These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

My trip

I'm about halfway through the trip. Time to report in, right?

The trip here was uneventful, but loooong. I drove three hours to Albuquerque, waited almost two hours, then flew about 1.5 hours to Salt Lake City. After a half-hour or so on the ground, there was another 1.5 hour flight to Denver. Caroline and Dede were there to pick me up, and we claimed my bag, then drove to dinner at Elways. OK, hard for a die-hard KC Chiefs fan to admit, but the food was very good! We had a calamari appetizer, then I had Alaskan halibut. It was excellent! I also had a couple glasses of wine, and the two hour drive to their house just about put me to sleep.  I didn't sleep, however, because we talked the whole way!

Saturday was the day for setting up Dede's computer network. It was disconnected when her house was painted, and she admits that her knowledge of computers basically stops at the keyboard. So Caroline and I crawled around on the floor, untangled cables and cords, matched cables and cords to machines, relocated some of them, and finally got it all hooked up again. Now she can use her printers, scanners, and the iMac desktop once again. Whew!

While doing all of this, I sipped on my coffee. I had several cups, and as we neared the end of the reconstruction, I began to feel light-headed and as if my body was racing. I decided I'd had too much caffeine and should quit and rest a while. But over the next few minutes, it kept getting worse, and it was now accompanied by some nausea. All this was coming and going in waves, increasing in intensity, and I was beginning to feel awful! And Caroline said, "You're having altitude sickness!" She went through the very same thing, sans the coffee when she first moved here, and she knew exactly what those symptoms meant!

Lucky for me, they have an oxygen concentrator as Dede has some sleep apnea, so they found an unused cannula and got me on oxygen right away. In about thirty minutes, I was feeling much better! I stayed on the O2 for the next 24 hours+, and after that I was alright. Weird! I've been at high altitude before, I live in high altitude, so I didn't expect any adjustment problems. Well, I shouldn't have been so casual about it! It's all good now, but it was definitely an experience!

Sunday Caroline took me for a tour of the area. that's where the pictures in the previous post came from. It was a nice ride, and I was stirred with memories of living just about 60 miles south of there in Salida when I was in 2nd and 3rd grade. We had a nice ride, got lots of beautiful pictures, had a yummy lunch of gyros, and returned to the house where Dede had been busy preparing our dinner, turkey and trimmings! We decided that since it was the weekend for the Canadian Thanksgiving, we were honoring our northern neighbors with the meal!

On Monday we got up and were out of the house rather early, so we could scoot down the mountain to Denver. Saw more pretty scenery on the road.





Once we got to Denver, our first stop was here ....


Here I bought some ginger crisps, very thin ginger snaps that are the best I've even tasted. A coworker brought some back just before I came on this trip, and I fell in love! I immediately sent a text to Caroline saying I "needed" to go to IKEA! I also bought a French coffee press, something I've wanted for a while.

IKEA is interesting. The furniture leaves me completely cold. Absolutely not my style. But the department with kitchen things rocks! I could spend a couple hours looking at those things, drooling, and making a wish list as long as my arm!

Next we were off for lunch. Caroline has been wanting to go to Casa Bonita for a long time and today was the day. I was there around 35 years ago when my kids were small, and it was fun. As I recalled the food was decent, and the entertainment fun. the whole interior of the restaurant was done to fascinate kids .... OK, and adults found it entertaining, too!

It was not the same experience this go-round. It is rundown to a degree, the food was merely passable (and the margarita I ordered was the absolute worst I've ever had; I sent it back), the entertainment was very hokey and the better parts were limited (the "Acapulco style diver" made just 2 dives!) It was disappointing. Caroline said she is glad she finally got to see it, but she won't return. Yep.




We took time before leaving to visit Black Bart's Den. 













I took some photos of the "entertainment" and the decor inside the restaurant, but the lighting was horrible and nothing turned out. Sorry. But here is one that turned out well ....

Caroline and me!


Caroline and Dede drove me to my brother's house which is northeast of Denver, in the flatlands. I'll fill you in on that in another post.

Later, gators!





9 comments:

  1. Even the disappointing venues somehow become memorable events when loved ones are together. One day your drive from an airport will include things like "Remember when I sent the margarita back at that hokey restaurant!

    May your trip continue to make wonderful memories!

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  2. You are so right, LC. Many great "remember whens" begin with those times in life that weren't so nifty when they happened, but generate chuckles in the memories.

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  3. so glad u R having a gr8t time, keep it up

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  4. It has been fun to read both yours and Caroline's posts on your trip. Sorry about the altitude sickness, but glad the rest went well. Sounds like lots of good catching up time!

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  5. Been there ~ done that CB thing... I expect I would have the same reaction as you!

    One of my aunts was a cook for miners waaay back in the day in Salida! Historical tidbit!

    Have fun!

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  6. Nan, I am!! :)

    Dakota, it has been good for us both, I think. I hope that we will be able to see each other more often, now that we are a bit closer.

    MM, it is odd how many connections with the Salida and Leadville area have turned up since this started!

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  7. Happy travels, but do take care of yourself.

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  8. Thanks, Friko. I'm heading home tomorrow, and I'm ready.

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  9. Glad you're having a wonderful trip even with altitude sickness.

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!