I am taking advantage of what will probably be my last opportunity to get on the internet for the next 8 days. The Hancocks are staying at the Super 8 in Raton, New Mexico and will leave in a little while for Philmont Scout Ranch (aka Boy Scout heaven).
We left Columbia during thunderstorms, but by the time we reached the Kansas Turnpike, it was looking quite nice outside.
A special pleasure was stopping by one of Susan's college friends in a small town south of US 54 heading west from Wichita. MB is the host of the "Rambling Down the Road" blog and it took me a while, but I finally figured out who she was from the various clues in her blog. She was a senior when I came to SC as a fledgling instructor in Biology and she needed a botany course to graduate. She also lived in the same dorm as my future spouse who was a freshman that year. 30 years may seem like a long time, but aside from my nearly black beard turning nearly solid gray, the three of us were remarkably close to the way we looked in the late 1970s. It's really great to make connections over the years, and blogging has done its share in helping bring people back together.
After we left MB and her daughter we took advantage of the daylight and got as far as Minneola, where we stayed the night in a rather quiet motel. The next day we got off about 8:00am and ate breakfast a couple towns west, and proceeded on to Raton where we had reservations.
Today we'll take the hour drive to Philmont and drop Liam off for his week-long advanced leadership course. Susan and I will have nothing to do but visit antique and craft shops in Cimarron until our official arrival at 1:00pm. The two of us are attending courses at the Philmont Training Center and will be plenty occupied on our own.
Still, all-in-all, a week at the Philmont Training Center is a great family vacation, and this is the third time Liam and I have been out. Susan has been out twice, but after the first time we went in 2002 it has she who asked "when are we coming back"?
The temperature is expected to be in the high 80s with lows in in high 40s and low 50s. The altitude is over 6000' and the humidity is low. We are already feeling the need to drink massive quantities of water, and most of it is sweated away.
Anyway, unless by some magic Philmont has installed wireless, I'll be back blogging next weekend.
1 comment:
It was great to see you Denis, Susan, and Liam! I wondered how far you got down the road. Hope that you have a great time at Philemont! Hope that we can meet up again and you can meet L and J. Take care. :)
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