Day 4

 Today we left Walsenberg and drove to Durango Colorado. We drove the whole distance on highway 160, which was scenic all the way. It was a beautiful sunny day and the golden Aspens shone vibrantly against the dark green pines and gray rock faces. It was a picture perfect drive especially with snow capped peaks showing up on every side. We arrived in Durango about 3:00pm and spent the rest of the day exploring the old city, eating at a local bar and watching an old steam engine puff into view. All in all a lovely relaxing day, topped off with gin and tonics at our hotel bar. A free welcome treat from the establishment. Tomorrow it's back to sight seeing. We must be up early so heading to bed now. 

Day 3

 Today was a study in contrasts. We left Salina Kansas this morning about 10am. During the first three hours of the drive it was very, very windy with trucks and cars struggling to stay in their lanes on the interstate as the wind blew straight across the highway over the flat lands of Kansas. Giant windmills dotted the countryside for miles. After we got off the interstate we decided we needed a break so we stopped at an IHOP for a late brunch, so delicious. Soon after that we got off the interstate and proceeded on regular roads southwest into Colorado. The afternoon drive was so different from the morning drive. We drove, well my wonder spouse drove and I navigated, into Colorado on the quietist roads you can imagine. We drove for hours with hardly anyone else on the road, through occasional small towns with towering grain elevators, and watched in awe as the scenery changed from the flat lands of Kansas to our first views of the mountains. Still lots of giant windmills and about an equal number of oil wells, but flanked by mountains. This evening we are staying in Walsenberg Colorado and celebrated our safe and serene arrival here by going to a local pizza place called Gub Gub. It was delicious pizza, the final contrast of the day. IHOP crepes and Gub Gub classic pizza, so different, yet both so good. 

Day 2

 Today was a travel day from St. Louis, MO to Selina, Kansas, about 6 hours of actual driving time.  No real tourist activities although we did have a delicious lunch at a Steak & Shake along the way.  We tried their new tallow fried potatoes, every bit as good as advertised, and the burgers were great too. At a stop for gas we bought a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, an appropriate souvenir for us. In the evening we ate supper at Schlotzky's Deli. That was a new experience for me so I guess it was a kind of touristy day after all. More driving tomorrow, then we will get into the really exciting parts of the trip. Stay tuned. 

Day 1:

 Today my Wonder Spouse and I ventured forth on the first day of our two week south west adventure. We have made it as far west as Chesterfield, MO where we are spending the night. We spent much of the afternoon in St. Louis touring the Gateway Arch. It is really an amazing structure. We did ride one of the tiny  elevators sideways and up (like stairsteps) to the very top where we had time to appreciate the view from all sides. There were some steps to climb and lines to wait in but it was well worth it. Just seeing the arch from a distance is great but I highly recommend that you take the tour the next time you're in St. Louis.  For some reason I can't send pictures this evening, will try again tomorrow. 

brain games..

 Just for a change, I told my west coast brother what special day today, October 13, is.  He and his family were busy celebrating the birthdays of two of their sons so I understand and am happy to take my turn.

Today is "National Train Your Brain Day."  I don't know if this counts as brain training, but every day my spouse and I do at least three of the New York Times puzzles.  We can access these on our phones.  How did we ever play games before cell phones?

I work through 'Wordle' quite successfully.  I can usually get the answer in three or four guesses.  Then I work on 'Connections', which is definitely more difficult.  Occasionally I must take a hint.  And then there is 'Strands.'  This is my favorite because I can almost always solve it with no hints at all.  

My wonder spouse and I are friendly competitors, and sometimes even collaborators.  In addition I like paper games, especially 'Sudoku.'  I can also spend a lot of time playing Free Cell, a lovely old computer 'card' game, which can always be solved, although sometimes it takes several trys.

All of this is to say that I do think it's good to execise my brain, but sometimes I need a break. Today was just such a day.  After spending most of the day finishing packing for our south west trip (we're leaving tomorrow at 9:00am) and making time to train our brains with our puzzles, this evening my wonder spouse and I spent a delightful two hours watching the old James Bond movie "Goldfinger." It was very relaxing, but not at all mentally taxing.  And that's ok for a change.

A timely reminder...

 My west coast brother informed me that today is his youngest son's 31st birthday, and also, quite coincidentally, "International Moment of Frustration Scream Day." I am very happy for my nephew and all the family but I did have a frustration today (nothing to do with my nephew) that made me want to scream, or at least cry. 

I went to a local. very nice, very reputable nursing home today to visit my 90 year old cousin.  I was surprised when I walked in the door to be told that I must wear a mask.  They had them available but this had never been a requirement during previous visits.  I put on a mask and signed in. After that, when I told a nurse who I was here to visit, I was told that I could visit my cousin but would need to put on a gown and gloves, as well as the mask.  While I was still absorbing that, another nurse came up, asked who I wanted to see, and when I responded, told me quite firmly that my cousin has COVID and wouldn't be able to have visitors until Friday.  When I mentioned that I'm leaving on vacation on Wednesday, she took me firmly by the arm and practically pushed me out the door with instructions to go home and use hand sanitizer or, better yet, wash my hands thoroughly with soap and water, which I did as soon as I got home. 

I have written a letter to my cousin (typed - very large print) which I will mail tomorrow. I hope she receives it and will understand why I couldn't visit.  I am feeling frustrated because I naively thought we were done with COVID.  Take care, everyone.  

Going...

 My West Coast brother has told me that today is "You Go Girl Day." That seems like a fine day to me. To celebrate I did GO to church and convinced my spouse and our house guest to GO with me. After church we decided to GO to Wu's for an excellent Chinese lunch. After we came home I convinced the other two that we should probably all GO to our favorite relaxing spots and try to GO to sleep for a brief afternoon nap (an excellent Sunday afternoon tradition). That seems to have worked. It has been very quiet around here for the last couple of hours. I have decided to GO ahead and write this blog on my phone for practice because I will be writing my blogs this way while we are on the GO later this week. Now I must stop this foolishness and GO do some packing.