Prayers Needed on the Colorado Trail

Well, I have rather enjoyed making a pretty daily post and cluing you guys into what is happening here in Colorado. I typically add pics so you can have a little eye candy with your content. But as some of you now know through Facebook, my phone was stolen from the rec center last night. I did not have my belongings locked up, so shame on me, but I had a pretty good record going of luck in this department. I have NEVER taken a lock into the gym. Guess it was 'bout time.

Anyhow, no pics from the pool last night. I also lost the pics and videos of the boys from that morning and the night before. This is frustrating on many levels. But because of the blog, I have been pulling the pics regularly and really only lost two days worth of pics. NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. I am trying hard to have a good attitude about this, because there is really nothing anyone can do...except to raise your kids to know how horrible stealing makes the victim feel. We should all steal something very near and dear to our children at a semi-young age (old enough they remember the feeling forever) so they never want to cast that feeling on anyone else.

Don't even get me started on the racket system the phone companies have going when you need a phone - like NOW. Why NOW, you ask?  Because somehow, in the midst of frantic travel planning, my number was the only one programmed into the Spot's "we need the SAG vehicle" button.  Essentially, this is the non-emergency button the boys push on the Spot when they need a pick-up.  It sends us the GPS location and we're able to find them in the middle of nowhere.  Kristin's number was supposed to be included too, but it just didn't happen.  So, I needed a phone ASAP to receive the messages about the most important pick up of all - the last one!

We are back at the park again today, and will go back to the pool again tonight, but guess who has two thumbs and will be locking her stuff up in the lockers tonight?

We will not see the boys again until tomorrow. In the meantime, we spent last night and will be staying tonight in the Walmart parking lot. Camp sights around here are...well, close to the racket of the AT&T phone rigamarole. Hotels in Durango are sitting around $237 per night for a Super 8. So we decided to keep ahold of our cash (provided no more phones are stolen) and opted to stay for free. The only downside are the parking lot lights that stay on all night. But I had previously hung blackout curtains in the van and Kristin wears the night mask so this negative really does not affect us.

The other big issue for the day...or two...is that Colorado has now declared a state of emergency because of a disaster spill from a 95-year-old sealed mine that has been damaged and is leaking into the only real source of water for the the final three segments. We are only really learning of the devastating effects right this second as I am finding an article to link to the blog. Prayers for the boys and the other unknowing hikers and bikers. The spill happened Thursday but the EPA only reported 1/3 of the actual millions of gallons of the spill. On Saturday when the news actually broke that this had happened, we were getting ready to drop the boys off in Silverton (where the spill started).

We have no way to get ahold of the gents right now, we just pray they find another source of water over the Animas River. Problem is...the water as it sits in all of it's sludginess, looks like the pond in the backyard where Trav spent days testing his filter's capabilities. Only now it is,

samples of mercury was nearly 10 times higher than the EPA acceptable levels. Samples of beryllium and cadmium were 33 times higher, and one of the arsenic levels was more than 800 times higher.

Prayers are welcomed not only for the water, but for the last push on this epic adventure.