Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs

Tried to sleep in this morning as a nagging "altitude" headache kept me awake most of the night. Billy washed the truck while I took Maggie for a long walk, and then we left at about 10:00 am for the excursion to Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak is called "America's Mountain because it's the mountain that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write the poem which later became the anthem, "America the Beautiful." We drove the truck the 19 mile climb up to the peak to the 14,115 foot summit. The views climbing up and down were awesome, and we even saw some snow on the way up the mountain. I saw lots of plant life that I could not identify. I did finally figure out what an Aspen tree looks like and the Columbine flower was beautiful. We took lots of pictures. At the summit we had to wrap Maggie up in a blanket and put on our winter coats. On the way down it started sleeting and the sleet was piling up slightly by the side of the road, which was dirt part of the way. (See second sentence in post) It took us about 6 hours to make the trip. Both of us developed altitude headaches on the way down the mountain, so we stopped at a Mexican Restaurant for a quick dinner and we are ready to call it a night 4:45pm (Mountain Time).

Royal Gorge Bridge & Park

This morning we woke up to cool temperatures and folks meandering around the campground with lightweight jackets on. Delightful! We had a leisurely breakfast of bacon, eggs, and SC cantelope and then took off sight seeing for the day. After stopping for Billy to get a hair cut and of course Wally World, we drove about an hour to the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. We visited Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway. With the discount for Military the day cost us $20.00. What a deal. We road a 3 mile scenic train ride which gave us a view of the deep Royal Gorge. Then we watched a shootout at Buckskin Joe. We took the horse-drawn trolley ride and enjoyed the town's authentic atmosphere. Pets are welcomed so Maggie May got lots of attention. On the way back from the Royal Gorge we pulled off the side of the road where we had seen many prairie dog mounds. Loads of fun........we lost count of the number of cute prairie dogs we saw. We are still at and above 6,000 feet altitude which gave me a slight headache and I got sick to my stomach on top of the gorge. Per the literature that we have read we should be adjusted to the high altitude by tomorrow. What a fun and beautiful day. I am amazed at how the scenery can change in a matter of miles. One mile you see brown flat prairies with the mountains in the background and before you know it you are surrounded by green grasses and trees with massive rocks everywhere. "Life is Good Today"

Air Force Academy FamCamp, Colorado Springs

We left Kansas and drove five hours into Colorado. Nothing but rolling empty prairies in Kansas but once in Colorado the scenery began to change and we started a long loooooonnnnngggg climb up to over 6,000 feet above sea level. The mountains are beautiful and loom all around us; however, the FamCamp is very wooded (yeah trees) and they obstruct our view. Not complaining mind you, this RV park is exactly what we have been looking for. Lots of room between campers, a nice laundromat, and showers that exceed my high standards. We were told that bears roam freely around the park and there are signs around to lock up your garbage. The sign even said to lock away your smell good sundries with the food because the bears are attracted to the nice smell. The temperature is delightful here and neither of us had a meltdown as we set up camp. We are in Mountain time now, our children are in Eastern Time and we live in the Central Time Zone. We will be more screwed up than we normally are. "Life is Good Today"

Cedar Bluff State Park, KS

So, I have decided that I have not lost anything in Kansas. The windmills out across the fields were something I have never seen, and it appears that there is a natural gas vein running through the state as we saw many wells. Dry brown sage like grass covers the ground and I suggested to Billy that we play "Tree Poker" as opposed to Cow Poker. Not many trees around here. No wonder folks see so many tornadoes in Kansas - you can see for 100's of miles. We drove for miles and miles without seeing a vehicle or a gas station and we were down to 1/4 of a tank. Thankfully there was a lone gas station across from the State Park that we are staying in. It is $22.00 a night with sewer/water/electric. Ignore what folks say about "dry heat." It is hot as hell here. Okay, I'll quit putting down Kansas.

We broke camp at 9:00 am this morning and drove five hours. Breaking camp for me involves tying down the two rocking chairs, washing and putting up dishes and dog dishes, wrapping bungee cord around the two TV's, putting our sundry/shower bags in the bathtub, draping the shoe bag that hangs on the bathroom door across our bed, packing up the computers, putting my one plant (yard work) in the truck, pulling in the slide, emptying the trash, checking to make certain all drawers/cabinets/refrigerator are shut, putting the iron skillet/pizza stone under the covers of our bed, and taking the XM radio antennae off the roof. Sounds long and drawn out, but it is really quick. Even had time to run the vacuum cleaner this morning. Heard on the news that they captured one of the two escapees, and we hope they capture the final one before we get farther west. We settled in quickly since we are leaving the truck hooked up to the camper, and Billy is not putting up the satellite dish. Not to worry.....he has many recorded shows to watch on the DVR. I offered to cook a chicken/penne dinner, but he said he would just eat the burrito that I couldn't eat 2 days ago. Fine with me........Shower and relax. Yoo Hoo~ We have 4 followers and many lurkers. "Life is Good Today!"

