June -biking month & Carhenge! 2021

 This year was PACKED with trips and we loved being gone and also loved our time at home.  Life is good. 

Nanci's daughter Cari died in March.  We remembered her with a rock garden we painted for Nanci.  Very tough times.

Scott and I camped at Bear Creek here in Lakewood, Colorado for a few nights and had some great rides from there.  All is great with our camper, LaVerne.

Terri & Kent met us for some bike path riding in the Littleton/Lakewood area.

Later this year they bought a camper just like ours!  Yay!  Camper twin buddies!

Carhenge in Nebraska.  I've heard of this monument made in the likeness of Stonehenge for many years.  We stopped there on the drive home from Wisconsin.  Very cool.

May-June: Camper, Wisconsin bike trips, family visits.

Scott and I planned a couple weeks of riding with Pedal Across Wisconsin groups in June.  So we drove the camper through South Dakota (froze on the Mickelson Trail) and Minnesota then dropped it at Joe & Nancy's in Mauston, WI.  Week 1:  Our first trip was a week, starting and ending in Madison.  It was hot, hilly, and a bit boring.  But got us in great riding shape.

We both had on all the clothes we brought - in the 40's and oh so chilly.

Kayking at Joe & Nancy's

Beautiful after the storm - South Dakota.    During the storm, herd of buffalo with babies crossed the road right in front of us, with no one else there.  Very memorable.

Week 2:  Drove our car to Illinois to visit Scott's family in Rock Island, Karen & Jack in Moline, and then Vicki & family in Manhattan.  Everyone is doing fine. Visited Scott's mom and family and rode our bikes a lot.

Week 3:  Met Terri & Kent for a week of biking with PAW in Door County.  Beautiful area.  Got poured on by freezing torrential rain the day Scott had a rental bike because of mechanical problems, and the one day we did not pack rain gear.  Hiked another day because it rained all day again.  Had the 60 mile per hour wind gust day.  Weather didn't cooperate.  Otherwise, fabulous!

Week 4:  Drove back to Joe & Nancy's to pick up our camper & more time visiting.  Then drove home with a camping stop in South Dakota Badlands with Terri & Kent for hiking.  

We didn't LOVE the Badlands.  Pretty at sunset, but we've been to prettier places.

Great trip!  We really hope Terri & Kent buy a camper now that they are retired. 

March, April, May 2021 good times during Covid

 Last time I wrote was in January of this year - about our camping trip to Padre Island.  So now I will very briefly remember 2021.   Including our USA trips, no overseas trips, our activities at home, our isolation from friends and family, and our experiences having covid.  Ugh, it got us!

I'm going to keep the U.S. politics brief because besides having Biden as president, it's all in-fighting, lying, Covid numbers and variants, shootings, name-calling, challenging abortion rights, and more bad news.  I just can't watch much news.  It's all so depressing.

Covid is still with us.  Who thought we would still be wearing masks at Christmas this year?  We've noticed that some places act like there is no pandemic, but in Boulder County and many places in the US and abroad, all precautions are still in place. 

So here's some happy things about 2021.

We packed it FULL with plans for this year and some make-up plans from last year.  Too full.

March trip to Florida:  we flew to Tampa, Florida to use a timeshare presentation gift of 4 free nights in Kissimmee.  That was NOT the highlight!  We rented a car and visited friends and places for almost 3 weeks with a lot of hiking and some bike rentals.  We also scoped out places to camp if we drive back someday with the camper.

Spent time with Karen and Gary Canby in The Villages - an outdoor meal on their patio, so no covid worries.  We are all vaccinated. 

Kayaking at Matlacha.

Met Dave and Richard at Universal Studios for a long day of rides and walking.  Weather was good and we enjoyed it - didn't love it.  Best parts were the Quidditch simulator ride, Jimmy Fallon's ride over NYC, Harry Potter world.  Nothing was crowded except Harry Potter world.  A good day.

I did not see my friend Cindy who is going through cancer treatments and that made me sad.

We had an airbnb in St. Pete and spent several days with Dave & Richard - used their bikes, saw a manatee, spent time at the pier area, played euchre, hiked.  Great city and fun guys to hang with.  Also had an airbnb in Lido Key, kayaked at Ted Sperling Park, ran on beach, enjoyed sunsets and that beautiful area.  Next airbnb was an old mobile home on Pine Island - undeveloped and quiet place.  We kayaked and visited Matlacha Island and enjoyed that.  Walked a lot and rode the 1-speed bikes once. Visited Sanabel Island and found no shells.

We spent a couple nights with Mary K. in Bradenton - great to see her and where she is living.  Met her man-friend and enjoyed an outdoor meal in the old town.  Stayed in airbnb in Clearwater, rode some of the Pinellas Trail, saw Dunedin, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, some state parks.  Overall, it was a good visit and we know more about Florida.

Good and bad:  I got the real Astrazeneca vaccine but Scott got the placebo.  We spent a lot of time trying to find a vaccine appt. for him for when we get home to Colorado.  

