A new way home from Colorado

 We said our byes to the kids and Bear.

Instead of going on I-70, we headed south on 25, then to 83 and onto 86 West.  Denver continues to grow and grow.   Denver is the 5th fastest growing city in the US among cities with more than 300,000 population.

Lots of sage brush.

We also saw deer and antelope.

When 86 got close to I-70, we took this dirt road.

It took us past a friend's home, but being it was Sunday morning, they wouldn't have been home.

Several years ago, our son asked Al if he should invest in Tesla.  Al didn't think it would be too wise.  Oh goodness.  Al usually is right on the money when it comes to investments, but not that time! You win some, you lose some, I guess. We saw this station set up in Limon, CO.  

At Limon, we took 71 south.  This was a new road for us!

We made a little pit stop!  Ha! 

We came to Punkin Center (love that name!), which is an unincorporated town, population about 4!  Evidently, a man named John Stevens built each new building in the 1920's a pumpkin color, inspiring the name.  In the 1950s  everything burned.  

We went east from there on 94 to 40/287.  These were all new roads for us.  This took us into Kit Carson, named after the frontiersman and a federal Indian agent in the 1850s who later served in the Union Army in the Civil War.

We saw the Sand Creek Massacre site on our atlas (yes, we still use a big paper map! Of course we use google maps too!)  We decided to go check it out!  We turned north on a dirt road off 96.

There was a ranger's station and a ranger came to speak to us.  There were about 3 other cars there, which surprised us with this being so out of the way, in the boonies.  

33 stars on the flag

 We walked to the place that overlooks the site, about 1/3rd mile walk.  Felt good to stretch our legs after being in the car so many miles.

Beware of rattle snakes!!

This is the saddest story.  Breaks my heart how these people, mostly the elderly, women and children, were killed!  Just awful how some people are so hateful!

As we continued on, we came upon Scott City where my friend, Debbie F. grew up.  Here is the high school she went to.

There is a certain aroma in western Kansas.

Near Beeler, Kansas, is a 160 acre site where George Washington Carver built a sod house, broke ground and planted crops and trees!

We drove through Sylvia and stopped to see this place.  My friend from California, Carolyn D., told me that her friend bought this church to renovate!  I visited this place later with friends.  That post here.

Taking these different roads did add some time, but it was so worth it!  We probably turned the 8 hour trip into 11.