DAY 68: Don't Delay.....LIVE

DAY 68:  Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
TEMP:  High 66 / Low 42

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed 

by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. 

So throw off the bowlines, 

sail away from the safe harbor. 

Catch the trade winds in your sails. 

Explore. Dream. Discover.” 

– Mark Twain

Today marked the final day of our journey............Tomorrow we set out for home.

 

It was a bitter sweet day........part of me is sad to be leaving the "adventure"......the "unknown"..... the "wandering wherever the wind blew us".....such a blessing we have been given to be allowed to experience such a ride.   The other part of me is looking forward to being home.....resting my head on a pillow that doesn't have wheels beneath it.......to see my family and friends that I've missed so much......getting back in my routine.

When I tell you how blessed we have been to experience this, I'm not just writing empty words......I truly, profoundly mean it.  Most people only dream of being able to travel like we have for the past 4 years.....having no set itinerary.....just going until you feel like stopping.  It's truly been a spiritual experience for me.  

But we would never have made the decision to travel like we have, had we not been facing a debilitating disease.  That forced us to see that we may not have all the time in the world to do this later in life.....that life, as we know it, could end tomorrow.  

 

We needed to live for today, not tomorrow or yesterday....but just for today.  

Friends, we don't have unlimited resources......we aren't wealthy people.....but what we are, are two people; many times resembling Lucy and Ricky Ricardo;  with our two needy dogs and one-claw cat who love being together and storing up memories......good, bad, funny, frustrating, sad, scary and forever memories.

We are nearing the end of this chapter of our lives and I must admit, not sure I'm ready for the next chapter to begin.  It's the unknown.....the blank pages that are waiting to be filled that is scary....but if I could leave you with anything I have learned from this closing chapter it would be to not delay.....don't wait till you have enough money; till your kid graduates from college; till the house is paid off; till you retire........you may never have enough money and your kid may move back in with you after college......

So, throw caution to the wind.......live your life NOW.......

 

You just may not have tomorrow.

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel 

until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” 

– Lin Yutang

DAY 66: "Spotlight on Today"......

DAY 66:  Central City, Colorado....Burrrrrrr
TEMP:  High 48 / Low 39

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.........I think it might have snowed today!

Not sure though, cause we had a lot of dense fog and rain, but I "think" it just might have snowed a little on us today.......

Anyway, as I'm sitting at my desk doing some business work this morning, I suddenly hear our RV horn honking......I turn around to see Kruger the 1-Claw Cat sitting on the steering wheel and each time she moves her butt, she honks the horn.  I swear.....Chuck has been feeding that cat too much.....I bet she's gained 5 pounds in the past two months on the road.....She never used to be able to honk the horn with her butt.....

Since it was COLD and RAINY outside (I knew we should have stayed in Manitou a few more days!!),  we took Debbie and Brady's Jeep and headed down the road to Evergreen, Colorado to an awesome thrift store our neighbors took us to last week.  Since my sister has a brand smackin' new rockin' figure these days, she has really enjoyed shopping for clothes.....and so has Brady, her husband.

We had finished shopping when we realized Brady was missing......turns out, he had found himself a treasure chest of record albums.  We waited.....and waited......and waited a little longer.....Pretty soon, we just decided to all take a nap while we waited.....

And tonight......tonight was "Game Night" with my brother-in-law Brady.....also known as 

Mr. "A"

(Type A Personality)

Let me explain.....while playing Mexican Train dominos,  his recollection of the rules were completely different from Debbie's and mine.  So, to prove us wrong, not only did he whip out the instructions, he placed this little spot light on his head like he was on the Amazing Race or something to light up the instructions........It was quite entertaining watching him....

Too bad LIZ WON........BRADY LOST.........

WhoooHoooo.....

DAY 65: Goodbye Manitou Springs......I Will Never Forget You.....

DAY 65:  Moved from Manitou Springs to Central City, Colorado
TEMP:  High 56 / Low 46

Old Friends are gold...... 

New Friends are diamonds...... 

If you get a diamond, don't forget the gold....

Because to hold a diamond, 

You always need a base of gold. 

