Going to Guatemala!

 August 26

We will be leaving Tuesday for a Guatemala Tour.  It’s been a bit of a crazy time with my family from Japan visiting this month.  Covid was an uninvited guest that came along with them.  Just as we were coming out of quarantine, I came down with it.  I will be on day 12 post symptoms when we fly to Guatemala so, we’re good.  

We’ve had a good visit and did a lot of fun things while Andy and the kids were here.  And best of all, lots of good hanging around the house together and being together is what the visit was all about.  Lots of card games, arts and crafts.  

So on to other adventures until next summer when we hopefully come together again.

June 12 Heading East to Lincoln, Nebraska

 It’s time to say good bye to the mountains.  It’s been a great trip and we’ve seen so many beautiful places and visits with friends and family.  I’m glad that we have the Iowa visits to look forward to and not just miles and miles of ground to cover.

Nick’s hip is really bothering him so I do the loading up of the car.  Nick calls me the Tetris queen.  I am always able to get everything in with an area in the middle that is lower so that we can see out the back through the rear view mirror.  

We’re able to keep up our no fast food and stop at a Mexican restaurant for lunch.  You know it is pretty authentic when it has Jamaica and Horchotta.   This didn’t disappoint.  Another Miles for Kossigan Saga book and some On Being with Krista Tippit gets us to Lincoln.  I bring in some food from a good Italian place as Nick is having trouble walking more than about 20 feet without looking for a place to lean or even better, sit.  I find a local Walmart and buy him a heating pad and some roll on hot/ice.  It’s a long night……

June 13 Pella

 Nick’s  hip is still really hurting him.  It’s about a 3 1/2 hour drive to Pella.  It’s good to be back in Iowa.  When driving through Des Moines, we are able to see the domes of the state capital.  Even though the landscape isn’t the dramatic stuff that we’ve seen this last weeks. But, it’s always going to be home to me and I love it.  

Nick isn’t able to walk or stand so I go to Dutch Fix and order for both of us.  I get Dutch Mess which is mashed potatoes, lettuce, hard boiled eggs, scallions and a hot bacon vinegar dressing.  When we made it at home, we used chopped boiled potatoes.  We used a higher percentage of leaf lettuce.  Nick got stat pop  which is mashed potatoes with spiced beef and red cabbage.  We took it to West Market Park where we met Lisa Rock and Wayne Stenstra.  Susan Bring drove down from Minneapolis and we met up there.  Hugs all around.  Too buy catching up to take pictures….

Lisa, Susan and I go to the Roe Center which is where the Psych department is housed.  It’s on the site of where Dr Mills;’ house stood.  Dr Mills made many bronze frogs that are hidden around the building.  There is a beautiful portrait of Schultze that was commissioned and donated when he retired.  Brought tears to my eyes.  

We parted with Lisa and Susan and I headed to the bakery.  Almond logs, cream puffs, cream horns.  After depositing our purchases in the car, we walked around downtown Pella a little bit, including Int Velts meat market.  Pella Bologna, caraway cheese, beef jerky, 

Susan wanted to visit Mother’s grave.  I haven’t been there since we interred her ashes.  I found out that she is buried at C-15.  I though that would do it but there aren’t any signs of which section is which.  We drove around a little while and didn’t find it.  We have a dinner reservation at the Amana Colonies so needed to get going.  

It was a really short time in Pella but all that we have time for  on this visit.

Notice the rainbow wreaths on the doors.  Looks like it’s still the loosest church in town.  

I drove Susan’s car to Amana which gave us a bit more time to talk.  We had planned to meet up with Steve Bray in Amana for dinner but something came up and he couldn’t meet us.  We ate at the Ox Yoke and  all the family style.  They first brought pickled beets, cole slaw, strawberry jam, bread, cottage cheese with dill and strawberry fluff which takes me back to the 60’s.  Then came the main courses, Susan and I both got smoked pork chops of different varieties.  Nick got sour Braden.  They came with bowls of mashed potatoes and corn.  When we asked for more of anything, they brought us more.  Oink!  And then there are the pies.  We ordered apple, chocolate peanut butter and banana cream.  Oink, Oink, Oink.  

Nick and I continue on to Independence and Susan stays at a B&B in Amana.  

We get to Judy’s at dusk and are greeted with enthusiasm by Judy and her 2 Irish Setters.  Joe had already turned in for the night.  Nick hobbles in.  Judy has been able to get him an appointment with their chiropractor in the morning.  She has a couple of ice packs that help a bit.  

June 11 Second day at Rocky Mountain National Park

The day started with a text from Pam that 4 elk were hanging out in the area in front of our cabin.  Sure enough, just hangin out.  We went out on our porch to look at them and they looked at us.  They were still there when we were ready to go to the park.  We followed Pam’s example and walked next to the cabin very slowly and in the opposite direction from where the elk were hanging out.  

We were able to get a pass for Bear Lake again today.  We want to take the hike to Alberta Falls.  The trailhead is at the Bear Lake parking area.  The hike is about a mile to the falls, then we walk part way back but turn down to catch the shuttle bus back to Bear Lake parking lot.  This route is mostly downhill.  It’s a pretty trail with a combination of pines and aspens.  Little chipmunks are quite curious and brave around humans.  Seems to know that food is often carried in backpacks.  Nick’s back is really bothering him so he is taking lots of short breaks.  When we get to the falls, there are big boulders.  Nick isn’t up to clambering up the boulders so he stays at the base of the falls while I make my way up closer to the top of the falls.  It’s always neat to be next to the power of the water.  

