November 7, 8, 9, 2008
I left Chromo, CO headed for Camdenton, MO Friday morning around 9:30.
It's roughly a 900 mile jaunt. You can drive it in a day if you really want to. Most people would probably shoot for 2 days. I elected to eliminate undue stress on myself and take 3 days.
There are a few ways I could have gone. Up north to the I-70 then across to Kansas City and then down to Camdenton. Or, south to the I-40 then across to Oklahoma City and then up to Camdenton. (Both essentially on the major Interstates.) Or, straight across - straight east - on more secondary and rural roads.
I chose the latter. I fall asleep on the boring big Interstates. Although efficient, they are uninteresting. So my trip consisted primariy of 2 lane roads and slowing to a crawl while driving through innumerable small and tiny towns in the heartland of America.
It was Awesome. Much preferred. Way more fun and intersting than the major Interstates.
I had identified 3 possible stopping points (RV Parks where I could get an electrical hookup so I could get my computer plugged in and work and also take a shower without having to move the stuff I store in my shower while traveling). The first was about 3 hours away, the second 4 hours out, and the last one about 6 hours from Chromo.
The first leg of the trip took me up, up, up, up, and over the Rocky Mountains. Jim and Debbie are at about 7,500 feet. I had to climb to over 10,200 at the highest summit.
Everything was snow and ice up there. I couldn't stop to get any pictures because the road was narrow and steep and the snow removal efforts stacked it up high on the sides of the road. The pull outs were deep in snow and I didn't want to take any chances of getting stuck or anything like that.
The road itself was still covered in snow and ice in many places with the sand/gravel/salt mixture - whatever they use - mixed in resulting in 2 things. 1) The going was kind of slow. I drive my Motor Home with Extreme Caution. 2) Unbeknownst to me at the time, this mixture of snow, ice, and gook was caking my motorcycle and the back of my Motor Home as the back wheels spun it up off of the road.
Once getting over the Rockies, the road straightened out and flattened out and stayed that way as I headed east through Eastern Colorado and Kansas.
Although I have a good supply of audio books with me whenever I travel, Debbie also lent me a few from her library. I had put in To Kill A Mockingbird (one of my very favorite books, movies, and now, audio books) and I was so engrossed and entertained, I kept on driving through to Garden City, KS (the six hour away place) before stopping for the night.
Because of the slow going over the Rockies, that I stopped to check my emails once, that I also stopped at a grocery store for some essential supplies, and the time change into the Central Time Zone, I didn't get to my stopping place until after 6:00 PM and after dark on Friday. Hooked up, worked some, read a little, and went to sleep.
Here's what I discovered the next morning...
Colorado Road Gook
My motorcycle was a little dusty, but essentially clean, when I left Standing Stone Ranch. This is all Rocky Mountain Road Gook. It was caked on everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Saturday I wanted to make it just past Witchita which would give me an easy days both Saturday and Sunday and time in the afternoon on Saturday for some work, to clean my motorcyle, and to do some cleaning and organizing inside, too.
Here's what I have to say about driving through Kansas. It is flat. The road is straight. Kansas is windy. From dawn 'till dusk, it was windy in Kansas.
I was still engaged with Scout and Jim, Atticus, and Boo Radley all Saturday, so the time passed quickly. I got settled in El Dorado Kansas around 2:00, and accomplished all of the chores I'd set for myself for Saturday afternoon.
Here's what greated me Sunday morning as I set out for my Dad's.
Kansas Sky
The day was beautiful, the drive uneventful, and I hit Camdenton around noon. My dad and his wife, Char, had gone over to Mt. Vernon Saturday for the night. It was an early family (her family) Thanksgiving and Char's nephew was in a play. I didn't expect them back to their house until 2:00 or 3:00, so I stopped for lunch and pulled into a do it yourself car wash place to give my motorcycle a more thorough cleaning than I had the the previous day.
We all arrived here around 2:30.
The reunion was quite tearful.
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