Ft. Collins to North Platte – In which we drive in a day what the pioneers traversed in a month.
But first, this is Prometheus Tullius. Or Poseidon. Titan? Maybe Titan. Whatever his name, he is worthy of it. Titan Tullius is a lovely creature. I am not sure that I have encountered a bearded dragon that is allowed to roam free before, but this little being is allowed to, and flourishes. He also appears to enjoy human contact, although I am not sure that a reptile has the capacity to enjoy. He at least knows that the surrounding humans are unlikely to harm him, and appreciated that they were in his environment. Cute little thing. Titan has a perch at the window where he can sun himself. When he is in his terrarium, he wants to be out in the room. Then he sits at the window, longing to get out. “What he doesn’t realize is that there is nowhere that is not a cage,” said our host. To a person who has spent her life climbing out of cages, this statement was freeing. Time to stop escaping and enjoy the cage we are in.
So much for lessons from a lizard.
We are excited to be in the prairie after the rocky landscape of the past few days. There is always newness, even in the prairie. One imagines it to be flat and uninteresting. On the contrary. This land is green, sure, but as subtly varied as the Cannon in D or Bolero. One thinks one is driving across a plane, when one suddenly realizes there are pine forests as far as the eye can see. A metal buffalo appears on a ridge, and then a river, a lake, a hydroelectric plant. We are suddenly at the Missouri River and wonder why there hasn’t been much prairie. Yet it is prairie all around. This is why those pioneers took so long. There are many cages to escape, even in this land, and those cages look like rivers and rocky cliffs and pine forests.
I am listening to Father Brown as a break from Augustine’s Confessions. I suppose they are really the same type of book, though. One is the confessions of mankind taken as a whole, the other the confessions of an individual. Lest one ask, the answer is, “yes.” One ought to listen to both as companion pieces. The experience is a mirror – there but by the grace of God…
The kids have finished the books we bought for the trip, Scooby Doo has been consumed, each travel game has been played, trite personal boundaries have been set by the vehicle authorities and crossed, and just about the time we all need a break, except there is lightning striking all around us, and strong winds and rain. We don’t think it’s the right weather for a romp. Then there is an incoming video call.
Oh, sweet Lavender! We do miss you as a travel buddy!
My children are strange.
So anyway, our destination today was North Platte. We pulled into town during a lull in a pretty harrowing storm. Lightning McQueen and Mater are taking a ride down the road. Wait, what? What’s going on here in this storm?
Well, North Platte is adorable. This evening was their classic car event on the Main Street, complete with live music and a fancy outdoor stage. In a lightning storm. During a tornado watch. These people are made of steel! Be still my heart, I do want to live here!
But it is night now, and the storm has broken and returned. This is a small storm compared to some we have been in, and the kids are becoming used to it. Over the years they have gone from terrified to passively interested in the electrical shows in the sky. Good. They are ready to move to a place with weather.
If only they can get used to the huntsman spiders, we’ll be set!
Tomorrow we will drive to Brookings, South Dakota, our first big destination on this trip.
Recent Comments