I left Florissant, Missouri around 4:00 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7th , looking like the ultimate sportsman, with my kayak, snow skis, bike, and fishing poles tied to the top of the car. I had to leave a lot behind at Matt’s (sorry bud!) but it just wouldn’t all fit. I also had Reiley, and four fish, all Beta’s so they had to be kept in separate containers.
My best Two-Steppin’ partner Will made me three CD’s of our favorite two-steppin’ songs. Number 17 on the first disk was a song dedicated to me on my last night out with the cowboy crowd in St. Louis. I’m not sure who sings it, but it made him cry, and me very sad….you see Will and I dance like one. Neither of us has ever found anyone better to dance with, and now he’s left there alone, and I don’t expect to find much two steppin’ in Washington.
It’s your life
You say you need a change
Don’t all the dreams we’ve seen come true
Mean anything?
You say it’s different now
You keep starin’ at the door
How can you walk away
Don’t I matter a anymore?
(Refrain) If being free’s worth what you leave behind
And if it’s too late for love to change your mind
Then its goodbye time
If we had known
Our love would come to this
We could have saved our hearts the hurt
Of wasted years
Well it’s been fun
What else can I say?
If the feelin’s gone
Words won’t stop you anyway
Refrain
Goodbye Baby
I came to rest in Topeka, Kansas, somewhere around 10:00. of course, I couldn’t help but to check out the local gay bar, The Tool Shed. I walked there, down a beautifully landscaped, and well lit main street. The State Capital in all of it’s glory stood just a few blocks away. The bar… well don’t bother. Of maybe a dozen or so people there… well let’s just say I drank free all night long. Then, oops, closed the bar down in Topeka, sad, I know… but met a lot of nice people, and learned a bit about the town, which has apparently tried everything to revitalize itself, but the only reason people continue to live there, is of course people who work at the capital. I ended up sleeping in Saturday, and Reiley and I continued on our journey, around 11:00 a.m. Minus one fish… oops, left em out in the cold. Of course it was my favorite of the four.
Next stop Denver….but first I dad to get through Kansas….. UGGHH!!! Is all I can say. Knowing that I would soon be seeing mountains, is all that got me through that flat, mundane State. But of course, passing into Colorado, you expect an immediate change of scenery, but that doesn’t come until Denver. I arrived there just as the sun was setting beyond the mountains. I settled in to a Drury Inn, lovingly paid for by my sister, who you may or not know works for their home office. I dressed myself up, cowboy hat on, and headed out to, yes, another bar. This time, Charley’s. Several bar’s tied into one, part dance club, and part country bar. Which made for an interesting group of people coming and going. This is obviously THE place to go in Denver. Headed across the parking lot, a guy stopped and asked me where he could park his car, since he was from out of town. I told him I was too, so I pointed out where I knew there were parking spaces available.
I have so little experience with going to bars that I’ve never been in, in strange cities, and alone, but at six-foot-four, with the help of my boots and cowboy hat, I just try to look intimidating, instead of scared… seems to work well. Sure love being tall. Once I settled in around the dance floor, the guy from the parking lot came in, and headed for me. We quickly engaged in conversation about where we were each from, and what brought us to Denver. He was visiting family, and considering moving from Oklahoma. We soon found ourselves making fun of most of the people in the bar. There were some of the most interesting people I have ever seen in public. It sounds immature, I know, but after an hour or so, I felt like I was hanging out with my best of friends. I figured, since I wasn’t in Washington yet, I could still let that nasty, mean side of me out for a little while longer. Well, you guessed it, closed down that bar too, but was able to get an early start to pick up Joey (the Airstream)… (yes I named it, most airstreamers do) Stuck in morning Denver traffic, (which I thought I had left behind, traffic in Newport is three cars at a red light), it took a little over an hour to make it to Longmont. Just before I arrived at Joey’s resting spot, it started pouring down rain. I made a complete disaster of Joey, mud everywhere, two inches thick, stuck to the bottom of my boots. It was a disaster. The two plexiglass windows that I had taped onto the side, had fallen off, and the drapes and cushions had sustained a bit of staining, and dirt. I threw most of what was in the Cherokee, into the trailer, and started on my way. Once I was on solid ground though, I found there to be a major problem with one of the wheels. There had to be a bubble of some sort on one, because it was bouncing back and forth like a bad carnival ride. I made my way, ever so slowly to the interstate, where I knew there was a trailer dealer. But of course it was closed.
