Places Visited:
Colorado: Loveland, Estes Park, Rocky Mountain NP & Golden.
Kansas: Dodge City

Saturday, September 15, 2001
Loveland RV Village: Loveland, Colorado. Elevation: 5,000'

We wanted to see Mount Rushmore but the weather was not cooperating.
We have not seen the sun in three days. The weather report is
predicting more of the same through the weekend. We give up on the
idea of seeing Mount Rushmore and head 293-miles south to Loveland,
Colorado. We chose Loveland because of its proximity to the east
entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.

The drive from the Black Hills of South Dakota to Loveland, Colorado
was mostly through open prairie. Corn and sunflower fields began to
appear. Large ranches with cattle were in evidence along the way. In
Cheyenne, Wyoming we saw a huge sugar refinery that reminds me of the
sugar beets the book CENTENIAL described so eloquently. We were
looking for sugar beet fields but did not recognize any. Possibly
they have been harvested. Although we did not see any deer or
buffalo, antelope were plentiful.

Sunday, September 16, 2001
Loveland RV Village: Loveland, Colorado. Elevation: 5,000'

We got up dressed and headed to church, but did not find it. Our
directions did not include an address. The advertisement gave a phone
number and said to go west on highway 34 to Morning Street then north
to 27th. We drove up and down highway 34 looking for Morning Street
with no success. We could not find it on our city map either. We did
see 27th on the map. We drove up and down it with no success. The
phone number only had a recorded message. Frustrated, we gave up and
returned to the motorhome and dressed to tour Rocky Mountain National
Park. Later we learned that Morning Street and the church we were
looking for was located just outside map coverage.

The drive from Loveland to Estes Park was almost as exciting as the
drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. Colorado highway 34 from
Loveland to Estes Park follows Big Thompson River through Big Thompson
Canyon. Recently, we have driven through a number of spectacular
canyons. Big Thompson Canyon is, in my opinion, one of the top canyon
drives anywhere.

The circular drive through Rocky Mountain National Park takes us
through alpine forest then above tree line into artic tundra. Around
11,000 feet in altitude it began to snow. Elk are readily visible
both in the tundra and down in Estes Park. On several occasions we
stop to witness bull elk in rut rounding up cows and defending them
from intruders. It was exciting to see them bugle and chase off other
males. In a residential area of Estes Park we watched a large bull
defend his harem of approximately 20 cows in the front yard of several
residences. Roads were lined with automobiles filled with people
watching the action.

Monday, September 17, 2001
Loveland RV Village: Loveland, Colorado. Elevation: 5,000'

This was a day to catch up on chores. We took the Saturn to Fort
Collins to have it serviced by a Saturn dealer. We had to shop for
groceries, do laundry and clean the motorhome. It was hard but we got
it done.

Tuesday, September 18, 2001
Golden Clear Creek RV Park: Golden, Colorado. Elevation: 5,600'

It was time to move. We headed south to Golden Colorado, a suburb of
Denver, where we met friends Dave and Helen Damouth. Dave and Helen
arrived at our place shortly after we got set up. We spent several
hours chatting then walked to a local historical museum. The evening
was capped off with dinner. It is hard to beat a day with good
friends! Dave and Helen have been traveling in an RV and writing
travelogues for a number of years. Their travelogues are available on
Dave's home page: http://home.sprynet.com/~damouth/ Golden Clear
Creek RV Park is on Clear Creek flowing through Golden. The city of
Golden has a super nice paved walking path that follows Clear Creek
for miles through Golden including through the RV-Park.

Wednesday, September 19, 2001
Golden Clear Creek RV Park: Golden, Colorado. Elevation: 5,600'

Joyce and I spent the morning walking the wonderful walking path
following Clear Creek for miles and miles. Once in downtown Golden we
spent an hour or so strolling through the center of town before
walking down to the Coors Brewery. Coors offers a tour of the
brewery. Even though we do not drink, viewing the manufacture of
Coors Beer was something we wanted to experience. If in the
Denver/Golden area a tour of the Coors Brewery in Golden is something
you should include.

