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!

.

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!

The Bad Bad Badlands

Well, the Badlands really lived up to their name on the first night of our stay in Badlands National Park. Enjoying a beautiful sunset while the full moon rose in the east, it was a glorious evening. But the Badlands had an alternate agenda for that night. About midnight a monster storm hit that carried on and off until daybreak. Poor Lewis was deluged with heavy rain and pummeled with marble size pellets of hail. Inside Lewis it sounded like we were under attack from gun shots while the booms of the wind sounded like cannon fire. The growling thunder and the flashes of lightning added to the melee! Not much sleep that night. After sleeping in the next day, we toured the park and were amazed by its beauty and its geological history. Badlands Landscape

Colorful Geologic Formations

Definitely Cowboy Country

Buffalo Buddies

Niobrara, Scenic River of Nebraska

Pronouncing the name of this river correctly is tougher than kayaking it. It was an easy and fun paddle for John and I as we kayaked 15 miles from The Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge down to Smith Falls State Park. We had the river to ourselves as we floated beneath piney wood bluffs and along the base of steep cliffs comprised of ash and sand.

The width of the river with its swift current gives lie to the fact that it is only 18- 24 inches deep... knee deep or less pretty much anywhere in the river.

River God of the Niobrara

The 100th Meridian

Although the 100th Meridian may be an imaginary line on a map, it represents the crossover from the moist and humid woodsy East to the semi-arid West. To the east of the 100th Meridian, the atmosphere receives moisture from the Gulf of Mexico while to the West drier shortgrass prairies with a scarcity of trees predominate. Also, generally speaking, most of the land to the west of the line is above 2,000 feet, and most of the land to the east is below 2,000 feet. Shortgrass prairie of the Niobrara Wildlife Refuge

This interface of eastern and western landscapes at the 100th Meridian has created a unique biological corridor along the Niobrara River in north central Nebraska. Western and eastern species of plants, animals and birds are on the far edges of their ranges and intermingle with prairie species from the south and boreal floral and fauna from the north. A lively mix from all directions! This has been a delight for us birders. We have enjoyed seeing the horned lark, upland sandpiper, and burrowing owls. The melodious song of the meadow lark has thrilled our ears. Meanwhile the antics of the prairie dogs busy in their prairie dog towns have entertained us.

The Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge supports a herd of 30 buffalo...a tiny remnant of the massive herds the used to range from Northwest Canada all the way south to Mexico and east to the western edge of the Appalachian Mountains.

The "I" States

John and I have traveled west through Indiana, Illinois, and now Iowa. The "I" states are aligned east to west in Mid America. The characteristics they share are flatness, greenness, corniness and friendly folks. We enjoyed our stay in Springfield,Illinois visiting the Abraham Lincoln sights. We particularly enjoyed the Presidential Library and Museum with its state-of-the art theaters. The "special effects" of the theater program had us jumping out of our seats a couple of times! We even saw Lincoln's ghost. Touring the home of Abraham and Mary Lincoln in Springfield was another highlight, really taking us back to the reality of everyday life at that time. You can't help but marvel at the hardships and struggles the early Americans endured. So grateful that we live in this age of convenience, ease and health care.

The tragic story of the Lincoln Family is heart breaking.

The Lincoln Family home in Springfield is in Illinois's only National Park.

Home is where you hang your hat

Westward Bound

Indianapolis, Indiana is home to the joint campus of Indiana University and Purdue University in Indianapolis. That is now the abode of my wonderful nephew and his amazing wife and their precious little daughter. What a delight is was for John and I to visit them there! Indianapolis is also significant to us because we have finally made the turn to the West! Lewis is now heading out of Indiana, into Illinois and across South Dakota. John and I can only marvel at the variety and beauty of landscapes we have traversed thus far. Although the contents of the strip malls remain fairly constant...McDonalds, Arbys, Dollar General.... the views of the countryside from the cockpit of Lewis are ever changing. Middle America is flush with neon green this April. The tiny fresh corn sprouts have turned the corn fields into a soft lush carpet. Spring is all around us...a bounty of birds, plants, trees, animals soaking up the warmth and enjoying the renewal of life.

Boma and her 5 month old grand niece

Nashville Cats

The Nashville country music scene has got John and I stomping our feet and yee-hawing with the fans after attending three concert in three days. Highlights include attending the Grand Ole Opry Country Classics concert at Ryman Hall in downtown Nashville. That was our first experience with live radio theater. Then couldn't miss the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. And the grand finale was last night's concert at the Grand Ole Opry with Josh Turner, Trace Adkins, and Keith Urban. We are star-struck and hung over this morning from too much country!

The Hall of Fame Rotunda showing member's plaques.


Elvis Presley's Gold Piano


Struck Star evening...Trace Adkins, Keith Urban and Josh Turner

Spring in the Smokies

John and I had an eventful day touring Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee. Spring wildflowers abound and the bears have come out of hibernation hungry. We were up close (about 12 feet) to a big black bear that was tearing apart a rotting log to enjoy a snack of yellow jacket larvae. Black bears in this park also eat a lot of squaw root which is a parasite on oak roots. They also frequently climb trees to eat the blossoms and then nap. The former favorite food and staple of these bears, the chestnut, is no longer available as virtually all American chestnut trees were killed by an Asiatic fungus that swept through the Appalachians in the 1930's. Kinda like us humanoids loosing all our coffee or chocolate. Likely to make ya very cranky!!

It is such a thrill to see the first signs of spring. The tender green of new leaves on the forest trees is like cool water across the eyes. The blooms of the wild dogwood against the leafy greenness with the occasional giant magnolia blossom popping out are proof of Spring's progress. And wildflowers! Yes!
Giant Magnolia Blossom


Cades Cove


Mountain Music Banjo Player

Hiatus

Easter brought me back on a flight from Charleston, South Carolina to San Jose, California to be with family. A break in our RV adventure but a precious time with family. Shared the Easter weekend with my awesome sister, Booga, and her sweet daughter, Katie as well as my beautiful daughters, Grace and Emily, and Em's finacee Mel. Also included was Katie's boyfriend Kent, but with six strong women and one teenage boyfriend, the estrogen ruled.
Star attraction, as always, was my grand daughter, Aspen, who experienced her first Easter egg hunt. This provided much joy and entertainment for the family.
Easter Day included beach walks, egg hunt, dinner of delicious crab cakes, arugula salad and home made mac&cheese, followed by a campfire on the patio under the Big Dipper. Life is sweet.

Girls just wanna have fun!


Pure Entertainment! All eyes on Aspen.


Ending a Great Day!