EagleMoon.net Journals

Journals: Week 5 (May 14-20, 2007)

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DAY 29: Monday, May 14, 2007 (Wichita, KS)

With all intentions of going to Greensburg today, we called the United Way again this morning, since the newspapers were still only giving out their number for volunteers to call, and they had not yet called us back. (We're so pesky, ain't we?!) They gave us a similar response as they did last Friday, which was that individual volunteers should not come to Greensburg until this weekend because much of the work being done now still involves heavy machinery. Instead of taking this response as "the final word," we decided to head down there anyway; surely there must be something we could do along side enormous cranes and bulldozers!

It didn't take us an hour to get to Greensburg from Wichita, as the woman from the Pratt EconoLodge told us it would; it took us two. There were several signs along Route 54 stating that the road going through Greensburg was closed. Not sure if we'd be able to get there, we figured we'd go as far as we could go and see what happened. Just before town, there was a police checkpoint. We stopped and told them we wanted to volunteer; they directed us to a huge red and white striped tent we could see in the distance. It was the AmeriCorps Volunteer Registration tent (at least that's what it was today; yesterday it was used as a church for a Sunday Mother's Day service). When we arrived at about 1:30, the tent was relatively empty, except for the 8 or so AmeriCorps workers and a few other volunteers. We completed a volunteer registration form and waited for an "assignment," which we received about 15 minutes later.

We left with two AmeriCorps workers, Pat and Kevin, who drove us to the first house at which we'd be working. The work involved Kevin using a chainsaw to cut fallen trees into movable pieces, and the rest of us moving those pieces to the curb. It was a relatively sunny day, in the high 80s, but with a nice breeze. The street this house was on was not as affected as those we would eventually see. The next house was much more devastated. Kevin said that over this past weekend, the street was packed - volunteers, workers, machinery, etc. however, today things were much less busy. We spent about an hour at the first house, clearing the yard of the fallen trees and other various debris (broken fences, glass from shattered windows, aluminum siding, etc.). We would eventually find out that the next house would require a lot more work!

The drive to the next house led us through downtown Greensburg and much more devastation that left us awestruck at the effects the tornado had caused. Stores and house torn in half, missing roofs and walls, or crumbled heaps of bricks, siding, and other structural materials. We saw cars smashed in, some turned upside-down. Most of the trees appeared to be leafless stumps extending lifeless to the sky, some of them totally uprooted from the ground (we saw one that crushed the side of a house). We only saw a few people who looked like they were residents, taking care of their homes, cleaning them out, or putting up tarps on gaping holes in the roofs or sides of the homes to prepare for the rain predicted for tomorrow. Many residents, we were told or read in the paper, were staying with relatives or friends just outside of town while the clean-up continued. We saw that some homes were deemed uninhabitable, some habitable, by signs spray-painted on the outside, presumably from some government agency with the authority to make such decisions. We saw a few spray-painted messages of optimism from locals wanting to express their hope for the future of the town. We had truly never seen anything like this; images on TV or print (even this website) don't really convey what it's like when you experience it in person.

When we got to the second house, we were dumbfounded by the destruction of this tornado: a brick house torn apart with the walls and contents of the inside broken and scattered throughout the house and lot. Our task seemed more daunting than the first house, with far more fallen trees and housing debris scattered about. Elena and I agreed that our helping out seemed miniscule compared to the amount of work required overall, but we also agreed that even the small things have to be done at some point by someone. Both Kevin and Pat worked their chainsaw magic as Elena and I carried branches small and large to the curb. We took many breaks as the sun beat down on us and our own limbs began to ache. About every half hour or so, a truck would pull up to "our" house and offer much-needed and appreciated water or PowerAde. As much as we did, we know it was only a tiny fraction of the work that many others, like Kevin and Pat and other AmeriCorps workers (and people from other like agencies, for that matter) are doing, often working from sun-up to sun-down to get Greensburg cleaned up and prepared for rebuilding. We can't even begin to understand what it must be like for the residents themselves, many of whom lost their homes, belongings, and livelihoods (stores).