I was due in Fort Collins to see my friends Nicole and Dan from high-school, at 1:00, and time was wearing away fast, as well as my nerves. With only one tire on each side, I didn’t know how the Airstream would react if the tire blew. And, of course my first plan after leaving Fort Collins Monday Morning was to get a new spare tire, I knew the original tire was still mounted on the belly pan, and wasn’t even worth trying to us it to get me to Ft. Collins.
Nicole told me of a back road that I could take, so I turned around, white-knuckling it all the way, at about 25 m.p.h. through many cute, but congested little towns. Every trailer and tire dealer I passed was closed. Which seems insane to me, since people, in my opinion, would want to do such things on this a Sunday, a general public day off… right?!! Just as I pulled into Ft. Collins, the tire popped and I rolled to a stop. Believe it or not, right in front of a tire dealer! So I pulled Joey into their lot, dropped him off with a note, and continued on to Nicole and Dan’s house.
We went to lunch at a great brewery in the downtown are, (which if you’re ever near there, it’s a great shopping district. I really great place to visit) where I was able to taste a large selection of their beers in small glasses. One had a slight green color, and tasted of jalapenios. The lunch was awesome. I bought a shirt to remember the place, but of course I can’t find it right now, to tell you the name of it. We headed off to another brewery, whic was closed, but I was happy to see a vintage Airstream in their lot, fitted with nothing more than a bench that surrounded the entire interior, with a tiny counter, and a beer tap. I contemplated leaving Joey in it’s place, and taking theirs… beer and a place to sit, that all a man needs … right?!!!
We headed home and watched a movie or two. I brought in the fish, and yes, there was another fatality. Two down, two left…..After I took a minute to morn, they took me to this fantastic Tea House in Boulder that was a gift from Tajikastan, the sister city to Boulder. As America goes, Boulder didn’t return the favor, I have to remember to write a letter to the Mayor…if only I had a dollar for every letter I threatened to write.
A rather hard storm was blowing into town, with wind gusts that shook the windows. First news in the morning, I had just missed a huge snow storm in Denver, which had most of the main highways shut down due to accidents, and jack-knifed trackter-trailers. Fortunately the snow stayed south of Ft. Collins.
Early Monday morning, I headed out to the Tire store, and they were happy to help. I went back to Dan and Nicole’s and we watched television, and I helped them with a puzzle, OK, truth be known, I gave it all of sixty seconds, then surrendered to the television. After a couple of hours Joey had two new tires and a new spare, but the mechanism that held the spare broke and had to be removed. So, in the pouring down rain, and thirty three degree temps I spend twenty minutes rolling around under the Airstream trying to get the rusted bolts removed. Although very wet, I was finally on my way around Noon. I stopped at a rest area just outside of Ft. Collins and changed into dry clothes.
Within an hour, I was in Wyoming. But it soon dawned on me that I was not getting very good gas mileage. I had figured 12-15 but, no, I was getting 9 miles to the gallon while pulling the trailer. OUCH! Just after crossing the border, I encountered snow. Very fine snow, but still difficult to see very far in front of me. As I pressed on, a bit nervous, I was shocked to find large blockades, much like you find at a train track, for closing the highways when needed. I guess that’s normal up here, but from St. Louis, it was unexpected. Wyoming was more beautiful than expected, especially after I was out of the snow. I had a few odd looks and comments every time I stopped for fuel, since I was in shorts and a long sleeve T-shirt and the temperature was right at freezing.
Rock – Scissors – But no paper?
There were several oddities that I saw in Wyoming, such as large rock formations on the sides of foot hills, the one that hit me as the oddest was a giant pair of scissors. I didn’t stop for pictures because I was still early in my drive, and I just wanted to get a move on. It’s funny how being alone in the car can make a person over-think pretty much anything. There was a creek with no water in it, (?even though it was raining again?)…. It was called Fish Creek. I must have spent fifteen minutes contemplating why a dry creek would be called Fish Creek….
