Christmas in Colorado

Denver got enough snow and plenty of cold
weather to hold it for a white Christmas.

If you add in the 11 hours from Florida, plus the 36 or more from Colombia, it has taken me the better part of two days to get here. But it's been well worth it!

First, there is really nothing like a White Christmas to get you into the mood of celebrating if it's what you grew up with, and I did, so snow is good for that.

Second, seeing almost all of my grandchildren is gratifying, and watching them open presents was alternately fun and horrifying.  I think there is some kind of cicada gene that comes out when children are faced with more than one present to open and they rip into the carefully wrapped paper and ribbon like grasshoppers on fresh green leaves, shredding everything within reach in seconds.

Windows dressed in holiday lights... and
lots of white stuff outside as well.

No one said, "Oh, this is what paper from Colombia is like," or. "You brought this all the way from South America for me?" It was: get this one opened, on to the next, what's in that one, and then finally, in the famous song by Peggy Lee, "Is that all there is?"

Then like an addict after the high has passed, the children all collapsed in tearful heaps, exhausted from getting up in the dark to open stockings, jumping on their father, yelling to come down and "Let's open the presents!!" and always, always, someone is disappointed there was no pony under the tree. (This year it was me... LOL!)

Santa Claus reads "T'was the Night Before Christmas" to the crowd of
children of all ages, big and small... not a creature was stirring while he did.

We had an invitation for a Christmas Eve party and enjoyed a huge selection of feast goodies - everything from ham and salmon to mini-quiches, hot spinach dip and hard candies filled with jelly, as reminders of Christmases long ago. Best of all was the arrival of Santa Claus and I got all teary-eyed listening to him read "T'was the Night Before Christmas" because my father used to read that story to us as our go-to-sleep-Santa-will-be-here-soon evening tale. I looked around at all the eager little faces who were creating their own re-membories and thought about how I had read that fable to my children, too.

Santa Claus said he no longer smokes a pipe and he's been
on a diet for the past few years, so no more "jelly belly"
either. He sang a funny song about himself in earlier years
being unable to fit down the chimney - in tune, too!

After all the children had their chance on Santa's knee, some of the adults wanted a photo taken. I was persuaded to step up and have my daughter take mine; she caught me telling him that it had been a long time since I'd been on his knee... and when I said "We are nearly the same age, Santa," he laughed and said, "Well, not really since I am three days younger than God..."

Anyone who might remember the Karcher Mall Santa Claus from Boise, Idaho, will recall a very gentle man who lived like he thought Santa lived during the non-Christmas months. This Santa Claus in Denver, with a real beard, reminded me of those long-ago days of someone who perhaps convinced my girls that Santa was 'real' when their friends were trying to prove he wasn't. I wanted to keep the magic alive for as long as possible. It was wonderful that my daughter's new family found this exceptional representation of the mystical Claus for all the children to see and talk to.

A memorable Christmas by all accounts.

Now it's all over, including the shouting and celebrating, and we move on to another celebration of the incoming year. My grandchildren are growing up and becoming interesting young people, ones I hope I will get to know better in 2012.

But for certain I want to return to Colombia and continue working on my creative projects as well as traveling back to the U.S. for family events. Praying for good health for all my readers and for world events to move toward peace and acceptance of all peoples so we can stop the violence. I know that some people think that's an unrealizable dream, but I am still going to intend that individuals around the world are all beginning to realize that we are all one, that we can change things so that everyone, everywhere has enough of all the life-sustaining elements (water, food, shelter) so that each one, and particularly the children, all have what is needed, for the highest and best good of all concerned, so be it and so it is.... WHOOOOOOO!

A beautiful desert crossing

We drove from Denver, Colorado to Phoenix, Arizona in 14 hours or so. At first we seemed to be stopping every two hours for certain small individuals with small bladders, but as we got into the driving cycle, everyone found a way to schedule their relief along with filling up the tank of the SUV.

The desert was incredible... lush, for this time of year, and the colors were so bright it almost hurt my eyes. I tried to capture some of it as we raced across it... Utah and Arizona... I finished up my documentation of the trip with a sunset shot that was inadequate as we did not stop.

I think the "Hole" shot is in Utah, but the last shot is in Arizona, near (relatively speaking) Monument Valley.

But the last shot of the "Ragged Rocks" was taken by my daughter as I was driving... there is a hint of the pink that heralded the end of the day, but not the end of the drive as we still pushed on for several hours afterward.