We finished by 5:00, dirty, worn, slightly scraped up, exhausted, and not exactly looking forward to the two-hour ride back to Wichita (all of this after only three hours of labor!). While very conscious of wanting to be respectful to what had happened to this town and what was currently happening to it, Elena and I were also curious and awestruck by the scene around us. Before we left Greensburg, we drove around a few of the streets, taking some pictures of the devastation, the cleanup efforts, and the few signs of optimism from the locals. Of course, the pictures do little justice to convey the scene, let alone the effects on the residents. Even being there and experiencing it first-hand, as little as we did today, leaves us with only a tiny fraction of the true experience (though a little bit more than just seeing it on TV or reading about it on the internet or paper). With the predicted rain storm tomorrow, we're not sure if we're going to go back tomorrow or if we'll wait until Wednesday. We'll see. Until then... ~J

DAY 31: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 (Wichita, KS)

Tuesday we decided to take it easy, mainly due to the fact that we heard it would rain throughout the day, which might make clearing people's lots a little more difficult and dangerous (lots of sharp pieces of wood and rusty nails!). Also, we thought a little rest would make us fresher for our return on Wednesday. So we headed back to the Warren Theatre to see the movie, "The Invisible". Jonathan and I agreed it was our least favorite of the three we have seen so far. The story is decent, but the acting and the character development is pretty lousy; definitely a rental if you feel the need to see it. Afterward we went back to the Great Plains Nature Preserve to hang out. We took a blanket, some reading material and the camera, and planned on just enjoying the beautiful afternoon. Mostly Jonathan attempted to read while I attempted to engage him in cloud-watching. We got some nice shots of a pretty orange bird. It was really good to just be (you know, not needing to be anywhere doing anything specific). We had pizza for dinner, watched the movie, "The Queen" (much better film than today's previous one. Great acting and interesting story line which depicted the royal family's response to the death of Princess Diana), and hit the hay. Had to get some beauty rest before our big day back in Greensburg.

Today (now it's Wednesday) we left for Greensburg around 9 am and got there a little after 11. We met back up with our AmeriCorps buddies from Tuesday, Kevin and Pat. They seemed glad (if not a bit surprised) to see us and found us a job to do. This time we went with Pat and a new volunteer, Ben, to a home on the west side of Greensburg. Kevin couldn't come along with us because he was working on a recycling project he had created. Jonathan and I both marveled at this; that in the midst of all this destruction, and with enormous piles of people's homes in shambles lining every street in this town, Kevin is going to start a recycling project- by himself! It is definitely necessary since all of the debris has not been separated- and needs to be so things can be properly broken down (wood to be burned, plastic, metal and glass to be recycled). But right now Kevin is a one man recycling show. I commented that it seemed so overwhelming. His response was simple..."yeah, but it's got to be done and even a little bit helps." He was very excited that someone had donated six recycling bins to his project. Some might think this barely makes a dent in all of this- but as Jonathan keeps telling me, you have to start with one pile at a time, and then one lot at a time, and then one house at a time. That's how this town is eventually going to get cleaned up. We both wonder how in the world people managed to clean up after the tsunami in Asia in 2004, or hurricane Katrina. This is just one town. It's hard to imagine how an entire city, or state, or coast of an island gets cleaned up after a natural disaster. But they do in time, and I guess this is how.

