10-28-17 Balloons, the Fabulous SW and Good Friends and Family (NM, TX, MS, AL, FL)

 

Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque

From the Grand Canyon North Rim and Phoenix we started our long trek east and south back toward Florida for the winter.  We had planned a few more stops along the way, with a long stay in Albuquerque and the surrounding New Mexico highlights.

Bob Standing on the Corner

While we drove east from Flagstaff AZ on I-40, we deviated slightly to go thru Winslow AZ on Historic Route 66.  Bob likes Jackson Brown’s music, particularly the song “Standing on the Corner”, so he wanted to take his picture standing on the corner with Jackson Brown’s stature while listening to never-ending song from the tourist “trap” on the corner - a brief moment of fun for Bob looking for that famous blond in the flatbed truck.  

 

 

 

La Ventana Arch, El Malpais Ntl Monument

We made a short stop in Grants, New Mexico, where we visited El Malpais National Monument, a badlands area caused by 60,000 years of volcanic lava flows that filled a long river valley, making it almost impossible to transverse.   In addition to the lava flows, it contained volcanic craters and cinder cones and lots of ash.  

1692 Spanish Grafitti, El Morro Ntl Mon

Just beyond the badlands to the west, was El Morro National Monument, a high sandstone cliff standing straight out of the plains and seen for miles around, used by travelers for centuries as a major landmark.  The most welcomed aspect of the landmark was the reliable, year-round pool of water at the base of the cliff (it was not a spring, but rain water), which was often life-saving for the travelers as they traversed the arid high desert.  Graffiti, in the form of petroglyphs and pictographs from the ancestral Puebloans, and names and dates carved in the cliffs from the Spanish, the US Military during the Indian wars, and finally the European Settlers…they all left their mark.  It was fun to walk along the cliff base and read some of the entries, many of which were quite eloquent.    

Balloon  Fiesta, Albuquerque

We spent 10 days in Albuquerque, and enjoyed quality time with our good friends from St. Augustine, Dom and Jan Vita, who were visiting Jan’s sister Karen, who lives in Albuquerque.  The reason for the timing of our visit to Albuquerque was to be able to attend Balloon Fiesta, the largest international ballooning event in the world.    

GloDeo,  Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque

 

We selected two events to experience.  The first was the Unusual Shape GlowDeo, which we enjoyed with Dom, Jan and Karen.  The Unusual Shape balloons are NOT the traditional round or tear-drop shape, but were all “characters” like Darth Vader, the Wells Fargo stagecoach, a NM cactus, etc.   It is held in the evening, when the winds are usually too strong for balloons to ascend into the air.  The balloons are tethered to the ground, but still filled with hot air.  It starts at sunset and goes well into the dark night.  When the balloons light the propane gas to keep the balloons filled with hot air, the balloons “light up” from the inside.  As you watch, the balloons appear to be flashing on and off from the inside.  Every five minutes or so, they countdown the time, and all the balloons light up at the same time.  It was a fun experience, and we walked through the huge field looking at all the various balloon shapes.  We had only finished half the field and balloons when it was over.  

Mass Ascension, Balloon Fiesta

We got up at 3am to drive to the Balloon Fiesta for the Saturday morning mass ascension, our second fiesta event.  Over 500 balloons, mostly colorful round or tear-drop shaped balloons (but some of the unusual shapes also), ascend from the field.  The “Dawn Patrol”, an early group of about 10 balloons rises about 6am to test the air flows for the remaining balloons.  About 7am, the rest of the balloons start to rise.  The balloons take off in rows, with the individual balloons staggered so that only one balloon rises at any time, to minimize mid-air collisions on takeoff.  It was incredible to watch.  By the time we left about 9am, the sky was filled overhead with balloons….the wind died about half way through the event, and many balloons were just hovering over the field and actually landing nearby.  It was unbelievable to see so many colorful balloons right overhead…it was like a sky full of stars.  If you have not had the chance to see this event, it might be one for your “bucket list”.  

