2:44 am

I'm laying in bed in Colby Kansas. I've been here for much longer than I wanted to be... I started having severe pain in my back and hips.  Normally I can muscle through it.  But this time, I had to see a doctor. There was absolutely no way of pressing on in this kind of physical condition. So I went to the local clinic. It's a good news bad news deal. The good news is: the doc gave me some meds and I feel so much better. The bad news is: the doc thinks that I have Tendonitis in my back... In addition, the meds are causing me insomnia....So with extra time on my hands, I am going to blog...

 

Where I'm at in my blog, I would be writing about Steam Boat Springs, Colorado.  However, I'm not going to yet, and this is why: I encountered some really challenging situations that I still haven't finished processing yet. I am not quite ready to write about it. In fact I think I may save that whole group of events for the book. Without a doubt, it was  a wonderful and difficult time. My mom came out. And we talked through some things. My time there, put me in situations that have provoked growth in all new ways. It also revealed things in myself that I thought that I had worked through, but it's clear to me that I haven't entirely yet. It has challenged me on my faith, my character, and my integrity.  I'm still kind of thinking this whole thing through. In time I will share the events that lead to this reflection with you.

The next town I hit after Steamboat was Kremmling Colorado.  And to keep on trend, this was also a very small town. I pulled into the first open restaurant  I was not so much physically drained, but mentally and emotionally. I had a quick meal and headed across the street. I checked into a cute little hotel. The rooms were only $20 a night, but they were amazing. The only drawback is that you had to share a bathroom. But it turned out to be no big deal because I was the only  one renting that night! The owners were an older couple; the wife was the one in charge. Her husband was my favorite of the two. A rounder fellow with overalls and a big beard. He was a bit goofy/dopey. He seemed like he could be a character off Duck Dynasty. Together he and I scouted out a good place for me to tie up LeeRoy for the night. We decided to tie him to the hand rail by the back steps. There was some new landscaping recently finished in the back of the hotel, and the goal was to keep LeeRoy from eating all of their hard work! Ha ha. It was about nine P.M, and I didn't want to sleep yet. I told the owners that I was going to head back to the bar, to get some coffee and use the Internet. I instructed them to call me if there were any problems. 

I left the hotel and headed across the street to the bar. I could tell it was going to rain soon. LeeRoy hates the rain.  So I had the thought that I should get back soon just in the case LeeRoy freaks out. When I got to the bar I ordered a coffee and asked if they would change the channel to the game. What game? I don't know or care. I just like to watch sports and root for the underdog. After a few cups of coffee, I get a phone call from an unknown number. It was the hotel!LeeRoy was causing some problems. The service was so bad that I had a hard time understanding what they were saying. Either way I figured it had something to do with LeeRoy, so I quickly paid, packed up, and ran back to the hotel. When I got there I was greeted with a story. 

 

After I had left LeeRoy, he had been trying to get in the door at the top of the steps.. He was standing on his back legs and putting his front hoofs on the door... It was really loud and scared the owners. I had headed over to the bar so the old man ran over to the bar to find me. He didn't really remember what I looked like except for the fact that I had an orange shirt on. He walked into the bar and looked around, but didn't see me. So he headed back out front and ran into a man that happens to have an orange shirt on. And get this: his name happens to be Steve. The old man goes up to him and says, "hey Steve. "

The intoxicated man says "ya"?  

Old man, "ya got to come with me, LeeRoy is all willy nilly." 

Drunk guy, "what?" 

Old man,"LeeRoy is jumping up in the back door."

Drunk guy, "what are you talking about. Who's LeeRoy"?

Old man," LeeRoy, your goat!" 

Drunk guy, "man I think you are looking for someone else." 

Confused, the old guy apologies. He told me that he figured that I walked to the Chinese restraunt lounge to eat, so he went to look for me there.  Upon looking for me, the old man instead finds a different guy with an orange shirt. The old man walks up to him and says, "hey man, your goat is freaked out." The new guy responds, "my goat?" Old man asks, "is your name Steve?"  The new guy says, " no." 

Without explanation the old man just leaves. He figured there was only one other place that I could be ..a different bar just up the road ... He walks up there and sure enough there is another guy with an orange shirt. He walked up and just point blank asked him, "is your name Steve?" The guy says, "no." He heads back to the hotel and tells his wife the story. When I finally met up with him, the whole time that he is relaying the story to me, he has that shocked and awe look in his eyes. By the time I went back to look at LeeRoy, he was laying down completely asleep.  We laughed about the story and I headed to bed. The next morning I awoke to a knock on the door. A reporter was waiting and ready to interview me. She was in her late 30's or early 40's and super nice. I think she may have smiled the whole time. We made a plan to head over to a little spot for breakfast. As we walked the two blocks to the restaurant, she looked at me and talked to me like I was a rock star.  LeeRoy didn't seem to like her much and kept trying to get at her with his horns.  Once we made it there, we ordered food, and I just started talking. I usually don't even wait for questions, I just dive right in. She looked at me so intensely. At the end of our meal, I asked her if she had any questions. She just looked at me--mouth half open. "Ummm no," she said... We sipped coffee for a bit. She kept finding reasons to tell people who I was and what I was doing. Sometimes I feel like a show pony.

 We ended up walking to the post office to  pick up a package that I was waiting for. Leeroy and I head headed out of town to Hot Sulphurs Springs, Colorado.