This post was scheduled to go up the day 'it happened', but because Junior's Memory Walk was much more important, it was postponed. I want to thank John Carmichael and Willowtree for linking Junior's story to their blogs. If you've never visited them, it is well worth your time to do so. At John's place, be sure to click on the picture of the Blue Angel jet, labeled Grand Junction Air Show for some beautiful pics, along with any of the other pics along the sides. You'll even find a pic of Hoagie Carmichael there. And at Willowtree's place, what can I say ? You will also find a plethora of beautiful shots on this blog, from the Land Down Under. (Including one of him in a pair of big girl lingerie and a pirate hat.) WT, aka: DubYaT, has been visiting The Asylum from one of my very first posts. G'daye Mayte.)
******************************************************************************
There are many facets to the HansMan's personality. Please note, I didn't say theHansMan had multiple personalities. I was nice.
One facet is that he loves a challenge. I have always told him, "There is a very fine line between being adventurous and being stupid. Just leave me alone when you teeter on the latter and stay back 200 feet with the other one." Usually, I have a choice and that choice is to stay back and many times stay back home. For instance, when he goes diving, I stay back on the beach and wave good-bye to the boat people dressed in black stretch lycra with tubes dangling everywhere, causing them to look like a bunch of octopuses, octopodes, octopi...whatever the plural for that word is. Last time I looked in the mirror, there were no gills anywhere on my face, so I don't plan to dunk it underwater.
But, there are times, when I have no choice. That is, unless I want to thumb-it home from Trinidad. Not sure if you noticed the amount of snow that many parts of our country have received lately, but we were lucky enough to be caught in the middle. Had I been in charge, I would probably still be there waiting for mud season, but theHansMan was up at 5:00 a.m. set on sic-'em, ready to make like a snow plow and push onward. After we dug the truck out of a snow drift, loaded three dogs, and various other items, we were on our way. The coffee felt good when it spilled on my legs, sufficiently thawing them out.
Because of my need for caffeine in the morning, coupled with theHansMan "don't mess with me woman" attitude, we made a quick stop at a C-store to replenish the coffee supply, put the truck in 4 wheel-drive, and started blazing a trail home. Is that correct, "blaze a trail through the snow?"
Come along for the ride with us through this veritable blizzard and enjoy the scenery.
One facet of TheHansMan's personality is that he is a kind and giving person. Here you see him thanking the snow plow driver by giving him a box of Enstrom's Almond Toffee. Actually, I think he's asking if he can drive the snow plow. Or, perhaps he was bribing him with the candy to take me for a ride in the snow plow back to Trinidad to stay until the snow melts. H-m-m-m-!
Our wind shield wipers keep freezing, so here you see theHansMan having to "pop the ice off". I suggested just pouring coffee on them, but he wanted me to have a sufficient amount of caffeine flowing through my system in order to take the edge off. (I would have needed a trough-full to take the edge off this particular morning.)
It was nice to see other stupid, I mean adventurous people out there. This was one of the o.n.l.y. cars we saw on the road for hours and hours.
After exiting I-25, we forged ahead on Highway 69 to Westcliffe. Our guide to direct us where exactly the road might be located were those metal reflector poles. Thank goodness the tops weren't covered yet. We never saw another vehicle on that road. Well, the type of vehicle that was moving anyway.
It was at this point that my steel-trap-like-mind remembered that I "knew" a fellow blogging friend, Janet, who lives here.
Poag Mahone's was about the only business open in Westcliffe. What a deal ! Food, Drink, and Wireless ! The only way to contact Janet was to post a comment on her blog to let her know we were lurking in her backyard, as I didn't know her last name. She called Mahone's about 15 minutes after I posted, and we had a nice visit. Unfortunately, she couldn't get to the pub and we couldn't get to her. Next time !
After filling our bellies with a wonderful breakfast burrito and green chili and maybe a bloody Mary, we left Westcliffe and spent several hours enjoying the scenery and wildlife. Belch...Hiccup ! Excuse me.
How many do you see ? (click it to big it)
At some point during the trip, we traveled out of the clouds...
...and into the sunshine.
I hope you enjoyed our trip home through beautiful Colorado. What was your favorite part of the trip?
