Ruth's Life is Good: Saturday 8-26-23 Happy Birthday Larry & Driving to Colorado

Sunday, August 27, 2023

Saturday 8-26-23 Happy Birthday Larry & Driving to Colorado

Sunrise in Dumas, Texas

Happy Birthday Larry. He said he had a great birthday. It was a special birthday because he turned 65. His mother (Shirley) and Louise called and wish him a happy birthday.

Larry celebrated his birthday by driving 335 miles. We started in Texas and ended up in Colorado.

We woke up to a brisk 67 degrees at 6:00. I got up a little later 6:15. We had English muffins for breakfast because it was quick and easy. This was the last day we're going to have power for a long time. On the way out we stopped at the dumpster and pay station. At Dumas camping is free but they have a donation box. We gave them $10.00. This is cheap considering we ran the air conditioner all night. We slept very well.

Today's drive was two and four lane highways through towns, ranches, farms and mountain ranges. We started in Texas and drove trough New Mexico. We saw a lot of cattle and a couple of men on horseback. We didn't see any Pronghorns, which was a little surprising because we usually see some. The scenery was plains with some hill and an occasionally a mountain range. Once we hit Colorado the time zone changed to Mountain, which means we gain an hour. We reset all the clocks.

A mountain in New Mexico

Living on top of the mountain in Colorado

Beautiful rock formation

River flowing along the highway and campgrounds

Sunrise in Texas

We have taken these roads many times and at some point there is always construction going on. Today was no exception. What's scary about the construction is you're down to two narrow lanes and you're going through a mountain pass. We had a five minute delay because there was an accident. It looked very bad because the car was totaled and had flipped on its roof.

A car accident

The drive through the mountains were very pretty with pine trees and other greenery. Larry saw three turkeys I missed them because I was sleeping and didn't wake up in time. The highway through the mountain was curvy and at places tight. It would be a great motorcycle ride. There were campgrounds along the highway and a river ran next them. We saw some people rafting. I couldn't take pictures because there was no place to stop and we were going too fast. Larry really doesn't drive too fast, he was driving 45 mph. The drive was outstanding.

We stopped a few times, we filled the Minnie a couple of times, had lunch, stretched our legs and went to the restroom. It's so nice to have your own bathroom you don't have to worry about finding a rest area.

We arrived at Salina around 1:00 and there were already a lot of RVs parked. You're allowed to stay for 24 hours. We had no problems finding a spot. After setting up for the night we walked over to Walmart and picked up a birthday cake for Larry. Larry chose a carrot cake and coconut cream pie. We also ended up picking up a couple other items. When we were checking out we were surprised there were no plastic bags. Colorado passed a law banning single use plastic bags. Not a problem since we only had a few items we simply carried them. Next time we will know to take in our reusable bags.

Carrot Cake

Coconut Cream Pie

We had a small rain shower, which last about a half hour. It was nice to see considering we hadn't seen rain in over two months.

When it was over I walked the Salida Spur Trail. The trail goes for miles through town, neighborhoods and ranches. I walked the trail for a mile and a half and turned around and came back to Walmart. I walked farther then I expected and Larry got worried so he started looking for me because it was starting to get dark. I met up with him at Walmart and he was upset because he had been looking for me for a half hour. I don't blame him. I have done this a lot to him and I should know better. The trail is a wide sidewalk so bikes, hikers and walkers can pass each other easily. I also walked around Walmart. By the end of the day I did 17,000 steps, which put me in 5th place. During my walk I saw people walking and biking and I saw horses and cow. It was a great trail to walk.