July 8

A big, brown bear digging in a tipped-over dumpster in Estes Park;
Frozen tundra in Rocky Mountain National Park;
Snow deeper than I am tall;
Being over 2 miles above sea level;
The elk boys chillin' with their new, fuzzy antlers in Rocky Mountain National Park;
The friendly guy who stopped to talk to us as we photographed the elk boys;
The sudden wind that gusts up under my helmet and makes me a feel a bit like Mary Poppins;
Knowing we are about to head into a storm and looking over to see blue skies:
A deluge of hail on Highway 40 over Rabbit Ear Pass (I caught some in my mouth! Well, I had to!);
Riding through and out of at least 3 rain cells (or the same one? skirting in and out of it);
The guy who lost his friend but joined us on our final 30 miles for the day;
An antelope grazing with his new, black fuzzy antlers;
A rainbow (as seen in CO after passing into UT and out of the rain);

Yep, CO is indeed a colorful state- just like the sign says...

We are in a bad spot to add pictures- stay tuned for a few tomorrow... at least a couple of the Park and the elk boys!

A Few Pictures

Kewpie loved the park in Ft. Morgan so much, she tangled Gosh to try to get him to take her there again before we left.

See? She's trying to pull him!

SheNayNay and I realized not everyone knows what the KOA cabins look like so we decided to take you on a tour. They are all the same. This is the second room of a 2 room cabin.

This is the first room which looks the same as the smaller, one room cabins.

The first room on the other side.

The front... not bad, eh?

July 7

Well, we finally rode through the rain that has been threatening us since we embarked on this trip. We were following the Big Thompson River on highway 34 to our KOA in Estes Park, CO when we hit the deluge we managed to avoid on motorcycles but hit on our walk yesterday. We were soaked! I mean, it pooled in my seat and in my boots- SOAKED! We pulled into the KOA and it had pretty much stopped ( it all happened in not more than 15 minutes) and the KOA staffer said we must hate riding right now. Had he been outside a minute earlier, he'd have heard me exclaim, "That was AWESOME!!" to Gosh.

Today was REALLY mellow. I don't think we rode 100 miles. We stopped at Thunder Mountain Harley Davidson in Loveland, CO for Gosh to have the oil changed on Thor. That was about 50 miles from Ft. Morgan. They got everything squared away while we had lunch. Perfect!

We were riding through the high plains and could see the mountains and thunderhead in front of us. Well, we could hit or miss it, really. The roads got twistier, the river was gushing, and we saw plenty of riders coming through unscathed. Then a few drops- big, fat ones. Then a few more... and then the onslaught! We pulled over to add raincoats to our gear before being completely drenched but it was weird- the calf part of my legs got soaked, but my thighs stayed dry. My face actually got a bit wet, which doesn't really happen, either.

Like I said, we pulled in to KOA and the rain had about stopped and in the time it took to finalize our registration, the sun was burning off the streets- literally, we were watching steam come off the road surfaces! The view was spectacular! Before the deluge, we passed the Devil's Backbone- awesome! Sorry there's no picture of that. What can I say- it is really beautiful in the Rocky Mountains- you should consider a visit!

We got settled in, Gosh went to the store for dinner- (mmmm steak! I think going through all those stockyards (there were more today) made me hungry for some steak- is that wrong?) and we headed to the Estes Lake to walk the Kew... We felt like the beauty couldn't be captured in photographs, so I took a quick video that may do a better job but probably not as great as what we were seeing.

OH! And we picked up a copy of the local Thunder Roads and read a great article about protesting the Westboro Baptist Church who protests veteran funerals and when veteran remains are returned. We are bringing it home to share with Don and Laurie.

AND there is an outdoor supply store across the street from the KOA so while Gosh fixed dinner, I looked for new shoes- those Keens were shot! They didn't have Keens but I did find a sweet pair of Merrills.

Dinner is finished, Gosh is doing dishes as I type this and it has started the evening steady rain... Happy trails, everyone!

Pictures are not working... could be the storm? Stay tuned... they will be on their way.
 

