Making my way to Colorado.

I am heading West leaving Kansas, the big steam room, for the heights of Colorado.

But first, most of the new states, like Kansas into Colorado, look like the old state. They grow wheat in this part of Colorado with the same machinery in the fields and grain coops. Just like in my later travels through New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Utah and Southern Colorado - can't tell a state with a program. If they didn't wear numbers you wouldn't know what state you were in - except I am in a perpetual state of confusion - but that's between my therapist and me.

The grain coops across the country need to be documented and put into a book and website.

So on to New Kansas better known as Colorado.

Look at the coop silo - if I did not tell you, you would think you I was still in Kansas - only without the steam bath weather. Height does has its advantages. All of the signs fore telling me that there is a "Reduction in Speed Ahead", the city sign is typical of most states, Name, population and elevation. Just around me in Northern California the populations are in the thousands and the elevations are in the dozens where as in Colorado, the elevations are in the thousands and the populations are in the dozens.

In Kansas, they had the signs announcing the Reduction in Speed Ahead, but rarely was there a sign signifying the name of the City much less the population or elevation. Maybe they wilted in the heat or they get blown away by the tornadoes.

The only stop I made in Colorado before my destination in Colorado Springs was the Visitor's Center in Lamar, CO. I have made stops at the first Visitor Center in a state to get maps and find out what attractions there are near the location I am stopping in for the night. With only 1 night stays in most places, the info is nice but unnecessary, but I do have good reference material for many of the states now whenever I can get back there. However, in Lamar I inquired about 2 possible stops - the Kit Carson Museum and the Big Timbers Museum.

As usual, it was much later in the day than originally planned due to the stops in Liberal, KS; the Dalton Gang Hideout and the stop at the cool Bison Range. As it was after 4 already, the Big Timbers Museum was closed for the day already and the Kit Carson Museum was closed due to being moved to a new location. Oh well, the stop to see the bison was worth missing the Big Timbers Museum.

At the Visitor Center they had this wind turbine arm. There was a sign saying that they were investing in wind farms but I did not see any on the roads I was on.

They also had a steam engine and coal car, water tank and the original wind turbine. Growing up there was park in Indy, Broad Ripple Park, that had a huge steam engine and coal car. You were allowed to climb on the steam engine. But alas, that is gone onto to a railroad museum I believe as the Parks Department could not keep up with the maintenance. I hope the new health care system also us to keep up on our maintenance so we do not end up being moved to a new museum due to the lack of maintenance.

Finally there were two statues at the Lamar visitor center. The first is of a roper and a mad bull (not a steer, check the anatomy) who is gouging the horse. I guess the artist liked bulls more than horses.

Finally there is a statue called the Madonna of the Trail. There are twelve of these across the US. I saw one in Vandalia, IL but it was hard to read the inscription from dirt and wear (must be the acid rain in Illinois) so I am sharing this one. Maybe that can be the next trip, visit all 12 of the Madonnas and report out on each one. Another idea for a travel book and web site. hmmmm, I may be onto a new career.

The final two pictures about the weather - what else. But a happy ending for the weather. I saw this cloud, it appears to be a funnel cloud, but it is just your average everyday rain cloud. I did get a few drops as I got to the end of the tunnel. But by luck as I turned around to view the funnel rain cloud as I passed it, I had pleasant surprise.

I hope all your days end with as nice of an ending as this one did for me.

Thanks for taking the time to travel along with me. The next post is one of the best experiences of my journey. See you later.

Michael