Longmont, Colorado: Our drive from Wyoming to Colorado on I-25 yesterday was absolutely miserable and so extremely dangerous and scary. The winds were howling. Twice My Driver had to fight to keep our huge sailing ship motorhome from being blown over. I was sure we were going over. There was no place to stop, no where to get ourselves out from the wind. The only certainty was the winds were milder south, so we just kept going. Semi trucks had slowed down to 45mph - a sure sign this was a serious storm. One semi tucked behind us and tailed behind - a sure sign he had an empty load and was especially venerable to a spill. Never, ever, ever, do I want to repeat this drive.
We were rewarded, as soon as Poor Dave could unclench his hands from the steering wheel, with an evening with My Brother Steve, his wife, Kris, and their two grown children, Michael, and Delaney, at a local brew pub. We had not seen Steve and Kris since February, and it had been much longer since we had seen our nephew and niece. Steve and Kris had driven to the Boulder County Fairgrounds to secure us a campsite (it's first-come, first-served, with a 14 night annual maximum, $25 per night, via a parking machine kiosk). There are plenty of sites, but they only offer water and electric (there is a dump station), and though not the ideal situation, is the most convenient campground available in the Boulder area for our visit - not to mention the fairgrounds border miles of bicycle and walking paths/trails.
We had a big day with the family today, including a four-mile walk with Steve and their little rescue dog, Hashtag (written "#"). The trail system is just fantastic, as it follows/goes around several streams and lakes. We saw a Golden Eagle before leaving the fairgrounds! Ospreys, lots of water fowl, songbirds, and beaver dams were spotted on our walk. We also passed several of these:
First time to see this a bicycle repair station on a bike trail. (Is this a normal thing where you live?) It has a stand on top, to flip/hang your bike during the repair, a bicycle tire pump, and a variety of tools hanging from cords. What a great idea.
After our walk, we met Kris and Steve in downtown Longmont for tacos at Jefe's. Great food, fun service, and outdoor seating. (It was 90 degrees in Longmont today.) After lunch we went Cheese Importers, the largest and nicest cheese shops, I have ever seen. The entire cheese "room" is refrigerated, so the cheese is not kept behind a deli counter. (They offer coats to wear if you become too cold while shopping in the cheese room.) Not only do they have hundreds of cheeses from every corner of the globe, they also offer foods, kitchen items, toys, books, linens, cookware, and dishware from around the world (with a serious nod to anything French). I was in heaven! If my day couldn't get any better, Kris and I had pedicures while the boys went to a bike shop.
For dinner (so much food today!) Steve grilled fresh Coho salmon and vegetables. I brought an appetizer tray. The kids joined us again for dinner, and I forced the "children" to pose for photographs (they each live in nearby apartments).
Mochi is the biggest softie. So sweet and gentle.
More adventuring planned over the next few days. I may not post daily, but rest assured, we are having fun and are being well-fed! Until my next update, I remain, your cheesy correspondent.
Yes, the Trolley Trail in Oak Grove, Oregon has bicycle repair stations.
Glad you landed safely, that I-25 through Wyoming is noted for its wind!