July 6 and a little bit of 7

I think it must take me at least a day to process what's going on... I think there should be something more to write by way of explanation but I don't know what it is. That will have to be enough...

We got back on route 30 yesterday- it hadn't been open due to flooding. I-29 was still closed when we came to the exchange between I-680, I-29 and RTE 30. After stopping in Missouri Valley, NE for food and fuel, we headed out to cross a very flooded Missouri River. I don't know what it normally looks like, but it was about 3" below the road surface on either side of the bridge that normally spans the river. And the smell? I feel horrible for the folks living there because the sewage must be all kinds of backed up!

Also in NE, high octane fuel is less expensive because it contains ethanol! We saw all kinds of signs about using green energy- if they are accurate, NE is on the ball and maybe we should look into investing.

This morning started off as a haul-ass kinda day but after we looked into it, we decided to take highway 34 to Yuma, CO. There were supposed to be thunderstorms, so we didn't want to be hauling butt on the interstate nor did we want to push 400 miles so we settled on Yuma with the idea that it would only be another hour to the interstate if we couldn't find a place to stay. (There are no KOAs on the eastern side of CO!) 270 miles to Yuma with a few stops for road construction and we fueled up and decided to push to Ft. Morgan- not much happening in Yuma.

NE was all kinds of corn until we hit the western side, then we came up on a grip of stockyards. The eastern side of CO also had a grip of stockyards with a few cornfields thrown in. It's like they wanted to blur the state line and leave us confused. I will say that about 50 miles from the CO border, the landscape changed- it looked more high-deserty and we could tell we were getting close.

And staying out of the rain? The bikes and Paco Loco Llama have been out in the rain but we have been ridiculously lucky! We hit some rain for about 15 minutes today but managed to stay out of it, otherwise. We got in to our room at the Super 8 in Ft. Morgan, unpacked and left to take the Kew outside... within minutes there was a total deluge! We got soaked and Kewpie couldn't get back to the room quickly enough. Fifteen minutes later it was over and the sun was out. We headed out again. After we got back to the room, it settled on a steady rain for a bit.Welcome to summer monsoon, right? Gosh and I high-fived a couple times about our luck!

We ordered dinner from Acapulco Bay- chilis relleno and a stuffed sopapilla- and devoured it in mere moments and spent the evening watching the clouds from our window. Our bellies fat and happy after a great day of riding!

BUT WAIT! This morning Kewpie and I ventured out in the other direction and came upon the most FABULOUS park! On the South Platte River, we found baseball fields, a pond full of ducks, geese and swans, campsites, and a wonderful river path. Kewpie says we can come back ANY time.

A final note- we saw yesterday morning that our Phoenix friends survived and even laughed at the haboob that hit. What a crazy thing to see! Shouts out to Phoenix desert rats and their ability to laugh at the title of the crazy weather thing they got to see. Haboob?

Kewpie's morning hunt in Grand Island

Happy Puppy!

Lissy stopped for road construction

Gosh adjusting ear buds(volume is not working right on the stereo)

SheNayNay and Fancy Pig (the itty bitty blue dot) chiilin' in the room in Fort Morgan, CO

Cool bridge over the South Platte River

Lissy self portrait at the park in Fort Morgan, CO

OH! AND there I was trying to take care of some banking and i couldn't! My bank changed hands and everything has to be re-entered! Talk about frustrating! Poor Gosh got an earful about how angry I am. Thanks to this blog, I have let go and realize no matter how angry I am at the inconvenience, there is nothing I can do until I get home. Ha!

July 5

We rode over 400 miles yesterday and with stops, it took us nine hours. The first part of the ride was easygoing... Slower speeds through Amish country. We saw horse and buggy riders, bicycle riders, families tending to their farms, laundry- colorful dresses hanging everywhere, even a man working  gas powered mower with his horse. Interesting to me where the line gets drawn- no driving a gas powered motor but it's okay to have things brought to you by a gas powered motor and it's okay to re-use a gas powered motor pulled by a horse. Very interesting.

