The Wanderlust.

At my dentist office on March 30th , the news was disheartening.  A root canal seemed to be in my future.  Besides the fact that pain of any kind pretty much skizzes me out, looming the next day was the beginning of a westward journey we had been looking forward to for some time.  I talked my dentist into antibiotics, pain pills and Motrin, loaded a u-haul trailer to the gills and lit out for the first leg of our trip - a  turkey hunting trip in the Texas pan-handle. Friday morning the pain was winning and I was eating pills like Sweet-tarts.  By Friday evening I could have written "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"!  Gettin by with a little help from my friends began winning the pain battle by Saturday morning when the Rio Grand gobbler made a fatal mistake. Clay and Brenda, William and his two best buddies had a great hunt as did my son-in-law, Jimbo.

Spanish Peaks



Damn near dead Bighorn Sheep



Not us



Mule Deer

defeated but still smiling

  Sunday at noon Susan and Buckwheat met me at the hotel and we pointed the Cruiser and u-haul trailer West. The first obstacle was a  constant fifty mile an hour head wind. The damage was to my pocketbook at the gas pump  and my windshield from the dust storm that never seemed to end.  Snow forced us to overnight at a motel in Alamosa.  Monday morning found a new covering of ice and snow on the North Cochetopa Pass.  This definitely presented a challenge to a Mississippi river delta flatlander.  The bigger challenge was to stop the damn rig before we plowed into a herd of bighorn sheep that liked the middle of the road alot.  We almost got one forth of the sheep grand slam coming down the Pass. Buckwheat the Boykin can sure give you a funny look after times like that. Eventually we reached our destination and got the u-haul unloaded.  A fishing trip seemed to be in order!  We have had a great early season on the Little Red in Arkansas but the Rocky Mountain rivers appear to be a much larger challenge.  We have not figured out the Rocky Mountain Way as of yet.  Two good beers stuck out from the trip, Odell's Brewing Company's Wheat was a real treat.  Susan liked Lucky Bastard Ale of Stone Brewing Company.  We never had a less than great meal -  tops was sushi from a restaurant named Lil's.  A tail wind on the way back to Little Rock doubled our gas mileage for the last leg of the sojourn.

   We came away realizing our fitness level was at a modern day low for us, probably due to too many ice creams, so we've started a program of climbing, paddling and cycling.  It's a long way to the top of a fourteener from where we are now.  Once again the trip proved it's about the journey and not the destination.  We can't wait for the next one.