First walk with Susan along the river

I had missed the river walks with Susan and her dog Allie.  My dogs really like her.  Sometimes we meet Bob, another dog walker who lives near the river, and then there are seven offleash dogs around us when we come together to talk.  Bob then takes off with his Golden retrievers for a big lap around the field.  He's a fast hiker.

Today's homecoming was bittersweet, though.  Susan didn't tell me this while I was on my roadtrip, but her husband Randal, who turns 73 tomorrow, was diagnosed in early June with metastatic lung cancer.  Susan had mentioned many times how grumpy he had become and wasn't feeling very good.  It turns out the pain he has had in his stomach is from cancer.  Doctors are saying he has weeks or months to live. He had one round of chemotherapy but his body couldn't handle it.  His hair fell out right away, he lost his sense of smell and taste, and can barely keep any food down.  He's still smoking (and drinking his whiskey) but now has painful sores in his mouth. He is in home hospice, drugged up with morphine to dull the pain.

Randal served six months in Vietnam in 1966 and was never the same once he got back.  All his life he has had health issues related to his exposure to Agent Orange, including previous bouts with lung cancer.  The odd thing is, his last  cat scan in April came back cancer-free, but by June the cancer was back.

What do you say to a dear friend whose husband is dying?  All I can do is be there for her.  We hugged when we got together at 4:30pm and then talked about Randal, his struggles with the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) and the reluctance in treatment or compensation the VA gives its Vietnam Veterans.  Years of fighting with compensation, treatment, etc and he was finally rewarded $40,000, but it came too late to help him.

It was a quiet, slow walk today.  It was Susan's turn to talk, and I could tell she is in pain, too.  Death and dying affects the survivors as much as it does the dying.  She is a spry 71 years old and in great health, but now she will have to plan the rest of her life without her husband of 20 years.  The dogs chased each other, splashed in the river (which wasn't as full as I had expected, with several heavy rain storms this month) and barked with joy as Susan and I slowly moved along.  The two-mile loop took us 90 minutes because we'd stop for the dogs, let them play, and then slowly moved on.
Even Minnie did well today and wobbled along. The sky was overcast, befitting the mood.

Susan promised me to give herself time to walk with Allie as much as she can during these trying times.  She, too, needs someone to be there for her, even if it's only for a short 20-minute walk.  I know she will have days when she can not make it, or Randal has an especially bad day, or she may be too exhausted to even get out of the house.  I will give her the space she needs, but I promised her I will be there for her whenever she needs me in these next weeks.

First hike back in Arizona

It was more of a walk than a hike.  At 5:40am, just before sunrise, I took all four dogs on a three-mile walk around the Rancho San Pedro area.  The sky was shrouded in clouds and it was cool until after the sun rose.  I finally had energy to start my morning regimen again.  The heat here really tires me out.

The dogs were happy to finally get out again.  I know Kevin didn't walk them in my absence.  Minnie had noticeably gained some weight and I'm concerned for her.  While she did finish the walk, she was panting heavily, and drooled at the mouth on the short drive home.  When we got home, she plopped in the water trough and stayed there for an hour, still panting.  I'm going to have to be easy on her from now on, perhaps exclude her from the longer hikes, and increase her glucosamine.

I didn't see too many wildflowers in bloom except for the yellow sennas.  One of our century plants started growing a stalk before I left for Indiana.  That stalk is now in bloom.  The plant will die once the flowers die.  Grass in our backyard isn't as lush as I had expected.  Kevin said the monsoon will kick in again in August.

Home

The RV site was quiet and dark when I awoke.  I got up to let Zeke out, then showered, then left the Air Force Base to head west on US70.  The RV site was still quiet at sunrise wen I drove off. I was now ready to make it home by early afternoon.

It didn't quite work out like that, as usual.

I pulled over on US70 along the National Park boundary with the White Sands park (which borders the Air Force Base to its west) , and climbed a small gypsum sand hill to get a view of the park.  The sand dunes are slowly moving toward the roadway. I had been in this park before, in 2008, after the Bataan Death March Marathon, and walked around the white hills in bare feet.  The soft sand after a marathon was very soothing on my aching feet.  Today it wasn't quite so therapeutic, but it still felt good to sink my feet into the soft, warm sand.  Signs warming trespassers of a fine disturbed me, so I didn't venture out far, but this is the only place one can walk on the gypsum sand without entering the park.  I wanted to wait out the rising sun and see the light beam over the sand.  That didn't quite happen, as the sun rose behind clouds and the sunrise was rather nondescript.

Zeke was watching me from the car parked off the highway.  I didn't want to panic him, so I didn't go beyond the park fence.  Little black beetles were crawling on the surface of the sand, leaving small indentations and interesting texture to the surface sand.  The surface was marked in all direction with little bug prints.  I can watch the beetles maneuver across the soft sand all day long. 

I made it to Las Cruces shortly after 8am.  I like stopping at the Rio Grande and walking along the path.  By now the sun was up high enough to warm up the area, and there is little shade along the river walk.  The river was flowing nicely, people were floating on rafts downstream, and plenty of joggers and cyclists shared the path with me.  What a difference in water level six weeks make.

I walked a little over a mile one-way south to the I-10 overpass, then turned around.  By 10:30am the parking lot was busy with rafters and more cyclists, and I was glad to finally get on the road for the final push back to Arizona.  I was now officially tired of the long road trip.

My last stop was gassing up in Lordsburg, NM and having a quick lunch at McDonalds: a green chili double cheeseburger for $2 and a $1 soda.  It was the only McDonald's where I saw green chili cheeseburgers advertised.  They are rather tasty! Gas was $2.57, ten cents cheaper than it was on 3 June when I last drove through here.

