My Granddaughter's Wedding

It took me two days of hard driving to get to Denver. As I suspected, the traffic was bumper to bumper at break-neck speeds. But as I knew it would, the traffic eased off once I got to Kansas. Along with the traffic, the towns disappeared and the true prairie began, treeless and rolling. I was happy that I had my books on tape to listen to.

My wife, Patrice, arrived at the Denver airport right on time, and we drove the six hour trip up to Gillette, Wyoming. This is High Plains country, a mile higher in elevation than back home in Illinois. The wind blows endlessly here, and it pushes the clouds around the clear, open skies. I love watching the storms as they pass by miles away. It is something I can't do at my home in the Illinois woods.

The air is thin and dry here, and the grass grows short and parched. There are no mosquitoes and blessed little humidity. My Wyoming relatives and in-laws talk about feeling claustrophobic when they come visiting me in Illinois, and they are amazed that they can be drenched in sweat in the evening, just sitting and slapping mosquitoes and sweating in the Illinois humidity.

Once we got to my son, Erin's, house, one of the first items on the agenda was to get my motorcycle off the trailer, and the trailer off the car. Patrice and I were going to need that car to drive around in. This is Odysseus, Erin, Patrice, and two of my grand-kids, Angela and Austin. Cute, aren't they? We are in front of my son's house in Gillette.

My sister, Dena, and brother-in-law Larry, arrived from Indiana. They are planning a big fishing trip in Canada when the wedding is over, but they are having some mechanical problems with their truck so they are thinking about just heading back home. Retired and fancy free, they can do this Canadian trip in the Fall if they need to. Good luck either way to them.

I was so caught up in all the wedding activities that I didn't take any pictures. Sorry. It was a fun wedding though. My son, who is a minister, performed the ceremony to marry Chase and Alyssa. It was moving and tear-filled and funny all at the same time.

After the wedding, I drove Patrice back to Denver to catch her flight home, and Igot back to Gillette in time for a massive party at my daughter-in-law's parents home. Her uncles were there, and they had all been fishing, coming back with a bunch of wall-eye fish.

Today is Sunday, my departure day. Odysseus is packed and ready to go. We will be heading for the Big Horn Mountains soon. I can see their snow-capped peaks from my sun's house. They are calling to beckoning to Odysseus and me. But first, my grandson, is playing in a baseball game and I want to see it. He is a Junior in high school and quite the athlete. I haven't seen him since we were skiing in Colorado several months ago, and I don't want to waste this opportunity to watch him play.

I hear a lot of movement upstairs, and two of my youngest grandchildren just came down here where I am typing this blog. They wantto know what I am doing. Time to get started on the day.

Talk with you later.

Ron

School is out--

Finally, after months of planning, preparations and waiting, the trip to Alaska is about to start. This is going to be a brand new experience for me. I've done a lot of camping, backpacking, and even bicycle travel, but I have never done it on a motorcycle before. I find myself trying to pack far more than I need because, after all, Odysseus will be doing the grunt work. Still, a man is possessed by his possessions, and I don't want that.  So, I keep unpacking, throwing things out, and packing again. I think my wife is starting to get a laugh out of it, but I have managed to whittle out a lot. There is no more left to eliminate.

This is Odysseus and me. We are in front of my house in Illinois. Soon, these trees and all this greenery will be behind us, replaced by the browns and wide-open vistas of the Prairie of Kansas and the High Plains of Wyoming.  Green grass and broadleaved trees are something I am always glad to get back to when I come home.

But first-- goodbye to my eldest daughter, Jessica, who is driving up from Atlanta. And to my youngest, Victoria, who has to stay here and get some classes out of the way this summer. And to my wife, Patrice, whom I will see in Denver at the airport in two and a half days. Patrice and I will be driving from Denver up to Wyoming for our granddaughter, Alyssa's, wedding.

This is my sister, Dena. I'm the one on the right, but I bet you could tell that. Dena and her husband, Larry, have already left for the wedding. They are driving their motorhome up through Michigan and over the top of Lake Superior. That is a long way, but it sounds like fun.  See you in a few days Dena.

Odysseus and I are all ready to set sail --- by trailer? Yep!! Why? Because I'm a lilly-livered, yellow-bellied, striped-back chicken if you must know, and I will argue with anyone who tries to tell you different. And it is all because the highway between St. Louis and Kansas City is bumper-to-bumper, 80 mile an hour, scare the pants off you dangerous. So lets hear it for seat belts, air bags, and lots of good solid metal around me. Hooray! Hooray!

And then comes the prairie-- from Kansas, through Colorado to Denver, and on up to Wyoming. Can you say bo-o-o-o-r-ing. Yay for satellite radio, books on tape, air conditioning, and reclining seats.

So I will pick my wife, Patrice, up at the Denver airport in two and a half days, and we will ride up to the wedding in style. Then I will leave my car and trailer at my son's house, Patrice will fly home, and Odysseus and I will head off on our adventure.  Check back in about a week, OK? Talk to y'all then.