Like a Kid Waiting for Christmas

  Yep, that's me.  I should be sleeping now, but I just get too excited thinking about my vacation.  Can't sleep so I'm going to blog a bit, then read Stephen King until the book slaps me in the face.

   My brother, cousin, and I will be taking off Saturday for Colorado.  Not sure of our route, but we're going to get there!  On vacation, my brother and I have found it's best to only have an idea of things you want to do.  "Want to ride over this way?"  "Sure, as long as we can stop by wherever first."  Set an itinerary, and you'll end up getting upset.  I think our best bet is to take a couple roads to other roads that lead to Newcastle, CO!  Once there, we will be staying with a friend, and using his house a base for our daytrips.

   Part of what is pumping me up, is knowing that I will have someone with me.  Two years ago, I rode out to Glacier NP, in Montana, down through Wyoming, and to Colorado.  Awesome trip, but there were many times that I wished I had someone with me.

   Example:  Going through Wyoming, I needed to see the Medicine Wheel.  A sacred site to the Native Americans, I had read a little about it as a kid, reading Louis L'Amour stories.  Once I got there, I initially thought this isn't very impressive.  I wasn't at the wheel, yet.  As I hiked from the parking lot to the wheel, I began to feel just what it was that drew all the tribes.  The feeling you have standing on that mountain (and the mountain itself isn't that outstanding) is indescribable.  To try, you would think I was a freak.  Anyway,  I stood off to the side and waited for a Deleware Indian to finish his prayer.  He had gotten there at the same time as I did, but I wanted him to have his privacy.  He entered the wheel, removed his boots, and started to pray.  I kid you not... as he started praying, a small bird (looked kinda like a sparrow) landed directly across from him.  No big deal.  But as he went and faced each direction, the bird kept 180 degrees from him, looking at him the whole time.  As he finished up, and left, the little bird took off.  Yeah, sounds like no big deal, but what got me was the "feeling" in the air.  The next to go in the wheel was an Apache, and as he entered, an eagle flew up and started circling to the north.  It stayed there as long as I was there, but I left before the Apache finished his prayer.  The feeling was ineffable, and I found myself wishing that someone would have been there with me.  Just a powerful experience.

   I had a few "did you see that" moments all through that trip, and more than once I found myself starting to turn and say something.  Although I love to be out by myself, I truly wished for someone to share what I had seen.  This is going to be sweet.  I can't stand this waiting!