Saturday, September 3, 2011
The only thing good I can say for today is the Buckeyes beat the Zips. Otherwise, today has been poop. We had to say goodbye to Dick and Rose along with Denver and the Western US in general and it has been a very sad day indeed because of all of the above. I apologize to my relatives that live here, but Nebraska has got to be the worst state I have yet experienced, and not just because it’s home to the Cornhuskers (GAG!). By the time we made it to Omaha, I was about ready to throw something. Luckily, we are just about to cross into Iowa and while it’s not much better as far as excitement goes, at least it’s something new.
In short, Denver was the highlight of the trip. That is saying a great deal considering how much amazing fun we have had thus far. When we arrived Thursday evening to Dick and Rose’s house, we were greeted by all their kids (my dad’s cousins: Mitch, Trudy, Mark, and Rick). As I mentioned, I had met them all once before and it was in 1995 when I was 9. They are wonderful. Such a lively and fun bunch with personalities quite compatible with mine. We got along as though we have known each other all our lives. David got along with them quite easily as well. To be honest, as we were driving to Colorado, we were beginning to have a bit of vacation let down because it seemed that a visit with people we didn’t know well and a lot of car time was all that remained for the trip. We were so very wrong. We were shown the hospitality of the West and I got to make a new and wonderful connection with some of the most entertaining and fantastic people I have ever met.
After a yummy dinner…accompanied by Coors beer, we got a tour of the house. Rose designed it and they have lived in it for 10 years. It has a beautiful pack patio which overlooks a field with mountains in the distance, the garage has 4 doors (front and rear ones for the RV bay), it is 3 cars deep, has a loft for when Dick would work on the RV they used to have, a tool chest that is nearly my height high and twice my height long, and a CNC mill (for machining parts). It is incredible. Rose has a sewing room that is about the size of my apartment where she works on quilts and needlepoint and machine embroidery. The room where I slept is Rose’s antique room. It has tons of family heirlooms like my great grandparents wedding rings and my great grandfathers shoes. Every item has a little tag to identify who it belonged to.
That night I slept in the most comfortable bed I can remember, David came to wake me at 10am after I had slept for 11 hours. That is twice as long as I had slept any night to that point on the trip. He came into the room, sat down and said, “I have just spent the last 2 hours talking to your aunt and uncle. [pause] They are FANTASTIC!” I gave him a big smile as if I already knew but the truth is, I didn’t know. I figured they had to be pretty great simply because they are Mustards, but I didn’t have the experience of having spent adequate time with them in the past to really know just how great.
We sat out on the back porch of the house looking out at the mountains just talking to Dick and Rose all morning. For lunch they took us to a biker bar in town and we ate Meatloaf Cheeseburgers that were mouth wateringly delicious (and which potentially contained possum…). For dessert we had bread pudding with what I will describe as a brandy crème anglaise (mom you should try it!). From there we went to the drag strip to meet up with Mitch and Jeffra who were doing time trials…Did I forget to mention that my cousins are automotive experts and champion race car drivers?… It is an automotive experience unlike any other to be standing at the starting line as two dragsters burnout and race a ¼ mile in under 9 seconds. It made me sad I parted out my Eclipse…I may just have to rebuild her :). 
From the drag strip we stopped back at the house for a quick rest and to get ready for dinner. Mark’s and Dick’s birthdays are the beginning of September. We went to Keg’s for prime rib and lobster followed up with a 4 layer carrot cake that satisfied all 5 of us with leftovers to spare (David enjoyed it for breakfast). Dinner ended with Mark giving me a ride home on his Harley! I know it goes against everything I preach about bikes and safety but I couldn’t help myself, it was so much fun! Don’t worry I wore a helmet. :)
As I pass through the wind farms of Iowa (which by the way are no longer exciting but still creepy) I keep thinking about when I can take my next camping adventure. I have a feeling this is going to have to become a regular thing cause there’s no way I can wait until next summer for another vacation.
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