Flying to Denver and walking around

I had a beautiful flight to Denver with no major hiccups, and the little baby in the seat ahead of me only cried as we were landing.

It was after 9 p.m. as we were arriving and this was the last shot of the sunset I could get before we touched down.... quite lovely.

We had been warned by the captain that the temperature in Denver was over 90 degrees, but still it was a shock after all the cool days and nights in the NW. I wanted to take off my sweater, but I already had enough baggage to deal with, so I left it on, and panted heavily from both the altitude exertion and the heat.

The Mile High City gets its nickname from being over a mile high in altitude, 5700 feet more or less, I guess. It is always hard for me to sleep - even though I do drink plenty of water ahead of time and once I arrive - because I feel so out-of-breath.

But after a few days I acclimate and can manage to walk several miles without as much breathlessness. So we gathered up all the children and headed off to a local eatery and this was the view on the residential streets as we ambled along.

Following the Sun

It seems like I'm a sun worshipper, but I really cannot take the credit or the blame.... for all the rain that fell on Seattle as soon as I left for Denver! Or for the balmy days and sunshine that I've enjoyed during the past week while I've been in Boulder visiting relatives.

The University of Colorado had Parent's Weekend so Pearl Street was crowded and many of the outdoor cafes were jammed with folks enjoying the autumn day. It was definitely short-sleeve shirt weather, at least until the sun began to drop a little. Then it cooled off dramatically!

Instead of the usual guitar players on Pearl, there was a chamber orchestra playing for tips...

definitely a college town showing off their best! And curiously, there was a strangely dressed lady blowing up balloons - even though clearly the crowd was well beyond the balloon-blow-up stage.

My guide suggested that there are more than the usual numbers of homeless or vagrant types panhandling on Pearl as well. No one actually approached me for a handout, or even spoke to me. I guess they just hope their grimy clothes and sad expressions will speak for them.... What an eclectic mix of society turned out today. I was glad to be walking about in the sunshine, although it was unsettling to think of poor Jey-hu slogging through Seattle in the rain.

1000 miles in one day!

After 1200 miles already, we still had at least 2000 more ahead of us. So we committed to the big push. It was almost 18 hours of driving through Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming, we reached Casper, WY, about 10:30 p.m. Tired, dark, cool, disoriented we stumbled into a cushy bed to sleep hard and fast so we could get up and do it again on Saturday. (The photo above was taken in western Kansas.)

The highlights are shown below: miles and miles of corn fields, sunflowers, soybeans and other unidentified crops being produced for consumers around the world. One town name in Kansas that captured our attention was "Smileyburg!"

And there really was a sign in Sedgwick County, KS, that announced we were traveling on the "Yellow Brick Road." (The Wizard of Oz, featuring a young Kansas girl caught up in a tornado, was written by L. Frank Baum who lived in this county.)

Finally after the rainy drive through Missouri, the long stretch of Kansas, there was Colorado and the Front Range (of the Rockies) with the sun about to set. We didn't stop and put the cameras away after dark.

Garden of the Gods - Colorado

   After several glorious days with a relative in Boulder, CO, it was time to head south to Colorado Springs to meet up with friends of Jey-hu and we discovered a park nearby called "Garden of the Gods." The unique sandstone monuments carved by wind and weather have drawn photographers and rock climbers from all over. (If you click on the link I've established, you can learn all about the red rocks and how they developed.) We spent several hours walking around and taking pictures. It seemed as if no matter what angle you looked at a rock structure, there was something about it that made you want to capture it.

   Dinner with new friends is always delightful, but it was more fun for Jey-hu to make contact with a couple he hadn't seen for over 20 years! D and S live in Canon City and were kind enough to drive up to Colorado Springs so we could enjoy some time together.

   The next day it began to rain and got much cooler, so we opted to save a trip to the Royal Gorge for another, sunnier day and instead headed northwest toward Breckenridge over the 11,500 ft. summit. Then it was on to Frisco and a little repeat driving past Vail toward Utah. We ended up stopping for the night in Grand Junction, which turned out to be considerably less grand than expected.

Traveled to Vail, CO - off season

   It was a lovely day in Colorado, so Jey-hu and I determined that an extended drive up over Vail Pass would be scenic and give us both a chance to see a place we'd dreaming about skiing "back in the days..." Vail sits on the other side of a pass that is over 10,000 feet in elevation. While it was definitely "slack" season - no one was skiing and few people were in the village, except for maintenance workers - we managed to find a real steal in mid-season jackets labeled "Vail" so we can have something to remember the day by.

