MO in 24

Cousins Di Di and Devon

We touch the Missouri River and the Mississippi River in the same day, pretty cool, and now it is St Louis.

We visit Moe's side of the family and cousin Di Di organises a re union at Aunt Ida's Jewish retirement home (next to a Chinese restaurant, of course) which includes Liebermans and Orensteins and Seniors. Ida is 103 years old and sharp - she recalls everybody's face and where they are on the family tree. A highlight is Joy's photo album which takes us back to the 1920s.

Moe's cousin and childhood pal Al is with his wife Alice, a freshman at University City High School when Moe was a Senior. This area was predominantly Jewish until the '70s and so where my Orthodox great-grandfather Horen landed in the late 19th century, speaking only yiddish (Joy tells us). Horen left Russia to escape the pograms of the 1890s and entered America via Ellis Island. Alice tells me Moe was school President, and "very important and so handsome. We all looked up to him."

Devon is a great kid (head connected to electronic toy) and son of Shavon and Danny, who was adopted by Joy and Larry in '72, before mixed adoptions were stopped (says Joy). Danny is 6'4" and Joy 4'11".  Shavon is from Oakland and, remarkably, was a Freshman at Berkeley High School when I was a Senior, though we did not know each other.

Me: "What do you think of the Liebermans ?"
Madeleine: "Huh?"
Me: "Did you know that you had all these Jewish relatives in St Louis?"
Madeleine: "No."
Me: Pretty cool."
Madeleine: "Yep."

The Jew Crew

Kansas City Missouri

A boy in transition

We pull in to Kansas City and decamp at the hotel, which means clothes and debris everywhere.

Sonnet meets her ancient dear friend Kevin, who drives to us from St Louis.  Kevin and Sonnet worked together at I. Magnin in San Francisco in those post college days when life was but a goof. These are the best friendships.

I have the Shakespeares solo so we go for a bike ride along the Missouri River, swim at the hotel pool then, treat-of-treats, Arthur Bryant's BBQ for dinner, the best in Kansas City and anywhere (says Calvin Trillin : "the single best restaurant in the world"). Barak Obama lunched here three days ago. Sonnet and I at Bryant's in 1997 when driving across the country and not much has changed - it has cleaned up a bit perhaps but the pulled pork as good as it ever was. The kids share a full rack of ribs and a plate of fries, washed down with lemonade. It's a restaurant without pretencion , where everybody enjoying themselves, and beats any of London's Michelin stars, hands down.

Grain Storage

Route 96

Today, back to Interstate 70 East (known as the Eisenhower Truman Highway, at least in Kansas).  We visit the Eisenhower Museum and Memorial and the Eisenhower National Library in Abeline, KA, in 45 minutes, including lunch. Sonnet runs a tight ship.

Abeline, where Eisenhower raised, a dust bowl town with maybe 5,000 people but, man, every child here believes he can be President.

Eitan patiently eats his melted RussellStover chocolates in the back seat, slowly peeling the crinkly wrap from the liquefied chocolate. Madeleine: “That is disgusting.”

Spotted from the road :

“Free Wine Tasting”, Prairie Fire Winery

“Brown v Board of Education Historic Site (Topeka)

“Wild Wild West, Gentleman’s Club, Exit 250”

“Welcome to Lindborg, Kansas, America’s Little Sweden.”

Kansas State University : International Research Facility and Five Times Men’s Basketball Champions. 

Sonnet: “Well, that was Topeka.” [Dad's note: Topeka is the capital of Kansas and we went through it in 5 minutes, 65 mph]

Kansas

It's agriculture

We depart Montrose saying our sad good-byes to Stan, who takes it stoicly : “Now I can have some peace and quiet back”. The kids sit quietly in the back as we pull away honking the horn one last time.

Today’s route : Montrose, HW 50 to 96 at Pueblo then to Route 40 to 25 North, where we spend the night in Colby, KA, “the oasis in the plains.” It's hard driving, about 8 hours in all, without much to look at, other than the corn fields and blue skies.

Museums : Salida Museum of Local History (Salida, CO), Fort Wallace Museum (near the Fort Wallace, CO, cemetery); Prairie Museum of Art and history (Rte 40, KA); High Plains Museum, Colby, KA; Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Kansas State University, Hays, KA; Czech Museum and Opera House (Wilson, KA); Eisenhower Presidential Library, Albine, KA); Kansas Motorcycle Museum, Minneapolis, KA; Smokey Hill Museum and the Salina Art Center, Salina, KA

An Interlude

Stan's turkey

Stan is plagued by the neighbour's turkey and two chickens, who wander into the house if a door left open. The kids love them of course.

