Grand Junction to Denver and back

Yesterday I made a quick trip to Denver and back. It is the annual opening event of the "Great Kid Relay". Every summer it is done in families all over the country, you go here drop off a kid then come home or shuffle the child off to another location. I had an important leg this time, the first leg of the year. I was to take my son to Denver, where he gets to go to his Uncle's house via Grandpa and Grandma's house. Because I was the first leg of the relay I got the usual warnings from all the female participants (Pam and my mom-in-law) in the race; make sure I check the oil, and don't fall asleep a the wheel, etc...

By 8 am, Mike and I were off to hit the road. We, of course, had to stop off at the Clifton McD's for a breakfast sandwich. I do not understand what happens when I drive that I have to stop and eat at about every place in route. When at home my first meal of the day is lunch. But for some reason I have to have junk food when I drive, maybe it is a link to pioneer times where they stock up on food for the journey.

On the trip to Denver, Mike and I talked about everything and about nothing. We discussed who was a bigger tramp Brittney or Paris. We talked about merits of what was better the McGriddle or the McMuffin. For the record; I favor the McMuffin, Mike the McGriddle. No trip is complete with the counting of licence plate locations. We got two good ones (New Brunswick and Maine). We try to see if we can see 1/2 of the states by Denver, we only made it to 21 different states. I also like to tell historic stories of different areas, some from my history some general history. I sure treasure these times, with Mike.

Upon arrival in Denver, we had a tasty lunch ad Denny's off Kipling (a family favorite). At lunch my brother-in-law had the waitress keep filling our sodas. Normally I wouldn't mind that, but I had a 4 hour trek back, and didn't want to stop every hour.

So after eating lunch and drinking about 4 gallons of soda, we prepared to part ways. The family back to Nebraska and me alone to Grand Junction. We shuffled stuff between cars. My Mom-in-law is always on the look-out for books for me, at the Salvation Army where she works, when she sees a good one and she buys it up and gives it to me the next time we meet. This time was one on the 24 hours around D-Day. It looks like a good one. After we transfer all the stuff around we part ways. I wish we could have visited longer but that always happens when I get with my in-laws they are good people.

On the journey back I saw something interesting. I have been driving (or riding) this trip to Denver my whole life. I have made the trip about 10,000 times. I have seen mountain goats before, but on this trip was the first time I saw them on the shoulder of the road eating. There were about 8-10 nannies and 2 or 3 kids eating something, I couldn't see. There was one ram. The ram was standing between the heard of goats eating and an 18 wheeler parked on the side of the road. I didn't notice any humans, but this ram thought that the truck was a major threat and didn't look to happy. I thought it was interesting that the ram was worried about the parked truck and not worried about hundreds of cars whizzing by at 50 miles an hour, just 10 feet from the heard. Kinda like humans they worry about something that is no threat and avoid the real threat 10 feet away.

After a couple of rest stops (I knew I shouldn't have had all that Diet Coke), I found myself outside of Glenwood passing a slower truck and I glanced in my mirror and see a Jeep with child barley old enough to drive, using both hands to text. She was "nice enough" to get her Jeep within 18 inches from my car so that I would realize how important she was, and how big of a rush she was in and let her pass. I have been in 3 fairly nasty car accidents and had 3 speeding tickets. So I don't speed. I go the posted speed limit on the spot. No more no less. I let her pass and "waved" politely, and for expedience sake (I know she was in a hurry) I only used 1 finger.

My favorite part of any trip where I come into town from the East is seeing the roller damn and the corner that goes over the river by the first Palisade exit. It is like Grand Junction is telling me "welcome home".