Then came the freeway. LOTS of freeway. And corn and soybeans. How much is for food to feed humans and how much is for corn syrup, ethanol, that new plastic, food for our food (like for the cows and pigs...) and things like that... These are the thinks you think when traveling 70 MPH staring at a world of corn and soybeans...

The highlights...

1. The police insignia in IN is a wheel with wings.
2. There is no helmet law in IN but I did see a sign with a full helmet that said, "Get it on!"when we entered the freeway from a rest area.
3. We stopped for fuel outside Chicago and happened to be across the street from White Castle at lunch time... YUM!
4. Kewpie continues to draw attention as the biker dog and I think she is really having a good time with it!
5. Kay at the Newton, IA. KOA greeted us with locally made bleu cheese and riesling wine.

Our KOA was fabulous! Nestled in Newton, we have a pond for the Kew to run amuck around and she was in HEAVEN! We were warned of a large snapping turtle but we didn't see it... Instead I almost stepped on a snake and we were hounded by little black birds- again! What is that about? I think we are too close to their home but still...

Oh, and I almost forgot about St. Mary of the Assumption Church... assumption of what?

SheNayNay considering the White Castle feast

MMMMMM- yum! We give it a thumbs UP!

Kewpie at the pond at the Newton KOA

You should have seen her give that rabbit chase~!

This picture does no justice... there is SO MUCH CORN! But in this picture, it just looks flat...

Gosh got me good beer... with the trailer, it's reminiscent of Reno eNVy, dontcha think?

They look like motorcycles, but they are also clotheslines!

Or maybe a motorcycle Westfalia?

This is in Missouri Valley... we saw this was before we crossed the river. Once we crossed the river, this made much more sense!  

Kewpie hunting in Grand Island, IA. You know how she digs?

Well, this is who she found! She gently pulled him out to make friends... it was pretty crazy! Poor thing is probably STILL trying to figure out what happened!

July 4

We left on my parents' house a bit later than planned. It's hard to leave my parents, you know? I think it's hard for them, too. Am I coming in for winter break? How long before we get to see each other next time? This and some other things put us behind and by the end of the day, Gosh was a  bit thin-lipped...

But that's later. The day was beautiful and riding across route 6 was stunning! Lots of green, rolling Endless Mountains. A real joy to ride! Nothing too technical, just lots of sweeping curves. We saw lots of trucks carrying water and stuff for fracking oil. I don't get it but I know the oil companies that have moved in are pretty happy in the area from Hop Bottom through Mansfield. Part of me thinks Gosh would be perfect working around here but then I remember WINTER and remind myself that as a desert rat I would not be happy if we got stuck.

We finally pull into the KOA in Erie after missing the exit. They were full... this started us on a path of near destruction- finding a room in Erie, PA that allows dogs and is reasonably priced during a holiday weekend. One place would require us to backtrack again and was priced over $300! They should GIVE you a puppy!We finally hit upon a run-down room where the owners recently changed hands (and assured us they were renovating- as if that was any consolation...) on highway 5 for $130, including the pet fee. The air conditioner worked and we walked to the market for a salad kit and potato salad to go along with the leftover ribs (thanks, Joanna and Steve!).

Gosh and I kept trying to stop, but we bickered until we went to sleep. Some days are like that.

Kewpie and I took our morning walk and I completely forgot the camera! Erie must have a love of frogs because there are huge frog statues decorated in from of an elementary school, shopping plaza, and veterinary clinic. The elementary school was a perfect place to let the Kew run amuck! From there, we found a park and watched two raccoons duke it out. I think they were raccoons... they weren't cats...

Lunch was at the Thirsty Pony in Sandusky, OH. Lobster bisque and personal deep dish gets 2 thumbs up!

On July third, we headed out for route 6 again. We followed it along PA and into OH. You could tell we were close to water but we couldn't really see it until Cleveland. Whoa! We stopped in Edgewater and there was a snack stand where we got a chocolate malt and nachos and I stuck my tootsies into the ginormous lake. Really cool! We read how there used to be bathhouses until the '50s because the population was so large and without running water. Interesting to look at those photos of large tent-looking things and know that people were in there to clean up.