The west side of the town was hit harder by the tornado than the side we saw Tuesday. It looks like a movie scene- like it can't actually be real. I remembered feeling like I was on a stage set on Tuesday when I went "into" the house we were working on. Only a few walls were left standing, the roof was gone, the sides (brick, mind you!) totally blown out. I walked around the floors, looked in cabinets (the linen closet still had pillows in it), through the kitchen ("they have the same stuff I have", I thought - the same box of baking soda, the same tin of Hershey's cocoa, the same bottle of vanilla flavoring for baking, the same dish pattern that my mom had when I was a kid), and into the living room where a gas fire/chimney stood alone as did the sewing machine, with books and magazines all over the floor (Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus, gardening magazines, an envelope with directions and phone numbers written on it). It is amazing to go through someone else's most intimate and personal things as they sit exposed to the sun, while the kitchen door flaps in the wind.

Today we went to Eunice's house. Eunice must be in her seventies. When we arrived at her property, she was in her front yard, wearing a dress, straw hat and rubber clog shoes, hurling large, heavy pieces of brick onto a truck. A few days before, some volunteers had helped clear her lot, but they did not separate the debris. This meant the huge pile of Eunice's house on the front curb (and other piles around the foundation) had to be picked through and sorted. Eunice was skeptical about having new volunteers help her (since the other group had inadvertently made more work for her), but she allowed us to stay and help. "But you gotta work!" she told us. It took us almost four hours to sort through the wreckage, put things into their proper piles and clean up the area.

There were approximately ten of us helping today (including Eunice and her son), so work got done more quickly. There was also a nice breeze, and it was slightly cooler out today, which helped a great bit. It was really amazing to watch Eunice work. She is a very sturdy, stoic, tough woman- you can't even call her elderly, because I think Jonathan and I took 4 or 5 breaks and I didn't see her stop working at all today. She hauled wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow full of heavy bricks and concrete and threw them into the truck herself (did I mention she was wearing a DRESS?!). She sorted through her shingles, lumber, furniture, and other remnants of her home along with the rest of us. Occasionally, I would find something that seemed worthwhile saving- glass jars for canning, gardening items, a little glass turtle, a couple of milk glass vases that had survived. Finding these things felt like victory! Again, I marveled at what it must be like for Eunice, who has lived in Kansas for most of her life and has never even seen a tornado before- to have complete strangers sorting through her most personal belongings. Or even what it must be like to look at the scene around her, just outside what used to be her front door and across the street to the torn up homes and trees. And since everything is so flat here, you can see a horizon of tattered leafless tree limbs that extends for many streets in all directions. It is surreal. She remarked that this is one way to do Spring cleaning- it really forces you to get rid of the stuff you don't need, but it also relieves you of some of your most precious things. For Eunice, she really misses an antique sate (small bench) she bought when she was 19 years old.

Jonathan and I left this scene completely exhausted. Weary and filthy, we headed back to the ranch for a much needed shower! We treated ourselves to dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant (Delicious with a capital D) and crashed immediately upon our return. Tomorrow we head back for round three. Until then, here are some more pictures of the area. ~E

DAY 32: Thursday, May 17, 2007 (Wichita, KS)

When we first got to Greensburg earlier this week, one of the questions we asked ourselves was, Why wasn't any other town in the area affected by this mile-long tornado like Greensburg was? The answer came to us each time we drove to Greensburg from Wichita. The drive from Wichita to Greensburg is approximately two hours, a little over 100 miles each way (not exactly right next door). The EconoLodge in Wichita at which we're staying is directly on the road that turns into route 54, the route that goes straight to and through Greensburg. So we basically take a right out of the hotel parking lot and drive directly west for two hours.

What we found on the drive is that the cities and towns on the way to Greensburg are spaced apart about 30 miles each. We might drive 25-30 minutes at 65 miles-an-hour, with nothing but green farm land populated with crops, giant sprinkler contraptions, and the occasional horse or herd of cows. We would then come across small towns like Kingman or Cunningham or Cairo, or the larger, Pratt. These towns would have posted speed limit signs of 30 miles-an-hour. It might take five minutes to drive through the entire town, then back to 65 miles-an-hour across more farm land for another 30 miles or so, until the next small town. So the answer to our question became obvious: there are simply no other towns close enough to Greensburg to be affected by the tornado.

