Oh man, we are loving the Great Plains! It is so flat. We are going so fast. We cruised at 13.9 mph and arrived in Ordway by noon. We haven't had any rain or wind yet. We were going to camp at the campsite just outside of town but it didn't have showers and the bathrooms were in the back of some store...and we found this really sweet, very old time hotel called the Hotel Ordway. It is like some place you would stay in Paris or some other European city. What a nice surprise. Right outside the hotel is a park with those water spouts that shoot up, like the ones in Central Park. The boys and I immediately put our bathing suits on and ran around cooling off and playing games while Matt took a nap and a shower at the hotel. The room is so charming, lots of down pillows, plush towels, potpourri, plants, old furniture, etc.
We had lunch at the Dairy King...I guess just a step down from the Dairy Queen.
We are now on the TransAmerica route. We keep seeing signs everywhere saying "welcome cyclists".
Yonah has dubbed Colorado the "construction state" because of all the road construction going on.
We got out of Pueblo very early and it was cool, flat, and no wind the whole 56 miles. We were here by lunch. This is so unusual for us. We were on State Route 96 the whole way and there were so few cars or trucks that we were able to ride 2 abreast so there was lots of jocularity as we rode, smokin' an' jokin'!
Matt and I have taught the kids some of our favorite riding songs that they sing at the top of their lungs as we ride across the flat expanses of the Great Plains. Matt taught them the Cal Berkeley drinking song and also this song called The Dogs They Had a Party...about these dogs who mix up their buttholes. I, of course, taught them the Civil Rights songs I grew up singing at my Liberal, Jewish summer camp in the Sierras...the ones about how, if you miss me in the cotton fields you'll be able to find me at the courthouse, voting.
The funniest part of all this was when, after a few hours of peaceful singing, laughing, and riding, the boys got into a big quarrel (complete with thumb biting) because they each wanted to sing a different song. So finally Matt separated them by having Yonah ride up ahead, and Solomon (on the back of the tandem) pulled up the rear. So there they were, Yonah up ahead singing his song as loud as he possibly could, in defiance of Solomon, and Solomon in the back doing the exact same thing.
The boys are making up lots of funny songs and everyday provides us with new material for laughter.
We are off to the library then dinner.
Next stop....Eaydes, CO....(except I think I spelled it wrong). We could have gone further today but we were expecting these big showers and there are no good campsites or hotels options for about 50 miles.
Tomorrow is supposed to be 30mph NE winds!!! Yikes.
Love,D
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
17 comments:
Hurrah! You will miss the 20-21 mph winds from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm (the peak). Followed by isolated T-Storms from the north in Pueblo area on Tuesday.
It looks like you got far enough away from Pueblo that you will have a very nice ride tomorrow.
A nice plus after a good day today and a great find for the evening. I love that part of traveling!
Weather.com shows Ordway 30% chance of Isolated T-Storms 8:00 tonight to 10:00 tonight. Wednesday looks good with Mostly Sunny 6:00 am - 2:00 pm with winds from 7 mph - 17 mph peak at noon.
Eads (Thank you Mapquest) is about the same with 30% Isolated T-storms after 2:00 in the afternoon.
Wind peaks at 13 mph from NE.
Gotta tell you, I really laughed about the boys fighting over songs to sing and then continued to stack their claim in the sound ranges. To the freedom of being on the road! You have to love it!
Linda J
Haswell appears to be half between Ordway and Eads. It looks a little town that is/was a railroad stop.
Linda, you are so funny. Thanks for all the info. We were at the public library earlier and checked out all the weather. There have been some tornado warnings around here in the last few weeks....we'll just have to jump into a ditch or something.
I spoke with Sharon the other day, I'm so happy about the new midwife.
Love you,
Djina
Man, i have to keep up with these comments! I've been slacking off and now i've spent considerable time catching up on them. don't worry though, i love reading them :-) It was 108 here the other day. Hurry up with that petition!!!
Sasha
Djina,
If you know someone by the name of Linda J, I do not want to get her trouble, because I am another Linda J that read your story in the Sac Bee before your started your trip.
I was just concerned about you getting past weather in Pueblo and getting on the road between the storms so you could better things then duck the weather.
Tornado warnings would show on Weather.com under the gold-bar-heading Hour By Hour. I have not seen any in your area of travel and you are missing the storm that bunts-up against the Rockies, so I think you are well on your way.
Have a great adventure! May wind be at your back with a cool breeze and blue skies!
Linda J
Hey Djina,
First off, here is the link to the SacBee article: http://www.sacbee.com/500/story/201325.html
They got Matt as a 46 year old, but other than that, it was a nice piece.
I looked up Ordway, CO, and it looks like you'll be passing through Sugartown tomorrow! I hope it lives up to its name, for your sake. Steve is green with envy, not that he would/could ever undertake this kind of journey, but also very excited, and kind of braggy about knowing "this family that is biking across country"...
I'm very happy about Solly's new name, and tell him I only intend to call him Sprite from now on....also tell him I look forward to eating crepe suzettes when next we meet.