   The drive up from Boulder through the canyons to Idaho Springs and Georgetown was a curvy road through deep, deep rocky walls with Clear Creek running briskly down to the plains. It was also pretty windy with gusts approaching 25-35 m.p.h. at times, but my overloaded Murano held its ground through it all.

   The bird is quickly becoming spoiled with a constant change of scenery and when we had to stop for a latte, he was complaining about how long we took because he had to wait in the car which obviously wasn't moving for about 15 minutes. 

   Tomorrow the agenda is to meet up with Jey-hu's friends for dinner in Colorado Springs, stay overnight and head off to Park City, Utah, to meet up with a dear friend of mine from St. Augustine, FL, who is now living in Bountiful, Utah. Then we will jaunt on to Boise, ID, so I can catch up with more friends - probably just overnight - and arriving in Washington State the next day.

   I am so grateful to have a special friend to share this journey with me... it's been a blast since we connected in Boulder.

Rocky Mountain high...

   Waking up to snow in April is definitely a high for this Florida girl!! My excitement at seeing "white stuff" on the ground was only maximized when my new driving companion, hereinafter to be known as "Jeh-yu," agreed we should take a drive higher up the Front Range to see Estes Park, CO. So here's a shot of what we saw as we took that drive. This was actually outside of Estes Park on Route 7, returning to Boulder.

   I have a lot more pictures above the clouds and a few taken alongside the road just as it began to sleet - yikes! Thank goodness I brought along my ski jacket... not enough snow for skiing where we were, though.... Jeh-yu suggested 'rock skis' might be a good bet.  Stay tuned for more adventures.

Three days to cross to Colorado!

    By the grace of God and good weather, I avoided any disasters and made it to Boulder, CO, by 7:30 p.m. on Friday! The shot to the left is the early a.m. capture of Missouri - as you can see I pretty much had the highway to myself.

   I had a very near miss of an accident in Kansas. That state is so long and such a dull drive that I believe the driver on the other side of the highway who shot off into the median, spun around twice and stopped within feet of where I was traveling (at over 70 mph) on the other side, may have fallen asleep. As I sped through the dust cloud his accident created, I wondered briefly if I should stop and see what caused it. But as a single woman traveling alone, considering the possibility that my stopping could also cause an accident and not knowing who was in the other car, I decided discretion was the better part of valor and I drove on.

   Still, the suddenness of it all, the realization that any number of outcomes could have been disastrous for all concerned made me realize again how tentative a hold we all have. Did it slow me down? Not at all. But it did make me pay closer attention to the oncoming traffic.

   This historical marker at one of the rest stops pointed out that Fort Riley has been a military stop since Kansas was first opened up and it is a huge Army operation today.

   With more time I would have liked to stop to see the Custer museum. Talk about someone who was unwilling to listen to reason! And in conversation with my son as I was taking my rest stops, we both concluded that if the Europeans coming to this country had been "honorable" with the native dwellers, the outcome of history could have been very different.

   Kansas, as seen from I-70, is not what Kansas is all about I am certain. But to visitors to the US, this has to look like acres and acres of nothingness abandoned because of the constant wind and dryness. The wind was really ripping on Thursday - about 35-40 m.p.h on average - during the first five hours of driving. Later on, well past Topeka, it lightened up to gusts up to 25 m.p.h. It was hard to drive with such high winds crossing the highway, and it required a lot of attention on many levels. By the time I reached Colby, KS, I was ready to take a long break. Thankfully they had a NebulaDeer coffee place (originated in Seattle, you really do know the name of it but I'm not giving them free advertising here) and I took a good half hour to talk to my family and special friend while sitting in a comfy chair and sipping a latte.

   It was all I needed to convince me that I could make the remaining 185 miles to Boulder, CO. Feeling refreshed and fueled up, I started out and the winds were now minimal and more southeasterly so I had a bit of a push. I actually got over 26 m.p.g. for that last bit! 

   Soon I was passing Stapleton (Denver International Airport) and had the Front Range well in sight! I arrived at my younger daughter's home by 7:30 p.m. making it a 12-hour 'work' day for me, and completing over 1500 miles in three days. I have had the joy of seeing the country from a different route (I have driven I-40 several times.) and accomplished my goal of doing it alone. Not as much fun as sharing it with someone, but better than just sitting at home wishing things were different. Message to my readers: if you want your life to be different than what it is, take some action - any action - and see what happens. It really is all about the journey.