From there, we hit the 'burbs. The architecture was stunning! Stone and brick apartment buildings with balconies and and porches for each... then huge homes along the lake. Some were a bit smaller and some were even for sale and I thought of Toby and Mom and how much they would enjoy living with a view of the lake.

Still, from PA to OH, it flattened out considerably. Green! But flat. Gosh pointed out the nuclear power plants along the lake... at least 5. Crazy! And the speed limit... from 35 to 45... we did not make the time we thought. TOTALLY worth it but when we stopped for lunch we decided to head for the freeway.

Lunch along the Allegheny River in Smethport, PA

SheNayNay, Kewpie and Kashi...Our hotel in Erie, PA

Riding along highway 20 in OH along Lake Erie

Enjoying a snack and the view at Edgewater, OH

Dipping our tootsies in Lake Erie

Guarding the boots but enjoying the view

Yep, that's Cleveland in the background

Thirsty Pony in Sandusky, OH

We met some Motor Maids on their way to a convention... SheNayNay made friends with their companions. I am certain they talked about all the cool places they've been.

Middlebury, IN is Amish country. 

You see alot of things driving across the country. Some of them you file away to save. At least you THINK you do... there I am soaking up landscape, architecture, smells, people, automobiles... and thinking I am filing it away. Like a Rolodex... I see a Volkswagen bug for sale somewhere, for instance. I file it's appearance, location and cost into the CAR file of the Rolodex. It must be the same file I've been using since I was a kid riding around with my dad looking at old Chevy's, Fords, and Olds... it's pretty thorough if it's a '67 GTO... that bug? Nada! I know I saw a bug for sale somewhere today between. The rest is gone. I thought I filed it into "CAR" but when I opened the file to drop it in, it just went into a black hole of "not-necessary-to-remember" and I realize that having the experience is more important even then remembering the experience. 

July 1

It's been a bit of a whirlwind of family and friends. We started at Sam and Andy's in Carlisle for two nights. We got in at about 4pm and met up with Sam on the corner with Molly. She figured if she walked the dog we'd be sure to show up. Her plan worked splendidly. We unpacked the bikes and joined her.

When Andy came home, we cleaned up and headed to the local pub for dinner; fish and chips, which Gosh and I split. We met up with a real character who Sam knows from school. Whoa! Definitely a funny guy to hang out with in a bar but a bit crass for any meaningful relationship. Sam explained his story of being indicted for being in the wrong place at the wrong time... We certainly enjoyed a laugh or six as a result of our time together.

The next morning Sam had a mani-pedi scheduled for 9am. When she wasn't awake at 8am, I figured it must be close. Nope- this is how I learned that Sammy lives in a self-inflicted hurry! I did not have time to do anything but schedule an appointment for a leg wax and pour a bowl of cereal to eat in the car. Wheeee!

From there, we headed to Boiling Springs High School. Nice school! Sammy showed me her old classroom, new classroom and introduced me to a few folks. She's obviously a big deal around there- go get 'em!

The next day we watched as Sam and Andy got everything together for the wedding. We tried to help, but it seemed the best we could do was to stay out of the way. When it was all packed- dress, cake, suit, etc... we headed to Gettysburg. Well, actually, through Gettysburg and on to a bed-n-breakfast called the Hickory Bridge Inn in Orrtanna. Beautiful! Gosh, my parents and I were in the cottages through the woods and across a stream and my sisters and their families were in the big house. Perfect! We had the rehearsal dinner at a local winery and headed back to the porch of the big house to visit.

Kewpie and I walked around the farm the next morning before heading over to the big house for breakfast. We all milled around until we got hungry again, ate some leftovers and visited until about 1:30 when Sam began prepping. Her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Leslie, did an amazing job on Sammy's hair and Samantha was STUNNING! (Of course! She'd have looked gorgeous in a white plastic bag...)

JT- her almost brother-in-law, performed the ceremony and all the key people had their role. Ever pragmatic, Sam and Andy kept the wedding succinct and to the point. The ceremony started at 3pm, hors d'oeuvres were being served at 4pm and there was plenty of time in between for all the family photographers to take all the pictures they wanted.

