will be spent at "home" in Loveland, with some errands to be done and maybe a ride in the afternoon.

Day 9 - Rocky Mountain Wildlife Conservation Center

No riding today - after 2500 miles I'm taking a break for a day or two. We spent the morning washing the bikes and cleaning them up from the dust storm on Friday. In the afternoon we drove to Ft. Lupton to meet Steve, Gina, and Jayden to go to the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Conservation Center. There we got to see a wide assortment of wild animals, all of whom have been rescued from less than ideal situations - tigers rescued from cages at gas stations, lions and bears taken from dingy, roadside circuses, and other animals confiscated by the government or by police. The orientation taught us that there are more tigers in captivity in Texas than there are left in the wild - very sad.

On the drive into the compound we got a good look at some of the black bears and grizzly bears in their vast compounds. We got a better look at all of the tigers as we walked up the ramp to the viewing platform. Most of them were relaxing in the sun or hiding in the shade, but one decided to jump right into his pool of cool water and stayed there for the whole time we watched. We also got to see some serval cats and spotted leopards, and we also saw Eddie, a black leopard who was featured in Animal Planet's show "Growing Up Black Leopard." That's how I had heard about this place before. There were also some coatimundi, but they were too far back in a section we couldn't see well.

There were a number of lions in several different multi-acre enclosures. One male and female pair of lions lay resting directly below us, obviously well fed, and at one point the male stood up and began to roar for a minute or so, but then flopped back on the ground to relax some more! The center also houses 3 packs of wolves, only one of whom is clearly visible from the viewing platforms - they all began to howl at the same time, an amazing thing to see and hear. My nephew Jayden was fascinated, and at 17 months knows the sounds that most of the animals make and knows what they are when we point them out.

After we finished our tour, we stopped in Hudson, CO at a city park for a picnic lunch/dinner. Since this was only the 2nd time I've seen Jayden, I was captivated by him and his extensive vocabulary. He is able to repeat words that he's only just heard for the first time! His daddy tried to give him a bread-and-butter pickle chip, which he promptly spit back out like an ATM machine dispensing cash, but he toddled around saying "pickle, pickle" afterward. When we finished eating, we took Jayden over to the swings and daddy pushed him while he giggled wildly. He also tried out the slide, which he liked too, but quickly pronounced it "hot" at the bottom from sitting in the sun. Overall a very enjoyable and relaxing day. Tomorrow we'll spend in Broomfield at Steve and Gina's so I'll get to spend some more time with Jayden then.

Comparisons to Stephen King's The Stand

(3 posts today - see "Day 8" and "The iPod in my Head" below)

The Stand is one of my favorite novels, and to me, is one of Stephen King's scariest because the initial premise is a realistic one instead of a nightmarish fantasy. A superflu virus created by the military escapes and kills 99% of the human population, leaving behind only the few who are naturally immune.

While there is no apocalyptic plague in my story, I have found myself reminded of The Stand more than once on my journey. The first time was as I was riding through the fields of western Illinois, eastern Iowa, southern Minnesota, and all of South Dakota. There were stretches where I didn't see a soul or another moving vehicle for long stretches of time, and I thought that must be what it was like for the survivors of the plague as they traveled across the country to the "good people" camp in Boulder, CO or the "bad people" camp in Las Vegas, NV.

In the novel and also in the movie (with Gary Sinise, Rob Lowe, Molly Ringwald, Ray Walston, Laura San Giacomo, Jamey Sheridan, Miguel Ferrer, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis), the "good" were initially drawn by dreams of Mother Abigail to Hemingford Home, Nebraska, where they gathered for the trek west to Boulder. A sign for Hemingford in Nebraska brought me back to the story again, as did several large crows, into which Jamey Sheridan's devil character turned in order to spy on the travelers.

And finally, here I am in Colorado, not far from Boulder. With the good people, my dad and stepmom, my brother and sister-in-law, my nephew, and all of my sister-in-law's family. Hopefully there will be no references to the "bad" on this trip. But I do think I will have to re-read The Stand when i get back home.

The iPod in my head

Since it didn't seem prudent to bring my ipod along for the trip - not legal to wear while driving/riding anyway - I've been making due with the music that plays in my head. I don't really consider myself to be at all musically talented, but I am a music-wannabe and I do hear songs pretty clearly in my head as they come to me. Some of these will make immediate sense, and some I don't even understand where they've come from, but for better or for worse, here is my playlist so far...I'll update it as I go along, as I'm sure I've forgotten some and will think of more later. I've tried to put them in order, relative to my route across the country.