Monsoon clouds hung over the Chiricahua mountains as I entered Arizona.  Temperatures outside topped 101F before dropping 20 degrees with the storm front approaching. What a gorgeous homecoming.  These clouds got dark fast, but I missed the rain as it went west when I was driving south on AZ80.  I had missed a big downpour over Hereford when I finally drove up at 4pm to a quiet homecoming with Kevin.  The dogs were happy to see me, too.  I got a thorough sniff-down from all of them, and Zeke, too.

The backyard grass wasn't as green as it was two years ago when I got back from Alaska.  I also noticed that none of the butternut squash I had planted germinated.  My plum tree died, but my little pear tree is showing ample fruit for the first time.

I also picked up enough dog shit from the back yard to fill a 50-pound dog food bag.

I had driven 7381 miles round trip.  It took me just 6000 miles to drive to Alaska two years ago.  It's going to take me a while to unpack the Honda.  I brought more stuff back with me than I took to Indiana.

Artesia, Cloudcroft NM and the Trestle Trail Recreation area (Heading home)

Getting out of Lubbock on the loop wasn't easy.  There was a lot of traffic in all directions.  I ended up taking a wrong turn and ended up in Hobbs, NM before I realized I had gone too far south.  I had wanted to drive west on US 380. I didn't want to end up in El Paso, but driving NM385 is also risky, as oil trucks blast past passenger cars with only inches separating the two.  NM385 is one of the state's deadliest roads.

Southeastern New Mexico is the ugliest part of New Mexico.  Part of the Permian basin, this landscape is mostly flat, dotted with sagebrush, criss-crossed with powerlines, abandoned buildings, oil dereks and natural gas burning far in the horizon.  It's not a very inspiring landscape, except for those making money off of it.

It would have been nice to stop by Holly and Doug near the Guadalupe National Park, but I didn't want to barge in with no notice.  Getting together will have to wait for another time, when we can take several days to hike together again.  I was already feeling burn-out from the long drive, and the rising heat wasn't helping.   Staying alert in this heat, even with an air conditioner blowing, is hard for me. I just wanted to get home and out of this crowded car.  I'm sure Zeke felt the same way.

I stopped to walk a three-mile perimeter path in Eagle Draw Park in Artesia, NM.  This town has grown in size since the oil boom ten year ago.  Despite its name, though, there is nothing scenic about the town surrounded by oil refineries and oil tanks.  The only redeeming thing for the traveler is the many fast-food restaurants and motels. This little city park was busy with joggers along the multi-use path.  Children were climbing around the playgrounds.  The path even had a par-course with fitness machines.  The only thing the entire path lacked was any water fountain.  At least Zeke could drink from the irrigation water.

I gassed up one more time before leaving Artesia, then continued west on US 82.  The landscape was now getting hillier, greener, and leaving the smelly oil fields.  Once past the community of Hope, I could see the distant mountains of the Lincoln National Forest.  The road was leading to Cloudcroft, New Mexico, a former mining and lumber town nestled at 8668' and easily 20 degrees cooler than the upper 90s I was feeling.

I made it to Cloudcroft mid afternoon and parked the Honda on Grand Bouldevard in front of Dave's Cafe.  I was hungry and contemplated eating in this town, but a quick look at nearby hiking trails via my Alltrails app showed that I was .4 miles away from the Trestle Trail Recreation Area and the Mexican Canyon trestle.  The 3.8-mile Cloud-Climbing Trestle trail runs here, where back in the 1880s a railroad chugged mining ore along the mountainside.  The official trailhead closes at 6pm, but parking the Honda in town would prevent me from getting locked in, so off I went with Zeke to hike another short trail.

And I am so glad I did.  Had I known that I would stop in Cloudcroft for a hike, I could have bypassed Artesia and come straight here to hike a longer trail.  The tall Douglas firs cooled and also darkened the trail.  The trail is wide here, and despite a loss in elevation and some rocks along the path, easy to maneuver.  I met a few hikers finishing their hike when I started mine at 4:40pm

I made it to the Mexican Canyon trestle at 5:30pm.  This trestle is visible from US 82 which descends from Cloudcroft and meanders downhill toward Alamogordo.  A young family was standing on a viewpoint waving at me off the highway, asking me how I got to the position I was.  I didn't tell them that it was already too late in the day for them to hike to because the gate to the parking area closes promptly at 6pm.

There is so much history here in Cloudcroft.  I had been to this town twice before, but never knew about this hiking trail.  I only regretted that I didn't have much time (or the energy) to hike farther.  I hiked the entire trestle network #5001.  There are parts of the trail where it's obvious that once train tracks had been laid.

The hike took me 90 minutes.  Now I was hungry, though, and this time I did go inside Dave's Cafe for a Patty Melt and an oatmeal stout beer, managing ten minutes of "Happy Hour" before 6pm.  The burger and beer were OK, but I didn't want to stay long now that the day was coming to an end.  I decided to get off the mountain and spend the night at Holloman Air Force Base just outside of Alamogordo and camp out at the RV park.  It would give me a chance to shower finally before the last push home.

The RV park was a bit of a disappointment.  The entrance sign said the lot was full, but I saw a few empty spaces and plenty of overflow lots available.  The park has no trees for shade, and the ground is either dirt or gravel. It only has one shower for all the guests.  I guess that's because RVers shower in their vehicles.  There are no street lights in the park and everyone seems to have gone to sleep when I pulled in.  At least that provided for a quiet night.

Upper Comanche Trail, Palo Duro State Park, TX

I was the first one in the park when the gates opened at 7am.  This was my third visit to this park. As soon as I got on the paved road meandering down into the canyon, I lost phone and wifi connection, then couldn't verify my route to the Rock Garden Trail.  I didn't want to do the Lighthouse trail again, the park's most popular trail, and wanted to see something different.  The sun rose behind morning clouds and it was 62F when I started my hike on the Upper Comanche Trail, the first big trail once in the canyon.  The trail head is outside the Pavilion.  A larger thermometer warns hikers to be aware of the heat, wear hats, bring plenty of water, and to use sunblock which is provided at the trail head.  These large thermometers are at all the major trail heads

The Upper Comanche trail starts out rather dull as it meanders around and into a wash before it straddles hills on the north side of the park.  The wash had seen recent rain as the bottom was smooth. Today it was dry. The main road around the park is never far away; one can hear traffic and the sounds of campers at nearby campgrounds.   It doesn't become interesting until 2.5 miles into the hike and past the Sagebrush campsite.

