Daddies and Daughters Week

On our first full day in Colorado, we drove from Loveland to Fort Collins. We went west on Hwy 14 and drove near the site where dad lived at a camp for about 2 1/2 years (1944 - 1946). Dad was amazed by everything that has changed over the years. Towns turning into cities, old bumpy roads becoming smooth 4-lane roads built for speed. We even had to slow down for the cattle that roam freely in the area.

We continued west through the Poudre Canyon and drove to the spot that inspired us to name Lil Sis.

We then re-entered civilization and drove on I-25 from Loveland to Colorado Springs. I was unable to set my cruise control during that drive. Even though the speed limit was 75 mph, the right lane moved at about 70 mph and the left lane moved at about 73 mph the whole way.

We drove south of Divide to visit my cousin at Rocky Mt. Mennonite Camp, located at 9000+ feet elevation. M gave dad a tour of her cabin, the kitchen, and dining hall. My cousin took this pic of my dad and me. We also had a picture taken with my cousin in it...that's not unusual. What's unusual, is that the photo was taken by a young Amish woman. (It is against the Amish belief to have their picture taken, not sure if they're supposed to take pictures with a camera, or not.) There were two sisters from an Amish community here in Iowa, that were volunteering at the camp for a week. It was fun to talk with them.

After a delicious supper, we were on our way back north toward Longmont. I was tired of the interstate, so we headed north on Hwy 67 toward Denver. It was a beautiful drive. Traffic was very light and we were able to enjoy the twisting curves and beautiful views. We arrived in Denver around sunset and drove straight north through the western suburbs. It would have been faster to jump on interstate, but it was more relaxing the way we went.

Had I been traveling alone, I would have stopped at Whole Foods in Lakewood. I'd never seen one, much less been inside. Maybe on my next trip. It looked really cool from the outside, though.

We eventually wound up exactly where we needed to be, without even consulting a map (I got lucky and found the right road). The mattress was exactly as I'd remembered it from our vacation last year. I slept very well and woke up early, ready to drive again.

On Thursday, we drove through Boulder, Nederland, Central City, hopped in I-70 for a bit, and then drove north through Granby, Rocky Mountain National Park, and ended up visiting the shops in Estes Park.

By this time, I was missing Cool Daddy-O and the girls!!!! Since we had completed all of our goals in Colorado, we decided to drive about 5 hours and spend the night in Nebraska. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and ended well, however, driving through severe thunderstorms in northeastern Colorado is not something I want to do again soon.

By the time we hit the Nebraska border, I'd never been so happy to be in Nebraska. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful evening.

The drive home the following day was uneventful and I was able to spend the evening eating out at our favorite pizza place and our favorite ice cream shop.

Cool Daddy-O kept the girls busy while I was gone. In fact, he told them they were having a contest to see who could have the most fun. Considering I was homesick most of the time, I think the girls had the most fun.

Colorado is my favorite place to visit and vacation, however, without my little family there to experience it with me, it just wasn't the same.

All that aside, I'm very thankful I was able to spend time with dad, helping him live out a dream to return to Colorado again and enjoy looking out the window as we drove through farming and ranching country, large lots with feeder cattle, enormous dairy farms, newly constructed wind turbines, lodge pole pines and Colorado blue spruce, snow capped mountains, and everything in between.