Ulysses, Kansas in our Rearview Mirror

Yesterday we spent the day with Mac and Netters touring Ulysses. But first we needed to have lunch and headed downtown to the Six Twenty Grille and grabbed a bite. I had the Country Fried Steak and it was great, and the others food looked OK to. After we chowed down we headed out of town to see the country where Mac and Netters grew up. Off in the distance there is the McHenry homestead.

And just three or four miles south of that is where Netters lived. Not a tree or hill in sight so you could watch your neighbours from miles away. Rumour has it if you stand on a tuna can you can see the office towers in Kansas City, all the way across the state.

Now this is not someone who decided to pull a bank job the hard way, it is a monument commemorating the fact that Ulysses was moved from another location to its present spot back in 1909. Now one has to wonder why once they got it all loaded up they didn’t take it to the mountains or something. Oh not nice, but for a fellow from the foothills this flatland gets old fast.

But where else could you find an alley choked with tumbleweeds.

We had a great visit with the McHenry’s and look forward to running into them again this winter somewhere over in Arizona, and I am sure that visit will feature some of those great poppers that Netters is known for.

After saying our goodbyes today we got on the road towards Childress, Texas. There were rumours of snow in Ulysses and we saw some signs of snow along the road on our drive south, so we keep rolling along until that stuff was gone.

It was obvious we had left Kansas behind as we started to see some trees and even the odd hill off in the distance.

It is a pretty welcoming place this Texas they even put up road signs just for us snowbirds from the Northern Ranges in case we can’t find our way south.

You can guess which way we had to go. I mean what could be at the end of that road.

Once we got to Childress we headed north into town looking for the City Park. We had heard that there was a Campground there that had power and water and only a $15/night fee. After walking all over the City Park we found it right at the end of Main Street North. Not a bad view out of our rig either.

It is a pretty small campground, only five sites, but today that is three more than appeared to be needed.

And I think Meg and I will like the paths that circle the lake and wind there way through the park for our walk tomorrow.

Lest We Forget

Today in Canada is Remembrance Day. For the first time since the day the fighting ended on November 11, 1918 Canada will remember the sacrifices of members of our Armed Forces without a survivor of the First World War in attendance. Our last known survivor passed on this year. My own Grandfather served in that conflict as a member of the Cavalry, after leaving his homestead in Oyen, Alberta and making his way to Calgary and then back to his native Scotland.

I can remember as a small child helping my Grandmother make the poppies that the legion gave away to commemorate this day. Although in those times the poppies were cut out of felt and had much more detail than the present day ones it is with great pride that I still wear a poppy at this time of year.

Another memory from childhood was the poem “Flanders Fields” and I know that every Canadian school child of my era was tasked with learning that poem. Now I am not sure that it is still in the curriculum for todays kids, but I do know that on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month the whole nation observes a moment of silence to ensure that those who have served and given their lives for their country are remembered.

Now that we spend most of our Novembers within the borders of our neigbours to the south it is worth noting that they celebrate this as Veteran’s Day and we are honoured to call many veterans of their Armed Forces our friends.

So for all of you who have served both of our great nations in times of peace and times of war, Thankyou from Brenda and I.

Ulysses, Kansas

Today we left Lamar, Colorado for a gruelling 110 mile trip over to Ulysses, Kansas. We have to thank Mac and Netters, the McHenry’s, for this detour. They are coming here for a family gathering and we decided to drop in on them on our way to McKinney, Texas. There is not much between Lamar and Ulysses, other than a few small towns, and a lot of horizon. This country reminds me a lot of southern Saskatchewan back home.

Now these are the biggest hills we have seen in the last two days since we left the front range of the Rocky Mountains near Denver. Country with a beauty all its own, but I wonder if the kids here don’t head out to see trees and hills for their Senior year trip.

Once we got closer to Ulysses there seemed to be a little irrigation happening so the trees and farms became more plentiful.

