DAY 30: Cool Weather, Rainbows and NO GAS!

DAY 30:  Estes Park, CO - July 30, 2010

Remember when I told you at the beginning of this journey we were in search of two things?  The first being "Cooler Weather" and the second, "Goodwill Stores".  Well, today we didn't find the Goodwill store but we sure did find cooler weather!!

Today was an "all day kind of day" on the motorcycle.  Yep, my butt's sore, my hands calloused, and I'm still shivering a bit from the cold, but boy-howdy was it worth it!!

We started out this morning heading south out of Estes Park on what www.motorcycleroads.com claimed was "one of the best rides in the US".  Well, the part of the road they claimed was "the best" wasn't exactly the best we've ever seen, but the road to get us back home; you know, the road they "didn't" tell us about but we stumbled on by accident; now that was INCREDIBLE.

After hours on the bike and being rained on more than once, (what's new??  Afterall, its our trademark!) we find ourselves heading north through the Rocky Mountain National Park and climbing to an altitude of about 12,000'.  I did recall Chuck mentioning something about stopping and getting gas just prior to going into the National Park, but we were just a titch under half and it was only 65 miles back to Estes Park......we had PLENTY of gas, I told him......

As we're headed up, up, up in altitude, I notice our gas is going down, down, down on the gauge.  I didn't want to panic Chuck just yet, so I kept it to myself and just kept a close eye on it.   Keep in mind we're in a National Park......they don't have Shell stations behind every rock formation or herd of moose.....or is it "meese".......who knows.....anyway, we still going up, the temperature is going down, right along with the gas in the motorcycle.  I finally decide I might need to mention this to Chuck so he can share in my anxiety.....

Well, that just gave him an excuse to tell me "NO" every time I wanted to pull over and take a picture....so I had no choice but to put it on "cruise" and take the picture while driving.....

We finally make it to the summit, which by now, we are FREEZING cause the wind is blowing like 150 mph, which makes this 55 degrees feel like 20 degrees.  I'm thinking to myself, "Well, at least we'll be heading downhill from now on and I won't have to use much gas.....I can just coast on down this 12,000' mountain...."  which I pretty much did......UNTIL.....I saw the beautiful rainbow (after all, remember ....we are the rain-makers!).  I quickly start snapping pictures again and then we see it........."it" being the Garden of Eden......Yep, you heard me right.........the Garden of Eden is actually in America and not the Middle East as originally suspected.

It was the most beautiful site I've ever seen.......we're "coasting" along when we round a corner and see this huge rainbow over this valley of green with mountains in the background...........this prompted a quick U-turn (I vaguely remember hearing some moaning going on from my passenger....); put the bike in neutral and sit in awe at the sheer beauty of what lay before me.......It seriously was the exact vision I have always had of the Garden of Eden..........and then I hear, "Ok, thats enough....lets go...." from my backseat passenger named Chuck.  Moment ruined......I know you ladies completely understand what I'm talking about.....

We "coast" the rest of the way down the mountain and land in a Conoco station just in the knick of time.

While I'm filling up the motorcycle, I see I'm actually paying $3.15 a gallon....errrrrrrr......and I see this sign on the pump......  I think it was pretty cute.......doesn't really apply to us since it always rains when we ride, but cute anyways.......

DAY 29: Brutus the Bulldog Meets Barbi.........

DAY 29:  Estes Park, CO - July 29, 2010

Today was one of those laaazzzyyy days where we didn't do just a whole lot of anything.......made a quick trip into Estes Park for a few items and headed on back to the RV just in time for an afternoon rainstorm.......perfect time to catch up on some reading and to bake some chocolate chip cookies (ya ya ya, its the only thing I know how to bake)........jealous yet??  But the best part??  We had a high of 75 degrees..........wait; did you hear me correctly??  Let me say it louder:
75 fantastic 0% humidity degrees!

After a bit, Murphy decided he needed to go...uhm........well........potty.  So, fortunately for him, he's never heard of Barbi cause his raincoat is a "chick" raincoat with Barbi all over it (I got it at Tuesday Morning several years ago cause it was so darn cute.  I figured if we didn't tell Murphy he wasn't suppose to like Barbi, he wouldn't know any better...I scare myself with my smarts sometimes!!).  Didn't seem to bother him a bit......until we came across Brutus the Bulldog who rolled over laughing at him.