The Upper Comanche trail is not listed on Alltrails.  (The Lower Comanche trail is.) I took this trail because I didn't want to lose time driving around the park looking for decent parking.  Some of the trail heads are on dirt roads.  The  Upper Comanche trail is off a parking lot and easily accessible.

One thing I did like about this trail was how few people use it.  Despite being close to two campgrounds, I only came across two mountain bikers and didn't see hikers until I finished the hike seven miles later.  I had Zeke off leash while on the trail, but leashed him when I went into a campground to refill my half-gallon jug of water.

The shade was nice, but I knew the sun would rise and heat up the ground and hurt Zeke's paws.  I felt good and could have gone farther than the 3.5 miles the mileage was telling me I was going.  The Upper Comanche Trail is well-marked with red stakes every .10 mile, then ends at the intersection with the Lower Comanche trail marked with white stakes as it continues to hug the rocky hillside along the park's northern area.  I would love to come back to this park and hike the entire Comanche trail, Upper and Lower, and make it a long 14-mile out-and-back hike.

Zeke spotted a herd of bighorn sheep and took chase briefly before I called him back. They were grazing in the shade as we walked by. A lone deer also ran across the trail, perhaps alarmed by Zeke.

I enjoyed this trail and could have hiked longer had I more time.  Temperatures in the mid 90s were in the forecast, though, and knew I had little shade left when I turned  around shortly after getting on the Lower Comanche trail.  Fields of dead thistle shined in the sun, and the aroma of sage filled the air.  It's a lovely aroma and quite different than the desert smells of southeastern Arizona.

Like most of the Palo Duro park, unique rock formations dot the path.  They were all in the hot sun as we returned.  Zeke was noticeably hot and thirsty, requiring me to stop at the Sagebrush campsite a second time for a water break.

The heat had gotten to me, too.  I felt good, but the heat tired me out.  I would have gladly hiked a second trail while in the park under cooler conditions, but that will be for another time.  A young family with three small children was starting out on the trail as I got back to my Honda.  The thermometer was now showing 93F.  How quickly the heat rose in the 3.5 hours I was on the trail.

I drove around the park to try other trails near the river, but there wasn't much water in the river.  There was desert willow, but the sand was too hot for Zeke.  I scratched any plans of more hikes in the park, drove up the canyon rim to rest in the shade by the visitor's center, and finally drove off at 1:43pm, but had to rest again in Plainview for another 47 minutes and then again at a rest stop north of Lubbock until 6:41pm.  The humid heat just wasn't allowing me to drive very far as I had no energy.

It was here at this rest stop, 1399 Co Rd 265, where I watched the sun set over the staked plains.  The sun's rays created halos over the tall grass seeds.  I took this moment to call Carol to see how she was doing, and we spent a good 45 minutes reminiscing about the summer of 2019 together.  God, do I miss that woman already.  Spending the summer with her in Northwest Indiana was a great idea.

I made it to Lubbock but didn't go into town.  I parked on the Southeast part of town in a hotel parking lot for the night.  I was too tired to spend any time in the Billy Holly district or enjoy any of their brewpubs.

Amarillo

Writing about Amarillo feels like deja-vu.  I was here for five days last summer when my Ford Escape blew a gasket.  I got to know the town then. At least this time I was here for better reasons.  I just wanted to chill.  Hiking in Palo Duro State Park (a state park I highly recommend to anyone) with 90F under full sun didn't sound very pleasant.

The hotel room was quiet.  The tenant next door with his beefy Harley had already left when I got up at 7:30am, just in time to watch the beginning of the Robert Mueller testimony before Congress.  I didn't even hear the Harley rider leave.  I must have been really tired!

What a great excuse to sit in a cooled hotel room and listen to history in the making, although I know that my Trump-loving friends and family will disparage the man who seemed to stumble with nervousness before a grueling partisan Congress.   The testimony was still on-going when I checked out of the hotel at 11am and spent the rest of the day just chilling in town, trying to get caught up with reviews, emails and articles to read before that final push on to Arizona.

There is still plenty of construction around Amarillo.  I-40 on the east side is still closing one lane, and detours in downtown are still on-going.  What is taking so long for these projects?

My first destination was a new brewpub in town, the Pondaseta brewpub on 7500 SW 45th Avenue.  This is the newest one in town, having opened up late last year.  I wasn't really in the mood for beer soearly in the morning, but by noon I was willing to try a flight of their wheats, stouts, porters or whatever else was on the taplist.  I was the first customer in the place.

It's an inviting place, no doubt, with all new furnishings, but I was turned off by the "no dogs allowed" policy.  The place doesn't even serve food!  I sat outside in the dog-friendly patio, but there was little shade to keep me cool, so I only stayed as long as I could finish a flight of five beers.  The beer was decent, but I didn't want to sit in the hot sun just to drink beer.  I paid and left.  I decided to have lunch on Old Route 66 in town, Smokey Joe's.  I had wanted to eat somewhere on Route 66 last year when my gasket blew.  Today was make-up.

I came at a good time.  Few people were inside.  Several bikers and a few families were all outside in the shaded patio where Zeke was allowed to sit with me.  What a relief, especially after that snotty treatment I got at Pondseta about dogs.  I had a tasty (albeit salty) patty melt and iced tea (I was beered out) and sat in the shade for almost four hours, just chilling.   I never got any slack from any server for staying there so long.  I left when employees began setting up for an evening event.   By then the inside was busy and I had to leave.

