Colorado Springs

     The wind blew like crazy all night long; rattling the camper and buffeting us around like we were at sea.  It only stopped for a bit about five in the morning.  The lack of noise and the singing of the birds woke me up.  I plugged in our little heater because it was only 45 in the camper, and then went back to bed.   By the time we got up for good, the wind was blowing strong again. I think that this could have been a beautiful campground, but we mostly saw huge waves and branches whipping in the wind.

Colorado Rest Stop Picnic Shelter

    Back on the road it was not as windy and very soon we turned south and crossed into "Colorful Colorado."  I-76 followed the South Platte River and took us through acres of rangeland full of beef cattle and oil wells.  We were  glad that we filled up on gas before we hit this lonely part of the road.  Mile after mile of wide open spaces under a partly cloudy sky and very little traffic.  This is traveling that I love.
    We stopped for lunch outside Fort Morgan which was established to protect travelers
along the Overland Trail.  From there folks headed north to Oregon and south to Denver and California.  As we drove over a big hill and saw the line of huge, snowcapped mountains before us we could understand why it this area of the trail was a dividing point.  No one in a covered wagon was going to go OVER the mountains at this point, they had to find a lower pass.  I always look at the Rockies when we first see them and think how close they appear - as though we will be there in another ten miles.  Perhaps the first explorers thought this too and then found how really high those peaks are.  It must have been both exciting and discouraging to the folks on the wagon trains.  I would like to read some journals of travelers in this area.
   By mid afternoon we were set up in a nice KOA campgound, with our awning out, lawnchairs underneath, and some Big Ginger drinks in our hands.  It is warm, sunny and NOT WINDY.  We fired up the barbecue for dinner and then wandered over to the KOA Cafe for some ice cream cones and a little socializing around a big bonfire.  Temps are dropping to the 40's each night despite the warm days.  Perfect camping weather!