Tuesday 07 June 2005 Greeley, Colorado I think Wyoming doesn't end! There is a stark beauty to Wyoming, the better part of my travels today. Miles and miles of uninhabited foothills and desert. Mountains to the west were covered with snow, and antelope dotted the endless meadows that reached the interstate. In all of these travels I have no idea how people in covered wagons or less could possibly have managed the trek across these wide open expanses of tough, sometimes rugged terrain. But I loved every inch of the journey. We are so blessed as a nation to have this land. I made it to northern Colorado by 6PM and want to get a good night's rest before the relatively short trip to Hays, just about 350 miles.

Monday 06 June 2005 Billings, Montana Just east of Coeur d'Alene the world opened up to incredible beauty. I love this region. All the way from Coeur d'Alene to Billings, and in spite of occasional rain, the viewing was marvelous. It's too bad I was driving; I just wanted to stare out the window. There were a few tight curves and way too many 6% downhill grades! Fortunately there weren't too many steep drop-offs, at least on my side of the road. I stopped at a "scenic overview" to be greeted by some mountain man (more likely homeless, living in the VW van parked nearby!) He carves faces into bark; quite nice, actually. His was at just one of many great views at which I just had to stop. It took a little longer to traverse the 500+ miles, but I will probably never see any of this again! Tomorrow morning it is finally a southerly drive, through the land of Custer's last stand and the entire length of wild Wyoming, this time on the east side. I hope to be in Greeley, Colorado but nightfall.

Sunday 05 June 2005 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho After early Mass at the Baker cathedral, I made my way slightly west and mostly north. The Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon are lovely. The coniferous woods are an island in the middle of a surprising desert, a desert that only intensifies into eastern Washington. Not until you get quite close to Spokane do the trees reappear. The desert up here amazes me; I just didn't expect it. Coeur d'Alene is only a few miles from Spokane, but the terrain is quite different. I am looking forward to crossing the Bitter Root Range of the Rockies tomorrow, entering Montana, I fear, though, that clouds and rain may obscure the view. We'll see.

Saturday 04 June 2005 Baker City, Oregon The First Mass (Mass of Thanksgiving) was very nice. I preached, and it went over well, I hope. The crowd was smaller than for the ordination. Charles did well. I was especially pleased to catch a few exchanges with Ann and the kids. Charles asked me to transport a young semianrian to the Boise Airport. At first I regretted agreeing to do that, knowing it would be a good five hour task with a complete stranger. But it turned out wonderful. Jerry Torres, a seminarian for the Fresno diocese, and I discussed, among many other subjects, some of the generational differences between guys my age and the men coming into the seminaries these days. It was a wonderful exchange and gave me much encouragement about the future. On my return to Baker I had time to take up a recommendation to head south on Route 7. It was wonderful. This is such a great area that demands a lot more time. After several days of catching a bite here and there, I decided for a full dinner at the beautiful and historic Geiser Great Hotel on Baker's Main Street. Aside from the youthful blossoming town drunk at the bar, it was pleasant and the food good. Tomorrow, it's north to Washington and a night's stay in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Friday 03 June 2005 Baker City, Oregon The whole purpose of this western journey is to attend the ordination of Charles NBuiffe, a Nigerian who has studied for this diocese. But first, the drive from Boise to Baker City, about 140 miles. The southwestern region of Idaho, along the Snake River, is potato and fruit country. They don't get much rain, but they have abundant water from the brimming streams and rivers, which apparently never dry up. Irrigation is everywhere. Beyond the Idaho, Oregon (#44), however, is really high and dry. The mountains are clothed in grass and sagebrush. I imagine this abnormally wet spring has added a green hue to what must normally be a burnt brown. As I approached Baker City snow-capped mountains came into view and offered a great backdrop to this town of 8,000. This is a wonderful little place. Baker City was once a thriving city, even larger than Portland for a long time. Now for the ordination. St. Frances de Sales Cathedral, not large but great stained glass windows. There were a large number of Nigerian priests and sisters. And it was great to see An Azike, her sister and brother (all siblings to Charles). I've known the family for quite some time, and I was honored to be present for the happy occasion. Bishop Vasa was the ordaining prelate; he was a little obsessive and stickler about very minor aspects of the liturgy, but he was pleasant. I thought he would throw a hissy fit when the assembled Nigerians broke into applause and song several times. Fortunately, the bishop was gracious and welcoming of the cultural expressions of faith.

Thursday 02 June 2005 Boise, Idaho I bummed around the city a bit today, and took a ride out to the mountains to the east. Splendid! The high roads did not enthrall me, and as much as I wanted to go deeper into the mountains, I couldn't bear the guardrail-less narrow roads that fell off to the valleys below. For as long as my nerves could endure the harrowing drive, I rounded the sharp curves and climbed the steep mountain roads. To be honest, it didn't take too long for me to decide to turn around. When I returned to Boise I went to a lube shop for car maintenance. The rest of the day was taking in the neighborhoods, packing and eating at the local Chinese buffet.

Wednesday 01 June 2005 Boise, Idaho. Wow! As soon as I headed west on I-80 from Green River, the scenery became enchanting. I made Salt Lake City, Utah (state #42 for me!) by noon. I love the landscape all the way from Green River to Boise, Idaho (#43). Unbelievable. As for Boise, I want to live here. I know I have fallen in love with other places, but I am enthralled by this city of 200,000 in a great natural setting. It appears to be normally very dry; there are almost no trees in most places; although they have received a lot of rain lately. A quick tour of the city revealed a gem. There are old sections that are beautifully kempt, and new divisions that are flawless. It seems the folks here take great pride in a clean city!

Tuesday 31 May 2005 Green River, Wyoming. 750 miles after leaving Hays this morning (ca. 6:30AM) I arrived in this curious town of 10,000 in the southwestern part of Wyoming. The accomodations are less than stellar, but they will have to do for the night. As for the trip, driving was relatively easy. I love Nebraska; as for Wyoming it has its own desolate beauty. I am astounded by the number of miles it is possible to traverse without seeing any human habitation. I'll never complain about the wind in Kansas again. The wind in Wyoming is quite an adversity. As for Green River, right behind this flea-trap motel is, what can be best described as a geological chimney: a tall and slender, layered rock, towering above the town. It appears that off to the west there are more of these things. Hopefully I'll have photos.

Sunday 29 May 2005 Victoria, Kansas We had a wonderful time at the Leiker Family reunion yesterday. About 100 descendants of my Grandfather and Grandmother Leiker were at The Store in Munjor. It has been a long time since I've seen some of these folks, and every moment was wonderful.

Thursday 19 May 2005 Victoria, Kansas How many of you can say they have visited the Kickapoo Nation? I'm sure not many. This Indian Reservation is in the far northeastern corner of Kansas, and, yes, I dropped a few bucks at the reservation casino. I finally got to the home turf around 5PM and had dinner with Joe and Mindy. Great time with them, their kids, and my brother Greg.

Wednesday 18 May 2005 Columbia, Missouri I didn't think I would get this far, 770 miles west of Pittsburgh! An easy and good day for travel. Cooperative weather; just a few work zones; and a mild rush hour west of St. Louis. So, for one day: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.