Day 6
Gregory makes morning music on Lea and Ed’s balcony before we part ways.
On the road. Another sunny day.
Lunch with Christine, Aria, Aaron and Greg in Centennial.
Golden, CO.
Pre-game.
Red Rocks, widespread panic, walking ’round.
We climb the ramp. Denver on the horizon.
Day 5 and 6
NORAD
Andrew shows us cactus in bloom.
Where dogs were once kept by the previous property owner. Andrew says the feral cat he saw carrying a rabbit lives here now.
Growing all around Andrew’s house.
8 acres of home sweet home.
This guy.
Greg and his cousin Andrew.
Lizard’s POV.
A gaggle gather roadside waiting to cross. A car already stopped and let one group by. Another 30 minutes went by before another car stops to let them cross. Most speed by or slow down and honk at, as if they are the only beings that have some place they want to get to.
This one located between a liquor store and pizza place. Legalized, retailed and marketed. Open until 7pm. The most bizarrely mundane acquisition of obtaining da reefer ever.
Lea and Ed’s new kitten. A frisky little thing developing its pounce and kill techniques on unsuspecting ankles, toes, and hands trying to pet him. Tuka’s cuteness somehow makes it all okay.
Tunnel.
Runners, locals, reading, kids, cameras, lunch, tourists breathing heavy in the thin air while they take quick darting looks at red rocks beyond cell phone screens. 3pm adds grills, dreds, beer, music and folding chairs to the mix. Territories are marked as tailgate parties coalesce in PLs. Excited voices fill the air greeting one another and carrying on. All to be followed by Widespread Panic starting in a few hours.
Two eggs, sunny side.
Who does this belong to?
Giant dandelion-looking flower gone to seed.
View of Denver from Red Rocks.
Hello purple flower. I love you.
Like I wasn’t even there. Or 10-ft away.
Bigger out here. Giant milkweed buds in a16-oz plastic cup. Mmmmm!
Tuka’s cuteness must be shared once again! But in a more menacing way!
Day 4
Did not have a dull moment in Kansas.
Kansas at 3am and heat lightening. Occasional long bolts appeared on the horizon. Then the rain. Intermittently large spatters smacked the windshield, a torrent for 15 minutes or so, then calm and clear as though it had never been .
Closer to the center of the storm, giant chains danced all around us and across fields of vision, dazzling eyes. Attention to the conditions were on high alert. Wind pushed the Honda around the road.
I was unable to photograph the alien stretch of dark landscape of red lights strobing about us. Wind farms. Using a long exposure app I did manage to capture this:
A little past 5am I’m unable to safely drive any longer. Tired and eyes crossing I pulled off at a rest stop. Greg and I traded driving again as dawn approached. I fell asleep with the sunrise.
A few hours later, I felt the car stop and awoke. We’re off 70, at a sign, turning, and stopping to walk here:
Balance.
Day 3
After a relaxing day in Altoona PA we were eager to begin the trek to Colorado. We hit the road at 8am this morning, Greg driving the first shift. There was some rain. And this:
The rain didn’t last long. There were periods of 10 to 20 minute intervals of showers and sunshine. No hail like yesterday. And we felt assured that all would be well and safe on our American roadways with this fellow out and about:
At 1pm-ish Greg and I switched drivers in Illinois. Here we are at a full stop and baking in the sun:
We discovered religion is huge.
As is NASCAR.
At 6:45 we switched back and took a rest in a shaded spot in the gas station parking lot. The stop was brief and soon we were back at it. And before we knew it St Louis entered our sights. The arch:
The bridge:
The Mississippi:
We’ve decided not to stop tonight. Just drive straight on through in shifts.
Now that the sun has set we finally have some relief from the heat, the sun out of our eyes, and we gained an hour.
Greg and I hit the road yesterday driving nine hours from Vermont to Pennsylvania to kick off Day One of our crock country road trip adventure. Why the adventure?
Maybe it’s the need to kick off the summer spectacularly and in a grandiose fashion. Perhaps it’s the Mercury retrograde a time of intense change. Or the realization that to live one’s dreams one must pursue them.
Initially we talked about leaving at 8am but adjusted the plan to leave a little later (those last minute To Do’s ya know) and ended up on the road around noon.
A stop at Mascoma Bank, oil from AutoZone and a run through the car wash. And a quick conversation with Peter Gordon at the Honda dealership in Lebanon. As well as a look at the Honda Wall of Fame. Yes, that is the car we are currently driving, loaded. The actual mileage, crossed out and updated, is 329,000 miles.
Surprisingly the drive was a breeze. The sun was shining, lovely clouds in the sky, good music playing, and great conversation. Naps, snack stops and a pretty much open highway with little traffic carried us on our way.
We arrived in Altoona, PA around 9:30 pm at Greg’s cousin Saskie’s house. What a sweetheart! So open and generous. Saskie had a lovely dinner prepared for us and Greg was able to meet his adorable cousin Sabina for the first time.
We’ll spend Day Two in PA with Saskie and Sabina before the two/three day journey to Boulder Colorado hopefully arriving by the weekend where we’ll check out music venues and visit with friends.
So why the adventure? Well, why the hell not! And Carpe Diem yo!
ni • ko • ru 
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