Anna and Niki a.k.a. my backseat buddiesThe trip didn't start out like others. I was slightly nervous going on a road trip with three people I hadn't travelled with before. They are my friends, but I hadn't spent this kind of time with them yet. It didn't take long for my nerves to calm down. I realized how silly I was to be nervous. I had a blast.
Some people think western Kansas is boring. I disagree. There is something about the vast, open prairie that inspires awe. Just as I feel small next to a mountain, I am reminded how tiny I am compared to the miles and miles of open landscape. Never mind the seeming barrenness of the land. The land is beautiful. The blue sky, golden fields, green pastures speckled with black, brown, and white spots, the Flint Hills that are a luscious green, rolling on for miles. And the clouds, oh the clouds...
One of the things I enjoy the most while travelling west through our great state are the sunsets, and since we left at 4 in the afternoon I was able to enjoy one that night.
John and Chris
Though they are not part of the natural landscape I cannot leave out the wind turbines. Talk about enormous. My first experience with the mammoth machines was in California when I was 9. They went on for miles and miles and miles and miles. It was fun travelling past them this time as there was an architectural engineer in the car with us. He volunteered all kinds of info about them. I encouraged him to go on even though, at times, he thought it nerdy. (If you want nerd just listen to me talk for a while. You will get your fill of nerd ; ) )
As amazing and beautiful as all of the scenery was the people are what made the trip. Four incredible, confident, adventurous people. (five total, of course) Each of them ooze these qualities. They are not above other people, in fact they freely share their faith, and offer their help and friendliness. Over the past 5 1/2 years I have hung out with Niki, Chris, and Anna over and over again developing sweet friendships. They have this friend John who recently became my friend as well. He was an acquaintance from a few years ago that I met at The Barn. Since March I have hung out with him and the girls a couple of times, but still hardly knew him. He was the lone guy on our trip. I wonder what was going through his head as we drove out to Colorado to hike, camp, etc. I think he was pleasantly surprised. In fact, as we climbed up boulders on our last day hike he told us that a good number of his guy friends wouldn't even do that with him. It was settled early on that we were the best girls to road trip to Colorado with.
Last night at group Tom asked Maeret, yet all of us, if she had ever met anyone who had the presence of the L-rd all over them. I immediately said yes. Initially I was thinking about Cindi Lombardo, but close behind her were these four.
Left: The crew at the Arkansas River
Below: The crew on the Shavano summit
Much to our enjoyment the annual FibArk Festival was going on in Salida. Well, I enjoyed some of it, the drunkenness not being that which I enjoyed. There was a pro trick kayak tournament, karaoke, bands, a parade, and hooligan, uh, 'races'. The hooligans being rafts of sorts.
The teams were given 6 weeks to build their hooligan. A good majority didn't last a full minute. It was amusing. I'm still not entirely sure the point of the 'race'. It was hilarious-some more than others.
Stay tuned...