Dinner was delicious! There is a restaurant at the Inn and it was packed! We had fried chicken, ribs, and crab bake. The wedding cake was made by Sammy's friend and neighbor and it was also delish! We all ate too much and headed back to the big house porch for dancing. It was a fabulous and low-key affair. Good job, Sammy!

On Sunday morning breakfast is delivered. We visited a bit before heading out. It was difficult to say goodbye to Rachy because I wouldn't be eeing her again until some unscheduled future visit. Damnit! It always gets away so fast! Everyone else would be heading to Hop Bottom... so we headed out on route 11. HA! It took almost 7 hours but it was a fun ride along the Susquehanna River. We got to Mom and Dad's and followed Dad to Inn the Beginning- a bed-and-breakfast about two miles from their house. Turns out they ran out of beds!

This is perfect! Marcine and Ron are super-sweet, the house is full of all kinds of nostalgic memorabilia and the breakfasts they served were out of this world! By our third morning, we had everyone but Dad joining us for breakfast. Dad, of course, had practice. After breakfast, we would head over to my parents to visit for the day.

It is really beautiful. You can't really capture it in a picture, though, it's just too big. All those big rolling hills of dense trees and farmland with big farmhouses in never-ending swells of green. It's just so big and peaceful.

Judy and Jackie, mom's sisters, came for two days and Gosh got to see first-hand what it would be like to hang out with Statler and Waldorf if they were sisters instead of Muppets. Oh man! Did we laugh! Oh- and if you've never played with Talking Carl, you must! Google it!

After three nights at the Inn, we headed out to the Mercer compound. Another whirlwind tour but this time with my best friend, Joanna, and her family. We planned to stay for one night but opted to add another when my hair appointment turned into a long afternoon of errands.

Joe is the BEST! He's done my grandmother's hair, my mom's hair, even all our hair for Rachy's wedding... and he and his clients are a HOOT! If you are ever in Scranton, look up Joseph Just Hair... it's a small shop in the Bank Tower Building on Spruce Street. You'll not be disappointed.

From there we headed to Steamtown National Park- we had to get a PA pin! We paid to enter the site and wandered around in awe of the huge locomotives. We found our pins and headed out for Warhorse in Dunmore sow e could change the Floyd's oil.

Mind you, I've been leading. Gosh assumes that since I've lived here, I'll know my way around. Well, I do and I don't. I'd been worried about finding this place since I mapped it. But I'm gonna give it a shot... and of course we get lost... and the more I panic the worse it gets. We pull over at Granger and Gosh asks for directions. I don't know why it is... if it was just me I wouldn't care but because I have an audience (Gosh) I feel responsible and stupid. I just can't get my bearings.

So Gosh leads and we still get lost but now I don't care. We are just a couple of happy bikers from NV toodling around Dunmore. We finally find Warhorse... we look around at a really cool Spiderman bike a couple Indians, and I buy a long-sleeve t-shirt and head home- the Mercer compound.

Kewpie and I in Cowboy Ronnie Room at Inn the Beginning

SheNayNay ready to head to Dalton, PA.

The fabulous great room at Inn the Beginning

The Mother Superior happily running equipment

The Gosh, Taz and Kewpie taking an afternoon stroll

Miss Q on our stroll

Joanna and Taz on a morning stroll behind her house

Joe working his magic

The Gosh looking hot at Steamtown

This was in a caboose... Is it meant to be early advertising?

4-8-8-4 Big Boy- the biggest steam locomotive ever made

Yep- it's HUGE!

She didn't want to let me but I got a picture anyway. Shoot- I didn't fix my hair or anything... But ya gotta show the love!

And away they go!

This morning we woke up to Mercers heading out to their boat in Tom's River for the Fourth of July. We hang back to walk Taz, finish homework and blog before heading to Hop Bottom for a final afternoon visit with my parents before heading home. I notice I keep talking about all the people we've visited as if we are home at each of them and I am reminded how much I enjoy being wherever I am... I am really looking forward to spending time with Mom and Dad- the weather is beautiful and I couldn't ask for more in my life without feeling a wee bit selfish.