Anyway, we finished our third day of volunteering, meeting new workers and volunteers, working in different areas of town, primarily doing the same thing: sorting and moving debris, like bricks and fallen trees and branches. We also helped out a man who owned a World War II plane parts warehouse, helping to sort out and pack up supplies like airplane wings, engine parts, and tons of nuts and bolts (as well as other materials I couldn't identify, as my knowledge of WWII plane parts is slightly limited!). As much as we felt we did (as evidenced by our current aches, scratches, and burns), we are entirely aware it was only a fraction of a percent of the work currently being done. We give a lot of credit to the AmeriCorps volunteers who are there working full-time doing much of the physical labor. Of course, there are plenty of other organizations (a few being the Red Cross, Salvation Army, State Farm Insurance, FEMA, United Way, and military of some sort) working full-time as well, not to mention many individuals not associated with any organization, but who simply came to lend a hand. (And a special "shout-out" to Eunice, we assess to be at least in her 70s and has lived in Greensburg only about four years but lived in Kiowa county her whole life, working hard to clear her own lot, lifting and tossing bricks like no one's business!) Neither Elena or I know what kind of effort is being done on a governmental and/or political level, but we can tell you that at the individual people level, they are working their butts off to clean up, cut down, sort through, pile on, and cart away as much as possible, all in preparation to rebuild.

We wish continued good luck and fortune to those continuing their efforts in Greensburg. Tomorrow we plan on heading west to Denver to stay with my long-time friend Kevin and his wife Stephanie. Until then... ~J

DAY 34: Saturday, May 19, 2007 (Denver, CO)

Leaving our friends behind in Greensburg to continue the clean-up efforts, we headed to Denver, Colorado on Friday. This was a very long drive- it took approximately 8 hours, most of it driving northwest through the rest of Kansas- doing so we crossed over in Mountain Standard Time. Kansas is just huge. And because it is so flat and there are so few trees (most of the landscape is bright green prairie grass and farm land), you can see so much sky. And the sky on Friday was just amazing. The clouds made huge formations against the brilliant blue sky, which just seemed endless. I wondered what it would be like to stand out in one of those fields at night- it must be something when the moon and the stars are out! As we drew closer to Colorado, the clouds became dark grey underneath and bright white on top. It began to rain, though the sun was still pouring through the clouds in some places, creating that awesome "Jacob's Ladders" effect. I said to Jonathan, "there must be a rainbow around here somewhere!", and he said, "go find it!" So I did... I just turned around and saw it shining right out the back window in an open field. I was able to squeeze off a couple of shots with the digital camera and capture it. It was very Wizard of Oz-ish, and we realized we were not in Kansas anymore.

As we drove into Colorado, the landscape began to change subtly at first. The flat prairie lands became hillier, with more shrubs. And as we came closer to Denver the changes were more obvious, and you could just barely make out the Rocky Mountains in the distance. Jonathan pointed out the silhouette of the Rockies on the horizon, and noticed a tiny patch of snow at the top of one of the peaks. I couldn't believe it... there they were... The Rocky Mountains - it was awesome! We took a bunch of pictures from the car, but got some much better shots the next day on our hike through the Rocky Mountain National Park. We arrived at Jonathan's friend, Kevin's house around 7pm.

Kevin and Jonathan have been friends since they were teenagers growing up in Florida. (They actually first attempted to travel across the country during their college years- they tried to walk across America!" Unfortunately, they only made it to the northern part of Florida, but Florida is a very long state! So they did a great job ~ and thankfully they were not successful, which has allowed me to be a part of Jonathan's second attempt at this journey!) About nine months ago, Kevin and his wife, Stephanie, moved to Denver due to Stephanie's need to relocate for her Ph.D. program in Psychology. They are very nice and very gracious, and welcomed us into their home for "however long we want to stay." We keep joking that we'll be staying with them until November, but more likely than that we'll stay for a week or so (I heard house guests and fish go bad after three days ~ so we'll try not to overstay our welcome).