Now what to do? I was worn out from hiking but had no place to go, so I went back into Amarillo's downtown area, those three blocks on South Polk street where the Acupulco Mexican restaurant and Six Car Pub is.  A few other bars and restaurants make up this small party center. I'd been to Six Car last year and knew it was dog friendly, and I went back again today to sit outside and enjoy shandy for a few hours.  I hadn't planned on staying there that long, but the place provides free wi-fi for its patrons and I was busy getting caught up with reviews and this blog.  It wasn't busy, so I took an empty table away from the crowd and sipped my shandy while writing and watching the kids play on the patio. I left when trivia started in the early evening.

Where had time gone?  I walked two miles at 9pm to nearby Ellwood park, just to get my two miles in, and when I got back to the Honda parked on S Polk  Street, the Six Car pub and surrounding bars were closed.  Everyone had gone home.  The downtown was quiet. Not even homeless men stumbled down dark alleys.  The only life I saw was a black-white stray cat eating droppings on the Acupulco restaurant's patio.  I hadn't even made plans for a campsite and drove toward Palo Duro state park to hike a trail early in the morning before the 95F heat.

Central Oklahoma to Amarillo

Today was more of a slow nostalgic drive across familiar terrain.  I like driving Old Route 66 as I always see new things.  Oklahoma has the longest stretch of intact historic route, but that doesn't mean what is left is worth seeing.  At least the weather was nice and I had no traffic concerns.

I took it easy today, driving the designated route along OK66, which follows I-40 a few miles north of the interstate.  I saw things I had never seen before on Route 66: the rusty, dilapidated blue whale in Caloosa, the round red barn in Artesia, and the various old buildings along the way.  I didn't stop to photograph much (I should have!), but noted to explore these sites in the future.

The area around Oklahoma City isn't all that exciting: flat land of prairie grass and cattle farms.  I took the opportunity to explore more of Route 66, stopping at Fort Reno, a former cavalry post in the 1860s that once housed German prisoners of war during World War II.
http://www.fortreno.org/history-2/

My walk today was along the Bluff Creek trail north of Oklahoma City.  It's a paved one-mile loop with alternate paved routes to divert from.  I walked around, changing direction and exploring the mountainbike trails, until I racked up just over three miles.  It's not much, but it's better than not walking at all while driving across the flat Plains.

I continued on I-40 west, alternating with Route 66 that deviated into the forgotten towns along the interstate.  McLean is one such example.  It's a small town with nothing but abandoned, sun-bleached buildings and rusty cars in overgrown yards.  Stray cats scrambled across the two-lane highway.  I stopped to feed them some of the food I have in the car.  Not that that created a weight loss for the vehicle.  A young black female happily devoured what I poured out for the colony, with another young black cat watching from the distance but never approaching the food while I was nearby.

I ended up stopping in Amarillo for the night, getting a cheap room at the Camelot In right off the interstate.  The kingsized bed was only $42 for the night, which includes a $5 fee for Zeke.  The room was decent.   Service was top-notch with a peppy young gal happily showing me how to operate the keyless entry. I showered and stopped in at the Long Wooden Spoon brewery run by Jarod and Kim Reed.  They recognized me from last year, but were distracted with their four-year-old granddaughter that Kim said they now have legally adopted. I had a flight of four of their beers and stayed until 9:30, saying good-bey to the Reeds for yet another year.

I enjoyed sleeping prostrate for once, sleeping in a cool room without any outside noise waking me during the night.  Despite being just outside the interstate, the traffic was never bothersome.  I slept soundly.

From Missouri to central Oklahoma

I woke up discovering that I had drained the car battery when I fell asleep listening to the car radio overnight.  The Junco battery charger wasn't charged enough to jolt my battery back to life.  I walked over to Woods for an early coffee and to see if anyone could help jump my car.  No luck. I had to wait until 8am for a AAA contractor to come by and jolt my battery before leaving the area and heading southeast across Missouri.

It was cool in the morning, but once the rain blew through, the sun came back late in the morning.  The plan to hike 6.7-mile Turkey Pen trail in Ha Ha Tonka was scratched due to muddy trail conditions.  I'll have to do that one next time I make it through the state.  I like driving across Missouri's hilly roads, but today I just wanted to get some distance and make it to Oklahoma.  I did make it to Oklahoma, but I sure did take the long way there!

I had a nice slider lunch at Bricktown Brewery south of Springfield, then walked the Lake Springfield Park trail, a three-mile perimeter trail that went through woodlands and across a wide grassy field that reminded me of a golf course.  I was expecting to see grumpy old men chasing after me with their extended golf clubs.  The lake was mostly hidden by trees and the water smelled of affluent.  The section along the river is also paved.  The path was a nice leg-stretcher, but it's not a destination hike.  It showed up on my Alltrails app as being closeby so I did it.

It was mid afternoon now, and I was ready to head toward Oklahoma, via US60 which went through several small towns and many hills, before the terrain finally flattened out and I knew I was in Oklahoma.  There was no sign welcoming drivers to Oklahoma. I knew I was in the state when I saw several mega-sized  casinos along the way.

Remnants of the great flood of June 2019 still lingered here, as I saw river banks extending well past their shores and into muddy fields. Eastern Oklahoma is great for anglers, but there isn't much for hikers.  I had to wait until I hit the Turkey Mountain Urban Park south of Tulsa before I could say I was impressed with the trail.  I didn't start the trail until after 9pm.  The paved multi-use trail is well-lighted, but the park closes at 11pm and I didn't want to push my luck.  I powerwalked out-and-back for two miles. Other bikes were still coming in either direction.  I will have to come back during the day to better enjoy this park nestled up to the Arkansas River. What I saw impressed me.  Undercover cops patrol this park at all hours of the day and night.

I should have camped out somewhere near Tulsa and driven the rest of the route in the morning.  Instead, I trekked on until I pulled into a dimly-lighted gas station for the night somewhere between Tulsa and Oklahoma City on OK66, along a shaded route of trees and hills I'd have preferred to have seen in daylight.

