Well here I am typing this blog as I sit in a La Quinta hotel room in Appleton, Wisconsin. What's a Colorado boy doing in the not-so-wilds of Wisconsin? Why, heading to a bike ride of course. The Michigan Upper Peninsula (MUP Ride for short) ride put on by the League of Michigan Bicyclists. We had signed up for this ride in 2020 but thanks to a pesky certain bug called COVID it was postponed for two years so here we are.
Traveling has sure changed to my way of thinking. Spontaneity is out the window and my lovely wife has proven her point - if you haven't made reservations months ahead of time you can just about fuhgeddaboudit as everything from rooms to activities seems to be full up. America has the No Vacancy sign hung up in more ways than one.
Traffic has rebounded that's for sure. Omaha, Nebraska, Des Moines, Iowa, Madison, Wisconsin have all gone big city in terms of crowded highways even in the middle of the day. And that's despite record-high gas prices. We left Denver after filling up at $4.59/gallon, tanked up again in Kearney, Nebraska at $4.64, then again in West Omaha this morning at $4.39. God help us when $4.39 a gallon seems like a bargain.
The last two days have most prominently featured the weather as in precipitation, as in rain falling from the sky in such prodigious quantities that its almost biblical. My vehicle has those newfangled wipers that sense when it starts to rain and then automatically adjust the pace according to how hard the liquid sunshine is falling. Yesterday and today we had periods where the wipers were going so fast I expected they'd fly off the windshield. Didn't know they could go so fast to appear as just a blur. I mean, it was raining so hard people were actually SLOWING down and turning their flashers on. When does that ever happen?
We had spent the 4th of July up in Leadville and I admit to being a little biased. Nothing like a little out of state travel to make one appreciate what a wonderful place Colorado is. Even though it was a tad bit soggy up in the mountains over the long holiday weekend it was nothing compared to the scuba lessons I've been taking in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Got a chance on the 4th to get up early enough to mosey into town and see what was shaking in Leadville festivity-wise. Got there right at the tail end of the 5k run which saved me from having to make up an excuse for not donning my running shoes and joining in. Actually, not owning running shoes is probably the only excuse I needed but it was great to cheer on the several hundred intrepid souls who braved the early start and high altitude to literally strut their stuff in as pretty a setting as one could wish for for a brisk jog.
After the assorted runners, walkers, canine companions, and even a burro or two sprinted down the main drag it was time for the real fun to start. What's the 4th of July without a small town Parade? From local businesses (Cannabis and Liquor featured prominently) to folks running for political office, it was a slice of Americana tucked into a piece of High Country Heaven wrapped up in the space of about an hour. You can see the highlights in the short video below:
Wasn't until after the fact that we realized as we stood and cheered the Parade participants on this glorious sunny Summer day in Colorado that a thousand miles eastward other fellow Americans were running for their lives to escape the bullets hurtling down upon them unleashed by a twenty-one year old sniper reigning terror on another small town Parade from his rooftop perch. Seven weren't fortunate enough to escape with their lives.
Back at the Leadville Parade the last participants walked by. They held signs protesting the recent overturning of Roe. I guess losing one's rights does not a great Independence Day make but in hindsight its perhaps better than being shot at.
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