I just love the saying above......I have been blessed with good friends.....wonderful girlfriends that I know have my back; that love me unconditionally; that would be on my doorstep at a moments notice if I needed them to be......that are pure GOLD to me....

Today was a hard day for me.......

Hard, because we left our friends Marge, Chris, Mary Jo, Kerry, Tom and Israel that we have grown to love very much.  I think what made leaving them and this beautiful place at the base of Pikes Peak called Manitou Springs the hardest, was the uncertainty of whether we would ever be able to return to it or see them again.  

It's always been hard for me to leave this place every year when it was time to return home, but this time, its different.  Chuck's health is not getting better; it is getting more and more difficult for him to manage the steps up into the motorhome, so we have made the incredibly tough decision to put the motorhome up for sale when we return home from this trip.  Traveling is getting harder for him; not easier.  We always knew this day would come; that's why we started traveling in the first place 4 years ago......we knew we needed to do this while he still could and I am so thankful we did......

And here we are; nearing the end of that journey....and what a wonderful journey it has been.  Words cannot express the blessing we have been given to experience what we have; to meet the people we have met.......the Lord has dropped people in our laps everwhere we have been that have either encouraged us, loved us, irritated us, made us laugh or strengthened us throughout this voyage......the gratitude I feel is impossible to convey on paper..........

But these dear people above have been such good friends to Chuck and I......greeting us each year with arms wide open, 

......helping Chuck get around, 

....forgiving us when we ran over stuff, 

.....and  just letting us know they were near if we needed them.  These are good people......and I know from experience you don't find people like this everywhere you go.  

I am eternally grateful to them for their love, kindness, warmth, big-heartedness and friendship.  I pray, I PRAY FERVENTLY that we will one day be back here in this little slice of Heaven on Earth to once again feel their arms around us.

But for today....with tears running down my cheeks and a pain in my gut......We have to say good-bye to Manitou and our friends.  

Thank you for being so good to us......

DAY 64: "Glad They Had A Subway In This Place....."

DAY 64: Air Force Academy, Manitou Springs, CO
TEMP:  High 78 / Low 48

 Today was our last day in Manitou Springs.......I've got to tell ya; my heart is sad........I love this place; I love these people......I love how I feel when I'm here.  This place will always have a grasp on a special corner of my heart.......

 For our last day here, we decided to do something I've always wanted to do; head on over to the Air Force Academy for a tour.  We loaded up in the Jeep and found our way to the Visitors Center, only after attempting to break-in through the wrong gate.....

And how excited we were when we saw they had a subway system through the miles and miles of Academy.......My feet were already thanking me!!!

And how bummed we were to find out it was the Subway "Fast Food" that was here on the base.....UGH....there actually was NO train subway system......

We proceeded on to the magnificant Air Force Chapel.......

Did you know:

* That the exterior  of the Cadet Chapel, made of steel, aluminum and glass, has 17 pointy spires resembling fighter jets soaring up to the sky.....

* There is a 1,200 seat Protestant chapel, a 500 seat Catholic chapel and a 100 seat Jewish chapel all under the same roof......

* Around the curved steps of the alter are 12 kneelers done in needle-point by officers wives' clubs throughout the Air Force.

* The pews are carved so the end of each pew resembles a
World War 1 airplane propellor.  The backs of the pews are capped by a strip of aluminum similar to the leading edge of a fighter aircraft wing.

* The Jewish Synagogue is shaped like a circle within a square, representing the global mission of the Air Force and the everlasting presence of God.  The surrounding foyer is paved with 1,631 pieces of Jerusalem stone donated by the Israeli Defense Forces.

This was an incredible place; a place of beauty, reverance and awe.  What a priviledge just to be able to enter it.....

And imagine our surprise when we saw THIS as we were leaving......

DAY 63: "Obama and Pet Soul Therapy....."

DAY 63:  Manitou Springs, CO
TEMP:  High 69 / Low 50

Awwww.......there's nothing like waking up to 43 degrees in the morning and hitting a sunny high of 69 degrees!!  AND.....not feeling a tinge of guilt telling this to my friends in Texas who enjoyed a cool front today as well!!   WhooHoo.....