San Felipe de Neri, Old Town Albuquerque

We enjoyed a lot more that Albuquerque had to offer.  We loved visiting “Old Town” with Dom, Jan and Karen. The heart of Old Town is a historic plaza, with the oldest mission church in Albuquerque, San Felipe de Neri. The Plaza itself was small.  When Albuquerque was first settled by Duke Albuquerque, the Plaza and Church were the heart of the town.  When the railroad came to town, the center of town moved about 2 miles away. The plaza became very quiet and surrounded only by homes.  Over time, it became somewhat of a tourist destination and glitzy, but has now converted to a somewhat artsy, restaurant area…a nice place to stroll around and just relax.   

Old Town Plaza, Albuquerque

New Mexico is known for its own cuisine based on red and green chilies. We had a great lunch on the terrace at a really old restaurant which has “certified” New Mexico chilies – “certified” green chilies only come from Hatch NM. Hot, but tasty – wish we could get them fresh in Florida.  

Dragon Lantern, Chinese Lantern Festival

We also spent an evening with our friends at the Chinese Lantern Festival; a small venue with a lot of Chinese themed lanterns, or shapes with lights, that focused on themes special or spiritual to the Chinese culture.  We walked around looking at the many displays, and then enjoyed a show that featured Chinese dance and culture.  Interestingly, the “Chinese” themes included a Tibetan dance, in addition to the expected Mongolian and other more usual Chinese art forms.  Tibet was invaded by China in 1950 under the orders of Mao Zedong, and remains occupied to this day.  

Albuquerque Vista,  Sandia Crest

We drove to Santa Fe to visit that historic town, by driving on the eastern side of the mountains that tower over Albuquerque.  The “Turquois Trail” included a stop at the top of Sandia Crest overlooking Albuquerque, for a fabulous vista, and wandered through the numerous mining towns.  The mining efforts include the “most expensive” type of turquois, silver and gold, but those towns now focus on the tourist trade.  We passed many art, craft and jewelry studios on the way; another income source for the locals.   

Saint Francis de Asis, Santa Fe

Santa Fe is the capital of NM and a college town, with all the usual college, culture and government type buildings.  We spent all our time in the historic area which included the “oldest house” in North America, the oldest church in Santa Fe (a mission church), the “newer’ cathedral, and of course the Governors “Palace” (with floor windows to show the original dirt floors).  The archeological excavations and restorations of these buildings have all been done quite well, and the history is very interesting.  Because St. Augustine is the oldest continuously lived in city in the US, we researched the claim of the “oldest house”.  It is not, according to Google, the oldest residential house which is actually in Fairbanks MA, built in 1637.  However, the Governors Palace was built in 1610.   

The most interesting historical venue was the “counter cultural” exhibit at the New Mexico Museum of History.  It showed the history and impact of the mid-to-late 1960s idealist counter culture, or hippie revolution.  Many of these free spirit hippies ended up in Taos NM, an under-populated area where they could set up collective farms and communities.  It was a “blast from the past” to go through that exhibit and see what some of our generation was doing, while others of us were serving in Vietnam.  Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed in the exhibit; it would have been fun to share some of the memories the exhibition brought back to both of us.   

Sanctuario de Chimayo, Chimayo

We took the “High Road to Taos” scenic byway to Taos on another day, and enjoyed the Truncas Mountains as we drove into Taos.   We stopped at the Sanctuario de Chimayo, an old mission church in the countryside that is legendary for healing the sick.  The historic church has five beautiful, wall-sized, hand painted wood panels that are the entire decoration for the otherwise bare adobe walls. A small room located next to the sacristy features a hole in the floor from which “cure seekers” pull handfuls of earth to rub on their bodies. We didn’t see any cure seekers while we were there…only tourists like us. Again, we cannot share this as pictures were not allowed.  