But Murphy never skipped a beat; he showed him he was still a "guy's guy" by hiking that leg right on Brutus' shrub.........made me SO proud to be his mother!

We continued on our journey only to find the "Poodle Path" which obviously was put there by Brutus the Bulldog.......If this is a "Poodle Path", why is there a picture of a bulldog on the sign??????  Ya, it was definitely put there by Brutus......

Have I mentioned the wildlife around here?  Evidently, aside from Brutus the Bulldog, they have Big Bear around here.......like.....ALOT of bear around here.....

And deer too........and the speed limit around the Deer Trail is
4 1/2 mph.......not 3; not 5, but 4 1/2 mph........I'm going to have to speed Murphy and Charlie up a bit.......




Hummmmmmm...........

DAY 28: Freak Hail Storm at Mork & Mindy's House Today!!

DAY 28:  Estes Park, CO - July 28, 2010

Well, we have arrived in Estes Park, CO.......unfortunately, we haven't seen much of it just yet.........well, unless you consider going straight down Main St. during some type of highly-attended festival with millions (ok, I exaggerated....THOUSANDS!) of people coming at me in car, truck, on foot, skateboard, scooter and wheelchairs......geeeeeezzzzz.....Here I am, almost 40' long pulling a 12' trailer and not completely sure where I'm going, with people coming at me from every direction.... I must tell you, I'm not completely sure I didn't run over some of them.......but we made it to the campground (I'm still scratching my head on how we found this place....) and we have a most beautiful site overlooking a river......LUCKKKKY.......  Tomorrow, hopefully we will be one of those people taunting RV drivers on Main St.......

Anyway, here's a gorgeous view from our windshield as we were coming into Estes Park.....this was just prior to the madness we were getting ready to experience on Main St.......

And this is a view from same windshield of our campsite view.........

Complain as I may about the craziness on Main St., things could have been much, much, much, much worse.........After we got settled into our campsite, we were watching the local news and saw where there had been a "freak" hail storm in Boulder early this afternoon; an 8" of hail freakiness!  Now, I'm thinking to myself,; "We just came through Boulder a couple hours ago....." I know this cause I remember thinking thats where Mork and Mindy are from....anyway, this storm must have come right behind us cause they were showing that it had hit right where we had just been......Check out these pictures from the news.....This is hail, folks; not snow.  See.....the good Lord put his "Bubble of Protection" around us just as we asked Him to prior to leaving Manitou Springs!!

So we get settled into our spot, and low and behold, we have a Bigger Than Life Texan from Houston right smack next door......The minute he opened his mouth, I knew he was a Texan!!!

I then tried to get Murphy to pose for a picture out on a rock in the river, but he was quite the stinker and fought me tooth and nail......memories of Garden of the Gods back in Manitou Springs is still fresh on his mind I'm figuring........You may recall, he almost got stuck in a "cave" high up on a rock during another of our many photo-ops......







And I know you've all been wondering about Kittie Kruger..........she's doing fine....we haven't misplaced her any more and she spends most of her days looking out the front window at all the people and dogs going by.....she seems quite content eating, sleeping and checking out people pointing at her.......she really is much happier than she looks in the picture.......

DAY 27: That There Is An RrrrrrVvvvvv...........

DAY 27: Manitou Springs, CO - July 27, 2010

Manitou Springs, CO

Well folks, today was our last full day in beautiful paradise, Manitou Springs, CO.    Tomorrow, we empty the poop tank, lower the antenna, velcro everything down and head north to Estes Park, CO......

First RV in History

Today was a BIG day for our friends and new RV neighbors, Kris and Steve.  You may recall, our neighbors from Texas flew in last Thursday to spend a long weekend with us here in Colorado.  Unfortunately, while flying here, Kris' ear drum ruptured and she was unable to fly back to Texas due to the air pressure.  Long story short, they decided to buy a used RV while here in Colorado, picked it up today and will be driving it home tomorrow.  Tonight, we are all spending our last night parked right next to each other at the Pikes Peak RV Park here in Manitou Springs.

Cha-Ching....Cha-Ching....Cha-Ching..

Seeing as this was their first RV, we wanted to witness all of their "Firsts"..... their first gas fill-up after picking it up (which usually doesn't generate such smiles...); however, I might add that we were all taking bets on how much $$ it was going to take to fill'er up......

Steve:  $175
Chuck: $134.44
Liz: $135
Kris:  $150

Now, the pump stopped at $131.45.....he continued to pump past Chuck's bet......then past Liz's bet......stopped exactly on Kris' bet.......personally, I think it was fixed.....