Mac and Netters had just pulled in when we hove into sight, so after some hugs and handshakes, Mac and I set to getting our rigs set up while the girls caught up with each other. Once that chore was done we resumed visiting with the McHenry’s and their family through the afternoon. Brenda and I took a little run downtown to have a look around and get some cards mailed as well as find the local bank.

Supper tonight was at a local Mexican Restaurant called the El Ranchito Cafe, run by a local family named the Romero’s. I had the Double Combination with two Tacos’, two Enchiladas', and two Tostadas' along with some rice and lettuce, it was great. Brenda had the Chicken Fried Steak and apparently it was less than great.

Time to Beat it!

We knew that it was time to leave this morning when Deb and Rod offered to help us roll up our hoses and cables. All joking aside we were sorry to leave the Kendalls behind but we also understand the pull that those grandbabies have on them. We will see them down the road somewhere this winter I am sure. They will be heading to the desert with their beautiful new motorhome.

We got on the road about 9:30AM and headed right into Denver looking for I-70 east. Rumour has it that my brother Brent was in one of those downtown towers in Denver, but I guess we missed him.

We avoided the toll road as it seemed a little rich for my tastes and the traffic was not bad on the regular routes. Never really had to even take the cruise off and before we knew it we were headed east towards Limon. There was quite a north east wind blowing so we were glad to get off I-70 and head back south. We were getting blown along pretty well so our mileage was as good today as it has been all the way south this year.

We stopped along the way for a break and Meg got a run through what appears to be the endless grasslands that carpet eastern Colorado. There is a shortage of trees out this way and it must have been something to see before it was settled more than a century ago.

Doesn’t get much better than this eh! Grass, cows and oil wells.

And a few horses thrown in.

Tonight we are in the Lamar Sportsman’s Campground and Horse Motel. When we got here there was a sign on the door saying the owner will be gone for ten days so just make ourselves at home and use the night registry box to sign ourselves in. So we did, tomorrow we will head towards Ulysses, Kansas and see if we can track down Mac and Netters.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Yesterday was a camp day, we just hung out and visited with Rod and Deb and their grandchildren all day, and then got all hooked up ready to leave this morning.

When I went for my walk this morning there was a beautiful sunrise happening.

As Meg and I walked along it seemed like it might be a good idea to hang out here in Fort Collins for one more day, the weather was going to be good and there is a lot we haven’t seen yet, not to mention the good company. We can drive in the rain tomorrow and get to the same place, and what the heck if it is too bad to drive we’ll just hang out with the Kendall’s for one more day……lol. I mean they feed us and drive us, so how can it get any better.

So once the decision to stay had been ratified by a higher power, I suggested we take a run out to Rocky Mountain National Park and see what there is to see. Rod drove and Deb navigated and my job was looking for wildlife. Well we stayed on the road and actually ended up where we planned on going so the Kendall’s did their part and I will let the photo’s speak for my participation.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

This band of sheep were along the road between Loveland and Estes Park and were just heading down to the creek for a drink of water when I spotted them. Even without the sheep it was a beautiful drive.

And this fellow was watching us watching the sheep.

Once we got into Estes Park of course we needed to find a place to eat and a local merchant told us this was where she ate her lunch everyday and we thought if she could eat there everyday it sure would be good enough for us.

After our stomach’s were full we headed into the park, first to get Deb’s passport stamped, and then to see what there was to see.

This is a view from the Many Parks Curve viewpoint where the road is actually closed as it is winter in the higher elevations of the park. The shots below were at the same viewpoint.

The one on the left has Brenda alone and the next one there is a small white spot at the top and that is Deb one uping her.

After those scenic shots it seemed like it was time for me to get back on the job and do my part. We found these guys along the road into a spot called Moraine Park. The bull in the top centre of this shot was a monster, high, wide and heavy antlers and noticeably bigger than the other bulls in this herd. There probably was a couple of hundred head of elk here in this meadow and maybe 25-30 photographers watching them.

