What's the story behind this picture from Day 2?Originally situated in the body of the book along with its corresponding line, the photo of Weylan donning his hat and sunglasses presently appears on the last page of Douglas and Friends in the San Juans: Day 2. And while all the other photos in the book from cover to cover were taken in Colorado at the places mentioned in the story, this one was not. It was taken in Nebraska at a KOA campground in Grand Island. Not exactly the adventurous setting one may expect. WHY GRAND ISLAND? It was the right time stamp on the map. We needed to throw saddle somewhere off the interstate not in the middle of a bustling metropolis, and with enough time to set up a tent and eat dinner before sunset. Grand Island was the right place at the right time, and their online reviews mentioned pizza delivered to your campsite. Plus it was on the east side of the state, meaning we could make a feasibly bearable one-day final leg of the trip to the eastern side of Pennsylvania next day. Done deal. We found the place and pulled in. We then realized where we woke up and where we would be sleeping were going to be quite opposite ends of the spectrum. AUGUST 10, 2018 The morning started out at the Molly Brown campground in the Turquoise Lake Recreation Area just west of Leadville, Colorado. The lake sits at almost 10,000 feet above sea level and the campground is named after the "unsinkable Molly Brown", a Titanic passenger who met and married the man she loved in Leadville. Yes, this is the character played by Kathy Bates in the 1997 rendition of Titanic. Even in August, early mornings at ten thousand feet are cold, with even more demand for coffee than usual. We skipped the jet boil + french press brew and after a quick pack up, we scurried over to Leadville, making a bee line for the Golden Burro cafe. It could be argued that our breakfast may not have been the best choice for two people bent on covering 500 miles in a day with minimal pit stops, but it was just the fuel we needed. One Golden Breakfast "Burro-ito" and a Biscuits & Gravy later, we were pointed east to Nebraska. By the time we were waiting for pizza in Grand Island that evening, we didn't regret the big breakfast. We were starving. It was hot and the cicadas were buzzing. And we were a far cry from the pine laden privacy of Turquoise Lake. We were essentially camping in a cattle chute, one of many numbered slots separated by a few sets of waist high rail fencing. It was basically festival camping in a checkerboard layout. A tent parking lot. Campground roads flanked our site and a busy hum of voices filled the air. But there were showers, it was cheap, and pizza was on the way... on a golf cart. The next morning we were up early to make our way home. Belongings were accounted for and Douglas' prize plant, the Zauschneria (pictured on tailgate, above), was carefully repacked into the truck. Weylan put on his hat and sunglasses and prepared for one more all-day highway trip. The book photo of Weylan looking oh-so-cool was taken right before we pulled out of our campsite on the morning of August 11, 2018. By late afternoon, he was asleep in the backseat, brim pulled down over his eyes as we met the sunset in Pennsylvania and were home after our western adventures. And now you know the story behind the last picture in Douglas and Friends in the San Juans: Day 2!
Read it here: www.blurb.com/books/10918830-douglas-and-friends-in-the-san-juans-day-2
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Tales of Douglas Furr (and his friends)narrated by Crissy Clossin Archives
February 2024
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