Getting set for Jordan's Canada to Denver ride

On June 21, at 5:00 PM, I headed to Colorado to meet Jordan. We planned to drive to Canada for his bike ride. Despite the good weather, I was tired from a hard few weeks. The drive was easy, with little traffic after leaving the Twin Cities. I stopped at a rest stop in York, Nebraska, at 11:45 PM. The Scion IA seat was uncomfortable, and the temperature was in the 80s. I slept little and drove again at 3:45 a.m. The drive was easy, and I arrived in Golden, CO, by 8:00 a.m. Jordan was sleeping, so I ran a few errands.

At 9:15 AM, I called Jordan, and we packed and prepared for our trip. I set up the new bicycle rack while packing the car. We met the real estate agent in Keystone at 3:00 PM and bought an air bed, tarp, and bungee cords. I was exhausted and getting double vision, but we needed to leave by 2:00 PM.

At noon, we tried to start his car, but the battery was dead. I bought jumper cables and a $100 jump-start kit from the hardware store. The cable couldn’t reach, so I planned to return the kit. It didn’t work! The neighbor was gone, and we couldn’t move the car. Then we realized the jump kit worked (initial user error). We headed to return the jump kit and found Walmart was closing. Everything was 50% off, but we couldn’t find an airbed pump. We did see a jump-start kit for $35, which was better than the one we returned. Things are looking up!

We were on the road at 2:10 PM, late due to heavy rain and concerns about being late. I was exhausted from having slept only a few hours the previous night. We reached Keystone by 3:30 p.m. and met the agent. It’s a great place, and I hope he finds a home here. His face and body language conveyed his affection for the area.

We left for Montana at 5:00 p.m., but encountered heavy traffic. We had close calls with deer as dusk set in. We stopped at a rest stop near Rawlins, WY, to sleep. We settled in and were sleeping by 11:00 PM, but the inverter broke, making it uncomfortable.

It was 4:15 AM, and I was wide awake, ready to head to Kalispell! We made a pit stop in Rock Springs, Wyoming, where we stopped to grab an inverter. Jordan was also craving ice cream for breakfast, and guess what? He got his wish! We tried to make good time, but we took the scenic route so Jordan could check out the road. I was starting to feel tired, and we had a minor disagreement. I kept it under wraps to maintain peace.

We finally arrived in Kalispell at 6:00 and quickly unpacked. We headed to MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub. I’ve been there before and loved it just as much as the second time. By 8:30 PM, we were both so tired that we were ready to start the ride and crashed HARD!

All you quiet dreamers, carry on!