THE LONG RUN

We left Jackson Hole, Wyoming and drove and drove. Our stops in Wyoming were in Buffalo, Green River, and Rawlins. Next, we crossed into Colorado and stopped in Fort Collins, and then Denver, where we stayed at Chatfield State Park. Chatfield State Park was very nice and we had a view of the lake. We also got to spend a little time with some of our favorite little humans. Then we moved to North Sterling State Park in northeastern Colorado. The short version of all of this is that Wyoming was windy; we liked downtown Fort Collins; and we had a close encounter with a tornado outside of Denver. That was a little scary, even for brave scaredy-cats.

All in all, we spent about a week and a half on the Front Range of the Rockies, which if you don’t already know, is the east side of the Rockies. We officially entered the vast expanses of the Great Plains when we crossed into Nebraska. Again with the wind! We made brief stops at North Platte and Grand Island in Nebraska, and then another stop west of Omaha. You may say that we’re glossing over this part of the country. Your point? One of my former lives was growing up on the plains, so okay, it’s a nice place to visit if you pick your time of the year carefully.

We made our next stop in Des Moines, Iowa. Our first day trip was to Madison County, made famous by the book and movie - Bridges of Madison County. We stopped in Winterset, the county seat. We were pleasantly astounded by the town square. Every building around the square is on the National Register of Historic Places. The courthouse is smack in the middle of the square and is imposing even with the renovations taking place. We talked to the helpful lady at the Chamber of Commerce, got our handy dandy map, and started driving around looking for bridges. There are seven covered bridges spread out around the county. We saw three of them and came away in a nice, peaceful state of mind. Beautiful country and sights.

The Eagles were one of my favorite bands when I was a kitten. That kind of dates me, but I’m determined to do as many farewell tours as The Eagles, so I’ll be around for awhile. I always enjoy the rhythms, lyrics, and harmonies. The band did Seven Bridges Road, which I really enjoy and has great harmonies. But, that’s too easy and it’s not written by one of The Eagles. The Long Run is a song from 1979. The song makes me think. Be aware of what I want and need. Keep going. Work it out. Stay strong, which can mean showing vulnerability sometimes.

We took a tour of downtown Des Moines to get a feel for the place. In sum, really nice. The State Capitol is pretty impressive. We really enjoyed East Village, which an area for the hip cats. There is a store there called Raygun, which sells everything counterculture, irreverent, and fun. One of my favorite slogans is, “Des Moines, let us exceed your already low expectations.” I read that despite being in what some call “flyover country,” Des Moines is quickly and quietly becoming very cool.

One last thing. Betty and I stopped to have lunch at El Bait Shop on 2nd Street in Des Moines. According to the owners, El Bait Shop has the largest craft beer selection on tap west of the Mississippi River. In particular, 251 beers on draft and over 100 more in bottles. Needless to say, Betty took the opportunity to sample one of the stouts. Fun.

I need a nap,

Buster

Home Blog

Contact Subscribe