Dirt Roads & Cheesecake

Dirt Roads & Cheesecake

Jerry Woodbridge

 

     After presenting at a conference at an Indiana University, visiting friends and family, and

celebrating a milestone for Alyssa’s graduation from nursing school. I was returning to

Colorado. Driving a 2-day road trip through Indiana cornfields, Missouri’s tree-lined hills,

Kansas’ windy prairies, and finally up the Ute Pass to Woodland Park, Colorado. I had just

returned in time to celebrate Mother’s Day with my Mom, a rare event due to living many miles

apart for so many years. With its 8600 plus elevation, feeling winded and beyond weary, I stiffly

exited the confines of the red velvet jeep. Home at last from a wonderful vacation with my son,

daughter-in-love, my best friend Billie, and ballroom dance tribe. The unloading would have to

wait for some renewal of energy, beyond the vibrations of the road I could still feel within my

body.

     Mom was sitting in her recliner, while three other family members of the canine

variety, Sadie, Bella, and Mow rushed to the door to greet me with kisses and demanding puppy

tummy rub downs. We began sharing a variety of stories to catch up on family and the

antics of Bella, the 78-pound St. Bernard- German shepherd mixed 8-month puppy. Next on the

agenda. included touring the house for all of the changes and intensive reorganization

precipitated from a pod rental from California. Mom’s Alaskan artwork was up on the walls and

the furniture had been arranged to meet the spatial needs of two seniors and pets.

     Next, the problems with the local deer and our dogs came up. The ranch style chicken wire

fencing needed additional supports, as Bella would place her paws on the wire and stand full

height and with a low, bellowing bark echoing across the valley, alerting the deer and the

surrounding neighbors. However, two female does, did not appreciate the incessant barking and

walked right up to the opposite side of the fence, almost nose to nose with Bella.  Both animals

stood their ground and stared at each other. The tension was thick and we had heard stories of

rogue deer attacking a puppy in the neighborhood, almost breaking the canine’s back.

     Sadie, my stocky lab and german shepherd mix surprisingly, jumped over the fence to chase

the fleeing deer. My Mom, dog lover and advocate, was beside herself in worry for Sadie, as her

mobility and balance is limited due to M.S. Fortunately, a good-hearted neighbor found her in

the middle of the dirt road in our neighborhood and brought Sadie home. When I returned, I

observed Sadie finding a weakness in the fencing and tried to crawl under the fence corner to get

to the deer. Needless to say, finding a way to keep the dogs within the backyard fence without

inviting more deer aggression was a major problem and source of stress.

     The day before Mother’s Day, Mom and I set out towards Florissant to try out a new

restaurant called The Iron Tree. It was receiving rave reviews on the local FB page and we are

always looking for variety in our limited mountain dining establishments. Entering the small

restaurant, tucked away in a corner off the main intersection, we longingly gazed through the

clear storage case and found some amazing looking desserts, teasing us to try them out.

     The menu surprised us. After sampling an appetizer of gourmet roasted brussels with bacon

bits and blue cheese, we determined it to be well worth the 25-minute journey up the winding

mountain road. Mom enjoyed her beer-battered fried fish and I devoured a unique flavor in my

brisket sandwich, topped with coleslaw. With full tummies,,. we left Iron Tree with a mental

promise to return to the restaurant to try out their desserts.

     Our next destination was Eleven Mile Canyon. Observing an Eleven Mile sign posted next to

the convenience store, I was directed to turn left on a paved road tightly built between two Lake

George businesses. The paved road quickly became a grated, Colorado red, dirt road that made

the jeep jump and vibrate like chattering teeth. Our path wound upwards and then downhill as

most mountain roads do. I surmised this road would surely test the new Grand Cherokee jeep and

its driver.

     After a few dusty miles, Mom thought we should probably turn back as this road did not seem

familiar. But by now, I was enjoying the adventure of not knowing where I was going, and ready

to explore the unknown scenery, like my Mom, the road warrior. When in new places, getting

lost is often the best way to learn the lay-out of a new area. So we continued and turned right at

several forks in the road, as signs indicated we were heading towards Eleven Mile State Park and

Reservoir. Known as a water girl, I was excited to find a potential waterway to bring

a kayak.

     Eventually, a sign confirmed we had arrived at Eleven Mile State Park and there was the

reservoir to prove it. Observing a few fishermen and campers parked by the water, we drove the

rocky path to see if there was a safe place to launch a kayak. Back on the main reservoir road, we

felt the vibrating whoosh of other dusty automobiles passing us by. So, Mom was right, we had

taken the wrong road, but by that point we were committed to continue our road of discovery of

grazing wild donkeys, antelopes, and buffaloes.

                                     

    After basking in our new discoveries and snapping pictures with my cellphone we could prove

we had been there. Suddenly and surprisingly. I began to get a little nervous, not knowing

where we were exactly. There was no expected welcome station or public restrooms in our road

adventure. Therefore, turning on the navigation, I hit the button for Home. I was relieved that

“Gertrude”, what my Mom calls all GPS’s, was giving us directions to turn left at the next

intersection and then 2 rights to get back to the main road. Somehow our dirt road travels had

taken us a few miles west and downhill of a familiar landmark, Wilkerson Pass, a scenic and

overlook that marked the end of the Front Range mountains with a panoramic view of the valley

with Western Range Mountains, with snowcapped peaks, in the background. We began the steep

ascent and soon passed the closed rest area, with the amazing view, and continued heading home.

“Gertrude” indicated home was 35 miles away.

     We knowingly confirmed aloud our next destination, “Since we were going to be passing

through Florissant again, we would stop back at “The Iron Tree” to sample their desserts to

celebrate Mother’s Day. The now familiar restaurant’s glass storage case taunted us once again

with homemade treats, such, as, caramel drizzled bread pudding, strawberry cake with cream

cheese icing, fresh from the oven brownies and scones, and 2 large slices of fluffy lemon

strawberry cheesecake. Mom and I ordered cheesecake. The smooth textured cheesecakes melted

in our mouths, but the large slices proved “our eyes were definitely bigger than our

stomachs.”  Half of the desserts went home with us to enjoy later.

     While we never made it to Eleven Mile Canyon, we agreed it would be a trip for another day.

I really enjoyed the day of dirt roads and cheesecake, because I got to spend time with my Mom

away from the house and work responsibilities. The unexpected discoveries made the road less

traveled worth it. Who would have thought, we would come across wild donkeys? Mom

enjoyed our time together, since I had been a way on a trip to Indiana for several weeks.  Dirt

roads and cheesecake was our way of reconnecting and getting back in sync with each other.

Mother’s Day, May 13th, 2018,