Cottonwood RV Park, Kansas

Today was a much needed day of rest. Should really have tidied up the camper to move tomorrow and should have done the laundry. Instead we slept in, took Maggie for a walk and then messed around on the computers. Met Gordon and Wanda for lunch at a barbecue joint right across the street from Cabella's. I enjoyed meeting both Gordon and Wanda and hope they will come to FL and fish with us. Gordon worked with Billy in Hawaii and at Fort Jackson. What fun! After lunch we "stopped by" Cabella's and tried to shop for bargains. Really not many bargains; however, we did find the drastically reduced sale room. At 4:00 Billy and were ready to come back to the camper for more rest and relaxation.

For anyone reading our blog for campground information we honestly cannot recommend Cottonwood RV Park outside of Kansas City. The only good thing that we have to say about it is it's proximity to Cabella's. It is a ridiculous $27.00 per night, no WiFi, and no cable. The RV's are so close together that you cannot open your awning and there are no picnic tables. The bathrooms/shower houses do not even begin to meet my high standards. It wasn't a problem for us (except the ridiculously high price) because we were just here to rest up and go to Cabellas, and we can use our RV bathroom and shower facilities. We hit the road again tomorrow heading in the direction of Colorado! Thanks for stopping by......"Life is Good Today"

Cottonwood RV Park, Kansas City, KS

This morning we woke up in IL and left the camper at 9:00 am for a four hour drive which took is through Missouri into Kansas. Hard to leave those beautiful IL corn fields but we brought some of that corn along with us. We followed the directions given by the beautiful young lady who lives in our GPS and she took us across the Missouri River three times. I wonder............. We scooted right by the Arch in St. Louis, MO - Gateway to the west-up to a rest stop in Missouri. There was a sign at the rest stop that read "Livestock not allowed out of vehicles." I decided that didn't apply to little Maggie May and took her out for a walk. Again we passed many motorcycles going to the motorcycle rally in Sturgis, SD.

We chose Cottonwood RV Park because it is only about 6 miles from Cabellas. We have already been there and plan to go back. We are meeting one of Billy's Army buddies here in Kansas City. Thankfully we arrived this time with no mishaps and no cabinets being slung opened. We have also learned on this trip that it is necessary to "tie down" the cabinets when swinging through the mountains. Lesson learned, but we haven't had anything broken or spilled. Famous last words. Speaking of famous last words, Billy was so proud of himself when we arrived here and he set up his satellite dish on the first try. He bragged on himself and then we took off for Cabellas. It is now 8:15 pm, and he is still outside working on his satellite dish. Never should have bragged on himself. We need a little rest and down time, so we plan to stay here in Kansas City for two days to catch up on some chores. We have also learned that it is tiring to drive 4 hours a day and only stay for one night. Had another fast food dinner because we just had to make that trip to Cabellas. I am ready to start cooking some of these fresh vegetables tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by and thank you to my three followers. What a hoot.

Scott Air Force Base, IL

We had a thankfully uneventful drive across KY into IL. Once into IL we stopped to get gas and were fortunate enough to run into a motorcycle gang on their way to Sturgis, SD for a rally. They informed us that the interstate was shut down and at a stand still to our west because of a bad accident and gave us directions to drive on to Scott Air Force Base the "back" way. Speaking of "back" way and short cuts. While in NC with my family I came to an interesting observation. My family has always taken "short cuts" - they weren't always shorter - my entire life. It's a family thing. I noticed that my brother had a GPS and did not ONCE go the way the GPS directed him to go. My cousin was trying to give me directions to her place in Asheville, and I informed her that we would just follow the GPS. She replied that "no, I know a better route." While riding in our truck we tried to demonstrate to my elder Uncle Jim the benefits of the GPS. He was impressed; however, he kept telling us to go the opposite direction the GPS lady instructed us to go. Said it was a "better" route. So unfortunate that this wonderful invention is wasted on my family. On the other hand, Billy and I have noticed that as we are pulling this rather large camper down the road that the little lady living in the GPS chimes in and says "when possible make a legal U turn." I keep asking her if this is negotiable because we need a football field to turn around in.

It was a much easier ride today because we didn't wind through and over the mountains. Maggie had her morning treat of hashbrowns, bacon/egg/cheese biscuit, and sweet tea as the photo demonstrates. We didn't have one cabinet fly open; however, we arrived with the electric jack not working. Billy is currently on the phone speaking with the makers of the jack. Again....expect the unexpected. Saw many beautiful corn fields and farms driving through Illinois and I'm itching to get to the grocery store to see what they have in the produce section. Scott Air Force is beautiful, and we are backed up to the woods. "God is great. Beer is good and people are crazy."