My single stopover in Kansas was to visit friends one of whom is a full-time caretaker of a spouse sliding deeply into dementia - a humbling reminder of the fragility of the aging mind and its ... consequences. I had a long and detailed talk with my parents in Pioneer Cemetery on the hilltop overlooking KU's West Campus and acknowledged my recovery, reconciliation and growth that I've experienced from Teri's illness and my father's demise. And then, the Rockies. The movers failed to show up twice for loading and and only one showed up to unload yet managed to get a sofa bed upstairs by himself. In 2 1/2 days unpackers unboxed, put away, organized and labeled each cabinet, and carted 80 empty boxes away - incroyable!
I immediately purchased a hybrid bike and into thin air I huffed up and down Coal Creek Trail with the omnipresent Rockies visible to my west. I passed 6 neighborhoods incinerated by the wildfires with a few remaining fireplaces and charred vehicles as reminders. Fanned by 100 mph winds, the wildfires left 1,000 families homeless and occurred the day after I closed. If these had happened in reverse order, I never could have moved here as there are now more than 20 offers per property. It has been a major switch for me from road biking the country hills of Madison to trying to stay upright on trails of rock, gravel, dirt and pavement. I suffered my first spill in a flooded underpass laden with mud. I've seen hundreds of prairie dogs, one coyote and one rattler on my rides. And, the redoubtable goats head thorn known to slay inner tubes - I just patched my fourth puncture today after going >12 years without a flat on my road bike.
In the midst of the move, a twice (COVID-related) rescheduled sojourn to Peru and Machu Picchu with my best friend Steve. The incredible Incan ingenuity is evident in the impeccable interlocking stonework (up to 123 tons/stone) and aqueducts that have survived centuries of earthquakes - we experienced a 7.2 in Cusco (11,000 ft). But their welcoming and ingenuous nature led to the defeat of their empire spanning 6 South American countries by 168 gold-crazed disingenuous Spaniards. My favorite interaction was in a home-hosted scrumptious meal with roasted guinea pig (like our holiday turkey) in which the grandfather wore a Buckeye hat where I explained that it was a very famous university ... for American football. I was then asked to teach the grandson how to use chopsticks and he eagerly caught on! 100,000 Chinese laborers came to build railroads in the 1840s leaving more than 2,000,000 descendants with their own schools etc. In fact, the second most popular national dish (#1 is ceviche) is lomo saltado which is stir-fried beef with tomatoes and onions in oyster sauce that can be found in every corner cafe. As a result of such culinary fusion, Peru has become the #1 food destination in South American 9 of the last 11 years. We could learn something from that confusion.
And then, back to high altitude home in Boulder County, where I took a break from biking to hike up to Calypso Cascade in Rocky Mountain National Park where the runoff was raging and even overflowing some of our trail.
I have been welcomed by old friends and family and now that the basement renovation is almost complete and the artwork is up, this new adventure is ...!