Terrible:  Shooting at Table Mesa King Soopers.  10 dead.  Just hard to put the insanity and sadness into words.

April - Santa Cruz girls' trips:  I had a bunch of tests done on my heart and all is just fine.  Those heart issues run in the family and my extra beats had me concerned.  No problems.

I flew to Santa Cruz with Terri's friend Maureen (now my friend) for a 4 night girls' visit to Terri's house there.  What a beautiful place.  Loved it!  We stayed safe from covid, wore masks on the plane, had no problems.  

When we're home we visit with Scott's grandkids, I run on Sundays with DGz, swim, hike, bike, see friends, volunteer at Round Pantry, do home projects, plan the next adventure.

May: Utah with friends.     Had a last-minute invitation to ride the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands & do more dirt rides with Jen & Mike so we said YES!  We aren't in the greatest riding shape, but wanted to do White Rim again.  It was hard riding but oh so beautiful.  Quite a challenge for both of us. Mike drove his jeep and we 3 rode this week.  We spent 2 nights on the white rim in tents but drove there in their giant RV called Maggie.  Saw some beautiful spots around Moab and got to know the area better.  

Also took a hair-raising ride down the Flint Trail in Canyonlands in Mike's jeep after Scott & I thought we had enough dirt riding for a day.  I can't describe how terrifying that ride was. Never again. But... A great trip with friends to beautiful country.

Padre Island, Texas camper trip -January 2021

 The new year took us and our E-Pro camper LaVern on the road to Texas.  Our goal was to meet Joe & Nancy from Wisconsin for a week or so in warm weather.  We did not get much warm weather, but we enjoyed hanging out with friends for the first time in almost a year!

Sitting by a fire, walking on the beach, riding in the car together, eating meals together was amazing after not doing anything with anybody else for a long time. Stupid covid!   We loved camping on the Gulf coast beach with Joe & Nancy and all that included. Too bad the weather didn't cooperate.  

Scott & I got to know Texas a little better (we don't love it) and visited Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico for the first time - huge and beautiful.  The town of Carlsbad is developing with a nice area of riverwalk, but the older part of it includes trashiness and a homeless camp.

Capulin Volcano was a destination on my bucket list for years!  Just inside NM from CO, we got there this time.  Road was closed, it snowed, and there was nothing to see.  Very sad.  We drove through NM without visiting anything bc parks are closed to non-residents due to covid.

Unfortunately we had camper issues the entire trip.  Arghh.  Our brand new solar panel and lithium battery system has a problem so after many calls to the dealer & the GoPower tech help about fuses and connectors, we learned to conserve our power and our heat.  Frustrating but we were stuck in Texas!   We dropped it off at our dealership as we drove home from vacation through Denver.  Had a car problem too but we got lucky with an honest and quick mechanic who fixed us up with a new fan/cooler unit. 

Our plans to meet Joe & Nancy at Colorado Bend State Park near Austin changed due to snow.  Scott & I got snowed in at Colorado City State Park in Texas. We shared the entire park with about 6 other campers.  We made gaitors (in photo) and hiked in the new snow until roads melted and we could get out.  Then we headed farther south, fast.

We enjoyed biking at Muleshoe Bend State Park, exploring Corpus Christi, camping on north Padre Island on the beach, fresh seafood, the changing beach, sunrises & sunsets by a fire, then the mist and fog and cold.

We watched Biden/Harris inauguration and celebrated with fresh seafood on the fire.  What a good day!

We were traveling for 3 weeks and never got the warm weather we hoped for.  In February, Texas got hit with a huge snow that we missed.  They had major power issues and it was a disaster.  

More photos from the trip.

Cadillac Ranch tourist attraction near Roswell, NM

This big cowboy is the same mold as the big cowboy near our house off Hwy 66 and the Gemini Giant at the Launching Pad drive-in in Wilmington, IL on Route 66.  They are known as "Muffler Men"! You can find out more online.

home in the morning

One beautiful formation at Carlsbad Caverns, NM.

This enormous amount of plastic in the grasses just off the beach, far from the people on Padre Island, effected me profoundly.  I was flabbergasted by the amount of plastics on those remote stretches of beach.  Tiny pieces that have been there for 40 years, big pieces, little pieces, and so much that an army couldn't clean up the 30 miles of it in years.  DEPRESSING!   

After this experience I am making a concerted effort to avoid plastic containers and buy things in non-plastic. It's not easy.  Eggs come in styrofoam, milk in plastic jugs, cleaners in plastic, yogurt and ice cream in plastic, shampoo, and on and on!  It's maddening.

I read that less than 9% of of plastics used in the world actually get recycled.  

Here's a short article from National Geographic.

Plastic containers that will last 400 years are created to be used just once.  Happily, I've found many companies making cleaning products and soaps (including shampoo and conditioner) that do not come in plastic. Refills are tabs or sheets.  Nice!

My part in this won't change the world, but it makes me feel better.

Inauguration day.  This makes me happy.

A new year!!! Goodbye 2020! Welcome 2021!

