Colorado is on Fire, Literally.

Four Causes of Wildfires on the Colorado Prairie as explained by Cathy Anderson (resident of Arlington, CO and volunteer firefighter and member of the Prairie Horizons Trail Working Group AND a skilled snake killer):

1. Lightning
2. Argo-Pyros
Farmers that burn the stuble from their fields as a ceremony to celebrate a bountiful harvest
3. Buttheads
People throwing cigarette butts out of car windows and into fields
4. Cabezas de Caca, or in good ol’ country girl terms, an old “sheet towel and blanket” (or something like that)
A person who is just plain dumb.

All of this was explained to us by Cathy as we stood with a field of wheat blazing in the background. She informed us that a combine had sparked the fire and the Crowley County Fire Department was taking care of it.

Later, Trent (introduced on ‘Who’s Who. . .’ post) informed us that he had been accused of starting the fire and was questioned by the police in Sugar City. . . but we knew the truth thanks to Cathy.

As we began our ride into ‘Colorful Colorado’, we found ourselves excited and enchanted by the characters we met along Highway 96.

In Eads, we got to share a pitcher and stories from the road at a log cabin establishment, Jan’s Bar, with Daniel. A recent graduate from the University of Vermont, he was riding from the east coast to his home town of Denver, CO

On our way to Ordway, we met Blake, a confident nine-year-old who claimed to be strong and dangerous, chewed beef jerky like chewing tobacco, and helped Janelle open her string cheese with the large knife he kept on his belt loop.

At a pit stop in Sugar city, we chatted with resident, Harold, while he leaned on the handle bars of his bike with a cigarette in hand. An older gentleman, he claimed he could ride to Ordway (five miles away) in ten mintues and revealed he had been to all but two of the fifty states working for a carnival for twenty years.

That night in Ordway we ate our best meal out yet at Martin’s on Main! The pulled pork sandwiches on fresh baked bread were delicious, and we might have over-indulged in the free refill soda fountain (just three or four glasses each). The service was what really made the place shine. We could tell they people that ran the place took pride in the food they prepared and the atmosphere they created.

When we headed out of Ordway, we stopped at a JR’s Convienence Store for a quick breakfast. Waiting for our order, we struck up a conversation with Don Taylor, a resident of Ordway on his way to ‘rodeo’ some cattle on a friend’s ranch. We told him all about our trip, and he thought it sounded like something his own daughter would do. As he walked by our table to head out, he let us know that breakfast was on him and kindly said goodbye.

Tonight, we are in one of the biggest towns we have stayed in so far, Pueblo, CO. Population over 100,000! We are looking forward to a day of rest in this big city, but are excited for all the interesting people we will contiue to meet as our journey takes us up through the Rockies. . . we can see them waiting for us in the distance. Eek!