8am. A rather civilised time. Not 3.30am and scrambling to be out the door so we could make the ungodly flight time of 7am at an airport 80 miles away. No. This was well planned. 8am. Less than an hour before Max should be leaving for school.
Today we started in – The New Forest, UK
We finished in – Loveland, Colorado, USA
Miles travelled today – 60
Miles so far this trip – 60
Tonight we are staying at – Microtel Inn & Suite, Lovedale
We had loaded up three cases, and a wheelchair. Yes, that’s right, a wheelchair!
It was a sunny morning but with cloudy feelings. 2 days ago I injured my knee, and my right leg will not bend. As a result, walking long distances is impossible. Driving is also unlikely. Perfect for a 20 day 2,000 mile road trip.
We nearly didn’t come. We spent all nighttime debating it, as the injury only happened two days ago. Two calls call one to the local A&E (to try and ascertain wait times) another to NHS 11 to make sure my right knee wasn’t going explode at 32,000 feet.
The answers to both made out mind up, we would struggle for as long as needed, hoping things would get better as the trip went on.
We put faith in the healing ability of the body, and limped to the taxi, Suzanne lifting my right leg into the vehicle.
The drive to the airport was around 90 minute, not bad for rush hour.
Taxi chatter with a local taxi driver, enjoyable enough. Roads were moving. Busy, but flowing.
I was very conscious of being pushed around in the wheelchair, and almost asked the taxi driver to take it back with him. I stuck at it, and was glad that I did.
It certainly gave us a ticket to ride. We could jump many queues, and while that was a benefit, the main benefit was not having to stand in the queues. We couldn’t have one without the other.
We needed something to eat, as it was fast approaching midday. We stumbled across an airport Wetherspoons. Tables crammed in so tightly it was impossible to get the wheelchair in, so hobbling it was.
Next up was the journey to the Gate. It involved walking (or being pushed in my case) lifts and a train.
40 minutes later I had struggled to my seat, realising that this trip is going to be one of the smallest, snuggest airplanes we have every been on for a transatlantic crossing.
60 minutes after that, and we were still sitting on the runway. The 9 hour flight had become 10.
This was without a doubt the worst plane we have been on. Don’t get me wrong, it was tidy, clean, and with a headrest full of videos, TV shows and games. It even have a charging point, which I don’t think we had in 2019 when we last crossed the Atlantic.
However, when the person in front reclines their seat, and put that 12 inch screen 12 inches from your face, it suddenly becomes a bit trickier to enjoy the offerings.
The need to keep my right leg bent made for an uncomfortable 9 hours (it was less painful when stretched, but that was an impossible ask), and any relief involved standing, contorting and a fair amount of pain.
We wisely bought a wad of nappy bags, and occasionally asked the flight attendant for ice, which they were happy to provide. This though, led to another self conscious moment.
Said nappy bag leaked, dribbling water onto my seat between my legs. Jumping up was not an option. Sitting there as the water soaked through my beige shorts was the only option. This happened 30 minutes or so before landing.
The walk off the plane may be a self conscious one for a totally different reason.
Customs (with the additional advantage of queue jumping), car hire and the drive to the first hotel was event free. We stopped at a deserted Wendys for tea, and a slightly busier Walmart for a few ‘in hotel’ supplies. Unfortunately, the check in at the hotel was not smooth.
No sign of our reservation. Not in my name, my company name or even the reservation number. “System error” it would turn out to be. Hmm, said systems being controlled by humans. They had availability, so we booked another room at the same price, but obviously the this was not ideal.
It certainly added another layer of concern for the rest of the trip. Would this happen again? Do we need to contact the other 14 hotels to see if they had our reservation? What if we arrived, and they did not have spare rooms. One could not be plucked out of thin air!
In any case, that is a problem for tomorrows Richard, as at this point, we had been up for 22 hours, and the bed was calling us!
Gallery of Photos from XX
All the Days from our 2024 Rockies Road Trip
Day 1 – London to Denver
Day 2 – Lovedale to Custer
Day 3 – Custer to Lead
Day 4 – Lead to Sheridan
Day 5 – Sheridan to Cody
Day 6 – Cody to Gardiner
Day 7 – Gardiner to Yellowstone’s Canyon Village
Day 8 – Explore Yellowstone
Day 9 – Yellowstone to Grand Teton
Day 10 – Explore Grand Teton
Day 11 – Jackson to Pinedale
Day 12 – Pinedale to Vernal
Day 13 – Vernal to Glenwood Springs
Day 14 – Day Trip to Aspen
Day 15 – Glenwood Springs to Rocky Mountain National Park
Day 16 – Explore Rocky Mountain National Park
Day 17 – Rocky Mountain National Park to Denver
Day 18 and 19 – 48 hours in Denver
Day 20 – Homeward Bound
We’ve booked a very very similar itinerary for June 25 for 16 nights so after spending the best part of 6 months researching this trip via printed & digital media I can’t wait to learn more of your journey & so tweak our own holiday accordingly. Hope the knee improves as driving in the US is such a treat compared to home & is equally important to us as the places we discover on route.
Regards
Mark & Dianne (East Midlands)
Hi Mark and Dianne, hope you are enjoying the updates! Knee is getting better thanks, and I have been able to do some driving over the last couple of days. Fingers crossed you are finding a few bits of info in my updates to help you plan your own adventure!!