Fruita to Delta, CO

 Colorado River near Fruita

 Gentleman from Greenville, SC  who stopped to talk

 Uncompagre Plateau to the west

 Rocky Mountains to the east

 Canyon leading down to the Gunnison River

 Another canyon winding to the Gunnison

 Gunnison River

 Keith and Gayle Butler's summer home

 Me in the Butler's 1926 Cadillac

Keith drove us around town in the Caddy.  Above is Keith (far right) with some of his family and a friend (far left).

July 5, 2013 Friday

Day 25 riding, Day 35 of trip.

Very pleasant day riding today.

As I was getting to the outskirts of Fruita a car stopped ahead of me and a gentleman got out and waved  me down.  He was from Greenville, SC and was asking me questions about my ride, where I started, where my destination was, etc. and then he said this was something he wanted to do and that seeing me doing this had motivated him toward that goal.  Then he pulled out a ten dollar bill and said "I want to buy your lunch today." I told him I was OK and he responded, "Please, this is something that I really want to do."  We both thanked each other and wished each other well.  He was a really neat guy.

     Keith and Gayle Butler picked me up in Delta and took me to their summer home in Cedaredge, about 15 miles northeast of Delta.  Gayle and I graduated from Mesa High in 1957.  We had both attended Mesa Schools from Kindergarten thru high school and were in the same classroom Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade.  At our graduation class picnic in April they told me where their summer home was and when I said was coming thru Delta on my bike ride, they invited me to call them when I got to Delta and they would come and get me and I could spend the night in their home.  The big surprise was when I got to their home and met their children and grandchildren, they knew several of my grandchildren.  They knew Preston, Auston, and Ruston Clouse and Kalvin Thomas.  It was so much fun visiting with their kids and then Keith, Gayle and I reminisced about how Mesa used to be and how much it has grown.  Gayle's maiden name was Hovde and their family farm in Mesa years ago was on the southeast corner of Val Vista Drive and Southern Avenue.