Taos Pueblo,  Taos, NM

After realizing that Taos has become just another ski town with a shopping problem, we spent most of our visit at the Taos Pueblo.  In the Taos culture, a Pueblo can be a village, a house, or houses.  It truly is one of the oldest continuously lived in “homes” in the US.  Initially founded in about 1000 AD, this adobe pueblo has been expanded and occupied continuously since that time.  It consists of several “sections”, including a large five-level pueblo consisting of many rooms.  The pueblo is still being used today, although not many of the “homes” are still used for that purpose.  The Historic Pueblo has no running water, sewers, bathrooms, electric or heat or AC.  They have been modernized in that doors from the street are used to enter the buildings, rather than ladders coming into the home through the roof (for defense).  Only about 150 people live full time within the Pueblo.  Most of the pueblos are now shops or restaurants for tourists visiting the pueblo.  Other families owning homes in the north or south buildings live in summer homes near their fields, and in more modern homes outside the old walls but still within the Pueblo land.  There are over 1900 Taos Indians living on Taos Pueblo lands.     

Rio Grande River, Low Road to Taos

We drove the “Low Road to Taos” back to Albuquerque; the road followed the Rio Grande River and through the Rio Grande River Valley, all the way from Taos to Albuquerque. The valley is full of agriculture and it is easy to see why the Ancestral Puebloans moved from the dryer Mesa Verde and Four Corners area to this area about 1300 AD (see our last blog post for more information). 

 

Petroglyphs, Petroglyphs Ntl Mon

We hiked the Petroglyphs National Monument in Albuquerque to see numerous petroglyphs left by the ancestral Puebloans as art, directions, spiritual, and just plain graffiti.  This is the largest “collection” of Petroglyphs in the US.  The large basalt boulders from the lava flows provide huge, flat surfaces on which to draw.  Additionally, the desert patina causes a dark coating on the rock which is removed with stone tools to reveal the lighter rock below, the perfect canvas for petroglyphs.  The petroglyphs have been dated from several thousand years ago to recent, but the majority are from ancestral Puebloans from about 1000 AD to 1700 AD, with a significant increase about 1300 AD, when there was a huge migration into the area.    

TePee Curios, Tucumcari NM

We left Albuquerque on Interstate 40 which parallels the historic Route 66. We travelled sections of Route 66 where most of the historic buildings along the way are just derelict buildings and signs, left to crumble in the dry desert air.  We stopped at a couple of towns, but the best preserved and restored buildings and signs were in Tucumcari NM.  Tucumcari has made an effort to restore many of the fluorescent signs, and building fronts, even adding murals to capture the essence of the road during the 30s, 40s and 50s.  We had lunch at Dels, one of the original restaurants, which has been serving since 1954.   It would have been great to see some of the signs lit at night.

Phil, Laurie and Bob

We are now headed east and traveling fast to get back to Florida and some warmth.  We stopped to spend two delightful days with our Laguna Beach friends Laurie and Phil Owens, who recently moved into a beautiful new house north of Dallas.  We shared good memories, food and wine with them, and helped them celebrate Laurie’s mom’s, Francis, 99^th Birthday.   

Illinois Monument, Vicksburg Ntl Military Park

Vicksburg was another one day stop.  Bob has always wanted to visit the Vicksburg National Military Park.  Like Gettysburg, the victory for the Union at Vicksburg was instrumental in ending the Civil War.  Vicksburg was critical for the Union to control the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two.  The city was so well fortified, that after several attempts, Grant realized that any more direct assaults could not succeed; therefore, he imposed a siege instead.  After only a 2-month long siege, with the city cut off from supplies, the battle was won by the Union.   