Dang Boy, Where's the Fire??

We witnessed their first drive on the highway.......I could barely keep up with the Race "RV" Driver......

Little to the Left; No...the OTHER Left.....

We witnessed their first back-in at an RV spot.....

YIKES!

And we witnessed the look on the RV Park manager's face after the back-in.....













But seriously, Steve drove that tank like a pro.......except for almost taking out the gas pumps while pulling out, the boy was a master truck driver!!  (Keep your "good-eye" on that rear-end, Steve......!)

Happy Campers.....

They are as happy as two ticks on a dog..........

Congratulations Kris and Steve......welcome to the Wonderful, Traumatic, Pleasurable, Taxing, Unsettling, Amusing, Tough, Tense and Enjoyable World of RVing.....

DAY 26: "Their Last Day....Unless They Get A New Soul...."

DAY 26: Manitou Springs, CO - July 26, 2010

Awww...the Perfect Shoes...

Their Last Day....

I beg you to please humor me for one more Blog about my beloved shoes...........today, quite possibly, was their last day......

Brand Smackin' New......It Was Love At First Site

Yes, a replacement has been found ..... although .....I'm not 100% satisfied with the successor ...... they will have to do for now.  I am NOT going to quit looking till I locate the perfect pair.....

Men just don't understand the relationship and attachment us women have with our favorite pair of shoes.....I'm the type that once I find the perfect pair of shoes or the ultimate purse, I have it on me at all times.  I'm not one who changes out her purse every day, or every week or heck, every season for that matter.  Nope......I find a good accessory companion and I keep it close to me at all times....until they fall apart.

And so, on the eve of eternal rest of my favorite pair of shoes, I felt it respectfully necessary to share with you some of mine and my shoes'  favorite moments over the past year:

At the Movies Together....

* We have waded together through waterfalls at Crater Lake Nat'l Park in Oregon
* We have stepped on Murphy's poop countless times...
* We pretended to kick a moose in Yellowstone
* We met Buffalo Bill Cody
* We have walked together in snow at the top of the Rocky Mountains
* They were used to hit Chuck with last year when he forgot my birthday....
* We ran from the mosquitos at Crater Lake together....

Ridin' the Highway Together...

* They loved riding the motorcycle through the Redwood Forest in California
* We have rescued the jetskis from two floods together...

Tip Toeing Thru the Wildflowers...

* The shifted over 12,000 miles on the motorcycle last summer.....

* We rode over the Golden Gate Bridge together

Together with Their Moose Socks

* They trembled with me as we drove the 103" wide RV between concrete barriers that were 106" wide

They Have been Peed On By A Scared Cat

* We walked the Salt Flats of Utah together

* We visited the Morman Tabernacle together

* They have riden through COUNTLESS rain storms with me

Cuddling With My Honey....

* They hung in there with me when we walked up (and then down) all 5 million steps to 7 Falls in Colorado

* They reluctantly visited Dalhart, Texas and then promptly left

* They were proud to have forked peoples yards

Lele and Granddaughter's Shoes...

* They have enjoyed footsie with our granddaughter Brie's pair of shoes...

So, there you have it.  Although our relationship has lasted a little over a year, we have experienced a lot together.........It's always painful to say goodbye to a love in your life.......We're truly hoping for a new soul.......

DAY 25: "We Just Want to See The Dudes On The Mountain..."

DAY 25:  Manitou Springs, CO - July 25, 2010

Hey, guess what??  In two days, we are pulling up jacks, throwing the lawn chairs underneath, flushing out the black tank (for you non-RVers.....that's the poop tank) and heading to Estes Park for a couple weeks.  Ya.....I know, we're not going far......maybe 3 hours up the road a bit, but we're in a bit of a dilemna.......

We are ready to leave Manitou Springs; we want to head to S. Dakota to meet the old dudes on the mountain at Mt. Rushmore, ride the black hills (or whatever they're called) and see all that there is to see in S. Dakota.  BUT.......Sturgis is going on about the time we planned on being there and, for those of you who don't know what Sturgis is, well........let me see if I can describe it as its been described to me....Ready......here we go.....