At 1196 miles, I arrived in Casper, which is aprox. Half way through the state. It was a small town, but seems to be one of the largest in the state. There was a huge statue which depicted Oil Drillers near the highway, but oddly enough, I couldn’t find a road to it. I refilled my tank, stopped for a John Denver CD at Target, and rolled on at 6:22 p.m. Finally the clouds broke and I saw my first glimpse of sunshine in almost two days, just as it set behind the Rockies.
Best Road Reward goes to Wyoming, wonderfully smooth, clean, and new highways throughout the state.
As I grew closer to seeing the Rocky Mountains, I popped in my John Denver CD, and relived memories of listening to him as a kid, if only I would have had some Roger Whittaker too, it would have been complete J
At 6:44 p.m., at 1240 miles into the trip, I climbed a hill, turned a corner, and saw the most beautiful view of the Mountain Range, just as Rocky Mountain High came on. I had a ‘moment’ as I listened to the words, and as ‘Bitsy-May Harley’ would say “Listen to the words Peggy, they apply on so many levels!”
Rocky Mountain High by John Denver
He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Coming home to a place he’d never been before
He left yesterday behind him
You might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door
When he first came to the mountains
His life was far away
On the road, hanging by a song
But the strings already broken and he doesn’t really care
It keeps changing fast and it don’t last for long
(Refrain) The Colorado rocky mountain high
I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky
The shadow from the star light, is softer than a lullaby
Rocky mountain high Colorado
He climbed Cathedral mountains
He saw silver clouds below
He saw everything as far as he can see
And they say that he got crazy once, and he tried to touch the sun
And he lost a friend but he kept the memory
Now he walks in quiet solitude
The forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself
As he tries to understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake
Refrain….
Now his life is full of wonder
But his heart still knows some fear
Of a simple thing he can not comprehend
Why they try to tear the mountains down
To bring in a couple more…More people, more scars upon the land
The Colorado Rocky Mountain high
I’ve seen it rain and fire in the sky
Though h’d be a poorer man
If he never saw an eagle flyRocky Mountain high.
The Colorado Rocky Mountain high
I’ve seen it rain and fire in the sky
Friends around the campfire
And everybody’s high…
Rocky Mountain High
Silly as it may seem, It touched me, largely because it seems that this song follows what I am doing on the journey to Washington. All of the pictures here were taken by me. If you were wondering.
The sun soon set, and I stopped in Sheridan, WY, just south of the Montana.
I was on the road early Tuesday morning, well, 8:30 early. I passed a HUGE dead owl on the road. Just another thing that you wouldn’t necessarily see in MO. Montana wasn’t quite as beautiful as I had expected. At Billings, I began my journey East again. Then Butte, which should have been the name of Billings. The town was purely industrial, and smelled like butt…. J Sorry, but it did.
A few miles before Missoula, the landscaped changed for the better again. I passed a large billboard that advertised
“Rocky Mountain Oysters !!! 5 Miles Ahead !!!
If you don’t know what those are, ask someone…. It’s a delicacy for the strong stomached man.
It was dark when I arrived in Idaho, which meant I was almost home. I passed by Kellogg, which was near the sight of a great mining disaster in 1972. I picked up the book on my return from my last trip to WA, and was almost done. There are museums and statues commemorating that fateful week in May. I was anxious to finish the book, and return to see the actual mine, which shut down in the 90’s, as well as the monument of a miner who stands at the base of the mountain, with his hard hat lamp continually shining up towards the mine.
If anyone plans on visiting up here, I would suggest picking up the book. “The Deep Dark” by Gregg Olsen. I think there’s more info on the disaster at his website, which is that of his name. It’s a completely factual account of the disaster. The writer is awesome, and a resident of Washington. I emailed him, and was happy to find a response when I checked my Email in Denver. He said that I would soon find Washington to be the home where I was always supposed to live. The towns surround the mine are very old and very cute. But I’ll touch more on that in a bit.