Downtown Vicksburg MS

Vicksburg itself is a cute, true southern town, with several antebellum homes nearby.  Although we didn’t get a chance to visit any of them, we did visit the Corps of Engineers Lower Mississippi River Basin Museum; Bob, a prior Corps employee, really wanted to see it.  It had a great overview of the historic flooding on the Mississippi River, and the impact the Corps of Engineers had on reducing flooding by building levees, dykes, dams, and other flood control structures post the 1927 great flood. Unfortunately, in 2011, another historic flood took place anyway.  We enjoyed a glass of wine and views of the historic Yazoo River flowing into the mighty Mississippi River from the roof top bar of the tallest building in Vicksburg (10^th floor).

Linda and Mildred

Our last stop on the way to Florida was to visit Bob’s aunt, Mildred Whitlock, in Tuscaloosa Alabama.  We enjoyed dinner with her before heading south to Florida.  It is always good to visit with friends and family, and it is one of the advantages of our journey that we will certainly miss. 

We are now back in Florida.  Our 3 year adventure has come to an end.  Before we go back to St. Augustine, we will be spending a little time exploring housing opportunities on the west coast of Florida.  

We will do one more post, with our thoughts and feelings, and perhaps some statistics about this 3-year adventure.  We continue to thank God for his blessings and the opportunity to explore this beautiful country and meet so many wonderful Americans along the way.  

Feel free to pass the blog link on to anyone who might be interested.  

Best to all,

Linda and Bob  

 

 

10-15-17 Trail of the Ancients and the Biggest Canyon

Monument Valley from the North

From Durango, it was only a short distance to Cortez to explore the Four Corners area and the extensive Anasazi Ruins, and the historical and cultural aspects of the ancient Puebloan Peoples that used to live here.  In addition to spectacular and interesting scenery, this segment of our trip proved to be a very educational and informative history and cultural lesson.   

Pit House Diagram, Anasazi Cultural Center

The ruins and artifacts in this area span several periods of history for these people. The earliest peoples were wanderer-hunters.  There are some artifact tools and arrowheads found from these earliest wandering peoples.  The introduction of corn (maze), probably from Mexico, changed their living style to those of farmers staying in one place.  The earliest farmer period was called the Basketmaker Period, where the people made baskets and other items from the fiber of the yucca plant and lived in teepee like homes, which soon advanced to become Pit Houses; dug out areas framed on top with wood and covered in mud (adobe).  The entrance was through a hole in the top and a ladder; the hole was also the smoke hole.  We saw examples of the ruins of these Pit Homes scattered throughout the ruins in the area.  The Puebloan Peoples lived in the same areas for centuries, often building on prior pueblo ruins.  

Row of Doorways, Pueblo I, Aztec NM, New Mexico

From about 750-950 AD, during the Pueblo I period the people started to build more complex single story pueblos from adobe bricks.  The villages were usually near a water source at the head of the canyons, with the fields and villages on the mesa tops.  The beginning of more complex societies, with rituals and community rooms (round kivas), were of note.  The best example of this period is found at Chaco Canyon National Historic Site. 

Pueblo II, Multi-story Pueblo, Aztec NM

The Pueblo II period extended from 950 – 1150.  The pueblos became more complex, multi-story (up to 3 stories in many places), but the pueblos were still on the mesa tops.  We saw an excellent example of these ruins at Hovenweep National Monument, Lowry Pueblo in the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, and at Aztec National Monument. 

Cliff Dwellings, Mesa Verde NM

The biggest change occurred in Pueblo III period, about 1150-1300.  Here the people moved their pueblos from the mesa top to under large overhangs on the cliff faces.  The locations were often selected right at the water source.  The best examples of these were seen at Mesa Verde, but these types of ruins are found throughout the area.  There are over 6000 ruin sites in the Canyon of the Ancients alone.  At the height of their culture, over 5000 people lived in a small 25 square mile area! 

Long House Pueblo, Mesa Verde NM

We took two fabulous ranger-guided tours in Mesa Verde.   The Long House Tour was a fabulous detailed 2.5 hour tour of the largest known cliff dwelling ruin (Cliff Palace, which was already closed for the season, is the same size).  We got a real sense of the lifestyle of the occupants, much of which is speculated based on the current customs and lifestyles of current Puebloan peoples (such as the Zuni and Hopi).  