And Now For Some More Sandstone

Dead Horse Point

The Colorado River does its work. The oldest strata, the Cutler Formation, closest to the brown red water, deposited during the Permian Period from 275 to 250 million years ago.

Eitan wraps up football camp with the Montrose Indians, which is the pre screen for Montrose high school football team.  Coach is a soccer guy, ex athlete, and enthusiastic in a way that American coaches are meant to be: everybody above average and each kid deserves a chance to play. Eitan sniffs at the quality at first then fits right in. As an aside,  Coach say the colleges recruit from the academies where prospects may play 80 or 90 games a year+the high school season "It's all about touch time", Coach adds.

Stan gives a toast in front of 50 of his friends: “Eitan, who is your favorite football team?”

Eitan, pause: “The Montrose Indians.”

Me, aside: “Nice one kid. You’re learning how to play ‘adult’ “

A Natural Bridge

Natural Arch

The Natural Arch and Bridge Society, which does indeed exist, opines that Landscape Arch is the longest natural arch in the world, having measured the span in 2004 at 290 feet or slightly longer than a measurement made by the Society in 2006 of Kolog Arch in Zion. Give or take.

Since 1991, three slabs of sandstone measuring 30, 47, and 70 feet long have fallen from the thinnest section of the arch forcing the park to close the trail that once went underneath.

Madeleine and I walk the 1.5 miles to National Arch without spying Davey Jones. 

Arches National Park

Davils Garden, sunset

Madeleine and I road trip to Moab, mano-a-chica.

Me, inside Arches as the sun sets: "Have you ever heard the story of Davey Jones?"
Madeleine: "No. Who's he?"
Me: "Well, Davey was a friend of mine when I was a little younger than you, living on San Ramon. They say he was murdered in Arches. Not too far from here, in fact."
Madeleine: "Yeah, right Dad."
Me: "The funny thing is, they never found his body."
Madeleine: "That's not funny."
Me: "It was a long time ago. They know he was in the park because they found his backpack. It included his journal, when he wrote about his horrible end."
Madeleine: "You're scaring me."
Me: "They think his throat was cut but no one knows for sure. Now, people say, the killer is still at large, maybe even here tonight watching us. From his journal, we know Davey was stalked before his death."
Madeleine: "I don't believe you."
Me: "If you want, we can go see the markings in the stone. Where his finger nails scraped away the rock as he struggled to escape. It's only about a mile from here, I'll show you."
Madeleine: "No way am I going there."
Me: "Just make sure we aren't separated. They never did find Davey Jones' killer."
Madeleine: "Can we just go now?"

Davey Jones was a friend of mine before they went and slit his throat.
Davey Jones was a friend of mine before they went and slit his throat.
The blood flowed from his neck sweeter than the reddest wine.
Davey Jones was a friend of mine and now he's living with the swine, oh yeah, and now he's living with the swine.
--Sung to "Her Majesty" by The Beatles

Chopper

Raleigh "Chopper" bicycle

I find a Chopper at Bud's shop which brings back all sorts of memories from San Ramon when this was the bike to own. Elongated handlebars, check. Banana seat - check. Only thing amiss is the smaller front wheel but easily amendable. I might add some streaming tassels to the handles. Us kids would tape baseball cards to the inner tire which made an awful racket when rubbed by the spokes, just like a Ford Mustang (we imagined ).  Also missing: A six foot orange fiberglass pole+small flag for extra visibility around corners - something we detested (but no choice).  

This bike made circles back-and-forth on the block, to Stone Face park or the Kensington five and dime store.

Bud Smith

Bud works at a local artifacts and outdoor antiques shop outside Montrose where one can buy ancient tools or iron lawn art to old cars - Bud tells me that just yesterday a middle-aged Brit (two kids in line) took four 1950s vintage cars, including an Oldsmobile and Ford Fairlane, off him, to be shipped to London via L.A. "Paid a pretty penny for them, too." This is what Tom Cruise did in Rain Man, only those were Ferrari 400s.

Bud from Western Kansas and not entirely down on his luck but keeping it together.  A divorce along the way did not help. He used to work a second job at the Montrose Town Hall bar, but notes that the young people today too rowdy or violent so he quit. On Montrose, where he has been for 20 years, "I just like it here."

Lead cover story, Montrose Daily Press: "Partners Hold Annual Pistol Shoot. It's time to lock and load for the third annual Partners Benefit Pistol Shoot coming up next weekend."

Tween

Sonnet’s show, The Glamour of Italian Fashion, profiled on the BBC World Services and airs across America, which gives Stan and us a hoot. It closes today.
Me: “So how do you feel about it?”
Sonnet: “Good. It was a good show.”
The exhibition now goes to the US, starting with Minneapolis Institute of Art at Minneapolis St Paul, when it opens October 23.

Definition of " 'tween"
1. Preposition. Contraction of between.

2. Noun. Also, tween, tweeny, a youngster between 10 and 12 years of age, considered too old to be a child and too young to be a teenager.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English twene, aphetic variant of atwene
--Mirriam-Webster

Stan Stan

Sunridge

Stan hosts a party with some wonderful friends and neighbors, many who knew Silver, who was there in spirit.

We joke about whose party bigger. I am certain not one person today could name a single song at Madeleine's disco.

Stan: “Maybe Bill will tell you about being in the Lubbock high school quire ?” [Dad's note: Bill is Stan's younger brother]
Bill: “Well, there was this fellow that stood in front of me and I looked down on him for three reasons.”Me:
Bill: “One, he was a lower classman. Two: He was a second tenor and I was a first tenor and, finally, he stood on the riser below me. His name was Buddy Holly.”
Me: “Did he leave any impressions on you ?”
Bill: “It took Boom Bracker, another classmate, now an orthopedic surgeon, to remind me that Buddy and I sang in the same quire together. We had to check the yearbook. Buddy was 15 when I knew him, and died when he was 22 or 23 along with the Big Bopper in a private plane.”

Me:

Bill: "His life's work was too short."

Silverton

Silverton Grocery Store

Following Ice Lake, we lunch in ancient silver mining town Silverton (9,305 feet), which is nearly cut off inside the San Juans - The only access via 550 from Durango or the treacherous Million Dollar Highway from Oray, which is often closed by snow or rockfall.  The closest hospital is 400 miles and errands and shopping not much better. I imagine Silverton attracts a certain type.

It is not lost on me that the Griswolds visited Durango in the 1983 classic, National Lampoon's Family Vacation.  Too close for comfort.

Spotted from the road:
Grand Junction: "Pawn Shop, Guns and Goodies!"
Grand Mesa: "Pawn & Gun, the area’s best! We exchange for guns of any kind."
Montrose: Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, $299. Affordable and local.

Ice Lake Trail

Ice Lake, 12,585 feet

Ice Lake Basin is high above the timberline in a corner of the San Juan Mountains known for long winters -  the lake is frozen for at least eight months of the year. The basin is a textbook example of an alpine depression that was gouged out of the mountains by a long succession of glaciers that have periodically resided here over the past 900,000 years.

Our trail, described as "moderate effort" and gains 2,870 feet from the Lake Basin trailhead (9,840 feet) to Ice Lake and covers 9.3 miles, round trip. The first half hard-going (WTF is a "difficult" rated climb here ?) and the kids sit on a rock in protest and we find them three hours later near the car, a bit worried (Madeleine) and grumpy (Eitan). Their choice.

Sonnet and I rewarded by a spectacular emerald pool (not dissimilar to Blue Lake) surrounded by mountain wildflowers including the rare Colorado state flower, the "columbine", which gives Sonnet a thrill every time one spotted.

Million Dollar Highway

We pick up the "Million Dollar Highway" on U.S. Route 550 which stretches for 12 miles between Silverton and Ouray at the Uncompahgre Gorge, summiting at Red Mountain Pass or 11,018 feet.

The road is challenging and hazardous, characterised by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic -- many cut directly into the sides of mountains. Large RVs travel in both directions which adds some excitement for those of us in cars. Sonnet cannot bare to look.

The MDH gets its name from the construction cost - a million dollars a mile - which, when it opened in 1924, was a lot of money. Still is.

"Snake in a bathroom, snake removed and released. Report of a yak in a fence, unable to locate."

--Sheriff's Log, Ouray County Plaindealer newspaper