On the Road Again - Willie Nelson
Born to Be Wild - Steppenwolf
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head - BJ Thomas
It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls
The Pennsylvania Polka - Jimmy Sturr
Tuesday Morning - Melissa Etheridge (tribute to Flight 93)
King of the Road - Roger Miller
Ohio - Crosby, Stills, and Nash
Suicide is Painless (M*A*S*H) - Johnny Mandel (Toledo = Mud Hens = Cpl. Klinger)
Day and Night - Bette Midler (playing in Walgreens when I stopped there)
Gary, Indiana - cast of the Music Man
All that Jazz - Catherine Zeta-Jones/Bebe Neuwirth - from Chicago
Cell Block Tango - from Chicago
Duke of Dubuque - Manhattan Transfer
Pink Houses - John Mellencamp
Mississippi Queen - Mountain
Just Around the Riverbend - Judy Kuhn (from Pocahontas)
Theme from Close Encounters - John Williams
Scarecrow - Melissa Etheridge (tribute to Matthew Shepherd)
Here Comes the Rain Again - the Eurythmics
Wild Blue Yonder - Air Force Academy band
Casey Junior (Comin' Down the Track) - from Dumbo
Rocky Mountain High - John Denver
Top of the World - the Carpenters
Ghost Riders in the Sky - Johnny Cash
Colorado - Merle Haggard
The Lion Sleeps Tonight - the Tokens
Home on the Range - Gene Autry
Route 66 - the Manhattan Transfer (Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty, you'll see Amarillo)
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen (take a long ride on my motorbike)
Riders on the Storm - the Doors
Volcano - Jimmy Buffett
Deep in the Heart of Texas
Yellow Rose of Texas
Oklahoma!
Friends in Low Places - Garth Brooks (Yukon, OK is apparently his hometown)
Follow the Yellow Brick Road - (What else in Kansas?)
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell
Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell (an extension of Wichita Lineman, plus I know more of the words)
Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree - Tony Orlando and Dawn (Please tell me that this man does indeed have a theater in Branson, Missouri! If not, it was stuck in my head all day for no reason!)
Walking in Memphis - Marc Cohn (This was my favorite song to sing on this trip!)
Nashville - Indigo Girls
Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood (On the big screen in The Opry Store)
Rockytop
Blue Moon of Kentucky - Patsy Cline
Country Roads, Take Me Home - John Denver

Day 8 - Scottsbluff, NE to Loveland, CO

It was a relatively uneventful day, considering the adventure of the previous afternoon. We got on the road early, leaving Scottsbluff, Nebraska around 7am, heading south to Kimball, NE. We stopped for breakfast at "the diner" and then made a 138-mile sprint for Loveland with no pit stops. Rode through the Pawnee National Grasslands on the way - beautiful grasses waving in the wind, with some wildflowers along the roadside. Even though it wasn't the wheat of America the Beautiful, I couldn't help but think of the "amber waves of grain," especially when the "purple mountains' majesty" arose in the distance! What an amazing sight, to see the Rockies rise up in the distance, something you don't have the privilege of seeing if you fly into Denver instead.

We made it home by 11:15 or so, with plenty of time to get to the airport. And it was wonderful to be able to do laundry and have tome truly clean clothes again - I was beginning to think that the bugs on the shins of my jeans were going to become a permanent fixture in my wardrobe! And a relaxing evening with family was exactly the thing after 2500 miles (through 14 states) on the road.

Day 7 - Spearfish, SD to...Scottsbluff, NE

Ok, I apologize for taking a few days off, but I've been busy visiting and catching up with Peggy and Bill, whom I haven't seen in several years. Peggy is my mom's best friend from childhood on and she and Bill are two of the nicest, sweetest people you'd ever want to meet. But I promise, today's story was worth waiting for!

Dad, Ellen, and I got on the road at 8am this morning, after saying our goodbyes with Peggy - Bill left early in the morning to go fishing before it got too hot. It was a beautiful morning, much cooler than the previous few days. We began by riding through Spearfish Canyon, a lovely, winding, tree-lined route through the Black Hills National Forest, past Bridal Veil Falls to Cheyenne Crossing. From there we rode towards Lead (pronounced Leed, not Led), Central City, and Deadwood, stopping at the Homestake Open Cut Gold Mine to have a peek at the huge mining hole in the ground. We then turned toward Keystone, home of Mount Rushmore. We didn't have time to check out the visitor's center, so we just took pictures from the highway, but we did get some good ones. From there we took Iron Mountain Road to/through Custer State Park, with some of the sharpest bends and u-turns I've had the nerve to ride on! You know the Jiffy Lube logo, the arrow that loops back on itself? Like that! Plus single lane bridges and tunnels. It was thrilling, to say the least! As we came up a hill in Custer, we stumbled upon the beggin' burros of the State Park - a herd of partially domesticated donkeys that are no strangers to people. They will walk right up to you to see if you have food for them! Not long after that, we saw our first herd of bison lining both sides of the road, with some even standing right in the middle of it blocking traffic! There were plenty of bison calves to see too, along with the much larger adults, who were shedding their heavy coats in the early summer heat. We also saw a few white-tailed deer and a dozen or more pronghorn antelope. After leaving Custer, we rode through Wind Cave National Park (no stops, though) to Hot Springs, SD and a quick lunch stop. At that point, it was already 1pm and we still had another 5-6 hours of traveling to do.

