Fall in the Colorado Mountains

Thursday (9-27) we took a drive in the mountains to view the colors and to hear the elk bugling in Rocky Mountain National Park. We chose the Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway to begin our route. The drive up the Poudre canyon is always a treat. As we approached Cameron pass we were surprised how much snow was already on the higher peaks. Once over the pass you enter the quiet, bowl-shaped valley of North Park, located just west of the Continental Divide. North Park was once a favorite bison grazing ground, and today deer, antelope, elk, moose, beaver, and coyote populate the area. They were all in hiding as we passed through however! The drive through Walden and on to Grand Lake provide a diverse landscape

We entered Rocky Mountain National Park at the West entrance near Grand Lake. The views over trail ridge road were spectacular as usual. The clear blue sky and cool air (45 degrees) allowed us to see for miles. Arriving at Moraine Park a little after 5 pm, we found hundreds of elk in the meadow. Watching the bull elk round up their harems and hearing them bugle has become an anticipated annual event for us.

After dark we drove into Estes Park for dinner at the Lodge Restaurant. On the drive home down Big Thompson Canyon we had to make a sudden stop while 3 elk crossed the road in front of our headlights. Fortunately the car behind us was not tailgating when we stopped! "Tis truly a privilege to live in Colorado"

Home Again

We got home today around 3 p.m. Spent last night at the KOA in WaKeeney, Kansas. We really enjoyed our visit with Norma at her new digs in Holts Summit, MO. While we were there we also visited the Wyatt's at their new house and took in Reagan's softball game. Nancy and I rode 21 miles of the Katy Trail on Tuesday and went up to Alexa & Brendan's on Wednesday.

We spent last weekend with Steve and Terri in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. Enjoyed football and volleyball games on Saturday. Iowa Wesleyan was playing Grinnell in a girls volleyball tournament so Nancy was able to support her alma mater while the rest of us cheered for Iowa Wesleyan.

Enjoyed our trip - no problems with the RV or our days on the road. Always nice to arrive home safely.

Biking in Wisconsin

The sun is shinning this morning but it is a little on the cool side. (37 degrees) It is suppose to get into the 60s later which should be perfect for our bike ride. Today we are scheduled to do the Elroy-Sparta ride. This will be our third time for this 'rails to trails' 34 mile ride that includes 3 tunnels you have to walk your bike through. We first rode it in 1996 and again in 2001.

Yesterday we rode the Omaha Trail instead of Elroy-Sparta due to the winds. This trail is 12.5 miles one way so we did the first 12.5 miles against the wind and the return 12.5 miles with a tail wind. Is that good planning or what? Thank goodness the wind has died down and minor winds are forecast today.

Nancy's brothers are somewhat of a challenge to keep up with. They are younger and ride much more than we do. We are probably slowing them down! Nancy is enjoying being with them and catching up on all the family news.

Labor Day Weekend - GGHS 1956

Had a little extra time on my hands on Monday (Senior Center where I swim & exercise was closed) and started remembering my 50th High School class reunion a little over a year ago. Pulled up the pictures on my computer and decided to make a slide show. It was fun including pictures from our senior year book and a recent picture if I had one. For those where the faces could be matched I tried to fade from 1956 to 2006 in a way that it looked like morphing from young to older. Added a soundtrack of some music from our high school days. Tonight I put a 'flash' on my website but also offered to put the full size show on a CD for any of my classmates that might want it.

When I rode the school bus into town for high school I thought my class of 27 was huge. The one room, country schoolhouse I attended for primary through 8th grade had a total of 17 students - 2 or 3 in my class during most of those years. Garden Grove was a thriving rural Iowa town of about 500 then. Sadly, like so many small towns in the Midwest, it has continued to decline since that time. Our 50th class reunion was held at the McClung house in Garden Grove in May 2006. Garden Grove High School has since consolidated further taking in more rural small towns and is now known as Mormon Trail High School. Garden Grove was a stop on the Mormon trail in the 1840-50 time period.

If any of my classmates stumble onto this blog ..... when are we getting together again?