Today we made our way down the street to a local art festival here in Manitou Springs where we saw a little bit of everything including a mirror that made me look to have 8' legs and a 50" butt.....

Caught my sister trying to trip the Stilt Lady....

Found Obama's scary book thrown in the discount box for $0.50....

Found a couple dogs with an attitude....

Found Murphy and Molly hiding from the dogs with attitude....

And "soul therapy" for them in case they had any residual effects of the 

mean dogs and/or Obama's book......... 

(which WASN'T covered under Obama's Socialist Health Care Plan, BTW)

and many, MANY gorgeous, colorful, stimulating, flowers everywhere!

It was a very good day.....

Oh ya, I just wish my brother-in-law, Doug, would have had as good a day as we did...

LOL

DAY 62: Just Another Day In My Life......

DAY 62:  Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs, CO
TEMP:  High 72 / Low 52

Lost keys x2

Well, I did it again!  I lost the keys to the Trike.....AGAIN.  How.....HOW could I lose them two days in a row???  Geezzzz.......I looked for over an hour for the keys this morning.  Now, when you're staying in an RV the size of your bathroom, there are only so many places the keys could be, right??  I looked EVERYWHERE.....I completely cleaned out my flat, smashed purse I ran over with the trike yesterday; I checked the electrical box outside to make sure they weren't on top of it like they were yesterday; I checked every pocket of every article of clothing we own.....I even dug through the trash.  Nada.....

I was headed to the RV office to see if anyone had turned in a set of keys when my sister, Debbie, came out of her RV dangling the keys.  She had replayed in her mind the last time she saw me with the keys the day before and remembered I had sat down in one of their folding chairs.  I must have placed the keys in the drink container of the chair.  I love her even more than I did yesterday!!!

Trike keys tethered to Liz

So, I decided I would use a lanyard we had gotten from one of the casino's in Central City and tether myself to the keys.  I would have to lose ME before I lost the trike keys ever again!!  So far....so good......I know where I am.....

Very slow car from Wisconsin

Trike keys found, we then headed up the 14,000+ feet to the tip top of Pikes Peak.  We rode the 40 miles up....and then the 40 miles down.  I not only found myself behind a very, very, very slow car from Wisconsin that never made it over 8 mph.......but Brady discovered he had no rear brakes on their bike......AGHHHH!  He decided it was best NOT to tell any of us, including Debbie, about this little hiccup until we were down from the mountain.

We were able to get the bike fixed quickly and then headed over to Cave of the Winds where Deb and I decided to take a ride on the black bear.  This gives you a hint on how that worked out for us......

Oh ya, did I mention the gum I stuck to the side of my hot chocolate on Pikes Peak melted and stuck to the pepper shaker??

Just another day in my life............

DAY 61: Bad News.....Good News Kind of Day....

DAY 61:  Manitou Springs, CO
TEMP:  High 81 / Low 56

This was a Good News / Bad News kind of day.......

The Bad News......I lost the motorcycle keys; our only means of transportation......


The Good News.......After searching high and low, inside and out, decided to quit trying to find them on my own and asked for my Higher Power to help.....immediately....IMMEDIATELY....I found them sitting outside on the electrical box.

The Bad News.....Ran over my purse with the trike after forgetting to put it back in trunk.


The Good News......My cell phone was in my pocket and not the purse.

Our friend Israel, dreaming of trading in his Harley for a Honda

The Bad News....We had to replace the front tire of the trike....

The Good News.....We met up with our friend, Israel, for breakfast while the trike tire was being changed.

The Bad News.....Chuck insisted on going to
Wal-Mart...
The Good News....I went to Hobby Lobby

Is it me, or do I look Pregnant????

The Bad News.....It took my sister forever to get here...
The Good News....She's here!!!

DAY 60: Hot Diggity Dog......

DAY 60:  Manitou Springs, CO
TEMP:  High 89 / Low 58

HOT DIGGITY DOG!!!

I can hardly wait to see my sister on Friday!!!!