Linda climbing Ladder

The Balcony House Tour was the most strenuous tour offered.  We climbed down a large number of stairs to a path below the cliff, and then climbed an almost vertical 32-foot tree ladder to get into the site.  It is a small pueblo, with only 2 kivas, and perhaps 40 rooms.  The reason it is called Balcony House is that some of the rooms have a balcony on the outside wall.  The ranger did a great job integrating the lives of the residents and the connection to current Pueblo peoples.  We had to walk through a very tight cleft in the canyon to move from one side to the other of the village.  The exit from the pueblo was the most interesting:  we had to crawl through an 18-inch wide 12-ft long tunnel.  Some of the larger men (but not Bob) had to crawl through at an angle.  Linda went first pushing our backpack in front on her; Bob followed.  The tunnel appeared to be defensive in nature; there was a hole in the roof where someone in the pueblo could look down and see who was there (and kill them if needed?). 

The Puebloan Peoples dispersed about 1300AD.  It is not clear what the reasons were, but it is believed to be a combination of a 30 year drought, scarcity of resources, over population, and perhaps inter-tribal strife.   

Clay Pot Artifacts from McFee Dam Excavation

One of the best museums we visited was the Anasazi Cultural Center.  A huge archeological excavation was done prior to the construction of the McFee Dam and Reservoir, and over 1 million artifacts were collected – most in excellent shape - and put into the Cultural Center. It is worth a visit.   

Artifact Spearpoints and Knife Blades

Political correctness has even reached this area of history.  After being call the Anasazi for centuries, the name is being changed to the “Ancient Puebloan Peoples”; Anasazi is not a Puebloan Peoples word, rather a Navajo word for them. Interestedly, prior to the reservoir construction the local Puebloans opposed the project for fear of losing their ancestry and artifacts, but the formation of the Anasazi Cultural Center and extensive archeological research satisfied their concerns.  The NPS is evaluating changing the name from Anasazi to the Ancient Puebloan Cultural Center.    

Valley of the Gods

Monument Valley

Vermillion Cliffs

We left the Four Corners area and took a circuitous route to enjoy for a second time some of the most beautiful scenery in the West;  on our way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, we journeyed through the Valley of the Gods, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, and Vermillion Cliffs.    We arrived at the North Rim the last week before it was closed for the winter.   

Fall, North Rim Grand Canyon

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is a very different experience than the South Rim. It is much more remote, with a lot fewer people (only 10% of the tourists as the South Rim – that was great), fewer services which include a small, rustic lodge and our primitive campground.  The hikes are great, through pinon pine forests, but Linda thinks the views to the south are not as spectacular as from the south rim. Bob really likes the north rim view as well -  the hikes actually take you through Kanab Limestone outcrops – unlike the south rim.  One big reason is that side-canyon erosion mostly occurs on the north rim, so rather than a long rim running  parallel to and just south of the Colorado River, the north rim is a series of in-your-face long mesas and deep canyons.  In addition to sitting around our campground fire, we had a great time one evening drinking wine and watching the sun set from the lodge patio.  

Sunset from Lodge Patio, North Rim Grand Canyon

 

Bob on Hike, North Rim Grand Canyon

Fall, North Rim Grand Canyon

Sedona Red Rocks

It was chilly in the evening at the rim (it was getting below freezing late at night), so we left a day early and decided to spend a night to enjoy the views and dinner in Sedona.  We utilized the RV parking at the really nice Sedona Elks Lodge with great views.  The red rock canyons did not disappoint.  Even though we were there only for one night and the next morning, the views remain as spectacular as always.  We had a great dinner at an Italian Restaurant just west of town, and ate on the patio listening to “Sammy Davis Jr” - a wonderful warm evening after the cold of the past two weeks. 

