Introduction (v 3.2)

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Welcome to Voyages with Parkinson’s! If you are looking for my photography store, you can find it here: C. B. Williams Photography. If you aren’t looking for my photography store, please consider giving it a go, anyway. I cover a wide variety of photographic subjects, from the Colorado Rockies to Miami Beach, from ammunition storage bunkers to marmots…if I ain’t got it, you don’t want it!

If you are a new visitor, and/or simply want the backstory, click the Menu button at upper right, then select “About This Blog”.

Also accessible via the Menu button at upper right is my new “Links” section. Here you can find links to relevant tools and web sites, both within and outside of the realm of Voyages with Parkinson’s.

In other news, I have finally compiled all of my “PD Travel Tips” into a single document. That document is accessible via the Menu button at upper right, and is just above the Search function.

If you just want to delve into the latest site content, scroll down.

Colorado 2026 Trip Report (Day Four)

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And on the fourth day, Cedric rested. Seriously, I was completely physically exhausted from wandering around at such high altitudes over the previous few days. I truly needed a full day of rest. The only thing I did worth mentioning was going out to lunch.

I went to a restaurant / sports bar called “The Famous” at the south end of downtown. The Famous what, I don’t know. Just “The Famous”. There are two reasons why this dining experience is worth mentioning. First, there is a patio on the west side of the building. From this patio, in the far distance, I could barely make out some of the heavy equipment fighting a nearby wildfire. Far more impressive were the flare-ups that occurred each time the fire reached an already dead tree.

The other reason this lunch is worth mentioning is that I ordered the Firebird pizza. The menu described this pizza as “House-made roasted garlic white sauce, mozzarella, chicken, turkey burnt ends, jalapeno, red onion, hot honey”. Sounds good, eh? Well, it was better than good. This was very possibly the tastiest pizza I have had EVER. EVER. The only problem was the hot honey kept dribbling down my arms. I was seriously sticky; had to wash up before I left.

In summary: Firebird pizza at “The Famous” in Leadville, Colorado: HIGHLY Recommended!

Colorado 2026 Trip Report (Day Zero)

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Flying to Denver: another chance for the airlines and TSA to make a good impression. And TSA delivered. I only had to tell one person that I had a medical device on me, and they knew exactly what needed to be done.

My buddies from AA (that’s American Airlines, not Alcoholics Anonymous) got everything right in the end, though their communication skills could use some work. When I got my boarding pass, it said I was in group 9. I tried to explain to at least three separate AA employees that I can’t be separated from that carry-on bag, and that I was quite concerned about the overhead bins becoming full before I got to board. Each of these people said basically, “Awwwwww, there, there, shut up, boy! Nobody’s going to take your widdo bag from you.” They were right. As I stepped into the plane, I immediately learned that AA had upgraded their overhead bins, doubling the overhead storage capacity. I had no problem finding space for my carry-on bag!

Other than being on an escalator when it lost power, witnessing a luggage jam that had to be manually cleared, and then not recognizing my own luggage, it was a smooth trip.

Fleeing the Weather

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It’s that time of year again. The “air you can wear” is in full force and effect. The forecast is calling for 100 degrees on Monday. So, what’s a lad to do? I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. This little lad is fleeing to Colorado.

Now, don’t start grabbing numbers off your favorite weather web site to throw in my face. I am fully aware that the average high temperatures in Denver and Charlotte are surprisingly similar at this time of year. But Denver is just the airport. Once I have picked up my rental Jeep, I will be heading for the really high country. Much of this trip will be around TWO miles above sea level.

Just for fun, here are the high temperature forecasts for Monday, in my destination towns:

Charlotte, NC750 Feet above sea level100° F
Denver, CO5,280 Feet above sea level91° F
Leadville, CO10,152 Feet above sea level70° F
Lake City, CO8,671 Feet above sea level75° F

That said, both Lake City and Leadville are very close to active wildfires. If I don’t pay attention, I could very quickly go from nice and cool to literally burning. Wish me luck!