Saturday, December 27, 2008

A trip to Wyoming


First, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Working at the map store (retail) has left me little time for blogging. I have missed reading and promise to get back as soon as things get back to normal, whatever that is.
My older brother John came down from Cheyenne, Wyoming to spend Christmas with us. As usual, the trip was very pleasant and all too short. I took him back to Cheyenne this afternoon. Cheyenne is a two hour drive north of Boulder. It is two different worlds. Boulder is nestled along the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Cheyenne is high on the wind swept planes. On our trip north we saw the largest Prong Horn Antelope herd I have ever seen. There must have been at least 100 animals. They were just beautiful. A few miles north of the antelope were a large heard of buffalo. They are just stunning...a reminder of the old west, before the white man arrived.
The wind was gusting to over 60 MPH and the warning signs were posted. We saw the remains of 5 tractor trailers on the side of the road. They had all been blown over by the strong winds and were laying on their side. As I returned home I witnessed one almost topple over. It went over on two wheels but the driver was able to control the vehicle and avert a serious accident.
As I approached Boulder on the Boulder-Longmont diagonal highway, a rather large bird caught my eye. It was soring close to the ground. We do have a lot of hawks out here and they are always sitting on telephone poles or circling, looking for mice. This bird was different. It floated as if it owned the sky. I thought I saw white on it's tail. As I got closer, I could tell that it was white. Knowing only one large bird with white on it's tail, I watched to see if it was, as I suspected, a bald eagle. It turned skyward and confirmed my suspicions. A rare sighting of another beautiful animal.
Janice and I are off to Fort Collins for a night of frivolity with old friends.
New Year's eve we are hosting the 1st part of the Sunshine Progressive New Year's Eve Party. Cocktails are at our house at 6PM. Steve and Dee are hosting Dinner at 8PM. At 10PM we all move up to Steve and Lisa's for dessert and the welcoming of the new year.
Best wishes to all.
Smiles,
David
PS...Thank you Santa for the new chain saw!!!!!