This is where the trip really starts to get interesting, and all because of the weather in Nebraska. From Hot Springs, we had planned to head for Crawford, Nebraska, but as we got into the Cornhusker State, we could see that there was a thunderstorm over Crawford, so we changed our route and went towards Chadron instead. We seemed to skirt the storm at Chadron and again at Alliance, and it appeared that we were going to pass directly between two storms on route 26 to Scottsbluff. On the left there were dark clouds and on the right were dark clouds, but in the center over the road, everything looked much lighter and free of rain. But as we got closer, it looked like there was smoke or fog close to the ground. It was about that time that I got hit by my first gust of wind, and shortly thereafter we found ourselves in the midst of a "Grapes of Wrath" style dust storm - a complete whiteout and grit-fest so bad that cars were even pulling over. We stopped on the shoulder with flashers on to try to wait it out, but it took a good half-hour before it seemed to get any better. Round then, two young guys on sport bikes stopped to see if we needed any help and said that the storm was headed our way, right down the road, so we figured it would be better to head into it and seek some shelter rather than wait any longer. As we left the shoulder, the dust seemed to settle back down and just a few miles later we found ourselves in Minatare, Nebraska, basically a one street town. The only place that was open was the Prairie Sky Foods store, a small grocery store with tables and chairs inside, so we made ourselves at home for a while. All of the locals asked where we were coming from and where we were headed, all the time thinking we were crazy for being out on motorcycles in the storm, even though that was not our intention. But they were very nice and accomodating and even let us use the non-public restroom in the back of the store.

The rain finally started to slow around 5:45pm and we figured we couldn't make it all the way back to Loveland before dark so we are now camped out at the Super 8 in Scottsbluff, resting up for the sprint to Colorado in the morning. We'll pick Margo up at the Denver airport in the early afternoon and relax at home for the rest of the day.

Day 6 - Spearfish, SD to Alzada, MT to Devil's Tower, WY

Ever since I saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind when I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to visit Devil’s Tower, and it didn’t disappoint! After breakfast with Peggy and Bill, I gassed up and met Dad, Ellen, and their riding group at the Holiday Inn and we headed north toward Belle Fourche, SD. A slight turn northwest put us into Wyoming, where we encountered road construction that had our route down to one lane. Since the one-way construction delays tend to be longer out west, we all turned off our bikes and walked around and chatted, ultimately waiting probably 20 minutes or more for the traffic to pass through from the other direction. We passed into southeast Montana just as the construction zone ended and pulled off at the Stoneville Saloon in Alzada, MT, which advertised “cheap drinks, lousy food” but was quite a sight to see inside – lots of paraphernalia hanging from the ceiling, and hand-written bumper sticker style quotes tacked to the ceiling as well. The bartender was called the Leopard Lady because of her leopard spot tattoos, and the actual bar was supposedly transported to its current location by covered wagon. After downing a quick Diet Coke, we were back on the road towards Hulett and the Devil’s Tower National Monument. This particular route was chosen because of the dramatic presentation of Devil’s Tower, as it simply appears before you for the first time as you round a bend in the road.

After a lunch stop at the general store outside the entrance to Devil's Tower, we rode up to the base of the monument and took a one-mile stroll around the Tower Trail, which encircles the base of the tower. In June, there is a voluntary ban on climbing the tower in deference to the native American peoples who hold the mountain sacred. Nonetheless, there were three climbers working their way down the face of the tower. It's hard to imagine how there could possibly be enough foot and hand-holds for anyone to climb to the top, but I guess anything's possible if you are determined enough. On the walk around the tower, we saw charred trees from the controlled burns used by the park service to control forest fires, and we also saw some of the prayer blankets and markers left behind by native Americans in tribute. The native American legends of the Lakota Sioux and Kiowa tell the story of the formation of Devil's Tower - an older sister was turned into a bear and tried to kill her younger sister, but she was spared when the mountain began to grow up into the sky to save her. The bear created the vertical striations on the sides of the tower by scratching at it with her claws to try to get at the younger sister. The more scientific explanation (but not as entertaining) is that a column of magma intruded into the surrounding layers of sedimentary rock, which used to extend a mile and a half above the current top of the tower. Millions of years of erosion have exposed the tower as it apears today, and the Belle Fourche river continues the process even now.

After completing our trek, we met the rest of the group back at the general store and made for home, but not without a stop in Aladdin, Wyoming, population 15, to get a cold drink at the small store there. Then it was back to Peggy and Bill's for dinner with them and dad and Ellen. Tomorrow we head for "home" in Loveland, Colorado, with a run through Custer State Park and a look at Mount Rushmore.