I heard the next Harry Potter book is going to be crappy, so don't bother weighing yourselves down with it.
Lots and lots of love, even though I am predictable,
Chicky
Hey Guys,
It is so nice to be able to keep up with you and read about your many adventures. We just got on this link a few days ago, after I saw the story in the Bee, so we've been reading back and catching up.
Please tell Yonah that we've been praying for you guys from the beginning. The first time I told the kids we need to pray for you, Daniel said with great alarm: why? are they in trouble?? so I had to explain that it is a very difficult journey with many challenges.
We all think you guys are amazing. You have inspired us to ride more and more, and leave the cars behind (as much as we can, we could never dream to catch up with you). Daniel though wants a "beast" too, so he can ride like Solomon.
By the way, we left you 2 messages, one from Daniel to Sprite, back in the "Continental Devide" entry. I was reading that part, and didn't realize the comment in there would register for an older day.
Sorry for the long message.
We miss you and wish you a very safe rest of the trip.
Love
Juana and the boys
Hi Dear Friends,
Not sure if my post tonight "posted" so here's another. Djina, I'm so impressed by your amazing writing. I already knew how awesome Matt's writing was, but you are my treat. I love particularly your comments about this ride being an opportunity to get under the small but constant anxiety of being a 13-year-old; how I identify both as a former teen and as the mother of two (former) teens. Your descriptions of the restaurants, the food, the taxidermy-tanning-gun shops is so lusciously detailed. Nice to know you can shower and shave your legs in less than 5 minutes! I remember a timed shower at a crowded campground in Banff. One of our best trips--car camping, kinda light-weight in comparison, but one of the finest of my life. I remember Josh at 14 and Julia at 11 telling us almost everyday "thank you for taking us on this trip." Reading about your stops at libraries makes me smile--Julia's favorite place for weeks was the library in Wells, Nevada. And the delight you all have from each other is contagious. Matt, thanks for a wonderful new saying: Mara Assal O Mara Bassal, sometimes honey and sometimes onions...my life is honey with my children and Alan, and onions this week with the death of my beloved old dog Tam, who was part of many fabulous family camping trips.
Love,
Lyra
DJINA, I TOTALLY LOVE READING YOUR POSTS. I CAN JUST HEAR YOUR VOICE AND SEE THE EXPRESSIONS ON YOUR FACE AS YOU TELL THE STORIES.I AM GLAD TO HEAR THINGS ARE GOING WELL.OH THE MEMORIES ALL OF YOU ARE MAKING.GOOD LUCK WITH TOMMOROW.
JODI LEE
Don't know where this shows up but let me know if you'd like me to scare up some publicity from my group of former Fellows.
Djina,
Forcast for Eads on Tuesday:
You can decide if this 30% chance is a bother or nothing at all. There is more of it in the forcast then yesterday. That is the flatlands for you. They are always changing and apparently get a lot of afternoon scattered showers.
30% Isolated T-Storms 2:00 - Tuesday afternoon through 7:00 am Wednesday.
8:00-11:00 Mostly Cloudy on Wednesday.
Have a great ride between the iffy T-Storms.
Linda J (Sac Bee)
You guys are &$%# awesome!!!
I've been technologically challenged for weeks, living up in Tuolumne Meadows, and now I check your blog and you're already across freaking Colorado!?!?! HOLY TOLEDO!!! (By the way, will you actually pass through toledo? Why is it so holy anyway?)
I LOVE scanning through your posts, seeing photos, thinking of you all having the time of your lives crossing this big wide country of ours!
We LOVE you!!!!! Keep on crankin'!
Paulo Rainbowshlong
Wow, I can't believe you are to Kansas already. It has been cool and rainy and then hot and windy off and on all summer. I hope our weather behaves for your time here. Please post when and where you will be in Hutchinson so we can greet and meet you!
Oh man! so many comments I want to respond to and only 20min. left on my library computer which is timed. Paulo and Karen! Wow, I'm so glad to hear from you guys. You are our inspiration and the Burley Trailer is such a gift.
We are NOT to the best of my knowledge going through Toledo but I am now really curious why it is so Holy...maybe because the Waltons are from there.
Lira, that was my blog with the Arabic phrase. But I'll tell Matt you liked something else that he wrote, so he doesn't feel left out.
Love,
Djina
Linda J...I'm glad you told me, I was thinking you were a different Linda J...I was wondering why she wasn't getting in trouble at work for being on the computer so much.
Djina
Djina,
Wow! How funny - sort of. I am so glad I told you I am Linda J (Sac Bee).
There are a lot of Linda's, but I never thought of you knowing someone at work that is a Linda J. Leave me a note if the other Linda J needs proof it wasn't her.
Have a good ride!
Linda J (Sac Bee)
Linda, what is even funnier is that we often just call her LJ. Her last name is Johnson.
Djina
Djina,
Your right,that is funnier. LJ may love being called LJ instead of Linda. She would know your talking to her with so many Linda's around. Anyone named Linda would know what I am talking about.
Best wishes to all of you!
Linda J (Sac Bee Reader)
Post a Comment