The next scheduled stop on this wandering roadtrip is Denver. I am due in Denver (the University of Denver in fact) for the Dabrowski Congress, starting early afternoon on Thursday. The Congress itself isn't particularly relevant to this travel blog, except perhaps because my wanderlust of the last two-and-a-half years has definitely been part of my quest for (positive) integration, balance, and coherence in my life.
In any case, as I headed out of Kansas City, I did have my route take me through Wamego, KS, where I visited the Wizard of Oz Museum. I have been a fan of Oz since I read the first book when I was five years old. Baum wrote fourteen Oz books before his death, and then Ruth Plumley Thompson wrote another nineteen. Other authors have continued to expand the Oz universe over the years. At one time I had all of the Baum and Thompson books, but a flood in one of my homes damaged some, which kind of broke my heart a little. (It's always water when something major happens at homes in which I have lived!)
It's only about 600 miles from Kansas City to Denver, so I had plenty of time to meander. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't particularly helpful. I guess it was good to have a day or two of relative quiet. I did some work for a client, and did some work on laying out my second poetry book.
However, Wednesday morning dawned with sun, and was supposed to be beautiful, if pretty darn hot. I checked out of my hotel and headed toward the Denver Botanic Garden's Chatfield Farms.
From the website: "Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms, managed in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is a 700-acre native plant refuge and working farm located along the banks of Deer Creek in southern Jefferson County.
Chatfield Farms is home to historical buildings dating back to the 1800s, 2.5 miles of nature trails and numerous wildflower gardens. Bring your binoculars and wander the many trails. The area is known for exceptional bird watching."
It was very interesting, to see it actually as a working farm, but with historical context.
More of the Denver Botanic Gardens (the gardens) in the next post!!
Comentarios