Sturgis is a MAJOR motorcycle rally held in Sturgis, SD each year around the first week of August.  Now, its important for you to know that this generally does NOT include us old Honda Gold Wing farts.....they (the Harley riders) will tell you its for everyone, but they're lying to you.  They only like to see an occasional Gold Wing bike/trike just so they can make fun of us due to the lack of noise we make.  Serious Sturgis attendees generally have a chick on the back of that "hog" (Harley) and sometimes she is missing her top.....yep.......you heard me right.....There are upwards of 1 million people who attend this each year (which is the entire population of S. Dakota!) and 1/3 don't have their tops on......the rest are covered in tattoos........or at least....... that's what I've heard........So, we plan on staying in Colorado until this little event is over and the topless tattoo people are headed home.....

Now, before traveling into a new state, Chuck and I always like to learn a little about their unusual laws.......you know, so we can be prepared.  So we looked up S. Dakota the other day and thought you might find it interesting to know a little bit about their laws.....

1)  "No horses are allowed into Fountain Inn unless they are wearing pants."  I have no idea where Fountain Inn is, but rest assured, I will find some pants for that horse of mine before going there!

2) "It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory..." Now, this is a bit more serious.  Chuck tends to fall asleep most anywhere and he's been known to "cut the cheese" on numerous occasions......so, we probably won't be going to the cheese factory. 

3)  "If there are more than 5 Native Americans on your property, you may shoot them."   Solution to this problem is don't tell them you're a Native American......simply tell them you're from Japan or Nova Scotia......

4)  "If three or more Indians are walking down the street together, they can be considered a war party and fired upon."  No more Calloway Family Reunions in S. Dakota....No-Siree (that's Indian talk for No-Way-Jose!)......

So there you have it folks.  Be careful if you're a Native American family visiting the cheese factory with your horse while in S. Dakota......

See ya tomorrow!

DAY 24: Ruptured Ear = Pace Arrow

DAY 24:  Manitou Springs, CO - July 24, 2010

Well folks, it's been another interesting day.

We bypassed homemade waffles by Chuck this morning and went straight to interesting.......let me explain..

Our friends and neighbors, Kris and Steve, who flew in Thursday from Texas to visit for the weekend, have been having a dilemna since they arrived.  On the flight here, Kris experienced severe pain in her inner ear due to a prior rupture of her ear drum years ago.  She has been dreading the flight back home tomorrow ever since they arrived on Thursday.

So we were discussing their options, i.e., rent a car and drive home, drug her up to where she is unconscious for the flight (that was "my" suggestion.....good, huh?!!) and then she came up with a third option............buy an RV.  At first, Steve was not liking this idea at all......but after a little coaxing on Kris' part, he agreed to "look" at some used RV's in the area here.  So, off we went this morning to check it out.....

The first place we stopped just happened to have an RV that had recently been traded in for a newer one.  Before I knew it, I was being handed the keys and told to back the RV out of the lot..........we were going for a test ride!  All went well (which in RV talk means nothing fell off and we made it back to the starting point) and they made Kris and Steve an offer they couldn't refuse.  So in a matter of hours, our neighbors were the proud owners of their first RV........and Kris doesn't have to fly home tomorrow!  Instead, they will be taking possession on Tuesday of their new/used 33' Fleetwood Pace Arrow.   We will be parked next to each other on Tuesday evening here in Manitou Springs as they get familiar with their home away from home........We both will be reluctantly leaving here on Wednesday; us heading North and they heading South.

After all this excitement, we dumped the men back at the RV and us girls headed into downtown Manitou Springs for a bit of people and window shopping.

I have found over time that when girls are left alone to fend for themselves; whether it be shopping or......shopping.........well, you know, shopping........without the men, odd things seem to follow us around (or is it just "me" that odd things seem to follow???)....

Take for instance, the belly dancers that just happened to be hanging around downtown.  Where did they come from and why would there be belly dancers "shaking" around on the sidewalk??  I don't know; but it inspired us  to learn how to belly dance and join them......(This could be good news for us, Jean Ann!!???)

Then, how about the dude walking around yelling through a speed cone......what was that about??  I don't know, but I could certainly hear him......I can't hear anything now, though.....

And let's not forget the YoYo guys who should have taken up belly dancing cause they really weren't very good at YoYoing.....














After all that weirdness, we just felt we needed cowboy hats to complete our ensemble.   Now personally, I prefer the coonskin cap I got yesterday, but Chuck seems to really like the cowboy hat better.......I just don't know.........

And then there was my favorite sign for the day........

Oh, what will happen tomorrow???!!!??!!!!???