October  16, 2010  7:03 a.m.

Day 18 was September 21.

We woke up in Estes Park, Colorado.
Temperature was 40 degrees.

We got on the road around 7:40 a.m., which was good because we knew we would be losing an hour for driving back into the Central Time Zone.  We also encountered the morning rush hour in the Denver area.  Doesn't matter where the city is, it seems -- there is always morning rush hour.  Today's half hour traffic delay was thanks to rubbernecking around a broken trailer by the side of the road.  Gee -- I'd much rather prefer a thirty minute delay due to an elk herd sighting, as would have been the case in Yellowstone.  Did I tell you about the road construction delays in Yellowstone?

This was a day that I had a rare opportunity to meet a bloggy friend, one of my best bloggy friends.  This friend is the writer of Prairie Family Chronicles.  I looked back through the archives and discovered that we have been reading each other's blogs for nearly two years now!  We have a lot in common -- both Christian families, both homeschooling, both have at least one child who was adopted internationally, and both musical families with children who study violin (and now, piano, too).  So when I realized that our trip route would take us past their small Kansas town, we corresponded by email about getting together on this date.  It all depended, of course, on how well we could stay on schedule.

Well, on this afternoon, we arrived in their town just before 3 p.m. and I called my friend and found that, yes, they were still anticipating our arrival, and that we could get together for some afternoon fun at a local park.  It was a great visit, our children became fast friends, and they will hopefully stay in touch for years to come.  This family has five children who are as sweet and charming in real life as they appear on paper  in binary code   in the cyber world.  Their mom and I could have sat and chatted the evening away; we were kindred spirits.

Our neighbor is trying to sell their home, and in the past I have dropped hints that it would be great if they could be our neighbors (we do hope that a family like theirs eventually does move into the house next door) but now I see that this dream is an impossibility for they live in a town that is very nice.  There is a part of me that would long for a town like this one for various reasons.  It is small enough to be very uncrowded, yet large enough to have most of what you need and want.  Taking your children to activities and events in town means five minutes of driving at most (this would be a big one for me).  I know there might be drawbacks to a town like theirs, but on this day, it was looking pretty good to me!  So here's to your Kansas town, Lois, and I fully understand why you all would never want to move here (even if it means being our neighbor - hee hee hee).

This was a memorable afternoon, and I am so happy that we have connected in person with this lovely family.  We got to meet everybody, even the dad, and the time went by swiftly.  Glad to have a sister in Christ in Kansas!

Afterwards, we drove on to the next campground which turned out to be a winner, but I will write about it for day 19.

Saw plenty of these (oil) at various places in this trip.  Many more than we would have expected.

Rest and snack stop in east Colorado.  Penni, this is where we were when we called you for your birthday.

Our good friends in Kansas. (one is missing - had to leave for Cub Scouts)

Sunset on the high prairie.

Taken from the campground at dusk.

Our campsite on the high prairie (so named, I suppose, because its altitude is over 3000 feet).