Hank – I don’t think I’ve ever heard so much owl activity before as I did last night. I don’t know of there were lots of owls or if it was the same two or three. One would call, “Hooo. Hooo. Hooo.” And then one would answer, “Hooo. Hoo-hoo-hooo.” It was like they were playing Marco Polo. It was cool at first but then I thought, “C’mon owls, I want to get some sleep.”

It was a cold night and morning but I stayed warm. The only part that felt the cold was my nose and mouth sticking out of my sleeping bag. We agreed to a 6:30 wake up time. Thanks to the owls, again, I was up before that. I stayed snug as a bug until the alarm went off. Then I put water on for tea. The warm mug felt great in my hands.

A little later I heated more water and we made oatmeal. Walnut pieces, raisins, and brown sugar improved the texture and taste. After breakfast we packed up and headed back to Hwy 50.

It was still cold but on the bright side there was very little breeze. Kathy surprised me at how she was cranking out the miles. In two hours we reached Lamar, 23 miles away. We stopped at the Hickory House Restaurant to have another breakfast. I asked Kathy why she was pedaling so hard. She said her feet were freezing. We’ll, there ya go.

We met the restaurant manager, Bush, who was so taken by our story and the adventure we’re on that she said she would cover our breakfast. That was very nice of her. We would never expect anyone to do that for us. This is a first for us. We chatted with her and Doreen for a bit before leaving.

Back on the road again and we zipped along so much faster and easier than yesterday. We stopped in Granada for a break with just 10 miles to go to today’s destination, Holly.

Coming into town we could see a water tower way off in the distance south of us. It’s the water tower for the Ameche camp that held 7,500 Japanese and Japanese-Americans during WWII. Not much of the camp left because all the buildings we’re razed after it was closed. There’s a small museum in town. We stopped at a gas station/convenience store to have a snack. I asked the clerk, Monica, if the museum was open. “No, but I have a key if you want to go in.”

We’ll, how about that? Monica said they’re very trusting here. So we left our bikes in front of the store and walked to the museum next door. Inside they have a huge amount of artifacts from the camp and the people who were held there. Wood carvings, letters, photos, clothing, and more. The building is too small to hold everything.

This camp was unique in that there was a lot of interaction with the local population. The prisoners, for lack of a better word, could get jobs with the locals. The camp school teams played against the local schools, too.

We covered the last ten miles to Holly a little slower than the pace we’d been riding because the wind picked up but it wasn’t nearly as bad as yesterday. We met Kathy and Angela at the Holly Inn Suites, which turns out to be a hotel that’s a century in age and in need of fixing up. They’re making progress but they still have a way to go. We got laundry done and picked up good at the grocery store, including some Rocky Road ice cream. It was still early in the evening so we settled down in out room to eat dinner and then enjoy dessert.

If you don’t know what the 419.9 mile marker is about, click here and then here.

Kathy – Today we cycled 52 miles and I must say it was SO much better than yesterday. The winds were so strong yesterday and fighting against us that I was almost to the verge of tears. So today even though we rode more miles, I was thankful for the ease of it.

We had cloudy skies most of the day and our temps started out at 38 degrees this morning. It did warm up, but not as warm as predicted because we still had jackets on and I had my stocking cap on for the remainder of the day. Our first 23 miles were up and down hills. I was pretty cold so there was no stopping for pictures. I was on a mission to knock the miles out because my toes were so frozen. I also knew the winds were going to increase later in the day.

We had minimal winds this morning but they started picking up this afternoon during our last 17 miles. Regardless, they were nothing like yesterday so we just cranked through them.

It was great to meet Bush and Doreen at the breakfast stop in Lamar. Such nice gals. We are very thankful for Bush giving us a free breakfast. She was a joy to chat with. If you are ever in Lamar make sure you go see Bush and Doreen at the Hickory House Restaurant. Delicious food and wonderful people. 💗

That was so nice of Monica at the gas station to give us the key to the city museum so we could check it out. Too often museums are closed when we come through, so it was nice to be able to visit this one. And, what a fabulous museum it was. It was filled with memorabilia on the relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II. Everything was very interesting.

As an American I could not imagine being told I have three weeks to pack up limited belongings and to bring all family members (no pets) to an assembly center for processing. You have no idea where you and your family will be sent. Then to find out you are stuck out in the middle of nothing but farmland for miles on end  in what some would call a concentration camp.

There were ten camps built in the United States to hold Japanese-Americans residing in west coast states during the war. The camps were built in remote areas of the United States so no one would try to leave (because there was no where to go). Also, because it was so remote they would not need large amounts of military personnel to man the camps. The camps remained open for four years. Such an injustice for these American citizens.

We arrived in Holly, Colorado, our destination for the day. There is no camping, so we opted for a cheap hotel. Bush at the restaurant this morning said she thought there was only one hotel in Holly and it was a new hotel that just opened a year or so ago. I thought that was great because I figured it would be a clean place to stay. Well, it just so happens there are two hotels in Holly and we are not at the new one. We are at a 100 year old hotel that is in the process of being renovated. Things are a little dirty, old, and broken, but it works for the night. The owner Kathy is a great gal trying to do the best she can with it. Give it another year and I bet she will have it looking good.

We walked to the laundromat and took care of that. Then we grabbed some food at the grocery store and brought it back to the room. Staying in tonight and relaxing before another day of riding tomorrow. It was a good day. Sleep well. 😊

A couple of notes…

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