On the Road Again II

Well, we are two days out and loving being "on the road again," but it's becoming clear that either we are still on the early end of the season...or the economic melt-down is taking it's toll on RV parks. After picking up the U-Haul trailer and loading it at the storage facility, we got underway about noon. Avoiding I-25, we took US 24 east to Limon, then north on Co 71. We spent our first night in Sterling, CO, about 200 miles northeast of Manitou Springs. We had stayed at the Buffalo Hills Campground a few years ago, but this visit found the women's bathrooms "under renovation" and unuseable...and the wi-fi service was spotty, at best. Unfortunately, we had registered under the honor system (no staff in the office), and of course, no one mentioned the abbreviated services, and they still charged full rate...$32.50!

Today was a great day on the road. Sunny, mild, and a decent tail wind all the way. We left Interstate 76 as soon as possible, opting for the much more scenic US 30 that parallels the Platte River and the Union Pacific Railroad. The farmers are just getting their crops in, and we saw snow geese and white pelicans in the sand hill area. We must be too early for the major migrations...geese, sand hill cranes, etc. that we saw here in May, 2007.

Tonight we are in Valentine, NB, (270 miles north of Sterling)...again a place we have stayed before, but neither the Riverside Campground nor the newer Fishberry Campground are fully operational...but at least they are only charging $20/night! So we opted to stay at Riverside where we have a beautiful view of the Niobara River (full to the brim with spring run-off), and are sheltered from the wind.

The forecast is for a major change in the weather. We can see a cold front approaching from the west this evening which will bring cooler temps, some rain tonight, and a wind shift to the WNW...good for us because it will be more tail winds. The Georgetown is performing very well...very easy to handle and lots of power. We can't even feel the small trailer we are pulling. Katie took over the reins outside of Ogallala, NB, and drove almost 90 miles! This was the first time she had even sat behind the wheel!! But after adjusting the seat and the mirrors and stuffing a pillow behind her back, she was up to 60 mph in no time! Even made a 90-degree turn in North Platte! So I now have both a navigator AND a co-pilot!