So it is with travel… you have to go home once in a while, if for no other reason than you can’t start a new journey without ending the previous one.
The Idiots went home.
The snow on the La Sal mountains south of Arches NP was increasing day by day… Utah was getting colder… and Thanksgiving back in Minnesota demanded attention.
A few notes on the trip back. First of all, the long day from Arches to Denver is worth noting. The route is obvious if one glances at a map – head north on 191 to I 70, then turn east into Colorado.
Some travelers disparage the interstate highway system. The Idiots, when they don’t need to cover miles in a hurry, prefer byways to these superhighways. But I 70 is something of an exception.
Western Colorado provides some surprises. The area around Fruita and Grand Junction has lots of fruit orchards. The drive east on I 70 then becomes one of the most dramatic mountain pass roads in the world. The climb is slow and steady, following the Colorado River canyon. In less than 150 miles the elevation changes from 4500 feet to the breathlessly beautiful ski areas around Vail and Breckenridge and eventually to one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world. Just 50 miles west of Denver, the Eisenhower Tunnel carries traffic through the Continental Divide at over 11,000 feet.
This highway is an engineering marvel. Some of the canyons are extremely narrow. The last section, through the extremely challenging Glenwood Canyon, was not completed until 1992. People now blithely cross the Rockies in a day on a route that took settlers a month or more to traverse.
No photos of this crossing. The Idiots were making miles. They knew they were one day ahead of a winter storm that would make the roads particularly nasty. They cruised into Denver after dark and used the wonders of the smart phone to identify a Walmart on the eastern edge of the city near the freeway, avoiding the morning rush hour the next day.
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Now… a word about Kansas. OK… a few words.
The Idiots were informed by Kansan friends that they had “trashed” Kansas early in the “At Large” chronicles. As they reviewed their comments they had to accept that, though unintentional, they may have conveyed an unnecessarily negative message about Kansas.
The Idiots do not find crossing Kansas in late fall / early winter very stimulating – especially when where they really want to be is the deserts of the Southwest. Kansas is a pretty flat state and its beauties are often subtle. Crossing Kansas in October, one is struck by the lack of color… mostly shades of brown and gray. Idiot He did spend some time walking a harvested soybean field. He found the number of beans left behind by the mechanical harvest surprising… and satisfied his curiosity about how many small yellow soy beans one might find in the typical pod. Three.
(Idiot She is still finding soybeans in nooks and crannies of the RV – He put some in the pocket of his sweatshirt and they escaped.)
The immense fields of wheat, oats, corn, amaranth, etc. that feed the world are impressive. They are gorgeous in summer but the fallow fields have little visual interest in fall. The immense feedlots don’t deserve disdain – unless we are willing to disdain the meat on our tables – but that doesn’t make them attractive to look at or to smell.
But to be fair to Kansas – they do try harder. Case in point – the Information Center on I 70 as one enters Kansas from the west. The facility is impressive – large, attractive… and especially friendly. The free coffee is good, and the nice middle-aged ladies working in the information section are eager to share the wonders of Kansas. He was impressed with their enthusiasm, sincerity, and kindness to idiots and children.
The displays are filled with probably over a thousand brochures and promotions. The attractions they advertise are not world-famous – no Disneyworlds or Megamalls or Grand Canyons. But there are lots of smaller things. It seems that every town wants to brag about something… things like stone fence posts and scenic rural drives, cider mills and pumpkin festivals. Wizard of Oz-related sites remind one that Dorothy did return to Kansas and decided it really wasn’t so bad.
One could enjoy a lot of time in Kansas… but it is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, with the proper mindset. One has to be open to subtle beauty and the interests of everyday life.
So the Idiots enjoyed their day crossing Kansas. They left the interstate several times to drive the scenic byways. They saw attractive old farms and meandering streams and stone fence posts. They took a picture… the last of the trip… not quite sure what it is, but it is Kansas!
