Epilogue

Well folks, I gotta tell ya, there are times when a song lyric just seems to fit a given situation. There is a line in "Travelin' Man" by Bob Seger that kinda fits part of this trip we just took:

Sometimes at night, I see their faces,
I feel the traces they left on my soul.
Those are the memories that made me a wealthy soul.

I have a wealthy soul indeed as a result of the people I saw on the Extravaganza. Kathy, Autumn, Jayden, Kit, Chelsea, Brian, Maya, Xander, Holden, Peyton, Gracie, Kristen, TJ, Jack, Peggy, Ashleigh, Addy, Ernie, Mandie, Cahle, Robbie, Kelly, Rachael, Dusty, Bob, Karsyn, Presley, Reese, Gary, Susan, Winter, Jeff, Abby, Ian, Shelly, Brea, Nikki, Cammy, Mason, Sable, Bella, Marge, Bob, Linda, Chris, Steph, Tori, Kalie, Sophia, Austyn, Morgan, Laurie, Melodi, Darren & Madison, and especially Tricia and Izzy, you are all among those whose lives have intersected with my own, and I will always be a better man for it.

Also, while I do love my native New England, there were oh so many sights to see.  The Great Lakes, when viewed from above, are indeed "Great!"  The green farmlands of our country's middle section are eye-catching as well. If you have never seen first-hand the Rockies in Colorado, or the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota or the plains, mountains (Devil's Tower in particular) and lakes of Wyoming, you are missing out!  I have returned home with a greater appreciation of the people and experiences in my life, and I ask you all to take stock of the people, places and events in your own lives.  There will be more pictures added to this blog at some point, but until then, #beexcellenttoeachother

Day 14

Another work day for Kathy, and Autumn  was at a friend's house before heading to Wyoming for a cmping trip.  Tricia and I drove to Kit's house to pick up Izzy. We went back to Longmont to pick up Jayden, and then the four of us went to breakfast.  Then it was time for the final drive of the trip.  We drove down Interstate 25 to the home of Chelsea & Brian, on the outskirts of Denver.

We hung out with Brian & Chelsea and the kids. Chelsea's sister Melodi came by and we were also joined by Ashleigh, Addy, Laurie, Darren & Madison.   Brian had some  green chili cooking in the crock pot, and I hepled him make some sopapillas that we stuffed with some seasoned meat, beans and cheese before topping them with the green chili.  After  a night of stories and laughs it was time to retire so we could be rested for the trip home.  No one picture could capture everything and everyone that we saw on our extravaganza, but this shot of a bunch of us late Friday night is as good as any!

Day 13

Kathy had to work, and Autumn slept over a friend's house the night before, so Jayden came with us to pick Izzy up at Kit's place in Loveland.  We took the girls to breakfast then came back to Longmont.  We tried out an indoor amusement center, but that proved to be a bit much for Izzy.  After lunch at "Twisted Noodle," we came back to the house and relaxed.  The girls had some fun at the house and we got them some pizza, since it was adults night out! Kit met us to go to dinner at 2020 Food and Wine Bar.  See below for pics Tricia took of the food, and when she writes her Yelp  review, I'll add it to this blog!

Dinner was quite good, as was the conversation.  We said goodbye to Kit, as she would be at work when we leave for Denver in the morning...

Day 12

Chris n Steph met us in Deadwood Wednesday morning for a stroll up and down Main Street.  It was good to have some time to visit with them.  After that, it was on to the longest road portion of the trip.  From green-covered Black Hillswestern South Dakota, through the sage covered plains of Wyoming, and into mountain views of northern Colorado, we covered nearly 400 miles.  We made a few stops, some for food, some for switching drivers, some for scenery, and finally got back to my sister-in-law Kathy's house in Longmont around 5:30.  

I put some pork chops on the grill and Tricia made mashed potatoes and a bacon/ mushroom/ beer gravy.  We added some salad, and had a nice dinner.  Kathy and her girls, Autumn & Jayden sat around the table with Izzy Tricia and yours truly for a peaceful meal to cap off our long day.  We had one final bit of driving in order to get Izzy up to Loveland so she could spend the night with grandma Kit and her animals...

Here's the view from one of our breaks along Rt 85 in Wyoming...

Day 11

With Mt. Rushmore (shown below) in the vicinity, we decided to go 2 for 2 on historic places.  Chris met us at the hotel and we were off!  It was a little over an hour's ride to the mountain, and just like the approach to Devil's , as we got closer to Mt. Rushmore, the views got better & better.  Since Chris and Izzy both have long legs, and cover distance faster than Tricia and I do, they actually took the Presidential Trail around the mountain after we all went through the exhibit halls. On the way back toward Spearfish, we stopped in Keystone for some shopping and snacks.  Then we found Prairie Berry Winery, the home of "Red A$$ Rhubarb" wine, and went in to do a tasting, while Izzy relaxed in the air conditioned car.  When we got back to the house in Spearfish, it was time to get ready for a birthday dinner.  Stephanie's younger daughter Kalie turned 21, so Tricia and I took over the kitchen to prepare chicken kabobs, accompanied by corn on the cob.  We picked up some potato salad and cole slaw to round things out, and finished with a cake and presents.  Chris topped it off by taking Kalie out in the ATV.  Her shirt may never be as white as it was when they left, but they had fun!

After we got Izzy settled in the hotel room, Tricia and I had some fun at the casino in the hotel.  We didn't win any money, but we had some fun!

Day 10

After our final "Susan" breakfast, we left Gillette for Spearfish, South Dakota.  Our plans included a visit to Devil's Tower (below) before we left Wyoming, and it was kinda on the way so off we went!  The drive to Devil's took about an hour, and as we approached, the views got better and better.  There are geologic reasons for the vertical  markings on the tower, but tha Native Americans of the area have myths about how the Tower came to be.  After parking, we hiked around the tower then decided to have ice cream for lunch!  

The landscape changed from the flatness of Wyoming to the rolling hills of South Dakota as we made our way to the town of Spearfish.  We arrived at the home of Tricia's brother Chris and his fiancée, Stephanie.  Steph's daughter Tori was there with her infant daughter Sophia.  Chris treated Izzy, Tricia and me to rides in a side-by-side ATV in the wooded areas near their home.  After some "four wheeling," it was time for Chris to make his "famous" fish tacos.  I'm not allowed to divulge his secret recipe, but this was some real good stuff!  Chris and Izzy managed to turn the end of dinner into a small-scale food fight 😄, and we had some marshmallow wars around backyard fire pit while making s'mores after dinner!

Day 9

I've never golfed, but before we left Wakefield, Gary called and asked if I ever played.  I hadn't, but given how much he likes to golf, I thought it would be a good time, and it was! After another one of Susan's breakfasts, we were off to the Gillette country club where we met up with a couple of Gary's golfing buddies.  We played nine holes and had a drink.  While we were doing this, Tricia and Izzy went back to Winter & Jeff's house for brunch with Winter's family.  Since they were still there when Gary and I got back from golfing, he decided to show me around Gillette, including the Wyodak coal mine and power plants. After another short visit with Shelly and her family, we started prepping for a grilled dinner with Marge, Bob & Linda, who live near Gary and Susan.  Tricia and her family have known them for years, and we shared many stories both old and new.  After our guests left, we sat outside talking with Gary and Susan for quite a while before turning in for the night.

Tricia has grown to love the timer feature on our camera, so here is a shot she took at Winter's brunch...