An Almost Two Week Driving Trip For Susie and Ron

Ron and I have traveled the world, from London and Paris, to Turkey, Japan, Cuba and West Africa, and dozens of places in between.  Every trip we have ever taken always seems a few days too long for Ron.  He is longing for home, his own bed, his dog, several days before the trips end.  Not so on this last trip.  We started our driving trip on a Monday, and 13 days later returned home.  Ron says that he never longed for home on this driving trip.  Why?

This was really our first long driving trip, ever.  Once, about 40 years ago, we drove to the Grand Canyon, but that was quick and easy.  This time we drove to Basalt, Denver, Boulder, Phoenix and back to Los Angeles.  I figure we drove about 2,200 miles in all, and we both had a wonderful time.  Of course knowing that our dog Pepper was well cared for by Grandma and Chayo, eased our minds.  We began our driving on a Tuesday morning, had lunch at Steak and Shake in the Southpoint Hotel in Las Vegas, then Ron played two hours of poker while I relaxed at the pool.  At 3pm we were off for Cedar City, Utah, our first overnight.

Traveling with a disabled person is new to me, and quite a challenge.  Ron was a bit nervous, as he knows things might go wrong, and he doesn't like that.  Fortunately our first hotel was perfect, with a roll in shower, bars in the bathroom, and wide spaces in the room.  We had a nice barbeque dinner at Charlies, really delicious, and got to bed early, as we had a long drive the following day.

The drive through Utah into Colorado was spectacular.  Pictures would not show the true beauty, so we just enjoyed the drive.  We arrived around 4pm in Basalt, a small town near Aspen, to spend the evening with Ian and Carol.  They made a delicious dinner and we sat around and watched some political TV.  The supreme court hearings were in full swing, and there was much to talk about.  We loved our visit with them, and hope to see them in the spring in Phoenix, where they spend half the year.

Another long day of driving and we ended up in Denver.  David, Tracy and Calvin live in Centennial now, having just bought a beautiful home there.  We spent the afternoon with them, then freshened up before dinner at a Littleton sports bar.  It was Monday night, and the men didn't want to miss any football action.  Calvin is growing up so fast!  He's talking up a storm, and is in constant motion.  Just an adorable little child.

The next day was spent with David and his family.  Around 5pm Phil and his wife and children came from Boulder, for a big family dinner.  Chicken, corn on the cob, and a big caesar salad were devoured, followed by cookies and cake.  It was great to see the kids enjoying each other.  I'm sorry that they don't get to spend more time together.

I'm a little long winded, so I will finish our adventures in my next post.  Bye for now.