Day 20 - Denver to Pueblo, CO

Well, here it is, day 20 of "Ken and Sheila's Great Adventure", and it also just happened to be my 66th birthday. This was another nostalgic day for me, as we visited my Uncle Bob and Aunt Blanche in Denver. It was great to see Uncle Bob and Aunt Blanche and they were doing just great. We then headed for Golden, CO, where my grandmother and Grandfather Johnson had lived.

Their home had never seemed so small when I was growing up and had visited them from Nebraska. The home and yard were always immaculate, but times have changed, with the house becoming run down and re-painted a different color, the garage had been torn down, and the white picket fence in the front yard had been removed. There was a wire fence in the back yard, but it was filled with junk and a motorcycle. It almost brought tears to my eyes to see the place had changed so much after all these years.

I had used the GPS to get us to the house, but typically, the GPS either got us lost, or I knew more about the area than the GPS. The only one who managed to get me from place to place was Sheila, but of course, being a man and being a "Hand", I knew better. I must learn to listen to that woman!

We left Denver for Pueblo to see one of our dearest and oldest friends, Sam Valdez. For those who worked for Raytheon and knew Sam in the "Good Old Days", Sam may have aged a "little", but he sure hasn't changed! He is still the same ornery guy we have known all these years. He has had some medical problems, but that hasn't slowed him down a bit. Sam is 77 years old now, and is as fiesty as ever. We stayed over night with Sam, and then on to Taos, NM.

Before we headed from Pueblo from Denver, we drove up to the Red Rocks Amphitheater near Golden. What a beautiful area to visit and to take photos. Over a mile high in elevation, and we were starting to feel the effects of the altitude. Glad we have been driving to get used to the altitude in lieu of flying, as it was much easier than getting hit with the altitude change all at once.

By the way, don't piss my wife off for any reason. She is able to also leap tall buildings in a single bound!

The Vette is continuing to run great and we still are having a great time with it on the trip and nary a problem. Have been running high test gas since we have hit the higher altitudes, and are still averaging over 28 mpg, even with all of the road construction. K.

Ok I've got it in writing the man I'm married to will listen to me more and not P--- me off. It was great seeing Sam and Pueblo once more. Drove by 31 Chinook Lane once again, this is the first home we ever lived in as a married couple. It too seemed so small, but then again when we lived in it Ken and I were a lot smaller too. Red Rocks is such an awesome place, nice to see it again. Ken wanted to drive to the top of Lookout Mountain in Denver, a place I first saw as a new bride. I might add it's also a place I still get a cold sweat when I think of the narrow rode that takes us to the top, so I voted no. S