Day 3 -4/6/2017 - 347 miles to Fort Collins, CO


DINOSAURS!

As a red blooded boy, I spent a big portion of my first 7 years focused on two things: Dinosaurs and outer space.

Dinosaurs came first because there was no space flight yet, and boy did I study them. I could probably name close to 100 species and whether they were meat or plant eaters, and their sizes. Going to Dinosaur National Monument was a great treat for both Vickie and me.

Seeing a "wall" of stone covered in petrified skeletons was truly amazing. It was about 30 feet high by 120 feet long and was incredibly impressive.

When I hear of people denying the science that found and analyzed these specimens, hundreds of millions of years old, it reminds me of how fragile "civilization" is and how many times humans made great cities crammed with the technological achievements over time, only to be destroyed by war or ignorance or greed, and those people reverted to the "way things used to be". Living barely more than animals.

It reminds me of why I want to be in the March for Science on April 22.

We drove across northern Colorado on two-lane highways. The area is western high desert and grasslands, reminiscent of my old stomping grounds in Northern Arizona. It's the kind of place that easterners see as a vast wasteland, and westerners see as a miracle of life and land, with the wistful longing to a place we will never live.

High altitude the entire way. Two 10,000 ft mountain passes and an entire day where we probably never dropped lower that 5,000 feet.

The Rockies captivate.

While there was lots of snow at elevation, the depth seemed skimpy. As we descended the est side, creeks and rivers had very low flows.
We landed in Fort Collins where we met up with Linda Norris and her sister Sheila for dinner. Tomorrow we head to Rocky Mountain National Park.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 29 - 5/2/2017 - 8,404 miles to Salem, Oregon

Image
We're home. Eastward Journey The trip odometer tells us that we covered 8,404 miles in our little excursion. Across and back. One small rock chip on the windshield, patched in Atlanta. One stop by a cop for speeding in a tiny town in rural Idaho on day 27, with only a verbal warning. Thousands of memories. Would we do it again? You bet. We both agree it was a wonderful trip. Genial people the entire way. Thirty different states, and the District of Columbia, in the following order: Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, [back to Georgia, Atlanta], North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, [back through Idaho],  Washington, and home to Oregon. Return Leg 1 Final Leg Home I called this blog Red States Driving because that is what we were go...
Read more

Day 22 & 23 - Charleston WV to St. Louis, MO to Norfolk, NB - 1,441 Miles

Image
I have not much to say about these days, and a few pictures, but here goes. We spent the night in Charleston, WV getting in late. Biggest think I can relate is being approached by a young woman in the hotel parking, looking for some money because she saw we were from out of town. It would have been one thing, but she had been in a car following us through town as I made a couple of wrong turns. Too much of a set-up. It has been lots of freeway driving. All states have been consistently pretty including West Virginia, and Kentucky, where we stopped for lunch in Lexington. The place was called Bourbon+Toulouse, and it was a New Orleans style beans and rice and Etouffee place we found on Yelp. Basically like a hippie throwback joint, and it was great. Paper plates, two half orders, beer and soda with tip $15 bucks. I'd go back. We went to St. Louis, and set the navi to take us to the Arch. The Arch was cool, but the drive into town at 5:30 was empty and creepy. The park where...
Read more

Day 27 - 4/30/2017 - Helena, MT to Walla Walla, WA - 463.8 Miles

Image
Sunday Afternoon in Idaho We had a great night last night with Vickie's old friends in Helena. It was much like last month when I met up with my old roommates Craig and Brad. Over 30 years, but it was also like we just saw each other yesterday. Real frienship endures all things. Time is inconsequential. We headed through Missoula to the Mountains of Idaho; the Lochsa and Selway rivers merging into the Clearwater. We stopped several times to see the rafters and Vickie got these shots. Retirement means you don't have to care about schedules. We picked up Linda Norris in Helena, so for these last few days we are the Three Musketeers. All for one, and one for wine. Driving through these mountains smelled of home, and long ago. One of the best adventures of my life was in 1978 when I spent 6 days on the Snake River in a dory exploring Hells Canyon, from the bottom. Just before the Snake gets to Lewiston, Idaho, it is joined by the Salmon River which was calle...
Read more