We are on a little trip which always entails places to eat and sleep and view. Of course, Cody adds to the fun, too. I thought I would tell you a little about the first half of this trip. More later.
We left early on a Sunday morning, after several somewhat heated discussions about whether or not we would trail our boat as we traveled the 2,800 miles from Columbus MT to the Florida Keys. We had three feet of snow in our yard, with more on the way. The sky was gray, and Gail was cranky. Cody was already in the truck. He didn’t have a clue about where we would end up, but he knew he didn’t want to be left behind, regardless of how many rivers we had to cross. “Do we have everything?” I asked in my creaky voice about halfway down the hill. “Swimsuits? STOP. I forgot my swimsuit! Go back!” Cowboy said, “No way, you can buy a new one.” So off, we went, everything, except my swimsuit.
The road was mostly ice-free from Columbus to our first stop, which was Cheyenne. We saw three of four cars off the road and lots of 18-wheelers driving ten miles above the posted speed limit. Cowboy is a good driver, and we made good time, stopping for bathroom for Gail and Cody, mostly Gail. We honked the horn when we left Montana, promising to return, waved at the Welcome to Crow Country sign and doing the same when we left Wyoming.
Kris and Colleen, Cowboy’s son and daughter-in-law, live in the Cheyenne area, and we stopped to see them and stayed the night. We all had a lovely time, including Cody. Cody is an only dog, and not used to other canines, and they have a few dogs, all much larger than Cody. The other dogs were great hosts and welcomed this stranger to the pack. But Cody did not relinquish his alpha dog role and soon had them lined up, sitting at attention, like a Marine Drill Sergeant at basic training. Kris and Colleen are expecting, and Ginger, the cow, is due to deliver her little Gingersnap at any moment. Cowboy brought them a present, OB chains, a box of shoulder gloves and some Betadine and instructed them on the use of the presents. They will be Ginger’s midwives. Who wouldn’t love this anniversary gift?
Day two: We hit the road fairly early and immediately found a road covered with ice, giving Gail pause and also the right to say, “I told you so…not good boat-hauling weather.” Cowboy growled, followed by Cody doing the same. Driving through Denver was a real treat, six inches of slush at 80 miles per hour to keep from being run over. Cowboy was calm, no road rage, saying through gritted teeth, “Never again, let’s go to Nome next time.”
We stopped at the Amtrac station in Lamar, Colorado, for a break and found it intriguing. It was part of the Santa Fe Trail, with some statues and signs commemorating the trips many took. It also had 11 EV stations and a wing from a windmill in front of the station. Two diverse eras of history in one spot. Plus, you could catch an Amtrac train to Los Angeles or Chicago right there. A bit faster than the old Santa Fe Trail. Good to know! Cowboy took a nap while Cody and I prowled around seeing the sights. Trekking on…
Pretty soon, we left Colorado crossing into Oklahoma. I sang a full chorus of the musical Oklahoma! Cowboy sped up, and Cody howled either with me or in protest, and soon Oklahoma was also in the rear-view mirror.
Texas! We headed to Houston, so we were four states closer. The cowboy felt good, and the snow was gone. 45 degrees and we shed our coats and stocking caps. We had nearly finished listening to an audible book…much improved over my singing Oklahoma!
We managed to find a hotel that was under renovation and waded through machines and tools for sleep, but it wasn’t on the Bates Hotel chain.
So far, an interesting, but uneventful trip. I hope Key West has a Bikinis-R-Us store.
