Day 5

Okay, I know you won't believe it, but I've been experiencing technical difficulties. Yes, technically, it's been exhausting to try and post in the evening after a fun-filled day of vacation. Also, exhausting after a day filled with driving to our next destination. It's Sunday now, our 10th actual day on the road, but I've only caught you up to day 4. So here is my attempt to get on with day 5 in an effort (which will continue when possible) to get everyone up to date. If you care.
So, we reluctantly left the Great Sand Dunes and I didn't think anything could be better. I was so happy to have "discovered" them. There weren't too many people there at all. It was peaceful. My original plan was to do a 4 mile hike there up to the Medano Lake, which was pictured in my NG guide. Unfortuneately, the road that led to the trailhead had been washed out by the storm that took out the power at the Travel On Inn the night before. The rangers said that the road wouldn't be back in use until Friday or Saturday, which was too late in the week for us to consider staying. So I guess I'll have to get back there someday and do it. As we left the park we looked all around us and admired Mother Nature's work.


Okay, okay. So there are a lot of you out there who thought you'd never hear from me again. Like, I'm so lazy I gave up the blog altogether. Or, I've crashed and died and will never be seen on earth again. Or, I've died and gone to heaven out here in the west and will never return. Any which way, you are all wrong. I just have a lot to catch up on. Have I been at all repetitive yet?
So, we've seen prairies, sand dunes, mountains, lakes, rivers, oceans, and deserts. Songs that keep repeating themselves in my head (I can't help it and I don't know why) are: Bohemian Rhapsody!!!????, Oklahoma! from Oklahoma! ("we know we belong to the land, and the land we belong to is grand"), and Beverly Hills by Weezer. I swear, I've listened to some music on the way, and none of these songs represents what I've been listening to, or even really what I love, but still, they are on auto-replay.
Here's what the prairies look like in Colorado peppered with livestock:

Here's a letter on the side of a hill in Gunnison, Colorado. It's for you, Aaron:

We finally made it to Utah on day 5. We pulled into tiny Salina, Utah. Rhymes with vagina. This town is about 30 miles from the mining accident in Utah. Salina is big on coal mining. Just like back home. It's a real neat little dusty town with one blinking red and yellow light at the only intersection. I really like these towns. It was almost as cool as Plattsmouth and Mitchell, Nebraska.
Anyway, we checked into our room before heading out for pizza. Hey, Aaron, check out our room key!

We went for pizza after I checked out some cowboy boots in the western outfitters store. Still haven't found the right ones! But that's okay, I still have Wyoming and South Dakota to hit up!
Next door to the pizza joint was the Big Beep Bar and since I hadn't had a nice cold beer since I left home I thought it was about time. The Big Beep Bar is across the street from this:

And two doors down from this:

This is the Big Beep Bar:

Granted it was a Tuesday at about 6 pm, but we were the ONLY people in there.

I let Mummy taste my Squatter's Wheat beer 'cause it was light and refreshing. The bartender told me it's locally brewed. Hey, his name is Mudsy and he was locally brewed in Indiana, Pa. No kidding. Then his parents moved him out to Salina when he was 14. Here he is:

Stay tuned for Day 6! If I can remember how that day went!