Thursday, July 22, 1999

Howdy pilgrim. I’ve felt like saying that since I crossed the Platte River. I’m sure that this is John Wayne country. I bought a cowboy hat during the trip but not the kind the “Duke” would wear. Mine looks more like something a riverboat gambler would have on his head (maybe I’ll wear it to the Lawrenceburg gambling boat).  

We traveled through the Rocky Mountain National Park this morning. The Trail Ridge Road took us high in the mountains, well above the tree line and into the tundra. At a high point, we stopped to see a very large herd of elk feeding on the tundra. They seemed to have no fear of humans. Most cars stopped and many people took pictures, including us, and the elk simply kept doing what they normally do.

Once through the Park, we soon left the mountains as we headed North and East. So as not to retrace our steps, we are heading home on I-80 (we came to Colorado on I-70). As we approached our Ogalalla,  Colorado destination for this evening, the sky before us in the distance turned black and was filled with lightning strikes. The land is so flat that it seems that we can see forever. I had forgotten what humidity feels like. Tonight, I was re-introduced to it.

Next Day

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