We ushered in 2021 with a very small Good Riddance to 2020 party with Terri & Kent at their house, despite Covid.  This is one of those calculated risks.  We don't see anyone and they don't see anyone, so we had a great dinner and played games. Fabulous to socialize.  We went to sleep praying for peace, health, less stress and more sanity in the new year.

Scott and I decided to go away in our camper as much as possible this year.  We want to travel while we are physically able and healthy and we love exploring new places. We don't know what Covid will do this year so overseas travel is unlikely.  So look out, America.  We're getting on the road with our EPro, bikes, kayaks, and happy attitudes. 

We made a calendar to keep track!  So much of this depends on vaccinations and covid so our fingers are crossed for a healthy USA.  Our plans so far this year include a focus on biking.

Padre Island in February.  We will meet our Camper Cousins Joe & Nancy from Wisconsin there and hope for warm weather.

March and April - we got reservations at Chatfield Reservoir and Bear Creek Reservoir, both in Colorado.  We hope to get lots of bike miles in and enjoy the change of scenery, as well as have Scott's family visit us while camping.    

Late May through June - we booked TWO week long bike trips in Wisconsin with PAWS group.  Terri & Kent will join us for the Door County Ride (our second time) and we will also do a ride starting in Madison.  We'll spend time in South Dakota and also see Joe & Nancy in Wisconsin.

And we will visit Scott's mom and family in Illinois between bike trips.  It's been so long since either of us has seen family, except on video.  This will be sweet.

In July we will have a family reunion at Lake of the Ozarks with my sister and her kids & grandkids. Yay!

And we are planning a bikepacking trip in Colorado with Terri & Kent which will probably be Frisco to Aspen. Details to be worked out.

Scott & I signed up for an open water triathalon so we've got to get swimming for practice!

August is the big reason we need to ride so much this summer.  We are going to Alaska with Kirin and Matt to see the grizzlies.  Before we meet them, Scott & I are doing a week of biking in Alaska with an organized trip.  That will be amazing and hard.

September means another raft trip with O.A.R.S.  We had credit from last year so decided we better use it.  Again, friends are joining us for the fun on the Colorado River. 

October is Scott's family reunion vacation (Reehcation pronounced Ray kay shun) in southern Virginia.

In November we hope to join Kirin and Matt at their condo in Hawaii for a week.  I think we will be recovering in December and we hope to spend Christmas with families this year.

In between these travels we hope to get fresh air in Colorado and see friends as regularly as possible.  Video visits have been wonderful, but seeing real people is so much better.  I miss hugs.

friends since we were 21 years old and we've kept in touch during covid. We all turned 64!

I just can't start this year without expressing these feelings because, sadly, the politics of our country have colored every day of my life for the last 5 years - in a scary and disturbing way.

The new year brought a new president, violent division among our fellow Americans, and the worst transition of power in our history.  Trump continued to cry Election Fraud and whipped up his supporters into a mob on January 6th.  We watched in horror as they stormed our capitol and only later found out all that happened inside the building.  What a terrible day in our history. Casualties were limited, damage was limited, animosity for our fellow Americans grew even bigger.  Unbelievable day.

Scott and I are so relieved to have that crazy narcissist out of the White House.  We are thrilled that Biden/Harris will lead our country.  I don't wake up with dread each morning.  I fear more terrorist events from our extreme citizens on both sides now - yes there are definitely "sides".  What a country we have become.  So much sadness to go around.

Other activities grandkids & friends that kept us busy

Covid year - 2020.  Sad. Sometimes lonely.  Sometimes wonderful.  Scary.

These are some people who made the year wonderful and tolerable.

We got outside more than ever and so did most people during this pandemic.  The trails were fuller than ever and we had never seen so many people at our local lake - walking, riding, picnicking, and on the water.  It was crazy so much of the time, so we avoided McIntosh Lake for several months.  

With businesses closed, activities stopped, no clubs, no movies, no restaurant dining, no music, no social events at all, we were happy outdoor places were so crowded, but sad for us that our regular outdoor places were all so crowded.  We made every effort to take less traveled routes and to get used to always bringing a mask wherever we went.

  

DGz visit to Basalt, with amazing hikes!

Social distancing for a photo after coffee after a cold Sunday run

Who knew you could drink coffee outside on freezing cold Sunday mornings? These Dirty Girlz are tough.

 

Summer 2020 visiting with Karen and Jack in Illinois

We got in a couple lovely rides to Jamestown.  Sad that the Merc has been closed.

Distanced outdoor walk in winter with Jennie, Barb, and Diane.  

Our neighbors Karen and Jim, who invited us to their Eldora house.

Our "Camper Cousins" who visited us in Colorado, Nancy and Joe.

A break from Covid. Paul and Heather visited from California after they got very stir crazy.  These small visits and glimpses of normal kept us going.

Manitou Incline.  Cross it off the 60 list!

Things that kept me going:  Travel!!!  But at home, it was sewing masks, jigsaw puzzles, baking, painting rocks (especially bug rocks), and home projects.

Thank goodness for video visits!!!  It almost feels like a real visit!