We See the Front Range Up Close...

July 10 2010
Today was so wonderful. We decided to take the car instead of the bikes and go to Black Hawk; a town on the other side of Denver, about an hour from here, to go gambling. They have a long street in the middle of the mountains that is nothing but casinos; we went to try our luck at it. It’s a good thing I don’t try to become a professional gambler; between me and Bob we lost approximately $60. I couldn’t believe the view from the patio decks. It’s just beautiful because the strip is literally in a gap, not a valley, between the mountains. My friend Marty would have loved it. We were there for approximately 3 hours and then headed back down the mountain via a different route. I was so glad we took the car. I wouldn’t have been blessed with all the scenery if we had ridden the bikes. Plus it was nice to just sit and chat with Cheryl and Jeff, shooting the bull. We stopped in a little town called Nederland that had an authentic German restaurant in it; the Black Forest. I was snapping pictures like crazy and then we decided to get some dinner. We had originally planned to just have coffee and dessert but everything on the menu sounded so good; plus the specials were prime rib of elk or roasted mallard duck so the men-folk couldn’t refuse a good dinner. I had the beef sauerbraten and pickled cabbage, yum yum, and Bob had the elk. It was much better than the buffalo I’ve had in the past. It was not nearly as stringy or tough; Excellent stuff. We topped it all off with a homemade apple strudel and a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream. I had an urge while we were waiting for the food to go put the camera in the car. I’m glad I did because the last few pictures I got before the camera died were of ruby-throated hummingbirds flying all around my head on the porch. There were four or five of them buzzing around the feeder and playing. It was so beautiful to watch. We sat inside the restaurant and watched the birds and the mind-blowing scenery and ate our delicious dinner and dessert. I don’t think I could have been more mellow. How anyone can see the kind of stuff I saw today and not believe that God is real just amazes me. I have been so blessed this week. On the down side trip we passed many more rocks, boulders really, and many more pine trees. It looked like something out of the Black Forest. I picked up three rocks to give as souvenirs. I kept seeing all these geological goodies sitting by the side of the road thinking “yeah, just put that rock in my front yard, set it anywhere”. I did ask if I could have any rock I could physically lift and put in the car. The answer was no. Bastids! We’re leaving tomorrow as soon as we get everything loaded in the trailer and camper. We should be at Dave’s house by 1:00 pm at the latest. Poor Cheryl; her brother in law died and she will be leaving for Kansas to attend the funeral as soon as we leave. I hope that everyone out there who prays will pray with me that she is able to get through the next few days in one reasonable frame of mind. It’s my understanding they are a very close family. I know she seems to be fighting tears all the time. I told her she didn’t need to play hostess for us and we could toddle on our merry way but she would have none of it. Said hanging out with us would keep the whole thing in the back of her mind so she could avoid feeling so grief stricken until the funeral. I love meeting new people, especially when they have a kind heart as Cheryl does. 7/11/2010 By mid-afternoon today we should be at Dave’s in Cheyenne. It’s about a four and a half hour drive from here to Cheyenne. Yesterday I experienced the most traumatic loss a tourist can suffer through; I ran out of batteries. It seemed like every turn would show me something more beautiful that I JUST had to get a picture of. Thank God I was blessed with a memory; those images will be seared in my brain for years to come. The beauty of this country is unimaginable to people who have never strayed from their own corner of the world.
As a result of my frustration with the batteries I charged up two sets of batteries to cover me today. Hee hee hee. More from the road after we arrive in Cheyenne…