The End

The only way IA can have hills is to make them with trash... YAHOO!!! MINNESOTA!!! Huge alpaca farm just inside the MN border - beautifulNow, all deciduous trees line the roadways - we're home!A MN farm - pretty cool! Not a commercial, stinky farm

Almost HOME!!!

C: We're home!!!!! So nice to get back to Minnesota. It is so green here compared to where we have been. Even Iowa wasn't as green as here. And we have definitely more deciduous trees than any state we went through with the possible exception of Wisconsin.

Thank you to all of you who cleaned up the house and yard before we got back. We trashed it unloading the bike though. And a big thanks to those who watered the gardens..the vegetables look great and the flowers look wonderful. We didn't lose any.

The first thing we did was go pick up our mail. It was so nice sitting in a vehicle with seats and four wheels rather than straddling a motorcycle seat. We are slowly cleaning up our mess and checking over a month's mail and bills.

Just a point of interest...I found my wallet in a pair of pants in the closet...guess I never took it out...better check next time ;-o

Its good to be home!

V: Our last day on the road was VERY relaxing. We slowly ate a yummy breakfast at that neighborhood restaurant, visited with people at the hotel, and thoroughly enjoyed the sites as we drove home. It rained along the way, both in IA and MN, but nothing heavy. Once we crossed into MN, Curt started singing the MN Rouser and later was driving in wavy lines. I really dislike it when he does that, but it was clear that he was really happy. The first thing I did when we got home was check out all our gardens...and get my fingers dirty, pulling a few weeds. Felt TERRIFIC!!!!!!!! When we hit the bed, we both went Aaaahhhhh!!!! And passed out!

It has been a marvelous trip and we saw so much of God's creation. You don't really understand what the USA has until you go and look at it. We are truly blessed as a country!!!! And we have wonderful people too!!!! I think that next time, we will drive shorter miles/day, less miles total - 6,000+ is WAY TOO MUCH! No time to really stop and see the sites. It did bring Curt and I closer still. Being together was the BEST part of the trip. God is really making us 2 into 1, as He promised He'd do for married couples.

Thank you to all of you for your prayers and good wishes. We really needed them and felt them! Thank you to Pete, our neighbors, and Mari and the kids for taking such good care of our home and grounds while we were off adventuring! Wednesday, Amos, Heidi and crew will be coming to show Hannah to the rest of her family. Everyone will gather to welcome her with kisses and hugs.

God's blessings and grace on all of you! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Much love,

Curt and Vicki

Last Night In A Motel

C: We are in Sioux City, IA. The last stop on our trip. Tomorrow night we will be sleeping in our own bed - aaahhh!!!!!! Not that the motel beds were all bad, just that it will be something we are familiar with. We are so tired that Vicki didn't take ANY pictures along this leg. Believe it or not, we left Kearney NE about 7:30 am and got into the motel room about 1:30 pm. Sounds like we could have just kept driving home but being tired dictated we stop. I lay on the bed and almost dropped off. Just can't, if I do, I have trouble sleeping at night and I want to be rested for the last leg.

One photo that Vicki couldn't get to load here was a video of her doing her HAPPY DANCE at the central time zone change line in Nebraska. She is such a girl ;-) She complained that I got too much sign and not enough Vicki....oh well. Maybe next time. As for today not a lot to see...I mean,really, what's to see in Nebraska..cows, grass, trees, deer.............ya 4 deer. Saw our first wildlife along side the road. Luckily, they were far enough to be safe but too close for comfort, if you know what I mean. Motorcycles don't have a good track record with an encounter with animals...especially large ones.

Found a great place to have dinner..right across the motel parking lot. All homemade stuff. Looking forward to dinner and an early bedtime.

HOME TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!

Talk atcha later.

Denver to Kearney, Nebraska

Green fields forever "YOU ARE NOWHERE"

COOL CROP DESIGNS

V: Hi All! This was an exciting day....got closer to home. I had trouble getting to sleep last night because I was mentally playing in our gardens. I was transplanting bushes, trimming pine trees, eating just picked tomatoes, and all sorts of exciting things. I can hardly wait to get my hands dirty.

3 things I have to say about Nebraska:

- WIND !!!!!!!!!!!!! COMING RIGHT AT US....ALL DAY

- They must have planted lots of trees since I/we were last through here.

- They have the nicest people...we invited a somewhat older lady who was going to eat alone to join us for dinner. It was a real joy to visit with her. Love those nudges from God to step out of our comfort zone....always get an unexpected gift.

Tomorrow we're off to Sioux city, IA. Be good and celebrate each day.

Our love to you all.

Denver

1= Vineyards





2=Colorado River

3=River and Green

4= Steep Grade

5=White water rafting along side the rd

6=ski runs

7=Loveland Pass = 10,997 ft we were there!!

8=Tree line on mt...we were there too!

9=Waterfall

C: We left Grand Junction about 8:30 am and headed for the mts. The drive didn't seem as bad as the other mountain roads I've driven. Not as sharp curves but longer uphill climbs and of course down hill runs. Still, didn't have to fight the corners like in all the other states. Maybe Colorado knows something the others don't. They even build tunnels...can you believe that!! I thought at every pass it couldn't get any higher. Boy was I wrong! we finally topped out at 11,300 ft...above the tree line. Glad we didn't stay too long...might have gotten altitude sickness...because of the lack of oxygen. I could tell that the bike was really working in those passes. Had to go down to third gear and could only make 45 mph on some. Brought up the engine temp too. Didn't have to stop and let it cool down though...the next downgrade did the trick. Ran into a little rain coming into Denver but drove through it. Going to have dinner with Jenn and Jason Conrad (niece and husband) tonight, then a night's rest and off to Kearney, NE. It looks like three days and we'll be home.

