The move is on...Eastward Ho

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Geo: 38.8405, -97.6097

Today marks the first day of our return home. It was a major moving day eastward. Because we were losing an hour today, we got up early and left at 7:00 AM and a very chilly 45 degrees. Knowing it would get very warm before the day was over, we were in shorts. Thank goodness for seat warmers. I will say, it didn't take long for the warm-up to begin. By 8:10 AM it was 70 degrees (of course we were moving out of the mountains during this time). By 9:15 it was 86 degrees and an hour later it was 90 degrees. We arrived in Salina, KS at a whopping 97 degrees, so we more than doubled the temperature in just a few hours. Wow!

So, we began the day driving east on Rt. 40 and what a drive this was. First we climbed over the mountains using switchback after switchback and after topping out, we descended the other side again using switchback after switchback. For the most part, the only vehicles on the road were 18 wheelers and us. I guess it was too early for the locals.

We ended up in rush-hour traffic in Denver and that slowed us down a bit. And as we drove away from the Rocky Mountains, I could not help but think about what I always think about here…when the pioneers came over the plains and saw these giant mountains in front of them, what did they think? After all we have overcome to get this far, how are we going to conquer this? It had to be a heart-stopper.

So, the ride from that point for the next 450 miles was unremarkable. It was prairie with some farm crops here and there and some cattle. And if I ever thought cows are not smart, I take that back. We saw many cows standing in watering holes up to their chests. Why? It was 97 degrees, and absent of any shade trees, they certainly know how to cool off. The only other thing of note was the wind turbines. I am not exaggerating…we saw thousands of them. Thousands. Steve calls them dancers. They are certainly very graceful as they slowly turn with the breeze. Yes, you could say they dance.

Tomorrow another moving day, all the way to St. Louis. I expect we will see more farmland. We have driven this route many times, now. What will the day have in store for us? Stay tuned.

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