Ha Ha Tonka State Park, Missouri

The Ha Ha Tonka State Park was originally planned for my drive to Indiana, but I had to cancel due to flood waters and tornado damage in the area.  This is a pretty little state park worth driving out of one's way to experience.

I didn't arrive until mid afternoon, still in a heat wave but cooler than yesterday.  I parked near the Castle ruins, walked up the paved path to the ruins, and decided to extend the hike by hiking several of the many smaller trails.  After gawking at the ruins, I continued on the 1.5-mile quarry trail, then added the natural bridge trail to this.  The grand total was only a mere 3.6 miles and I could have hiked more, but I was heated and hungry and Zeke needed a break, too.

We had a nice meal at the Rocky Top Bar and Grill, a local hang-out where I was waited on by the manager.

Stopped at Woods Grocer in Sunrise Beach in the evening, where I ended for the night when a strong storm blew through at 9pm.

More later 

Heading back, south on US 41

I dreaded today.  I was up at 5:30am finishing my packing.  When all was done, I had more stuff going than coming!

I planned on leaving at 9:30am.  I was only ten minutes late.  I didn't want to leave Carol, though.  The heat these last few days have been taxing on her, and she comes out of her bedroom flushed from the strain of getting her legs ready for wrapping.  I so worry about her welfare, and her emotional welfare.  Will she make it through the year?  Some of the topics we talked about these last six weeks gave me an eerie feeling that she is ready to leave this earth, because the daily strain of wrapping her legs is too much for her.

I had plans to meet an old hiking friend, Linda, in Lafayette at 12:30pm.  She had coordinated with a pub in old town that accepts dogs, the Digby's Pub and Grill.  I got there on time, but Linda was late so I just walked around the town square and lasted a good 20 minutes before I sought shade in the pub's dog-friendly patio.  It was 93F and the humidity was uncomfortable.

It was good to see Linda again.  We were last together when she and her then-boyfriend Mike had traveled to Verde River valley in Arizona six years ago.  I drove up to meet them and brought Sadie along.  She is originally from New Jersey, but moved out to Indiana after her divorce.  She is now a retired nurse and living life in the slow lane, enjoying being a grandma but also tending to her 88-year-old mother.  We were outside on the patio for almost two hours, updating each other on our lives.

The heat was still on when we left at 3pm.  Linda had to get back home to work with carpenters. I wasn't ready to leave town and took Zeke on a short walk along the Wabash Heritage trail, the same trail that Linda, Mike and I completed almost 20 years ago. The Wabash River is full of history, and is the theme of Indiana's state song, "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away."  All 503 miles of the river traverse the state and becomes the southeastern border with Indiana's twin, Illinois, before it flows into the Ohio river. The river was flowing high.

I only walked around for two miles, along the river trail and then around the courthouse square.  The river walk was shaded, but the streets were not.  Zeke was suffering from the humidity and I didn't want to strain him.

There was enough daylight to continue my drive south on US 41 before making my second stop in Terre Haute, a border town with Illinois with a metropolitan population of 171,000.  Driving south on US41, with its gentle hills that start rolling south of Lafayette, it suddenly appears on the road with its impressive gold-domed limestone courthouse right off US41. Terre Haute is the home of Indiana State University, where Indiana basketball player Larry Bird.  Despite its French name of "High Ground," Terre Haute is lower in elevation that the most southern point of Lake Michigan of a mere 495'.  I had stopped here on my way to Indiana from Arizona and had a nice meal in a beer bar.  This time, though, I was looking for the Terre Haute Brewing Company, the second-oldest brewing company in the country and the oldest one in Indiana, since 1837.

It was in the 90s and Zeke was allowed inside the brewery, one reason I sought this place out.  I came here to give him a rest, as he quickly lay down on the cool wooden floor and napped while I sipped the wheat beers.  None of the beers caught my fancy, but the place was comforting, cool, and cozy.

Once we were cooled off, I got on I-70 and headed across Illinois.  I didn't get far, though.  I pulled into the Silver Lake rest area to rest, and ended up spending the night here.  Even an evening walk around the rest area was warm, with overnight temperatures in the 80s.

Oppressive heatwave

Indiana is now in an oppressive heatwave.  It started yesterday around 2pm, after a gentle rain.  Morning temperatures were in the 70s and overcast, but once the rain blew through, with it came the heat and humidity.  This will last through Sunday.  Even breathing is difficult.

I'm heading back to Arizona tomorrow.  I won't get relief until I hit the Southwest.  Arizona's monsoon started a few days ago.

Childrens' Museum of Indianapolis

It was a busy morning. I walked Zeke for two miles around the Sportsplex at 6:40am, then wrapped Carol's feet, showered, and dropped Zeke off at the doggie motel.  Erin and the boys were already at the house when I got back.  Twenty minutes later we were on I-65S heading to Indianapolis, dodging construction zones, slo-mos, and detours.  Grey cumulus clouds lingered over the horizon with threats of rain, but that never happened.  It reached the 90s with high humidity when we got to the museum, and getting inside a cooled building was a godsend.  The entrance fee was $130 for three kids and two adults. Yikes.  I don't remember the fee being that high the last time Erin and I were there when Ethan was four years old.

We stayed until 5pm when the museum closed, then drove back to Crown Point.  I ordered pizza for pick-up and we all ate with Carol when we got back.

I'll add more later

A walk along the lakeshore

We never got the forecasted residual rains from Tropical Depression Barry.  The grass was wet when I took Zeke out for his morning pee, but the driveway was dry.  I was so hoping for at least one heavy daytime storm while here.

I took Zeke for a walk around the 'hood, walking north on Madison, then west on North street, and then cutting back into the Sportsplex for the return loop.  It was 6am and still cool out.  This time I went into the white dome tent to see what was inside.  It's an indoor track!  Now I know why it's so busy here during my C'mas visits: locals come here to run and walk off energy.  The inside doors were closed this morning, though, so we went on.