On the way back from the falls, I get into the “eyes” in the bark of the Aspens.  As I’m taking a picture of one of them, a woman rants to me about all of the graffiti in the Aspen bark.  Sure, I wish it wasn’t there but I’m not going to focus on that during an entire beautiful walk.  

While waiting for the shuttle, we see some yellow jackets by the trash cans.  Yiuck!  I was feeling rather safe from them thinking it was too cold for them to be active.  So, I continue to carry my eppie pins.  And moved away from the bench by the trash can.  

We drive down to Sprague Lake.  We ate lunch here yesterday but it started raining so we weren’t able to take the walk around the lake.  Today, a moose is hanging out near the shore of the lake. A ranger happens to be there to guard the moose from crazy people.    We watch the moose for awhile and then it starts raining.  Oh, this isn’t rain!  This is hail!  Rush back to the car!  They are only about 1/4” diameter.  Enough hail that it looks like a light covering of snow.  

Our next stop is the Alluvial Fan.  This is an area that was formed by a dam that broke in 1982.  As the water came crashing down, it brought lots of rock with it.  It was deposited in a fan shape as the land flattened out.  

There will be a ranger talk about the mountain sheep at Sheep Lake but not for another 1 1/2 hours.  Sounds like lunch time.  We’re at the very edge of the park so go out of the park to a restaurant with a nice view.  It was just cool and windy enough that we chose an inside table.  

After lunch, we enter the park again and go a short distance to Sheep Lake.  Ah, it’s Ranger Liz, who was at Sprague Lake.  She is an interesting, entertaining lecturer.  She has ram and ewe horns.  That ram horn is really heavy!  Also the hoof of the mountain sheep.  The hoofs have 2 valved parts with pads on the bottom that can work as suction cups to hold on to the rocks.  There is another moose here at Sheep Lake also.  I see someone putting their phone up to their binoculars.  She shows me how to do it.  It works! But I need a third hand to push the shutter button.  

Nick’s back is really bothering him and we’ve pretty much seen all the points we had planned to see so head back to our cabin.  Nick eases into the hot tub.  

We have reservations at a special restaurant for dinner tonight.  It is in an old lodge with a great view.  Robert Frost was one of their guests.  It was really good and very  special.  We started with wontons with duck and corn and a sweet dipping sauce.  Yummy! We both went with a steak main course.  We had a coupon for the peach cobbler.  Somehow, we managed to eat most of it.  

More hot tub.  

June 10. First day at Rocky Mountain National Park

 Pam was able to secure us entry passes to the Bear Lake region of the park.  They are timed entry and ours are 8-10AM.  We are warned to not time it too closely, as the cars can line up and make it so you can’t get there as quickly as expected.  I pack us a picnic lunch, Pam gives us crampon type things to put over our hiking boots in snowy, Icy areas.  We get to the park a little before 9 and the line is short.  The turn off to Bear Lake is almost as soon as we enter the park.  It is about a 30 minute drive up, up, up,  a curvey, narrow road.  We are lucky and get a parking spot.  

We talk to a ranger volunteer about different possible hikes.  After some debate between Nick and I, we decide to do the longer, harder hike today which is to Dream Lake.   First we come to Bear Lake which is very close to the parking area and small enough for us to walk around it in about 30 minutes.  A delightful family with 3 kids are stopped to look at something.  It’s a marmot.  Would have walked right past without seeing it if they hadn’t been stopped. 

There is another lake on the way to Dream Lake.  Nymph Lake.  We asked the ranger if it was worth going to.  His answer was, “Not unless you’re going on to Dream Lake.”  It was a nice excuse to take a rest along the trail but not a destination.  

The path again becomes quite steep and there are a few patches of snow and ice.  We’re glad we have the strap on crampons from Beth.  We first come to some falls emptying out of the lake. Than the lake itself. There is still quite a bit of snow around it.  The next lake along the path is Emerald Lake.  But it has a lot more snowy, icy patches and is another .6 miles there and .6 miles back. More than we want to do.  

Our next stop is Sprague Lake where we eat our picnic lunch.  Hmmmm.  Seems that the clouds are rolling in.  We start our walk around this lake and it starts sprinkling.  Oh dear, that’s not water!  That’s 1/4” hail!  Rush back to the car.  There is enough that it looks like a dusting of snow in the grass.  

Definitely time for car-hiking.  We take the Trail Ridge Road up to the snowy Alpine visitor’s center.  The road is really kinda scary but the views are amazing.  And OH IT’S COLD and WINDY.

On the way back down, we stop at the Tundra trailhead.  I go about 1/2 mile on the trail.  There are interesting little signs along the way that are good excuses to take a break.  At this high altitude, they are quite welcome. 

Back to our comfortable cabin and the hot tub.  We go to a local place called the Rock Inn.  We were sitting right next to the music - an acoustical guitar.  It was nice and even being right next to him, it wasn’t too loud.  I had some good local trout.  

WWhen we get back Pam and Charles are starting a fire in the pit and have s’mores makings.  Pam had some chocolate filled marshmallows.  Sounded promising but the chocolate didn’t melt.  Everyone agreed that they appreciated the idea but it needs improvement.  About 8 people ended up around the campfire.  When I first joined the campfire, there was only one person there.  First comment out of his mouth was a negative Yankee comment.  Oh no!  Could be a long night or maybe I should leave right now.  He turned out to be better than my first impression and we stayed until bedtime.