Our first order of business after settling in was to grab a bite to eat, and boy do Kevin and Stephanie know how to have a good time! They took us to a local place called "Chedd's" where you pick out all the ingredients for your own personal grilled cheese (I had brick cheese, basil pesto, and baby spinach on focaccia- YUM!!). It was really delicious, and a cool little place. We closed it down, just talking and catching up.

It turns out Kevin is quite the environmental activist and is starting up a non-profit organization called "The Porch Bulb Project." Through this project Kevin is encouraging people to replace their regular incandescent porch light bulbs with compact fluorescent, energy-saving light bulbs by offering them to people for free- they are using their own money right now to purchase the bulbs and hand them out to their neighbors). I'm sure you've seen these bulbs- they are the energy star bulbs that have that funny cork-screw shape. It seems that switching your regular bulbs to these energy-saving bulbs makes quite an impact on a household's energy budget, helps the economy, and helps the environment. It is a terrific project that Kevin has started, and if you're interested in knowing more, you can go to his website (which is even powered by solar energy!) at www.porchbulbproject.org. While Kevin works on his project, Stephanie works hard completing the internship for her Ph.D. in Psychology (she already graduated!). It turns out Stephanie and I have a lot in common (minus the title "Dr."): we both have experience working in the mental health field with trauma survivors as well as offenders, are vegetarians thanks to the PETA video "Meet Your Meat," and hiccup after we eat (weird, huh?).

On our ride home from Chedd's, we noticed that a local art gallery was having an opening. We decided to check it out before closing. We made it just in time to see all kinds of paintings, pottery, and sculptures on display. My two favorite pieces were pastel/mixed paintings of trees- one of a cherry tree trunk with blossoms. The colors were beautiful lilacs, blues, greens, whites, pinks and golds- very serene. The other one, called "Bliss" was also of trees, but had deeper reds, oranges and golds. Unfortunately, they were $1,500 each. Buying them would put kind of a damper on our trip- so we left them on the wall. With plans to explore Rocky Mountain National Park the following day, we headed "home" and crashed.

Today (Saturday) we got up early to go hiking in the Rockies! We made a pit stop at The Barking Dog Cafe for breakfast and coffee first. Then we made the 45 minute drive to the park. It was just gorgeous!! The Rocky Mountains are unreal- so picturesque you feel like you're looking at a post card, except you get amazing panoramic views. The air was fresh and smelled like pine up in the trees. There are lots of elk in this area and we got to see many today. We decided to take a moderate hike through the Alpine forest to Alberta Falls- a beautiful cascading waterfall right off the trail. Then the trail split and we followed it to Bear's Lake- a lake created by a melting glacier. This water is COLD- I dipped my feet in and they were chilled to the bone! The view around the lake is amazing- snow capped mountains and pine forests surround the water. Kevin is especially taken with the many different shades of green in this area. Stephanie remarked that it is great to go exploring in the national parks at different times of year, because each season brings out such different coloring and vegetation. We took as many pictures as we could before the battery almost ran out on the digital camera. (I'll let the pictures speak for our hike today since it is late, and I'm getting sleepy) After hiking we made our way back down the trail to a great little panini and gelato spot for dinner. Again...DELICIOUS!!!