The forecast was changed to "scattered showers" throughout the day.  The sky looked dark from the north, but nothing nearby.  I took the risk and went to Kemil Beach again, determined to walk the three-mile lakeshore, from Kemil Beach on East Park Boundary Road to the old beachhouse on state park land.  I've done this walk many times.  It's tranquil, dogs are allowed, and not too many people venture out that far from either trailhead.

I got started on my walk at 2:35pm.  There were a few people on the beach, but no one in the water.  Skies to the north and west were dark, though, and a couple carrying beach gear was coming from that area to get away from the dark clouds.  Would it storm?  The farther west I got, the closer I got to the rain.  Yes, it looked like rain was falling to the west!  People were clearing the designated swimming area.  A second cousin of mine was electrocuted in Lake Michigan back in the 1980s when she was on her sailboat.  I fear storms over water and don't want to be another family casualty.  I walked along the shore until it began lightning to the west.  I don't mind thunder, but lightning will get me to beat feet in a nanosecond.

I had a mile to go to reach the beachhouse, but I felt it wiser to turn around at the two-mile mark and head back to the car.  Lightning can travel many miles before striking an object.  The storm clouds were now moving away from the lakeshore and going north of me.  That still didn't make me feel safe, but at least the rain wasn't pelting me.

Someone had placed cairns along the beach, using washed-up bricks found in the sand.  Where had they come from?  Towns in northern Indiana, like Hobart and Lake Station, had once been well-known for their brick-making.  (The high school mascot for Hobart High School is the Brickie.)  The edges of the bricks were well-worn, but they were still quite recognizable as bricks.

My walk was just over four miles, the minimum I strive for.  The beach was now empty as I got back to the road for the half-mile walk back to the Honda.  Not wanting to waste the day, I continued my drive into Michigan City where I wanted to check out the Shoreline Brewing Company.  It's on the South Shore Brewing tour and a place I'd been to a few times.  Its beers are decent and the building is a restored warehouse.  I like upcycled buildings like that.

It was cool enough to let Zeke stay in the car.  I went inside to try a "Region Rat" amber ale and a nitrogen-infused porter, the "Singing Sands."  I didn't stay long because of Zeke, and went back to the car to join him.  I stayed in the car longer going over my social media, than I was inside.  I was mostly aghast at watching at least three brewery employees go outside to smoke.  Yuck.  If I were an employer for a food or beer industry, I would not hire any smokers.   It's 2019, people, why are you still smoking!!!

I ended up stopping one last time at Zorn's.  At least here Zeke is welcome.  And to my great surprise, the bartender, Danielle,  from three weeks ago recognized me, remembered my name AND the witbeers I like.  Oh my.  That is impressive.  Right away I felt welcome, brought Zeke inside.  Johnny Vee, a local musician, was playing his classic rock songs. (He sounds like Neil Young). I spent a few hours before heading back to Crown Point.   I really like Zorn's brewpub.  I will come by here again on my next visit to the Region.  I hope Danielle is still working here.  This has been my favorite brewpub in NWI.  It's only a shame it's 30 miles away.

Tomorrow I'm going with Erin and the boys to the Children's Museum in Indianapolis.  I already have a reservation for Zeke to stay at Coyne's dog boarding.

3 Dune Challege

I picked up Zeke from the vet center at 7am.  He had been freshly bathed, just in time to get sandy from the dunes!

Iris came over at 10:20am; by 11am we took off for Indiana Dunes State Park for the 3Dune Challenge, a 1.5-mile hike up the three highest dunes in the region.  Participation is free and one must register at the National Park's Visitor's center off IN49.  One can select a vinyl car sticker or a t-shirt.  This is my second time doing this challenge.  For an Arizonan, the challenge is easy as the highest peak is a mere 187 feet above sea level.  I live at 4600' in Arizona.  The secret is to due it barefoot to get a better grip in the sliding sand, and to do it quickly so that the feet don't burn from the hot sand.  Wearing shoes only weighs you down.

I drove Carol's massive 2001 Mercury Cougar.  It's in excellent condition. She's been wanting me to drive it to help circulate the oil and gasoline, but I'm not comfortable driving her car all the time.  Now I wish I had, to get it running well.  The seats are huge and are comfortable, but the lack of regular driving has made the engine sputter.  I noticed the sputtering when I reached highway speeds driving on I-80/90 toward the dunes.

We got to the park entrance by 1pm.  It took us almost an hour to get through the gate.  With Carol's car's Indiana plates, we were able to pay for instate admission, so $6 instead of $12.  Everyone was wanting to get to the beach.  Few people want to hike in this heat and humidity.  Overflow parking was already getting crowded.  Luckily we were going a  mile away, to start at the park's visitor's center from where we start the trail.

Iris wore an attractive outfit, wearing a wrap-around skirt.  I wore my usual more practical clothes of nylon hiking pants, baggy shirt and old lady's hat.  She took the challenge in stride, posing humorously for "before" and "after' pictures.  She's not as strong a hiker as I am since she works 60 hour weeks, but she does enjoy the exercise.  Most women our age are not in good shape like we are.  We can both be proud of that. We had a pleasant time talking about our childhood in this area.  She was only four years old when our parents divorced, so her perception is different than mine.  To me the dunes were my playground.  To her, it was more the beach where she could wade in the shallow waves.

Iris was also willing to extend the hike another two miles.  I wanted to show her the boardwalk on Trail #2 which starts at the Wilson Shelter.  I like to start the perimeter hike from this vantage point, to walk past the marsh flora. Signs stating that the trail was closed did not deter us.  We went out to see why the trail was closed.  Was it from the heavy rains in May?  No.  It turned out that the park is upgrading the boardwalk from old wood to recycled materials, and raising the boardwalk two feet.  The boardwalk is still under construction.  We turned around when we ran out of boardwalk.  No one ever caught us or reprimanded us for trespassing.

