Road Trip

Long before summer arrived here in the Midwest I knew we would be taking my Dad to Mayo Clinic for his annual checkup in July. Normally a one day visit, this time it was going to be two days so they could check on his skin cancer procedure that they had done in June. It occurred to me that this would be a good time to combine this trip with a road trip to Denver to visit my son Ryan. So that's what we did.
First out of the chute was to rent a Chrysler Town & Country van  from Enterprise since none of our cars had enough trunk space to accommodate our luggage and all of Pam's shoes. Also they are much easier to get in and out of for my parents and they ride pretty good too.

The family truckster ready to roll.

We pulled out Tuesday morning arriving in Rochester in time to have lunch before the appointments began. We were able to check in to the hotel before the track meet got started. I say this because if you know my Dad he doesn't like to be late so he nearly runs from one scheduled appointment to the next.
Wednesday was more of the same hustling from place to place with the last appointment being with his heart doctor who said everything checked out ok for a guy his age but suggested he use his oxygen a little more frequently.

Visits completed we were able to check out of the hotel and hit the road. Wait! Let me restate that. We were able to check out of the hotel, Have LUNCH, and then hit the road.

I-90 runs across southern Minnesota and on into South Dakota so that's where we headed. Once we got settled into the drive Pam put a DVD of Johnny Carson's early years on TV into the DVD player in the van to pass the time.

The miles go by.

This is what they were missing.

The day concluded in Mitchell, South Dakota famous for the Corn Palace among other things.

We had all seen it before so it wasn't on the itinerary this time but I pilfered a picture from the internet for all to see. www.cornpalace.com

Thursday we got rolling around 7 back on I-90 headed west. Interesting country out here. Miles and miles of nothing but farmland.

The fields never end.

The terrain does start to change once you get close to Chamberlain, SD. were the road crosses the Missouri River. Actually it gets quite scenic but maybe that's just my opinion since I like water.

The Missouri through the windshield.

Crossing the Missouri looking South.

Looking North.

Changing terrain near the river.

As we continued to our morning stop in Murdo, SD. the land began to again flatten out and look even more desolate if that's possible.

Abandoned building along the road.

We took our morning break at a Pilot Truck Stop for fuel and more importantly for Pamster to get her coffee. Pilot really does have the best coffee on the road.

At this point we left I-90 and pointed due south on Hwy 83. A mostly two lane road for the next few hours.

The never ending road.

Of course no road trip would be complete without road construction.

The temperature was already in the low 80's without a shade tree in sight.

Once we got to North Platte, Nebraska we picked up I-80 and again turned west. This time with a lot more traffic on the road since 80 is one of the main corridors connecting the East coast with the West coast.

The temps were pushing 100 when we turned off 80 onto I-76 towards Denver. We made a quick stop in Ft. Morgan for fuel and the thermometer read 105 degrees. But it's a dry heat!

Just about the time we started seeing the Rockies we encountered a rain squall that kicked up the wind and dropped the temperature to 90. Still hot!

We missed most of the rain.

Our timing was perfect for our arrival in Denver. 4 pm. Just in time for rush hour. Fortunately we were heading into town while most were coming out. We encountered very few slow downs before getting off I-25 and arriving at my son Ryan's place.

Denver in the distance.

Now which one is it?

Of course Ryan had just taken possession of the condo so we got to help with picture hanging and window covering and a bit of reorganizing.

Notice the decorator window coverings. On sale now at Home Depot!

His condo is nice but it's spread out over 3 levels and for a guy that is used to operating at or near sea level climbing those steps in the Mile High city was noticeable.

The condo is also located about 4 blocks from Mile High Stadium. Convenient if your going to a game but a pain to get around if your not. Traffic patterns and parking get altered for any event taking place there so advanced planning is a must.

 

Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Thank God for corporate sponsors plastering their name all over every venue in the country!

One of the days we road out through Golden and up the back road to Lookout Mt. A road filled with switch backs and bicyclists. One of the roads that Ryan rides with his bike on a weekly basis. I'd be dead before I ever got to the base!

Looking out over Golden.

We were going to stop on top at Buffalo Bills grave but the driver had an elevation brain freeze and drove right on by. Next time I guess.

On the way down, on a much better road we detoured to make a stop at Red Rocks Amphitheater, a natural venue in the rocky terrain outside of Denver.

Pam had never seen the place so Ryan dropped us off in one of the parking lots and we began our climb. And a slow climb it was.

Our path to the top. There must be a better way!

Bambi was along the trail not seeming to notice any of the pedestrians walking by.

Once we arrived at the top we discovered that the road does go all the way up. Hmmm. Fortunately I had cell service and hailed our driver once we had looked the place over.

We made it!

Looking down at the stage.

The view back towards the city.

Red Rocks.

Red Rocks attracts a lot of top entertainers during the summer months. Someday maybe we'll be there to take in the experience ourselves. www.redrocksonline.com

Back into the city we went. That evening Ryan and his girlfriend Ainsley prepared pork chops on the grill for dinner. (Yumm!) We were joined by my cousin Mark's daughter Abby and her boyfriend who have recently moved to Denver and are getting acclimated to the area and all it has to offer. It was a nice visit with all since we don't often cross paths.

Their moving to Denver typifies the influx of people into this city. Construction of apartments and condo's is evident all around. The downtown is vibrant with a mixture of business and leisure development and a younger vibe that oozes from the rehabbed buildings of the city.
Prerequisites for living here seem to be a dog or two. An all wheel drive vehicle. And a car top carrier for bikes, skis, or kayaks depending on the season. Definitely a young persons paradise.

For the occupants of the family truckster we unfortunately no longer fall into that younger demographic. Reality here we come.

Monday morning we loaded the van, said our goodbyes to Ryan and were on the road by 5. Traffic was light as we left the city waiting for the sun to come up.

There's a glow in the sky as we head northeast on I-76.

With the speed limit being 75 it didn't take long to cover the remaining miles in Colorado and connect with I-80 for the ride across Nebraska and Iowa. We made a few stops for food and fuel along the way and arrived back home around 8 pm. Not a bad days drive of 900 miles. And the truckster... It averaged 27 mpg. Not bad for a rig that size traveling at 75 -80 mph.

We did pass one attraction that has been built since I used to run these roads. The I-80 Arch near Kearney, Nebraska. A structure that until last year had no exit from the interstate nearby. Now they have one just a mile away! No reason not to stop the next time through. www.archway.org

A man made attraction in the middle of nowhere.

All in all it was a good trip covering just over 2000 miles but I think it's soon time to get back to the boat!