Manzanola to La Junta; Distance = 20 Miles; People Met = 3
We were in a little bit of a funk today as we journeyed on. Part of the reason was the weather. First came the overcast sky, then a little bit of rain, then high winds. We watched tumbleweeds blow across the road.
The main reason for our funk was having just continued the cycle of bittersweet departures. In the space of ten days we grew close and then said good-bye to three hosts. We could tell that each one of them were reluctant to see us go just as we were reluctant to leave. Ky manages to keep in touch with them a little bit after we depart but our days are filled up with hiking.
Ed and Lorell Anderson were the latest hosts we found hard to leave. Lorell works at one of the two correctional facilities near Olney Springs. Ed mainly does home repair and rentals, but has done everything from food vendor to playing Santa Claus. I’m saving one of his Santa Claus stories for Christmas time. It occurred in Illinois and we will actually be near that state when the time comes. Ed puts up 60,000 lights at Christmas time and even “off-season” the Anderson home has a plethora of intriguing items around the house.
To have the sadness of departure you first have to experience the joy of new friends. I certainly would not trade in the experiences we are having with meeting so many wonderful people, demonstrating our point that we can “believe in humanity.” Yet real community requires a little bit of permanence. Here I am preaching about community across the country, while always leaving town. Funny, most people would suspect the physical or mental challenges of hiking long distances would weigh on us most. Who would have thought that the social challenge of always saying good-bye would be the toughest part.
The day ended on a unique and uplifting note. We were held as hostages by the good people of La Junta. This tradition started for the sake of tourism. The local police would spot an out of town license plate and pull them over. The unsuspecting driver would then be offered a free evening meal and hotel stay. The next morning the hostage attends the “Wake-up La Junta” breakfast that’s held once a month for a few months out of the year.
A few jokes were made about how easy it must have been for the police to catch two people walking into town, but actually the police are no longer allowed to pull motorists over for this tourist stunt. I assume the same holds true for hikers. We were held as hostages mainly through connections. The Andersons daughter Charlie used to live in La Junta and pulled a few strings in advance of our arrival.
Mike Moreno, a council man of La Junta, took us out to dinner and gave us a talk about how nice La Junta is to visit. We have to agree, particularly with folks like Mike representing the city. He’s 33 and is running for mayor this time around. I think he would do well. We stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. At least we would not have to say good-bye to our hosts.
Photo Gallery
Halloween is approaching for the Andersons
A naughty girl
Creativity seems to be contagious on the Colorado plains
Not sure the sprinkler was really needed this day
Mike and Leslie entertaining the three hostages
Irene, our waitress at Felisha's