We heard the South Shore train rumble past every 20 minutes.  The tracks are just south of the park boundary, taking passengers to and from South Bend and Chicago.  Iris finds the sounds of trains depressing.  I find them mystical, as the trains clackity-clack slowly fades as the trains disappear into the horizon to sites unseen.  We both rode a lot of trains while living in Berlin back in the 1960s.

Even Zeke took the challenge in stride, but the hot sand and the exposed sun in parts was tiring him out. There was plenty of shade for him to rest under, but it was hot nonetheless.  I had water for him, and back at the visitor's center two hours later, drank more water.  He took it like a champ.

I enjoyed this hike with Iris.  We don't spend much time together, and when we do, it's normally inside somewhere.  I'm more comfortable outside in nature.  That's when the best part of me, the confident side, comes out.

We finished the hike at 3:30pm, went back to the National Park Visitor's Center to reclaim our "3D Challenge"  The Visitor's Center is also a nature center, with the history of the dunes and its wildlife all told.  I like coming to this center.   We took off to visit Erin briefly in Westville, where Iris got to meet Erin's mother-in-law Annette.  We ended up staying for almost two hours, not leaving until 7pm.  And here's where our adventure began.

We were on IN2 driving through Valparaiso when we realized that the headlights on the car weren't working.  We had 20 minutes of daylight left and it was disappearing fast because of the clouds coming up from Tropical storm Barry.  Iris was beginning to panic when I got us to US30 heading west toward Merrillville when she wanted me to pull over so she can call for a ride back to Carol's.

"I am not pulling over.  I'm driving this car back to Crown Point."  Iris didn't argue with me and just kept her panic to a dull roar.

It did get dangerous not driving with headlights on at dusk in heavy traffic.  When it began to rain hard I pulled over for 20 minutes at a gas station.  The last ten minutes of the drive back consisted of me driving 30 miles an hour with our emergency lights on.  At least this allowed others to see us and provided for some light for ourselves.

We made it back to Carol's at 9:30pm.  We had already called her to let her know we were late due to the lack of headlights.  That only caused her to stay up worried about us.  When we finally arrived, we all celebrated with a bottle of raspberry wine that had been in the back of the refrigerator for a while.  We needed to celebrate.  Never again will I drive someone else's car without checking out the headlights!

We sat in the kitchen talking, just like in years past.  I'm seldom together with both Carol and Iris, and Carol truly is like a mother to us.  She is the heart and ears when we need  to talk about our worries.  She is non judgmental.  But when Iris started talking about her feelings about feminism and how women should always let the man make decisions,  Carol left the table to go back to watching TV.  She knew that Iris was getting ready to give me a lecture.

And a lecture it was.  This is the side of my sister I do not like.  She is proud of her income and talks about it all the time, but she is a woman who is not comfortable with herself without a man around.  She's not even divorced from her second husband and she's already dating three men she met on Match.com  All of them are at least ten years older than her.  One is 71 years old. Why is she dating such an old man?  Can't she find someone her own age -- 56-- to be comfortable with?  When you date an older man at that stage in your life, you are basically dating a man who wants you to be his caregiver.  All three men live in different parts of southeastern Pennsylvania.  If they want to spend time with her, they must call her.  "I never call them" explained Iris, because the men must see her as their investment.

Iris did most of the talking, gaining confidence the longer we sat at the kitchen table.  This wasn't Iris asking me for my opinion.  This was Iris telling me what my opinions should be, and they contrast with hers.  I tried to not say anything, but my facial expressions revealed enough of my disagreements with her ideas of how a woman should be around a man.  Men need to feel admired and loved and a woman's job is to boost his ego, Iris went on to say.  Women must preserve themselves as a man's investment.  (I'm thinking trophy wife here) "Feminists have it all wrong!" she continued.  Well, if that is true, then Iris's way of thinking hasn't helped her keep a man. I see her on the rebound with her last marriage to Ed, so hopefully in a few years she can look back and ask "Did I really say that?"  Not once in the two hours we sat at that table did she mention the words "love" or "commitment."   To her a marriage is not about love and devotion, but about business deals and image.

How did such a lovely start to the day end up with me feeling emotionally exhausted?  Iris and I clearly have different opinions about most things, and she's always the one who insists on talking about her opinions.  My thoughts don't matter as I'm in the wrong.  I'm the feminist.  I must change.

Well, at least we didn't spend the evening talking about Trump and all the great things he has done for this country.

Taste of Chicago

Spent early morning getting paperwork ready for the Coyne Veterinary Center, a multi-service establishment a mile away.  They took Zeke overnight, which was a godsend, because otherwise our day in Chicago at the Taste of Chicago would have been miserable, and I would have pissed off Iris.  She only had to wait 20 minutes for me to come back from the vet center.  I realize I should have made sure the paperwork was approved yesterday.

Iris and I ended up walking 8.3 miles in the city, arriving early in the afternoon.  The entrance to the food festival was near the Millenium Plaza and the end station of the South Shore.  There were plenty of vendors from a varied culinary focus, but we both agreed that Mexican was still the dominant cuisine.  Mexican food is very good, but I want something more exotic when I'm at a food festival, like Indian, Polynesian, Thai or even German or Russian.

We got about three tastes for the $20 we each paid for sample sizes.  We both left after two hours still feeling hungry!

We took the 7:10pm South Shore back, arriving at 8:40pm back in Crown Point

A Day at the Beach

Today was predicted to be the hottest day of the year, hitting triple digits inland with high humidity.  I dreaded it.  In the end I can say it ended well.

Carol had a doctor's visit at 11am.  The bus came to get her at 10:30am.  It was a bus with a wheelchair lift.  After she left, I decided to head out to Kemil Beach, a free public beach just east of the Dunes State Park.  I was actually on state park land.  Dogs are allowed here.

