December 2, 2021
MONTANA
The skies on this journey have just been magnificent. Blazing suns, baby blues, puffy whites, radiant sunsets and pitch black nights. Below, I caught the sunrise on an early ride out. Bye, Montana and all it's beautiful people!!
Early morning skies on the road
Rustic spread out residences
Despite the lack of...well, anything, the atmosphere at the Wyoming rest stop was completely different than the slow paced Montana. Everyone was in a rush. To where, I wondered.
Veggies on the road
Cooked asparagus!
Eureka! I couldn't believe it. Cooked vegetables in a package. I almost fell over. I was so happy to see a green. It was a small portion and not much taste but it was a green, none-the-less. I haven't seen this packaging since. Should've splurged on the cauliflower and artichoke but what can you do?
Empty highways
Outside of the rest stop, there was very little to see in Wyoming. To those that I spoke to after riding through, that was their consensus, as well. It felt more barren than the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Montana. Hardly signs of life. Horses and cattle and isolated production plants. It was during this trip south that I had to call 911 to figure out how to get to the nearest gas station so I didn't run out. Unfortunately, warnings like "95 miles to the next gas station" don't come before the last rest stop. GPS wasn't much help. There wasn't one listed for miles and miles and miles. I also had no clue how many miles the gas tank could hold. This is pretty important information. I have since been taking notice. I believe it holds around 500 miles worth of gas. More than I thought, actually.
Denver, Colorado arrival
I finally rolled in to Denver. I was very, very happy that it was a bustling city because it was dark and I did not want to chance driving in the backwoods again after hitting the deer. Neither my friend Allison nor I could believe that I actually made it in my daddy's old truck. I had never seen her apartment or met her boyfriend Sandi and I hadn't seen her little corgi, Bingo, for a long time. Bingo is really the star. Everywhere he goes, everyone, I mean everyone stops to say hello. Denver is an extremely dog friendly city. There are doggie treats and water bowls on most blocks. Lucky for me, Bingo was my buddy. He was often by my side, checking up on me.
Me and my friend, Bingo
In the morning, I got the grand tour of the building. It was absolutely stunning. When you enter the building, there are lounging areas, large tables and chairs and a lovely burning fireplace. Their apartment is spacious, with a lovely kitchen and big windows overlooking the city streets over a personal balcony. Up on the rooftop, was the pièce de résistance! A beautiful gym, a humungous outdoor area with tables, chairs, fire pit and pool. I couldn't believe there was a pool. I couldn't believe I didn't actually go in the pool.
Rooftop pool
Entrance to common room penthouse
Party on the rooftop
Unbelievably, nobody was ever up there. I was able to teach my zoom pilates and piano classes, catch up on the blog and have quiet time with the Lord. Then I would pop over to the gym and workout. I know...Too blessed to be stressed. One night, Allison and I organized a party with two of my other friends and some people from the building. We played games, ate snacks and I was able to share my travel testimonies. They loved it so much we did it again!
Allison working
Me, Allison and Sandi for ice cream
Indian food out
I really don't think Allison and Sandi have a clue as to how much of a blessing they were/are to me. I was treated like a queen. Despite them both working from home, they never seemed to grow tired of me hanging around. We even went out together for hikes, food and ice cream! The Indian food above is from Allison and Sandi's favorite Indian food restaurant. It gets Sandi's stamp of approval, so you know it's authentic (Sandi is from India).
Chai time with Allison
Homemade Pani Puri
Allison took me to her favorite place to get Chai Tea. It was usually part of Bingo's walk (see first picture with me and Allison). They are faithful to walk him three times a day. Not only that, but they clean him off every time. That's dedication! Sandi is basically a self-made chef. My friends from Montana gifted me with some venison from their latest hunt and I brought it for Sandi. He made an amazing curry from it. In the picture above, he treated me to a special Indian dish called "Pani Puri". You take a little, fried potato dumpling (on left) and poke a hole in the top. Then you put a dollop of potato mush inside and saturate the inside of the pod with a delish soup. Finally, lavish on some black salt and pop it in your mouth and enjoy the colliding of multiple textures!
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