Our last chapter had us in Sturgis PRIOR TO the inundation of that town with hundreds of thousands motorcycle madmen. There are, of course, for that annual rally, a few ACTUAL motorcycle gangs and psychopaths, but, we have been told that most are Dentists and Accountants pretending to be Hells Angels, but mostly engaging in Senior Debauchery in Leather Chaps. We left all that behind, and after a hearty breakfast consisting of Metamucil and blood pressure pills, hit the road!!!
Our intention was to eventually get to Denver for a concert at Red Rocks…about which I will wax philosophic in a bit. Along the way, we managed a few fun things, but the most fun of all: the Prairie Dog Blues Festival in Prairie Du Chien, Wi. This is a festival that features GREAT music, friendly crowds, mostly of a particular (OUR) age and, the best part: RV Parking right on the grounds of the festival! It was the second time we have attended this festival, and we decided, even though technically PDC is NOT “on the way” from Sturgis to Denver, why not! Remember, we once drove from Chicago to San Francisco via Atlanta, which is “on the way” enuf for us!!!!!
Added to the aforementioned fun: Steve Sawatski (one of my former partners from pre-retirement days) was attending! Not only was that a fun reunion (he brought a herd of HIS friends to add to the debauchery, which was definitely of the senior variety), but his group added to the overall experience in new and novel ways. For example, we attended as part of their group, a dinner at a traditional Wisconsin Supper Club, complete with Brandy Old Fashioneds, and Grasshoppers for dessert. I doubt anyone in that restaurant was young enough to engage in other-than senior debauchery!
You might be surprised to learn that our life isn’t all sunshine and ice cream…
After PDB, we started our march to Denver. This was 3-driving-days for us, and on the third day, as we were approaching the Greater Denver metropolitan area…You might be surprised to learn that our life isn’t all sunshine and ice cream… we happened upon possibly the worst, most disgusting thing we have experienced in our over-10-year sojourn around the USA. I mean, we have driven past Cattle Feedlots on hot summer days with an unfavorable wind direction. We have seen (and smelled) the fish killed by red tide or other disasters. We even experienced a friend’s car after they inadvertently left some fresh shrimp in the trunk over a hot summer weekend.
Yes, what we experienced as a “Welcome to Denver” statement was worse by far than any of that!!!
I have never smelled anything worse!
Driving along, looking forward to arriving in Denver, we were gradually overtaken by an open-top truck, like a dump truck or a dumpster carrier. As it passed, the smell was absolutely indescribably HORRIBLE. Then I noticed the legs. And the bloated carcass-bellies. Sticking out over the top of the dump-box. Of dead pigs. Packed into the truck. Spraying a mist of ooze from the internal pressure of decomposition, which actually coated the bus in a way that the windshield wipers/washers could not manage. I have never smelled anything worse! I slowed down so eventually the truck got far enough ahead of us to where we could breath again. Then, a little while later, the truck passed us again, reprising all of the above. He had apparently pulled off for some reason, then got back on his original course.
It was soooo bad, that we nearly swore off bacon. I do not know how that truck did not instigate a national terrorism biohazard response!
Fortunately, the rest of our time in Denver was MUCH better (and less odoriferous). The star of the show was our Red Rocks Experience. Booked months ago, we were there to see one of our favorites…the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Opening act was Lukas Nelson (Willie’s son…and, I learned, a prodigious talent of his own). The weather was crisp and clear and magnificent…the music even more so. What a fine evening and event!
While in Denver, we were also able to engage in several evenings of, you guessed it, Senior Debauchery. This included college friends/roommates Dick and Keith and Tillman and their assorted partners, Nora (also from Carleton) and Susana. And the now-friends who sold us our bus, Jim and Cheryl and their (and our new) friends, Tom and Trudi. We BBQ’d twice at the bus, Gluten-and-lactose free, with beer, wine (for the Gluten-intolerant) and other mind-altering beverages in small, senior-appropriate quantities. Each BBQ ended by a decidedly senior-friendly hour. All in all, a really good time in Denver!!
Our next planned stop for the summer was the Minnesota State Fair and a concert by one of our favorites: Bonnie Raitt. Before this, we had about 3 weeks to kill between leaving Denver and reaching the Twin Cities. We consulted Denver residents Tillman and Susana, as well as a couple BluebirdBrains from Colorado to design a relaxing, scenic tour of the Colorado Mountains. The itinerary included: Estes Park (and Rocky Mountain National Park), Granby Colorado, Steamboat Springs, Dinosaur National Monument and the town of Ouray. Hard to describe just the “highlights” because each place was spectacular, and pretty high, too (almost 3 weeks above 7,000ft)! Still, I have to try!
Estes Park highlights included an Elk Herd that decided the lawn just outside our RV was where they wanted to spend an afternoon at leisure. We also hiked in RMNP several times, which turns out to be a process because you need a timed-entry pass to get in, and they were sold out weeks before!!! We learned that the NPS releases “a few” timed entry passes for the next day each evening at exactly 7PM. I made sure I was online and pressing RETURN at exactly 7, and we were able to grab the passes we needed. The park and our hikes were absolutely spectacular…especially so because smoke from all the fires in the area blew away from us for the days we were there!
Next we went to Granby, and we had a choice of a couple routes to get there. One was the Trail Ridge Road thru the RMNP, which according to Tillman is the highest paved road (reaching 12,183’) in North America. We needed a timed entry pass to do this (even just to transit the park), so I did the 7PM dance and got one.
On a whim, I decided to consult a couple Bluebirdbrains about the rationality of taking our bus on a road noted for steep grades, hairpin turns and no guardrails. There are no “official” restrictions, and semi’s do this route, apparently.
One Bluebirdbrain responded: YES, definitely do it. Very scenic!
The other responded: HELL NO, I would NEVER take my bus by that route!!!
Thankful for the guidance (!?), We decided to NOT go that way, and instead took a route that was much longer, tho still pretty steep with lots of switchbacks. Mostly with guardrails, though. We will never know how much worse the other route was than the “safe route.” I do know that the “Safe Route” had plenty of opportunity for careful transmission and brake temperature management.
After Granby, we went to Steamboat Springs. This is Colorado’s lowest-elevation ski resort, though still pretty high with the base at 6,500ft. Beautiful town, with a pretty high-end vibe. We had a EXCELLENT Sushi, which cost well north of $120 for just a snack-sized meal.
We also rode the Gondola up to the top of the Ski Area, and discovered a totally insane event in progress. Known as the Steamboat 29029, this is a “marathon” where crazy people (including many who did not look any more like marathon athletes than us) walk UP the ski hill and ride the Gondola down, repeating over and over again until they have climbed the equivalent of Mt. Everest (29029 ft). In the spirit of senior debauchery, we chose to sit on the deck with a drink and watch!
Our next stop was Dinosaur National Monument, and our drive there saw our decade-long streak of massive good fortune (which has been documented extensively on this blog) nearly come to an end!
This is what they call in the entertainment business a “Cliffhanger!” Only in our case, this was almost literally true!!!
For the rest of that story, read the NEXT POST!!!