Tomorrow we plan to go white water rafting! I am pretty nervous about this, but also very excited. It's something I have always wanted to do, and being able to do so in Colorado with great friends is about as good as it gets. It'll be Jonathan's turn to write about that, so more to come...Until then, take care and enjoy the pics! ~E

DAY 35: Sunday, May 20, 2007 (Denver, CO)

Last night, we scrambled to make last-minute reservations at several white-water rafting places in the area. After several disappointments, we were finally able to schedule a half-day trip with All-American Adventures in Idaho Springs, CO, down Clear Creek, a river that boasts rapids from class I through V. (For those unfamiliar with the class system of river rapids, as I was before yesterday, you can check out the specific descriptions for each class by clicking here: River Rapid Rating System.) We were primed to do a Class III-IV for half a day, but it was the Class IV that spiked a bit of anxiety in each of us. I'm not exactly sure what my expectations were prior to our arriving at our meeting place in Idaho Springs, but wearing a wet suit was definitely not part of the picture! We met our guide for the trip, Gabe, who gave us each our wet suits, rain jackets, booties, helmets, and life jackets. (For those who have never worn a wet suit, let's just say that the extra-snug fit leaves nothing, and I mean nothing, to the imagination!)

After a few giggles and feelings of uncertainty that our new attire was fitting the way it should be, and after we signed releases that let All-American Adventures off the hook in case we got a scratch, broke a nail, or, well, you know..., we were then driven to our departure point. Gabe gave us the safety speech (you know, the speech where you are informed of every worst-case scenario in the book, and what to do in each case. These are things like how to hold the paddle, how and when to row and not to row, how to sit in the raft, what to do if you fall out of the raft (apparently panicking is not the preferred reaction), when to swim, when to float, how to float, what to grab when swimming or floating, how to get someone back in the raft, how to grab the rope if one is thrown to you, etc., etc., etc. Despite each of the worst-case scenarios being highly unlikely scenarios, the mere mention of them made our anxiety levels rise to DEFCON 2, the state just below maximum readiness!

We then met our back-up safety guide, Silvio, an Argentinean kayaking pro who has won many international kayaking competitions (who said he could do an "Eskimo Roll," something Elena recently read that only a few people in the world can do!). He rode along ahead of us, also acting as a river scout, as well as someone who could help if one of us was thrown from the raft and needed extra swim coaching (someone yelling "SWIM!" is extremely helpful if one is panicking) or something to grab on to (his kayak had several handles to grab if necessary). There were also two other guys who would show up along the side of the river at various points, holding ropes, prepared to throw them if one of us took an unscheduled swim! We happened to not need them during our trip, but, like insurance, it was nice to know they were there if we did!

Our actual trip downstream was fantastic. If there was ever a question in my mind as to whether or not we really needed wet suits, it was quickly answered within the first five minutes after getting totally soaked by the extreeeemely cold river water. The river, which was flowing faster than usual this time of year due to the melting snows from the mountains, led us through periods of Class II, III, and IV rapids, with parts of the river donning various anxiety-provoking names such as Hell's Corner, Double Knife, Corkscrew, Dr. Dred, Terminator II, Honey Dipper, and Jabba the Rock. Despite our novice state (or possibly because of it, as in "beginner's luck"), we maneuvered through each rapid beautifully; Gabe said we were the best team he had seen in a long time! (To quote him directly, he said we were "bomber," and that " we didn't even suck a little bit!") Yeah baby! Though not perfect by any means, I think one of our strengths was being able to take direction from Gabe as he shouted commands like, "Forward two!," "Right back!," and "Dig in team!!!"

After being soaked many times over, the middle part of the river was calmer (like a Class I or II), so for about 20 minutes or so, we were able to view more of the scenery around us (instead of the white water coming straight at us!). The downside of this time was it also gave us a chance to freeze up a bit, as the wind and water worked in synch to get our teeth to chatter and skin to numb up quite nicely! We were doing so well, Gabe asked us if we were interested in tackling one of the Class V parts of the river towards the end of the trip. We thanked him for being so kind to make such an offer, but we collectively declined as our experience so far was exciting enough (ain't we brave?!).

After twisting and turning and maneuvering expertly down the rest of the river, we came to the "Honey Dipper" where we had our one and only "casualty." In what seemed to happen in the blink of an eye, Stephanie, who was sitting in the middle row, was just as quickly NOT sitting in the middle row! She had somehow fallen out and, in a matter of seconds, was heroically and seemingly effortlessly being pulled back into the raft by Gabe. Stephanie handled it like a pro and was quickly back in the saddle, rowing on command with the rest of us. Despite this little hiccup, Gabe said we all handled it perfectly (i.e., we weren't all looking back to see what was happening - though I definitely wanted to! - but rather we continued to row out of the raging rapids and into calmer waters).

By noon we were back at our original meeting place, peeling wet suits off of our bodies (picture peeling a Roll-up candy off of the wax paper!), sharing war stories of the river, and driving through Starbucks for a warm cup of some sort of chai tea latte. This adventure was not only the highlight of the day, but also one of the highlights of our entire trip so far (and our lives, as Elena points out). Though our cross-country trip certainly qualifies as an adventure for us, I wouldn't exactly consider ourselves "thrill-seekers." For us, this was definitely thrilling and well worth the extra expense (even if it means we won't be able to eat until next Thursday!). We're not sure what this coming week has in store for us, but we'll keep you posted, as usual. Until then... ~J

DAY 40: FRIDAY, May 25, 2007 (Denver, CO)

This sixth week has been a somewhat lazy week for Jonathan and me. Monday through Wednesday were spent basically lollygagging at the park, going to the movies, eating ice cream, going for jogs (to offset the ice cream eating), reading, writing post cards and the like. I have to say, staying with friends has been wonderful. It is, as Jonathan likes to say, a vacation from our vacation.

We decided on Thursday that we should do something we could only do in Colorado - so we drove to the top of Pike's Peak, which is located in the Rockies about 2 hours away. To get there, we drove through the beautiful red rocks, and up Pike's Peak Highway. From the bottom of the mountains to the tippity top, the views were just incredible. Starting at about 8,000 feet above sea level, what you notice first are the lush contrasting greens; the blue mint green of the lichen on the rocks, the emerald green of the grass and mosses, the vibrant lime green of the newly budding birches, and the deep, dark evergreen of the pines.

As we climbed higher into the mountains, we began to see patches of snow. Then as we reached 10,000 feet, it looked as if we were inside a gingerbread village- millions of pines covered in snow stood glistening all around us. The road was extremely narrow and curved steeply up the mountain, testing the minivan's ability to corner hairpin turns (without guard rails), which was a little frightening at times - especially when the road became icy mud and we actually slid about five feet. Due to the icy conditions and a snow storm the previous night, the road was closed off at 13,000 feet (the summit is just over 14,000 feet). So even though we would have loved to see the 360 degree views at the top (and enjoy a free, famous Pike's Peak doughnut), we were unable to make it to the visitor's center at the summit. However, we were able to enjoy the heavenly view of being above the clouds, with the blue Rocky ridges in the distance. It was glorious! The weather was beautiful (though freezing at the top), the sun was shining, and there was a perpetual rainbow that completely encircled the sun the entire day (this was our second experience encountering this phenomenon. We also saw this in Greensburg - we hear it is a sign of good luck!).

After our trip to Pike's Peak we made salmon and shrimp for dinner for our gracious hosts, and shared our bottle of champagne (from Thelma in Arkansas) with chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. We topped off the evening with the movie "Little Children", (opinions about the movie varied, but I liked it. It seemed like a genuine portrayal of how the seemingly "perfect" family/marriage is often anything but. Good, but intense).

Today (Friday) we did some more chillin' out, maxin', and relaxin'. We went for a jog in the morning, browsed at the mall this afternoon, and walked to a nearby Thai restaurant for dinner. Tonight we may take in another movie, or not, depending on how long it takes Jonathan to upload the pictures from our drive yesterday (we took over 700 pictures- so be sure to check out Pike's Peak in our photo gallery). So far, Colorado is just beautiful and we are really enjoying our stay. We may be leaving early next week, so until then we hope to soak in more of the natural beauty of this state. We send love to all our family and friends, and hope you are all well. ~E

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