Homeward Bound

Thursday, December 10

We left Noah and Susanna's house in Lafayette, CO at 1:10pm MT... the most dreary day we've seen in weeks. A cold front was approaching, and indeed, snow fell that evening! At 3:15pm, we stopped in eastern Colorado for gas, bathroom, snack break. It was 34 degrees. A bitterly cold wind was blowing. The car door nearly blew off its  hinges as I exited the vehicle. We continued on under gray skies and into rain, cheered on by Sirius XM's Holiday Traditions channel.

At 4:05pmMT we crossed the Kansas state line. We wondered if we would make it across the state of Kansas before bedtime tonight. At 7:00pmCST we saw a road sign that informed us that Kansas City (located on the line between Kansas and Missouri) was 296 miles... i.e. 4 hours... away.

At 11:30pm, 30 minutes past KC, we stopped at Blue Springs, MO. We had made it across Kansas! Alas, not a very photogenic day. 

Friday, December 11

At 9:30am we were on the road again. At 11:30am, we were 100 miles from St Louis. At 1:35pm the sun broke through the clouds... briefly. The landscape changed. We began to see more cedars and sycamores.

At 4:00pm we stopped at a rest area. The sun was setting. The smell was decidedly "agricultural."

30 minutes later it was 5:30pm EST. Still, such gray skies, but no rain since St Louis. Temps gradually increased as we progressed across the country. We caught up on all the news and political gossip, and entertained ourselves with random interviews and commentary found on Sirius XM radio.

At 11:00pm we stopped in Princeton, West Virginia, not far from the Virginia border.

Saturday, December 12

We hit the road at 9:50am. 15 minutes later we crossed the Virginia state line. Only 2 hours 45 minutes, 184 miles to home! We continued on under partly cloudy blue skies. Sunglasses required.

We arrived safely home at 12:45pm. 3,875 miles recorded on this trip

I already miss high speed internet service.

Photo Gallery

Good bye, front range

cattle feed lot, eastern Colorado

southern Illinois

sunset at (stinky) Indiana rest stop
... so much "fresh country air"

Charleston - West Virginia's capital city
gold-domed capital building under renovation
at confluence of Elk and Kanawha rivers
I almost missed this picture... beautiful lights over the river

mostly blue skies leaving West Virginia

lovely Virginia countryside

New River, VA

Pilot Mountain, NC ...
... bug guts and all!

Do It Yourself

After the Thanksgiving holiday, we got into DIY home improvement mode. There was an extensive to-do list. Of course, everything took longer than expected. There was quite a lot of problem solving to be accomplished. Remaking the cabinet doors and subsequent prep for painting took a lot of time. But we were lucky. The weather cooperated, allowing mess and smelly paint to be managed outside as much as possible AND we were able to extend our stay at the airbnb by two days. Alas, it was one day short of what was needed, so our last night in the area was spent at the Best Western in Louisville.

Bathroom

• replace the floor
• replace the toilet

Doors throughout the house

• replace hinges and knobs with polished nickel hardware
• fix louvered closet doors

Kitchen

• replace floor (completed in September)
• refurbish upper cabinet doors
• paint cabinets, inside and out
• new hinges
• clean knobs for continued use
• replace faucet
• fix plumbing issue under kitchen sink
• install hood over stove
• install new dishwasher (on order)

new floor and thresholds installed

Noah attaching toilet seat

new improved bathroom

Dr Wilson knows how to handle a drill

BEFORE
 ~  plastic panels to be replaced with wood ~
~ all cabinets and doors to be repainted ~

time to dismantle

Even Susanna got in on the fun!

BEFORE

AFTER

Commercial Kitchen Chores

After the big effort of Thanksgiving week, there were still opportunities to help at the Back to Basics Kitchen. In the couple weeks following the holiday, Rouse reprised his excellent rendition of dishwashing. I helped put clean dishes away, prepped ingredients, packaged and labeled lots of product. For my grand finale... I hand-pressed 37 date-nut pie crusts. Working in a commercial kitchen feels a bit like living in a fairy tale. Everything exists in such grand scale!

trays holding my 37 pie crusts

a sea of sweet potato muffins

plenty of room to social distance in this kitchen

Susanna stirring the pot

cooling hot soup after jarring
dishwasher Rouse in background

Take a hike ... and another!

What would a trip to Colorado be without treading the trodden trails that are so readily accessible? We are always impressed by the extensive parks and recreation system that has been developed and maintained in the urban areas around Boulder. Open Space is typically only a few steps outside one's neighborhood. Add to that the nearby Flat Irons, the Indian Peaks, Rocky Mountain National Park, etc, etc .... so many places to walk, hike, bike, climb ... while enjoying the beauty of Nature. We had gorgeous weather during our entire stay, allowing for plenty of opportunities to get outdoors.

Friday, November 27

Coal Creek Corridor Open Space

We had access to this trail directly from our airbnb neighborhood. We walked on this trail several times. It was a great place for me (especially) to walk as I continued to recover from hip replacement.

Green Mountain (8,150')

After Noah finished up his workday, he and Rouse hit the trail. This hike begins at Gregory Canyon and ascends roughly 3.2 miles to the top. Take Gregory Canyon Trail to the Ranger Trail to witness remnants of the powerful floods that hit Boulder in 2013.

Saturday, November 28

Arapaho Glacier Trail

Starting at Rainbow Lakes Trailhead, this trail enters the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Climbing through the woods for about 2 miles, the trail exits onto the open tundra with a beautiful view into the City of Boulder watershed.

Sunday, December 6

Chasm Lake, Long's Peak Trailhead, RMNP

A challenging hike that ends with stunning views from an alpine glacial tarn - the vocabulary word of the day! From Wikipedia, a tarn is a "proglacial mountain lake, pond, or pool formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn."