Well our time in Castle Rock with extended family has come
to an end today. We had a delightful
breakfast on the deck before we
left. We were so well treated.
Today was all about the changing landscape. Gone is the rugged rock-scape and browns to oranges in color, replaced by the flat, flat lands as we headed to North Platte. Apparently we have been told there is about 100 miles of flat road and then more flat. It makes you realize the diversity of this country. Imagine how the pioneers felt, going over the flat lands here, then arriving at the horrendously rugged and arid lands of Nevada etc.
The land is very agricultural which was soothing to my kiwi-conscience. However there weren’t a lot of cows – but there sure was a lot of corn. Acres and thousands of acres of it. It went for miles and miles to the distance and was constantly beside us as we drove east. No sheep though!
Firstly we had a bit of a problem getting out of Denver – oops wrong way – and then we didn’t really want to go on the toll road, but had no choice – interesting – it’s tolled in parts – i.e. a few miles, then the next bit is tolled and so on, so by the time you get off it, you’ve been billed about 5 times! Good money maker. However it took us past the new airport.
Also a new discovery was the visitor sites! We’d seen so few of them so far, but as we neared the eastern part of Colorado – at the town of Sterling there was a lovely visitor centre and very friendly volunteers. Lots of brochures, clean toilets (very important) and a delightful grassed area for picnicking.
We’ve arrived in Kearney, Nebraska. There’s a strong smell of sulphur – not sure what from, because it doesn’t seem to be a thermal area. Tomorrow we head off to a vintage car collection, a wooden archway that is to do with the pioneers and local tribe, plus we hope if time, to go to a pioneer museum.
Today has really been a discovery of the next stage of America, i.e the changing scenery and as Neil says, how flat is flat?!!!
See i told you it was flat! And there were these powerlines all the way through!
Catch you here tomorrow.
Jane and Neil
Jane & Neil
ReplyDeleteWe are just loving your pics. We've been hearing about the Colorado wildfires but our own atrocious weather has kind of eclipsed it a little. Last week we had a storm rated twice the ferocity of the Wahine storm.
Wellington is still without power in parts after 6 days and famers are accepting all the help they can snow-raking animals out of the record snow dumps down south. The extremes of mother nature are truly awesome.
what with the floods in Calgary and Wildfires in Colorado...shakes head.
Love your pics of the Garden of the Gods and the extreme opposite of the flat plains, You are whetting our appetite to adventure.
Drive safe
Shirley & Martin
Hey Shirley - and Martin
ReplyDeleteGlad you're enjoying it. We hit traffic today in 2 big cities, so will write about it later, a tad scary, scenery changed dramatically today and more like home - though hot and humid a bit - which is the 1st bit of humidity we've encountered.
Jane