Aurora, CO

OK, true confessions. We have actually finished our trip and have safely returned to Virginia after 56 days on the road (and we are still talking to each other). We got home last Wednesday evening and have been playing catch up ever since. Now that the van is unpacked, laundry done, mail sorted, emails nearly caught up, it is time to finish up this blog! Last entry was July 4 and I'm just sure you have been waiting to hear about our final days, right?

Thursday, July 5, 2012
We had a short drive from Colorado Srings to Aurora, CO where my girlfriend, Vicki Florer and husband Dick live. Vicki and I lived a few houses from each other in Savanna, IL and were best friends from Kindergarten through Sophomore year in high school when Vicki moved to Colorado with her parents.

We enjoyed a delicious pork roast dinner (thanks Dick!) while we shared our memories of Savanna and caught up with the years since our last visit. Hope to see Vicki (and Dick) again in Savanna next year for our 50th High School Reunion.

Friday, July 6, 2012
We started the day with the best pancakes Mel and I have ever eaten. Vicki's recipe comes from her vintage Betty Crocker cookbook. Haven't tried it yet as I see I must not have baked anything in the past year or so. My baking powder is a year out of date. Well, next trip to the grocery store, I'll be ready to try this out for myself:

Vicki's Pancakes
1 egg
1 Cup flour
3/4 Cup milk (maybe a little more)
2 T oil
1 T sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Beat egg with hand beater until fluffy; beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth. For thinner pancakes, stir in additional 1/4 cup milk. Grease heated griddle if necessary. (To test griddle sprinkle with few drops water. If bubbles skitter around, heat is just right.) For each pancake, pour about 3 tbsp batter from tip of large spoon or from pitcher onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes until puffed and dry around edges. Turn and cook other sides until golden brown. Nine 4-inch pancakes; 100 calories per pancake.

Thanks, Vicki and Dick, for a great breakfast which prepared us for a long day of driving.

We had a pretty boring, long drive through Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas stopping for the night in Russell, Kansas at the Triple J Camper Park just off Route 70. Not a beautiful campground, but we did have a shady spot. It was still really HOT. After dinner in the RV, we walked down to the nearby McDonalds for our 99 cent ice cream cone. On our walk back to the campground, we stopped to visit the two raindeer in the campground's small "zoo". They were feeding the raindeer boxes of fruit rejects from the local grocery store -- lettuce, grapes, apricots, and strawberries. They loved the strawberries.  Sorry, no photos.