Adding it all up

Duration:  39 days, 38 nights

Distance:  8,586 miles

Total Cost per mile:  $1.01

States visited: 20, plus Washington, D.C. and the Canadian province of Ontario

Locations where we stayed at least one night:  28

Gallons of fuel: 264.37

Average MPG: 33.06

Average fuel cost per gallon:  $4.13.  (Would have been a good deal lower if we had not spent time in Canada!)

National Parks / Monuments / Memorials visited:  7, plus at least 6 of the memorials on or near the Mall in Washington, D.C.

Major League Baseball games attended:  3.  Go Dodgers!

Major League Ballparks visited (no game played on the date visited):  2

State Capitals visited (meaning, we drove through the city and viewed the building from the outside):  4

State Capitols visited (meaning, we entered the building):  3

Times we crossed the continental divide:  9  (How can that be an odd number?)

Family visited:  2

Friends visited:  20 who we actually knew before, plus dozens, if not hundreds, of new friends along the way.

Times we washed the car:  4

Times we did laundry:  4

Live music concerts attended:  4

Illnesses:  0
Instances of car trouble:  0

Times we turned on the television:  0

Loads of fun!

And, surprisingly enough, we still like each other!

Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

Be it ever so humble . . .

There's no place like home!

 And we are home, as of about 2:30 PM today.

We'll post a more complete synopsis in a day or two.  Be sure to tune in for that.

Miles today = 291.  TO = 8586

Homeward Bound

This morning we packed up and bade farewell to our gathered UCR friends.  We spent 3 great days and nights with them.

We stayed in a HUGE and very lovely house which is part of the YMCA complex in Estes Park.

In a sense, we concluded our great adventure with that departure.  We have no more sights to see, no more destinations to visit, no more events to attend, and no more friends with whom we can meet up.

It's a simple matter of setting our sails for home.  Inconveniently, the trip is much too lengthy to do it all in one day.

So, today we began what we call our 'Three Day Dash for Home'.  The dash will be about 1,150 miles long.

Today we headed north for a couple of hours, crossing into Wyoming and connecting with I-80, then west across most of southern Wyoming.  Tonight we rest in Evanston, WY, on the western edge of the state, just 4 or 5 miles from the Utah state line.

If all goes well, we'll be home in less than 48 hours.  Cross your fingers please!

Miles today = 426.  TO = 7860

Take me out to the Ballgame!

On Wednesday afternoon, we took a side trip from our gathering of UCR friends.

We attended a Colorado Rockies afternoon game at Coors field. We love attending MLB games when we can, especially when we have a chance to do so in a stadium that we have not previously seen.  Lynne had been here before, but David had not.

Lovely venue, and a nice day for the most part - a brief but intense rain shower notwithstanding.

And, the Rockies won!  Something that they have not been doing very often lately.  Final score:  Rockies 6, Washington Nationals 4.

We were back in Estes Park in time for dinner with our reunion crowd, and S'Mores around the campfire for dessert.

All in all, a very fun day.

Friends!

We mentioned we were headed to Estes Park after Denver.  Before we left - on Sunday night we dined with friends of Lynne's from The Hartford.  We ate at a restaurant overlooking the Centennial Airport south of Denver.  We saw several private jets take off and land.  Great company and very fun.

Monday morning we toured around Denver seeing the state capitol building (new Capitol for David), downtown and the house where Lynne's mom grew up.

Once we arrived in Estes Park on Monday afternoon we met up with 12 other folks - most of whom we attended U C Riverside with 40 years ago.  We are at the YMCA of the Rockies in a very large house with 9 rooms and a very large common area and kitchen.  You can only imagine all of the conversations!

Today we took a bus tour into Rocky Mountain National Park and thoroughly enjoyed the education and the scenery.  It is truly beautiful.

Tomorrow, we are heading back to Denver for a Rockies baseball game and then back up to Estes for dinner with the gang and a campfire.

Denver bound...

Yesterday we headed up over Independence Pass south of Aspen to the Denver area.  The pass is high above the tree line at 12095' and extremely pretty.  Quite the ride !  At least we were in a car and not on a two wheeler...  We actually crossed the Continental Divide three times on our way out of Snowmass yesterday.  This was the first.

We again spent some time on Interstate 70 - but on a Sunday afternoon going east it is VERY crowded - it took us 2+ hours to go about 35 miles.  EEEK..

Today we head to back up into the Rocky mountains to  Estes Park for our college reunion..  We will be there until we begin our trek for home on Thursday morning.

 Miles yesterday = 180.  TO = 7141.

What a show!

It is Sunday morning, and we are preparing to leave Snowmass.

We've had a great time here for the last two days.

Friday was a day to get acquainted with the village and do some loafing.  Friday afternoon/evening was the start of a two day music festival, benefiting the Aspen Deaf Camp.

We're here largely because some of our musical friends are performing as part of the festival.  Among them are Mack Bailey and Pete Huttlinger, both of whom have given concerts in our living room.

They performed Friday evening as a trio with Chris Nole, who is a well known keyboardist.

On Saturday, we rode the free bus in to Aspen, and spent quite a bit of time strolling around this very lovely town.  We also booked a ride on the tram to the top of Aspen mountain, elevation something a bit over 11,500 feet.  Incredible views from the top.

Saturday evening was the high point of the festival.  Several good acts performed, ending with the 'John Denver Band'.  This is a group fronted by Mack, who has an incredible tenor voice, and comprised of several of JD's former bandmates, including Chris, Pete, and several others.  They gave an incredible 1 hour plus performance.

How long has it been since you've heard 'Rocky Mountain High' performed live, and, at a locale that really is high in the Rocky Mountains to boot?

Tonight we are in Denver for dinner with two of Lynne's friends from The Hartford.  On Monday, it's off to Estes Park, and Rocky Mountain National Park for a three day reunion with a number of friends from UCR.  Has it really been 40 years?  No way!