After this group of elk it was time to head for camp so we took off and headed out along another road that passed yet another visitor centre but Deb had no luck here when it came to getting her stamp. They are closed on weekdays so she will have to come back some other time. On the way out of here we stumbled on a smaller herd of elk and this bunch had no groupie’s, just us.

After a great day in the National Park we headed back to our rigs and once again Deb did her best to overfeed us. And we finished up with some more of Brenda’s Frozen Peanut Butter pie.

Once again we said our goodbyes to these good friends,

and their family.

Cameron Pass

Yesterday we took a little tour. It was a rest day for us after 2.5 days of driving to get here. So we jumped in Rod and Deb’s car and headed up through Poudre Park to the little town of Walden in north central Colorado, then north into Wyoming for a look around before coming back to Fort Collins, where Rod and Deb’s son-in-law, Todd, had prepared a great pulled pork dinner for us. Only about 215 miles round trip. It was a beautiful albeit twisty drive up the canyon to Cameron Pass, 10,276 feet, and over the top to Walden. We certainly could get used to this kind of treatment having a driver and all our meals cooked for us.

A shot somewhere along the Cache la Poudre river heading up to Cameron Pass.

And a shot of Brenda standing near the river.

And here is a shot of our hosts just before the truck came around the corner….lol.

Now you would think we would have got enough snow pictures at home but this is proof that old man winter is relentless when it comes to following us.

Lunch at the River Rock Cafe in Walden, Colorado.

Along the road south from Laramie, Wyoming back to Fort Collins.

For those who are interested Meg and I are still getting our walks in although there is more leash time for Meg than we are used to. This was a picture of the sunrise yesterday as we walked around a fish pond here at the Fort Collins Lakeside KOA

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You can Run

You can change your rig, but you can’t hide. Today we left Laurel, Montana headed towards Fort Collins, Colorado. And you’ll never guess who we bumped into there. The Kendall's who left our place down the road from Dogpound last June and took a circuitous route that led them through the wilds of the Yukon and down the Kenai River in Alaska, then over the Cassiar Highway in BC, to Washington state. There they took one final precaution and exchanged their rig for a new motorhome.

In site of their heroic efforts to throw us off the trail, we cut out many of those miles and headed straight for Colorful Colorado and ran them to ground.

Tip for other stalkers, “find the grandchildren and eventually the grandparents will come to roost.”

In the tradition of the RVing world, we traveled today and they cooked, and oh what a meal it was. We chowed down on some of that salmon that Rod was yarding out of the Kenai River all summer, some sticky rice and a little garlic bread. Throw in a salad that Brenda had put together and we were stuffed. As a special treat we got to meet their family also, Michelle, Todd, and their grandkids, Ashton and Reilly.

It was a long drive today, 514 miles, I guess the longest drive we have ever made in this motorhome, and only a few miles short of the one we made a few years ago in our Winnebago, oddly through the same country, when we were headed to Longmont Colorado to get the roof reattached. Along the way Brenda tried to catch a little flavour of the Wyoming landscape.

Yep that is a little snow peaking out over those hills but the day was in the 70’s so the snow just added some poignancy to our southern migration.

And no group of pictures of the Wyoming landscape without at least one with some Pronghorn Antelope would be complete.

Here she managed to capture MOST of the trees in Wyoming in one shot.

The shot above is of the spot where we went over a mile high in altitude and if you look closely you will see the horizon is littered with windmills, a good indication that the wind seldom stops blowing here, and it certainly didn’t take a rest while we were passing through either.

Now anyone who knows us knows Brenda’s hatred for clutter, I think in this picture she was trying to capture a memory of her dream ranch.

A fitting end to our travels through the “Cowboy State” was this silhouette of a cowboy watching over the travelers passing through his territory.

Just thought I would throw this shot in, it is not a great one but it shows a side of Deb’s rig that she will not see often. Yep, that is the sun rising behind it.