The Road to Leadville

The Road to Leadville

chapter two
The Road to Leadville.
chapter two
Slowly the huge truck moved our three-bedroom house down the mountain on the road to Leadville.
My oldest sister Karol and I sat in the back seat of my parents olive green Volkswagen bug. Karol pouted as she gazed out the window on her side of the car. I fidgeted and ran my fingers across the beige colored felt that surrounded the windows and roof of the car. Daddy hated when I did this because it made it dirty, but today he did not scold me. I guess he had much bigger things on his mind than dirt around the windows.
My family and I were following our house- yes our house!
My brother Paul and sister Coleen got to ride behind the house on their bikes. I wanted to do it too but Mother said I was too little. Daddy explained he needed me to watch from the car.I took my appointed vigil at the window behind his seat telling him everything I saw.
I don’t think Daddy heard me though: both Mother and he seemed very nervous as they watched the truck take the first turn out of the big gate just off the highway.I giggled as I heard Mother make sucking noises with her mouth. Daddy never took his eyes off the house. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel.
I guess they were afraid because just a few days before our neighbor’s house had toppled off the truck. It was reduced to huge pile of rubble.

Slowly the huge truck moved our three-bedroom house down the mountain on the road to Leadville.

My excitement soon turned to boredom, as this ride seemed to take forever. Traveling only 5 to 10 miles per hour is not really what you would say exceeded the speed limit. Paul and Coleen were having much more fun than Karol and me. I wanted to be out with them. Paul would goof off and pretend to pass the truck; Mother would lean out the car window and reprimand him when he did. I think she was worried that he would get hurt. Coleen would stay right where she was told to and would wave to me once in a while.
Half way down the 20 mile trek, Coleen got tired and Mother had her get in the car with us. Daddy tied her bike to the bumper. I had more fun with Coleen as we looked out the windows of the car. I even forgot to watch the house for a long time. Paul made it all the way to Leadville’s city limit.

My parents prayed that everything would go OK and God honored those prayers. Days later our brown and yellow colored house was settled onto 205 West 17th Street in Leadville. It had many cracks in the walls but none of the windows was broken. It had been a long trek down the mountain but the house had made the journey with flying colors. Mother and Daddy were happy. Coleen and Paul were tired. Karol was very grumpy and I just wanted to get out and investigate this new world.