Talked to Pete and heard about some storms that came through. We hope everyone is all right and no major damage .

V:Having a ball!! 3 more days and we will be home!!!!

YEAH! We're out of Utah!

1=Red layers


2="S" curve we rode

3=WOW! Rock formations

4=Road drops off

5=Rock layers pushed up by plate tectonics

6=Red rocks similar to Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas





7=The Egyptian look in Utah

8=Our first view of Colorado=green










9=Colorado River & 'green'...Yeah!!

v:We have arrived in Grand Junction, Colorado. It is green here...unlike Utah and the places we've been for the last week. Amazingly, Utah is really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter...according to locals. When it rains, the water runs off in torrents because the ground is so very hard. Curt and I are getting comfortable with 103 degrees...it must be time to be home. Utah is beautiful in a desolate sort of way, with multi-colored plateaus and cliffs that have been beaten by the winds for eons. There are deep canyons that give the Grand Canyon a run for its money, and also deep ravines building into mts. Some of the plateaus looked like they had Egyptian carvings all along their top ridges. At one point, we were at about 8200 ft and that wasn't even the mts they told us about. We did the up-down-turn around stuff, but Curt said it wasn't as bad as others he's driven - I'm riding, remember. The 105 - 86 temp swings really do a number on you. On this stretch of road, we've seen more breakdowns than any other area because of the long, long climbs and the 5-6% grades. There must have been 20 rigs off to the side. One trucker said, on the CB, that he had blown an engine. We did get some cloud cover for a few hours and it even rained on us. We didn't stop to put on our rain gear. It felt great! No one lives between Salina and the CO border, except for Green River. We didn't even see a bird.

We had barely crossed the CO border when we came over a pass and spied a gorgeous valley with 'green' and houses and square fields and big trees. WOW!! A whole different world.

M I N N E S O T A the land where nothing is allowed, sure looks mighty fine right now.

More later

The Sore Butts

On the Road Again - YAHOO !

1= Lisa and kids, Vicki

2=The bug waiting outside our motel door to welcome us - catch the size???

We left Las Vegas last night at 7:45PM and it was still 109 degrees and the sun was going down. No, it did not feel like 89 degrees. After we got the bike back, we loaded up and then found out that they had somehow disconnected our brake lights. So-o-o, we called and they were closed until Tuesday. We left anyway!!! Still have all the other lights and turn signals, but were not waiting until Tues.

Lisa was a gem and we got some photos of her and the kids (3 dogs and 2 large birds). We are so grateful to her for her friendship and hospitality. We drove at night, so there will be no other photos. It didn't cool off until after St. George, Utah. We climbed out of Las Vegas - literally and eventually it started cooling - 3 hours later. Eventually, the thermometer went down to 67 degrees - yahoo!!! Chilly though it was, we were so thrilled! Guess we are true Minnesotans. Curt worked diligently to keep us safe on the road as it was often winding and he couldn't see very far - lots of concentration. I, on the other hand, was busy enjoying a gazillion stars. We drove between the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia most of the night. I forgot how numerous the tiny stars are around that constellation. And there was a bright planet to our right - reminding me that God was with us on the road, as He is everywhere at all times. That gave me peace and joy whenever I looked at the planet. I think it was Saturn. I'll have to check when we get home. I even saw the Milky Way. I haven't seen that in years. The night lighting at home has blotted it out and even Cassiopeia is sometimes hard to see. Last night was exhilarating for me and I was often describing it to Curt.

We did a lot of twisting and turning, going up mts - the summit was 7180 feet...and then we started down the mts...with several 6% grades and lots of turns. Thank God for the 1/10 mile markers. They were little beacons all night. When we got to Salina, Utah, about mid-state on the west side, the temp was 75 degrees. COOL!!!!! Went to have 1/2 sandwich and tea at the Denny's next door and got to bed about 4AM. Today, we head to Grand Junction, Colorado and the temp will be about 106. Hope to be home in 5 days. We are eager for our own bed!! Both of us really needed those extra days in LV to rest up. We are being so-o-o-o-o blessed in this adventure. Thanks for all your prayers. We sure can feel them!

Be good and God bless you all too!!!!!

Sites in Las Vegas

v: We are still in Las Vegas and apparently will not be able to leave until tomorrow evening. Honda screwed up and the part won't arrive until tomorrow AM. Hopefully, they will put it in, flush the radiator and fill it with anti-freeze that handles "high" heat better, as it's been 111-114 since we arrived; Utah appears to be the same for the next several days. We plan to leave Sat. evening and travel at night when it's cooler. Please pray that the wild animals stay off the road.

Pete's friend, Lisa, has been hostess extraordinaire for us. Yesterday, she took us out to see Red Rock Canyon. Not something most visitors get to see. Wow! It was incredibly hot, so we didn't hike...only went to visitor center and drive along the 13 mile route. Extraordinary rock formations and colors with wide variety of ground cover. We also visited the Fire House Subs restaurant, started by real firefighters. The best subs or sandwiches we've had. After Lisa went off to work yesterday afternoon, Curt went out on the front step to have a cigar. First, he melted is bare feet and then melted in the chair while finishing his cigar. I went out to be with him and after 5 minutes, escaped indoors to the air conditioning. This is 'dry heat' which allows you to cool off to some degree, unlike humidity, but hot is HOT! No idea why people live out here in the summer - anytime actually. I really like green rather than beige. We pray that God's plan is that we will be home in 6-7 days after we leave Las Vegas. We are eager to be home and see you all.

Be well, take care, God bless you all with His peace and grace...and us too.