End of the Trail

After more than 10,000 miles and 159 days on the road, we have come full circle...right back where we started from five months ago. We arrived back to Santa Cruz on the Friday before the Memorial Day Weekend, so we will have plenty of time to party with our sweet family and friends. I am happy and proud to report that for the five months we were driving the roads of America we never got a traffic ticket of any kind or even had a fender bender! We are grateful for the safe roads and careful drivers on our route. Among the many things that this trip has offered me, the most profound is that I feel I have Lived in Beauty for the duration of the trip. America is full of natural beauty and seemingly endless scenic landscapes. I am deeply grateful for this privilege of living and traveling in Beauty. Now it is time to put the Blog to bed. Thanks so much to all my readers and especially those who commented. It was great fun to have feed back, and know you were keeping track of a couple of Boomers bouncing across America. If you have any last comments for the Blog, I would love to hear them. Feel free to add your comments! Ciao for now Sara and John Dare to ask of Life everything that is Good and Beautiful.

My new chauffeur

Solar Eclipse in Reno

John and I hustled to Reno, Nevada to get well situated to view the Solar Eclipse on Sunday afternoon. We joined a large gathering of eclipsoidians at the University of Nevada campus in the hills above Reno...all eager to see this amazing and beautiful phenomenon. The event was not only stunningly beautiful but exciting and suspenseful as the clouds threatened to cover our view of the sun at the critical moment of full eclipse.

This is how I felt viewing the eclipse. We wore special super dark Eclipse Shades to protect our eyes.

Our RV site at Washoe Lake State Park near Reno. Perfect day for an eclipse!

Paonia Pals

When I visited Paonia last October, the first winter snows were beginning to frost the mountains. Returning to Paonia this May, it is a delight to find it clocked in spring green. Hanging out in the valley with my great friend, Lucy, has allowed me to get to know some of the many wonderful people and places there. I cherish the beauty and uniqueness of Paonia and its environs...from peach and cherry orchards to vineyards to a plethora of creative arts and so much more. Let us all pray that this precious valley may be protected from the damage that greedy interlopers would perpetrate on it.

Our new friend, Barney, of nearby Crawford.

I have a serious crush on this guy, Sweet Willie.

This is the inspection crew checking out a custom made outhouse.

Biking High!

Wowie Zowie! Cycling the bike trails around Frisco,Colorado is close to Nirvana! There exists a network of trails in the Silverthorn-Frisco-Breckenridge-Vail area that are a cyclist's dream come true! One trail goes from Breckenridge to Vail, if you can imagine how gorgeous that is. The only catch (as in catch your breath) is that the trails are at 9000 feet above sea level in the Rocky Mountains. For Santa Cruz beach bums,like Bo and I, that is a long,long way up there! Check out the views from the trail.

Our cycling buddies from Texas turned us on to this fabulous area, and we thank them! We will ride here again!

No stopping this guy!

The Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountain National Park is the first stop in our crossing of the backbone of North America. We are now daily in elevations between 7000 and 9000 feet above sea level. Our day in the park was chock full of birds and animals, but few wildflowers yet. Herds of elk graze the subalpine meadows along side the streams that braid the mountain 'parks'. The aspen trees are just leafing out in their sweet green heart leaves. The weather is unsettled, changing from sun to rain to sun to snow within a few hour's time. These subalpine meadows (called parks) are surround by moraines covered in Lodgepole and Ponderosa pines,as well as some Douglas fir trees.

Rocky Mt High! (and these are the lower peaks)

This little marmot is done hibernating even tho it is still cold!

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Fickle Colorado

Yesterday Bo and I had a super great bike ride on the Poudre River Trail out of Greeley, Colorado. At an elevation of 4658 feet above sea level and at 78 degrees, we were lathering on the sun protection lotion. With the intense sunshine and heat, we had a hot but beautiful 28 mile ride in the countryside between Greeley and Windsor.

Rocky Mountain High Peaks

But what a change today! At Estes Park 35 miles from Greeley and 3000 feet higher, it is snowing! No bike ride today...oh those frosty bike seats make my butt cheeks cringe!

Since I did not have my camera with me on the trail ride yesterday, I used photos from the web.

The Black Hills of South Dakota

The scenic grandeur of the Black Hills was well beyond my expectations! And that is saying something, as Bo and I have gotten to be scenic grandeur snobs after 5 months and 8000 miles on the road visiting the most beautiful places in America. The pictures below are just couple of the many amazing views throughout the area.

Plus the scenic roads that were built throughout Custer State Park take you literally through the rocks! This tunnel (one of many) is 8'4" wide and 11' high. Lewis is 8'3" wide 10'high.

Oh yeah, and Mt Rushmore is there too!