Motel 6 Sidney

... and found the only hotel nearby. It was a dump but it was the best looking dump we’ve ever seen. We got a room and settled in for the night. We went to the restaurant at the hotel and person after person came in talking about how scared they were getting caught in that wind…and they were in cars and trucks. The wonderful news is that we made it safe and none the worse for the wear. I told Barb she had ...

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Expedia and TomTom failed us when it came to lodging for the night. We knew something was wrong when we passed a sign at midnight saying: "WARNING: Correctional Facility - Do not stop for hitchhikers" Creepy.

All turned out well and we slept finally in a bed for the night in Sterling, CO. And we have sworn off using Expedia.

Chimney rock was our main destination today, this huge rock that rises out of the valley floor, was a major landmark for the early settlers. By the time they reached here they were 1/3 rd of the way, and the terrain was about to change from plains to something a little more mountainous the Rockies weren't that far away. Apparently the thing to do back then was to carve ones name into the structure ...

... and as we walked to the house we were greeted b a guy and his wife, they were in the middle of blanching a huge amount of sweet corn and so we waited until they were finished. What followed was a really interesting two and half hours, where we were guided through the history of Nebraska, starting with the ice age!!!!!

After marvelling at the collection of fossils, including a huge sabre tooth tiger we moved on to the early Indians and how they lived. Finally we were taken to an ...

... barely got wet. It was a great time, but next time I go, I want to do some bigger rapids. The highest level we got today was a 3, and our guide was describing other places, namely near South Africa, where we should go to get some level 4 or 5 rapids. After that, we were on the road. We drove all day, through Yellowstone one last time, and past the Grand Tetons. They were beautiful, but it was kind of hazy, so we didn't get the best pictures. There was some crazy construction ...

... We didn’t have time for the inside of the art museum, but did see some of the cool sculptures and some construction workers perched high above on the museum’s roof. The Denver State Capital offers one the opportunity to stand a mile high in the air. It took all of five minutes to get our numerous mile high club references and goofy pictures out of the way, and moved on to finding dinner.

We had read a lot about Osteria Marco and were pleased to give it a try ...

... NE. Beyond the miles of corn stalks and flat terrain there are some pretty decent inclines. And we've seen amazing sunsets. We will be on the bikes in no time but until then we're enjoying our 4 wheels. Keep the prayers coming, we need them.

... swimming, or launch your boat at the boat dock, there were even camping spots. Shade was no where to be found -- it was definitely a canyon. There were tall rocks up above that were interesting to look at, but just didn't compare to Bryce Canyon as far as picturesque. I've no idea what was further south. It maybe that the area gets prettier the further down you go. That is the way with a lot of places. We just didn't ...

... occasional rattlesnake. Not quite as exotic, but certainly elite, the back roads are training grounds for Colleen DeRuek, whose last name I may have spelled incorrectly, and many others whose athletic accomplishments are...humbling, but inspiring. Several members of The Dead Runners' Society welcomed me along on their Saturday trek. These are some wonderful people: bright conversationalists and generous hosts.

I got up early, a little after six and cleaned up the van, then did some work on my previous canvas. I started work on another canvas of trees along the lane but it got too windy, so I moved into the van and tried to finish from there. As things got brighter the interesting colors that I had seen the ...