Thursday, September 20, 2001
Wal-Mart Super Center: Garden City, Kansas. Elevation: 2,824'

After taking another walk along the cities Clear Creek walking path we
downloaded e-mail and headed east. Thank goodness the morning rush of
traffic had subsided somewhat by the time we headed out (11:00am). The
traffic was bad enough at that time. As soon as we cleared Denver
International Airport, east of town, the traffic disappeared as we
continued east on I-70. The blood returned to Joyce's knuckles and she
started breathing again. Actually she is a very good navigator, but
driving through the big city traffic isn't her cup of tea. We are
headed to Branson, Missouri but are looking for things to do on this
900-mile leg of our journey. Two cities in Kansas, Dodge City and
Wichita, are famous towns from frontier days and we think they may
have some historical things to see and do. Joyce plotted us a route
on state roads that will take us to these towns.

Heading east out of Denver we are losing altitude fast. By the time
we arrive in Garden City, Kansas we have lost almost 3,000' in
altitude. Eastern Colorado is rangeland and grain fields. Stacks and
stacks of hay are everywhere waiting for winter. Eastern Colorado
grows a lot of sunflowers, thousands and thousands of acres.
Sunflowers and grain appear to be on unirrigated land while other
crops; mainly hay and sugar beets are on irrigated plots. By the time
we reach Kansas big time irrigation is a way of life.
Eighteen-wheelers loaded with onions are heading to market. Grain and
alfalfa fields cover the landscape. This is wide-open farmland,
with no apparent industry.

Friday, September 21, 2001
Gunsmoke RV-Park: Dodge City, Kansas. Elevation: 2,800'

Our destination today is Dodge City, Kansas approximately 50-miles
east. Along the way scenery is changing. Irrigated fields dot the
landscape. As we near Dodge City gigantic feedlots began to appear.
These feedlots cover hundreds and hundreds of acres. Individual pens
within each feedlot are filled with cattle. Each feedlot has a series
of huge silos holding grain and other feed. Railroad tracks run
through the silos to give you an idea of how much feed is being
stored. Feedlot stench is in the air for miles and miles. I am sure
that it smells like money to those in the business.

We stopped at a roadside pullout where actual tracks of the Santa Fe
Trail are still visible crossing the open prairie. What a sight! The
ruts are still there over a hundred and 25-years later. Before the
railroad connected the east and west coast, trade was conducted over
the Santa Fe Trail. Wagons pulled by oxen carried goods between
Missouri and Santa Fe New Mexico. We can just visualize the wagons
moving across the land and only imagine the struggles those people
encountered.

In Dodge we head to the Boot Hill Museum in Old Dodge City. Dodge
City was the destination for the old cattle drives. Cattle from as
far away as south of the Rio Grande were delivered to Dodge City for
shipment east. Dodge City was also the headquarters for large numbers
of buffalo hunters. Dodge City in those days was a recipe for
trouble. Cowboys arrived in town after months on the trail with
pockets full of money. The same can be said for the buffalo hunters.
Mix this with an ample supply of alcohol and women and surely there is
going to be trouble. The TV show Gun smoke was based on Dodge City in
those days. However, Matt Dillon and the cast were not real heroes.
Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson were deputy sheriffs for short periods of
time in Dodge as well as other western towns.

For dinner we went to Marchell Family Ranch for a good meal and
western show complete with a variety of singers, buffalo, cattle
drive, barrel racing, roping, covered wagon, horses and chorus girls.
They provided a tremendous amount of entertainment plus a good dinner.

Saturday, September 22, 2001
Gunsmoke RV-Park: Dodge City, Kansas. Elevation: 2,800'

This turned out to be a BAD day! Florida State's football team was
crushed by North Carolina. How bad can it get? Jeff called as soon
as the game was over and Joyce assured him that his father was still
breathing.

We were planning to take a slaughterhouse tour today but something
went wrong. They had given us a phone number to call but we only got
a recording. Joyce was so disappointed! This slaughterhouse is
supposed to butcher 3 head of cattle per-minute. There are two large
slaughterhouses in Dodge. Dodge's highways are alive with 18-wheel
cattle trucks, full when entering town and empty on the way out.

We are staying in town through the weekend just to do this
slaughterhouse tour. Joyce said it better be worth it.

Sunday September 23,2001
Gunsmoke RV_Park, Dodge City Kansas Elevation 2,800'

We went to First Baptist Church this morning. It is a very small
church, but probably one of the larger churches we have visited this
summer. The fellowship was sweet and it was good to be in the house
of the Lord. The ceremony was on giving, not only of our money, but
of our time and talents. The pastor recognized a member of the
congregation who goes to the local soup kitchen several times a week
to cook for and feed the homeless.

We will on the road again on Monday after the tour. As we make our way
to Branson Mo. I am sure we will be making several other stops to
experience small town America. We hope that each of you will have a
safe and happy week.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix