After two separate times of writing my blog and loosing it into cyberspace, I am going to try one more time. Yesterday’s blog posting reflected my frustration and after a day of getting over it, I am confident today’s will be fine. Chris said it wasn’t the website – he didn’t come out and say it was an ISTO (instrument smarter than operator) problem, but I can read between the lines, even if those lines are spoken.

Today was much like the previous several days. The terrain is mostly flat to moderately rolling hills, the weather is hot (104 yesterday), and the road just keeps on going. We are in Akron, CO and I believe we are about 70 miles from the Nebraska line. I’m making pretty good time considering the temperature, and should be in Nebraska by Thursday. 😀

Not too much to look at around here, just the occasional cattle feed lot. The lots have a nasty way of announcing themselves way before you get to them. Oh well, the sweet smell of money. Chris left this morning for Seattle. He was here four days and did a lot of filming. We spent last Thursday in Rocky Mountain National Park and visited the dude ranch that Valda’s grandparents used to own. It was a nice day off for me and was sort of neat seeing the road not taken (US 34 in RMNP). I’m glad I went Hwy 14 down the Poudre Canyon.

My two brothers Don and Ron have come and gone. They are on their way back to Indiana and I’m sure they’ll have a lot of stories to tell. I actually got both of them to walk with me today, but alas, no picture proof except for video. I’m sure they both will pad the miles they walked, but I know the truth. It was good seeing them.

I want to thank Iva Kay Horner of the Brush News-Tribune for a great interview yesterday. It will be in the paper on Wednesday and Chris should have it on the Media Page a few days later. Look for it.

Miles Covered: 20
Total Miles: 1,435.75
Money Found: $0.81
Total Found: $50.50

Miles Covered: 17
Total Miles: 1,415.75
Money Found: $1.29
Total Found: $49.69

Miles Covered: 20
Total Miles: 1,398.75
Money Found: $1.18
Total Found: $48.40

Well, the plains are exactly that – plain. I guess it was asking a bit much for them to match the grandeur of the mountains and all they hold. The plains have their own unique beauty and I’m sure in the next 1500 miles I’ll find it. The terrain today turned from flat irrigated farm fields to gentle rolling hills. It reminds me a little of the western part of the state I walked on my way to Craig, except there are no mountains in the distance in front of me. Also, so far I haven’t seen any antelope or deer in the area I’m now in.

The last couple of days have started out very sunny and clear but in the afternoon, the clouds build up over the eastern edge of the Rockies and swoop eastward toward where I am walking, bringing lightning and wind and rain. It usually goes past us, but tonight we had rain until 8:00 or so. I’m sure tomorrow will be more of the same.

Chris is here and tomorrow we plan on taking a day off from walking and going to Rocky Mountain National Park. We were there with Chris in 1980, so it will be fun to see it again and to see the infamous Trail Ridge Road that I was going to walk before I changed my plans. We also plan to visit a dude ranch in the Ft. Collins area where Valda spent several summers as a youth. Her grandparents owned it (William and Frances Roberson) and she visited there with her family from 1955 to 1965. It is the Rockin’ ER on Buckhorn Mountain and is now owned by the United Methodist Church.

US 34 toward Brush, CO is a pretty decent road and ranks right up there with truck traffic. I want to thank Mike Peters of the Greeley Tribune for a nice article in that paper this morning. It always helps to get our cause and website out there. Many thanks to them. Personal to Maureen F. of Greeley for her cash donation to Gateway. It is much appreciated. Personal also to Doug & Joyce O. of Princeton, KY for their matching my ‘Money Found’ up to $250.00 in memory of Doug’s brother Nick O. It too is much appreciated!

