Part 1, The Drive West

Cyclone Station Nikon 8008, 20/2.8	Lakeside Cyclone Nikon 8008, 75-150/3.5	Lakeside at Night Nikon 8008, 20/2.8
We left a day earlier than expected, thanks to the good graces of my new boss, Bruce Klein.  A long day's drive saw us just past Wheeling, WV in eastern Ohio.  Knowing we had a lot of ground to cover, the next day we gritted our teeth, loaded up the cd changer and headed west.  16 hours and 975 miles later we were in Salina, Kansas where we stayed for the night.  Friday was an easy day, just finish Kansas and drive to Denver, Co, a mere 425 or so miles.   I wanted to spend the evening in Denver rather than continue to Rocky Mountain National Park for two reasons:  one, I wanted to start to get acclimated to higher altitudes (Denver is at 5300 feet, New Jersey is at maybe 50), and two, I wanted to revisit Lakeside Amusement Park.  I had been to Lakeside previously on my solo motorcycle trip to the Rockies a few years earlier, and loved it so much I wanted to share it with my wife Deb.  We had a great night there, and really enjoyed the chance to stretch our legs after being in the car for almost 2000 miles.