June 9, 2012 - Trail Ridge Road, Estes Park and Home.  We had a change of plans - as if this trip involved much planning to begin with.  We  thought we might finish by a side trip to Bent's Fort and the Sand Creek massacre.  That would have involved a 125-mile drive south to Pueblo, then through the back roads of eastern Colorado and western Kansas. 

I am like a barn-sour horse, you know, one which picks up speed when it thinks it is going back to the barn.  A couple of things were drawing me back, one related to work and one related to family.  So, we cut the swing down south and headed east after driving Trial Ridge Road and spending some time in Estes Park.  We camped near Ft. Morgan, CO, then drove home today. I am typing this in front of the Royals' game on television.  They're losing.

After one last picture from Stillwater in Arapaho National Forest, the trip over the mountain tops was much as you would expect.  Annie leaned toward the middle of the car, administered admonishments, motioned with her hands, called me bad names  and was, generally, a nervous wreck.  Those small distractions aside, the drive was as beautiful as any I have ever driven.  There is nothing like being on top of the world on a clear day.  Snowfields were everywhere.  The sky was knock-your-eyes-out blue.  The temperature was cool, but the sun was warming.  It was a perfect day on Trial Ridge. 

We did see something we've never seen before.  There was a traffic light on the road.  Yes, I said a traffic light, as in a stop light.  Park employees were working along the side of the road, limiting traffic to one lane.  There were two solar-powered stop lights, one in each direction, which took the place of two flagmen/flagwomen.  It was a first for me. 

Twenty-five years ago, we stopped on the Many Curves Overlook and took a family picture with Longs Peak in the background.  Annie and I recreated that event yesterday, our 44th anniversary and her hurumph-hurumpth birthday.  We then lunched at the Baldpate, one of our favorite places, to celebrate our anniversary. 

We took one last pass at the Y Camp before leaving Estes.  The new mini golf course is finished and they were putting the finishing touches on the promenade.  The walkway is in place and the landscaping is nearly finished.  I think you will like it.  I did.  The flowers are a nice touch, very colorful. 

Finally, we couldn't pass through Loveland without thinking back to 1988 when I drove off and left our oldest daughter at Wendy's.  As we were leaving, she peeled off to use the restroom without telling us.  Her custom was to go to the bed in the back of Clyde, our 29' motorhome, so no one noticed she wasn't with us until we had turned north on I-25 on our way to Cheyenne.  Not surprisingly, Annie and I had two equal and opposite reactions when we finally noticed she wasn't with us.  She was about two clicks short of a full-blown attack of hysteria.  Mothers are like that.  I couldn't stop laughing.  That didn't set well either. 

Thirty minutes after driving away, we returned.  Our oldest was sitting on the curb, hoping we would come back.  She later said she came out just in time to see Clyde pull into traffic and drive off.  She first thought I was joking with her.  But then, we kept going until we were out of sight.  She figured we'd come back sometime, she just didn't know when.  She was fifteen at the time.  She was also a surly teenager who deserved to get left behind. 

So, that's it.  We logged about 4500 miles over the last month while driving 107 hours.  We averaged about 15 MPG and used about 300 gallons of fuel.  Our eastern most stop was separated from our western most stop by 1600 miles.  We were on the road nine days on the first trip east, home five days then out fourteen days for the trip west.  It was good to be away.  And, it is good to be home. 

I'll be back when we next take to the road, likely in January, 2013.  So long for now.