We
were basically driving straight through Colorado. However, we hoped to
connect with some friends on our way. We did not make prior commitments,
planning to contact them a day or two ahead.On the road from Colorado to Michigan - 2008 . . .
on our
route from the Pacific Northwest
Updated: 11/30/08
Kansas and miscellaneous photographs on the way home.
We
were basically driving straight through Colorado. However, we hoped to
connect with some friends on our way. We did not make prior commitments,
planning to contact them a day or two ahead.
This bench was at the welcome center in Fruita just 19 miles into Colorado.
Maybe because we live in a metropolitan area of flat terrain, we appreciate the rivers and mountains of the West. So, we have a fascination with the related dams, tunnels and other features we do not see regularly.
The Colorado River . . .
At West Glenwood Spring rest area, the Colorado River was moving fast.
We found the highway elevated up the side of the mountain at various heights and using various methods to reduce rock removal interesting.
The valley shared the space with the Colorado River.
This elevated part of the highway had its own personal tunnel.
It was a beautiful drive.
A
passenger train was passing through the valley.
Location, location, location . . .
Karen and Steve are long-time friends from our church. When we called them, they were returning from a trip to California. They caught up with us a couple miles from their home.
We had heard that their daughter Trish had come to visit at the same time. As we drove into their complex, she was walking her dog.
Steve prepared a great dinner. We had a nice visit.
Their
house is in the mountains. We spend the night in a parking lot in their
complex. When we got up the next morning, the frost was on the 'pumpkin'
. . . aka: 'truck'.
Driving by Vail, we saw a mix of multiple and single homes, located in clusters and on hillsides and on mountain ridges.
Construction was heavy in Vail.
The snow was nearby, not just in the distance, as we drove over Vail Pass.
This was a nice spot for a break from driving.
This tunnel appear to be used occasionally for traffic going the opposite direction - green arrows and red Xs marked the lanes.
A cable car . . .
We
often see bicycles on the road.
Unicycles are not as popular.
Gene and Karen are HitchHiker owner friends we have toured with and see
frequently at HitchHiker rallies. They live a short distance for US 285 and agreed
to meet us in Morrison for lunch. As the rally in Texas was cancelled this year due to
the hurricane, we were glad to see them.
After lunch, it was obvious we were traveling on mostly flat
land.
The mountains were behind us.
Wind generator blades and a tower section were on the move.
A
short distance down I-70, we were going to be close to another HitchHiker couple
we see regularly at HitchHiker rallies. Bill and Rita were one of the couples we met at
the first HitchHiker rally we attended.
We met them for lunch at our overnight location - a Flying-J near Limon. It was nice seeing them again.
Cowboys wearing black hats
are seated behind Rita.
It didn't take long to reach the state line
only 77 miles down the road.
Kansas and miscellaneous photographs on the way home.
Too bad we don't drink coffee.
Some of the terrain was not totally flat - most of it was flat like a table top.
There
was a lot of standing water in the fields. A campground owner told us they
had five inches in three days.
We met a guy in a campground who worked with his bother-in-law building plants that turned field corn into packaging peanuts. They are better than the Styrofoam peanuts because they are all organic.
Fred
wondered if these tires are big enough to float the HHII to Hawaii.
Someone is shipping a surprise package.
We
stopped in Ellis, KS to tour the Walter P. Chrysler boyhood home. It was a
quaint little town with brick streets.
Our visit to this attraction is posted on a separate page.
We
had lunch in a small cafe on the edge of town. A group of local men were sitting
at a large table across the room. As they were checking out, Fred noticed that
each man has a pair of pliers in a leather sheath on their belt. He asked one of
the men if the pliers were for fence repair. The guy responded, no, its just a
farmer thing.
The cows were wondering where the city folks came from. > > >
The
pickup truck pulling the half a house was pumping out the diesel soot. He was
driving hard. He passed us like we were parked.
More soot but the reason for the photograph is the size of the wind generator compared to the box trailer.
More standing water . . .
We visited the Eisenhower Center in
Abilene, KS as our last attraction in
Kansas.
Our visit to the Eisenhower Center is posted on a separate page.
Back on I-70 East . . .
A helicopter hitchhiking . . .
This
is the only operating Stuckey's we saw. All the others were abandoned or
converted to another business use.
It looks like a Dairy Queen - maybe, somebody assumed the name.
We crossed the Missouri River on our way East.
The sun was setting as we headed into St Louis, MO.
The sky was pretty as we crossed the Mississippi River.
This
is the St. Louis Arch at night, photographed at 55 miles per hour from a moving
vehicle.
We
found a spot to park for the night at a rest area in Illinois just East of St. Louis, MO.
We we up early enough to see the sunrise.
Heading home for us usually includes a stop-over to see our family in
Southern Indiana.
You never know what you'll see parked beside the road.
Looking at the Cincinnati skyline from Kentucky.
We are really headed home now.
Detroit skyline, getting closer . . .
The HHII in position for unloading.
No. They weren't that clean after our trip. We washed them at Fred and Becky's.
We were on the road a little over fourteen weeks, traveling 10,307 miles. But, no matter how much we enjoyed our Pacific Northwest journey, it is always nice to be home.
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