178 Miners were working at various levels.
85 made it out to safety. Seven days later,
two miners were found alive. On May 13
the last of the 91 victims were brought out.
This was the country’s works hardrock mine
Disaster since 1917. The Sunshine, largest
Silver mine in the nation, is a mile deep
And has 100 miles of tunnels.
In the quiet of the night, with no one else on the road, it was eerie thinking about the surrounding towns crowded around the mind late at night wondering if their husbands, sons, cousins, and friends would make it out alive.
Idaho was a crazy roller-coaster ride through the mountains. Rather scary, so I think I was only going 25 m.p.h. scared that an of the local large animals would be running out in front of the car. It’s only an hour or so drive through Idaho, well, when you’re going the speed limit, which is often an insane 75 m.p.h. I headed north in Couer d’Alene, only an hour from home now.
I arrived home in Newport just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday. I drove over to let Tim and Lane know that I was in town, then hit one of the only two motels in Newport. Definitely the one I will NOT be putting my friends and family up at. Dirty, disgusting, and more expensive than the Motel 6 that I stayed in the night before.
Wednesday morning I set out to find a resting place. I had one in mind just over the Idaho border, but I thought I would check out the nicer one in Newport. It’s a members only campground, but they took me in as a monthly renter. It has a nice dock just down the hill, nice warm showers, a laundry room, and for the winter, it will be pretty much empty. There’s a great dock, with a wonderful view of the Pend Oreille River (that’s pronounced Ponderay) Rent is $325/month, but it includes all of my water, electricity, and cable. By the time you all receive this, I’ll have a phone line and DSL action too.
Just so you know how close I am to Idaho, if I walk a couple of hundred feet, the eastern most camp sights are in Idaho.
The woman who runs the place has a son that lives here too. Leave it to me to find the one campground where there’s an irritating, lonely, recently broke up with his ex-con partner of 5 years, won’t leave me alone, thinks we’re best friends, has a crush on me, gay man. But that’s another story.
I jumped on my job at the Priest River Idaho Saw Mill, they were thrilled with me, and gave me one of the better jobs, but refused to let me off for Christmas, so I have to find another job, and soon. I’ve been here almost two weeks, and money is running out.
I’ve gone exploring all over, Kayaked the Pend Oreille, seen countless eagles, and more than enough deer. I finally made it to the Mine, and the towns around it, including Wallace, where Whore Houses were legal until 1988. The only remaining one, The Oasis, was sold as it was left the day the shut it down. The girls left most everything behind. It’s pretty fun to go on the tour. I can’t wait until I have more money, because I could spend at least a full day in each of these towns.
I'll post pics from the Bordello later. There are timers, money slots, and price lists still as they were. It’s a hoot. Not to mention when the tour guide pointed out that there was foam rubber behind the headboards!!! The girls worked two weeks on two weeks off, 12 hour shifts. In one picture, there's a 'High School Band Uniform'. These were purchased by the four Bordellos as a deal to keep the band from practicing in the streets in front of the 'Houses'. It was too disruptive to the guests, so new uniforms were provided, and the band, in turn, found a new place to practice. That's how much influence these Women had on the community.
Living in the Airstream isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it might be. I had to get a storage facility to house the cutesy stuff I had for rallies and such, as well as summer clothes. It’s been long sleeve shirts since I arrived. I am now officially the owner of three pair of Carhartts, four flannel shirts, two pair of leather work gloves, and a pair of work boots.
Finding a place to shove the clothes I need proved tough, and I still have a few things laying around.
I guess that’s all for now. Not much else I can think of right now. Once I get my DSL up and running, I’ll start a Blog, so you all can keep up with my life up in the Midwest.
Oh yeah, one more song came to mind while I was writing this…
Just one paragraph from Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked
So if you care to find me, Look to the Western sky
As someone told me lately
“everyone deserves the chance to fly”
and if I’m flying solo, at least I’m flying free
To those who’d ground me, Take a message back from me:
Tell them how High I’m defying gravity
And soon I’ll match them in renown
And nobody in all of Oz
No wizard that there ever was
Is ever gonna bring me down.
Chat with you all soon.
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