Miles Covered: 19.5
Total Miles: 1,378.75
Money Found: $1.17
Total Found: $47.22

Three months ago this morning, I stepped off the jetty in Bodega Bay and started my journey East. Except for a few days off, I have yet to stop walking. I am in my 4th state, and have walked over 1,300 miles! It still seems surreal.🙃 It is amazing to me that the road I’m walking on now directly connects to that jetty in Bodega Bay and will eventually connect to the road leading into Coney Island. 😁

We are currently on US 34 about three miles east of US 85 on the east side of Greeley, CO. The mountains are about 30 miles West of me and since they are now at my back, have quickly become a distant, although nice, memory. I’ve changed my walking routine (again) to take advantage of the cool mornings. I now start walking at 7:00 am and walk to 11:00 am. I try to walk at least 11 miles. Then I take two hours off and resume walking around 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. I try to do 6 miles during this stretch. Then, after a four hour break during the day’s heat, I walk the last 3 miles after 7:00 pm. I did this today and it worked out very well.

Thanks to Mike M. of Greeley for information he gave us today. Mike is a Standby Sam (Good Sam Club).

Chris is here and will walk and film with me tomorrow!

Miles Covered: 20
Total Miles: 1,359.25
Money Found: $2.17
Total Found: $46.05

The last blog I told you about walking out of the mountains and essentially onto the plains. Well, today the heat, humidity, and haze caught up with me. This is the first time since we started the walk that the haze has obscured the horizon. I was about 5 miles east of Ft. Collins on Hwy 14 and turned around to look at the mountains and they weren’t there. The haze was so thick it made the mountains disappear. No fear though, later they reappeared. It was in the 90’s today, and I have no idea what the humidity was, but the mosquitoes still did not bother me.

I walked 19.5 miles today and am currently about 12 miles east of Ft. Collins. The terrain is definitely farm fields and pastures. The stench of pig farms also graces the air.  We will go to Ault and turn south on US 85 and head to Greeley. I hope to be real close to Greeley by the end of the day tomorrow.

Chris will be here tomorrow evening.  More later.

Miles Covered: 19.5
Total Miles: 1,339.25
Money Found: $2.20
Total Found: $43.88

Rick Hammersley in Colorado with brothers Don & Ron Hammersley

I had two brothers visit this weekend, Ron and Don from Indianapolis. We had a great time, doing absolutely nothing. I took 2 days off (first time I’ve had 2 days off in a row without having my generator fixed), and we just visited, with each other and with Teri & Jim T., friends we met through Southern Cross. We ate out every meal, had coffee galore, and even ate some key lime cake that Teri made. I’ll find out tomorrow if I gained any weight back. 😉

How about that – the mountains are behind me! 👋  🏔  👍  🎉  I walked around a mountain, crossed a cattle guard and out in front of me stretched the flatness I’ve been looking for since I left Bodega Bay. All the hills and mountains are now a thing of the past, at least until I reach Pennsylvania. People have told me I’ll get bored, but I think the plains are going to be a glorious change of pace.

I’ve stopped for the weekend just short of Ft. Collins, about four miles from town. We are staying at Lakeside KOA near the town of LaPorte. It is a pretty large campground with sights of the mountains I’ve just walked through. I want to thank Craig Sisco and his partners at the KOA for comping us two nights! I continue to marvel at these campgrounds that go out of their way to help us. It is much appreciated. Thanks also to Jim and Teri T. who are in the KOA for the summer and approached Craig on our behalf. We met Jim & Teri over the internet and today we finally met them face to face. They took us out to dinner and we thank them for that also. Thanks also goes out to Vicky & Delbert S. of Ft. Collins who gave us a donation to Gateway in honor of Carol Sorensen, a cancer survivor.  It too, is much appreciated!

Personal to Maiz K. and Mike & Marjie R. of Indianapolis for the money they donated to us for our gas and food expenses. It is also much appreciated. Also thanks to the mystery donor who left $20 bucks on our RV step. I don’t know who you are, but I thank you very much!

Saturday and Sunday are days off. My two brothers Ron and Don are here from Indianapolis.  They are on a 6,000+ mile (road) trip through the West. I’ve talked about what I’ve been seeing so much they wanted to see it too. They plan to drive part of my route from Spanish Fort, UT to eastern Colorado. I might even get them to walk with me for a mile or two. It is really good to see them.

Nic and Jude, I finally got Grandma to take a bath. No more blogs till Monday night. I can’t believe I’m out of the mountains.

Miles Covered: 14.75
Total Miles: 1,319.75
Money Found: $1.32
Total Found: $41.68