The parking lot was only half-full and the beach was near empty.  There was plenty of space between all the groups on the beach: couples, families with kids, couples with dogs. I only walked as far as I could before plopping down.  It was too humid to hike today. I brought my beach umbrella and that was a godsend as it kept us cool.  Waters were calm and there wasn't much of a breeze.  I regretted not bringing a book to read.  What I thought would be one or two hours turned out to be almost five hours.

I'd wade in the water when I got hot.  Zeke would follow me, but he was visibly uncomfortable once he lost his footing and would return to shallower water.  He never whimpered, though.  I wanted to show him that deeper water was safe as I held him around the waist.

I idled time by playing games on my smartphone or doing Spanish lessons.  By 1:30 a Lake County speed boat came up and down near the shore.  I figured they were still looking for the body of the 17-year-old who went missing in choppy waters off Michigan City and that a Lake County deputy was assisting in the search.  But then a uniformed police rode up and down the beach in a dune buggy and then a helicopter flew up and down along the shore.  Something was up.  The presence of all the law enforcement made some people uncomfortable and they left.  I paid my Iowa speeding ticket on time on Monday and knew I was in no trouble.

Things calmed down by 4pm and the beach returned to normal.

A young couple to my left (west) had been near me, sitting on the beach or sitting in the water.  They weren't romantic, but they were talking and sitting close to each other.  Over the few hours they were there, the woman began speaking louder.  It wasn't an argument, but she was using colorful language.  The man was less vulgar, but he, too, began speaking louder and used more expletives.  I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but then he got out of the water and said "I'm leaving."  That prompted the woman to respond with surprise, then anger.  The man left, he said, because he was tired of the woman talking about her ex-boyfriend.

What was I witnessing?  I never could hear what the conversation was all about.  The woman didn't argue with the man leaving her behind.  She sat on her towel and cried.  Then she cried louder.  Did she want sympathy from an audience? Had the man simply abandoned her at the beach?

 I left at 5pm, knowing I had a hungry little bird to feed at home. The woman left right behind me. When I got on the road to the parking lot, I saw the man, and eventually they both left in his red pick-up.  They had stopped arguing, but I sensed that whatever relationship the couple had was now over.

I wanted to do the short Dune Ridge trail before leaving, a .75-trail starting south of the parking lot.  I didn't bother bringing my pack for this short hike.  The shade was nice, but as soon as we got into the woods, the biting flies attacked us.  It was almost unbearable.  These flies left large welts with every bite.

I tracked the course.  The trail was marked with wooden posts and "DR" on it for dune ridge, but I wanted to add mileage and went east from the DR, following an unmarked trail that showed up on my GPS.  There were many more unmarked trails around me, some cut through the prairie grass.  I turned south, went over a small hill, and noticed that the trail I was on was once a former road; pieces of asphalt were visible between the grass.  And then I saw the Great Marsh and came up to the former Broadway, the closed-off road I was on a few weeks ago.  The biting flies left me alone now, avoiding the exposed sun. Now I knew where I was, looped west along the old road, and came back out on East State Road Boundary Road before returning to my car.  I had done just under four miles, three of them away from the beach.

I told Carol about all the law enforcement personnel at the beach and she mentioned there was an announcement of an escaped prisoner from Michigan City who left from a work detail.  He was considered armed and dangerous.
https://www.wndu.com/content/news/Cooking-up-storms-this-Wednesday-512519691.html
https://wgntv.com/2019/07/10/search-on-for-dangerous-inmate-who-escaped-from-indiana-state-prison/

My son Eric flew in today with his wife Margaret.  He's staying with his dad (my first husband) in Chesterton.  My sister Iris called Carol while I was at the beach.  She is coming in tomorrow.  This last week will be the busiest for me, which means I'll be busy in the morning getting the last errands done.

Walking around Crown Point's Courthouse Square

I enjoy my morning walks through town, especially when the humidity is low.  Carol had two bills on the kitchen table ready for drop-off at the post office, so I took them and went on my morning walk at 5:30am, knowing that the coffee shop at the square is open at 6am.  The walk is only three miles long, but it goes through the historic Sunny Side and East Side  neighborhoods with its 100+-year-old Victorian homes. Several homes had boxes of spent fireworks ready for trash pick-up.

I didn't even feel tired after yesterday's 13-mile walk through Chicago.  Zeke looked refreshed, too, walking confidently next to me, alert for squirrels.  He has learned to appreciate peeing on green grass and chasing squirrels while on this road trip.  The town was still waking up.  The courthouse square was mostly void of parked cars.  I had started my walk an hour earlier than usual.

Sips Coffee Shop on the north side of the courthouse square still had its outdoor tables and chairs locked up.  It was 6:20am when I walked by.  It opens at 6am every day. Was the place even open?  Had the owners decided to take a week-long vacation?  There was no sign indicating that, and when I peeked through the front window, I could see a young woman wiping down the front counter.  I pressed down on the door handle.  It was open. I tied Zeke up outside and walked in. I was her first customer of the day and she seemed surprised to see me.

I sat outside for 45 minutes, relaxing and watching morning commuters drive by.  I'm loving this cool summer morning weather.  Tomorrow the oppressive humidity is expected back. Zeke kept looking out toward the square across the street for squirrels and I had to hold on to his leash.  He would have darted across the busy road had I not paid attention.

Only one other customer came in that first hour, a town fire fighter who stopped in for his morning coffee to go.  He drove off in his brown Jeep.  Had the barista set up the tables and chairs in a timely manner, I'm sure more people would have stopped by.  There were more customers outside on the Fourth when I last did this walk.

I looped around the square on my walk back to Carol's, letting Zeke off-leash for the half-mile jaunt on the maintenance road toward the Sportsplex indoor track.  On my way back to the main road, I spotted a young robin nestling on the side of the road, leaning against the median.  It looked dead.  It didn't move when I approached it. I picked it up, took it home, and fed it some of Zeke's wet dog food.  The little bird was both hungry and thirsty.