Last week we ventured through Oregon, Idaho, Utah and rolled in to Colorado on Thursday afternoon. What a beautiful state. Grand Junction is on the western side of the state, framed on the north by the butte called The Book Cliffs and they define the northern side of the Grand Valley nearby. The Book Cliffs really do look like a shelf of books. Beyond, the Rockies frame the horizon. We began driving toward them and gradually entered the nearly two mile tunnel called the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnel at Loveland Pass, 11,990 feet high and the location of the Continental Divide.

Our destination was Colorado Springs, south of Denver, where Jim would attend The Colson Fellows, a worldview studies program. During the one year program, there are various teleconferences and residencies to watch and attend. Jim attended one of the residencies this past weekend, located at the beautiful Glen Eyrie.

Glen Eyrie, was built  by a railroad baron, in the early nineteen hundreds, and later obtained fifty years later, by The Navigators, a Christian organization. 800 acres of beauty beyond description. There was a castle, carriage house and beautiful ground that adjoin the Garden of the Gods. The Garden of the Gods reminded us of the countryside of Turkey, which we visited recently. The large burnt sienna red rocks, green trees and smaller rocks are stunning in their beauty.

Over the weekend, we enjoyed a break from driving. Unfortunately, nothing is perfect and we discovered a water leak in our SQ. A little pin hole in a “t joint “(I’m learning all sorts of terms I never knew) and a metal clamp around a plastic pipe caused the problem. We will have to dry camp, meaning we can’t run water—use the shower, toilet, or run water in the kitchen sink. It reminds me of tent camping. A helpful guy in a mobile RV repair van came to our campground and attempted  to fix the problem, but the pipes were not in a spot to fix very easily, where cabinets would have to be torn out. Meanwhile, we’ll use the bath facilities in the campgrounds where we stay and tote water into our SQ until we get back home. Not ideal, but a small problem.

Around noon on Sunday, we set out for Nebraska, our first stop. I love Nebraska, it’s my birth state—though I only lived here for four years, I still feel a loyalty. I love the flat land where it seems you can see forever. The cornfields. The grain silos. Farm houses in an oasis of green oaks and elms. White barns and windmills. Cattle grazing in green fields. Deserted old farmhouses makes me wonder, who lived there? Where are they now? You can see where the Platte River is by the green trees lining the banks. My grandparents farmed in Nebraska for several generations.

Kearney, Nebraska

We drove until the early evening and stopped at the local Walmart in Grand Island, home of the Nebraska State Fair. There were other campers and truckers parked in the lot too. We had a good night’s sleep and next morning, purchased a few more supplies and took off with Illinois our destination tonight. Tomorrow I’ll speak to two different women’s groups, and share my story with them.

Sunrise in Grand Island, NE

That’s it for today. Enjoy the beginning of a week with promise.

Happy trails!