Bob, Logan, Linda Charles, Kristen and Sammy

Our last stop south was in the HOT desert of Phoenix (98 the first day we were there). We visited Kristen and Charles Puma, Linda’s niece, and their two boys, Sammy (6 yrs) and Logan (almost 3).  Sammy has terminal brain cancer, and we wanted to spend some quality time with the family.  We had a great visit which included a Mexican dinner out, time at their church, and a wonderful afternoon at the Phoenix Zoo.  The zoo has a new exhibit, Dinosaurs in the Desert, a take-off on Jurassic Park.  The boys were a little intimidated by the Huge dinosaurs, which were all moving and well done (Disney would be proud).  We enjoyed our family time, and will forever cherish our memories of Sammy. 

 

Sammy enjoying his 2nd Ice Cream of Day

PLEASE PRAY FOR SAMMY AND HIS FAMILY, they need all the prayers they can get.  

We are now headed to the final destination on our 3-year journey, Albuquerque.  We will attend Balloon Fest and visit other points of interest in the area, and then head back to Florida, stopping on the way to visit friends in Texas and family in Alabama.  

We continue to thank God for his blessings and remain thankful for our health to be able to continue our travels and exploration of this wonderful country.   

Feel free to pass the blog link on to anyone who might be interested.   

Best to all,

Linda and Bob  

 

 

10/4/17 Canyons, Peaks, Golden Aspen Trees and SNOW! (CO Western Rockies)

 

Fall In Colorado, Golden Aspen Groves

We left Colorado Springs to head to Aspen and then the Western Slope of Colorado – the Western Rocky Mountains.  We had to travel across the mountains, but the only direct way into Aspen from Colorado Springs involved going over Independence Pass, where vehicles longer than 26 feet are prohibited….so we took the long way around - north to Denver, and then west along I-70 to Glenwood Springs.  



Aspen Color

Our original plan was to spend some time with our good friends Lonna and Mike Stolper in Aspen, but an unexpected change in their arrival plans meant a modification in our travel plans.  There are no RV parks in Aspen (guess they don’t want us RVers parking in their beautiful town), so we camped primitive for two days in the White River National Forest campground near Basalt (a great little town!) about 30 min north of Aspen.  It rained (and hailed) hard as we were driving into the NF and just after we arrived, a landslide blocked the road (we found this out later from people who were delayed hours to get to the campground).   

Independence Pass near Aspen, CO

We drove our Jeep Cherokee southeast through Aspen and up to and across Independence Pass to Twin Lakes.  It was a gorgeous drive up the steep windy road; the aspen trees were turning into their fall golden glory, and amongst the green evergreens, the landscape was beautiful.  We stopped briefly in Aspen as we drove back to our coach (too bad the Elks Lodge is closed for reconstruction).  The traffic was very bad on the only road out of town, it compares to LA traffic with a 4-5 mile backup getting in and out of town at rush hour.  We were told it is all the workers who cannot afford to live in Aspen, so they have to drive many miles north to Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs.  

Sunrise, Independence Rock, Colorado National Monument

We diverted from Aspen to Colorado National Monument, just west of Grand Junction. The park is at the top of the mesa which juts sharply out of the plains, with steep 1,000 foot cliffs and canyon walls encompassing 1.7 billion years of geologic history.  Bob loved it because he could explore a 1.5 billion year unconformity (missing years of geologic history – earlier rocks eroded away before the later layers were deposited).  The landscape is dramatic and beautiful, with red walled cliffs, buttes and pinnacles in deep canyons.  The Rock Rim Drive is beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset.  We were able to experience one beautiful sunrise, but the sunsets were obscured by overcasts and clouds. We saw a few bighorn sheep on the mesa, close to our primitive campground, which had fabulous views from the mesa top into the valleys below. 

Bighorn Sheep, Colorado National Monument

 

Steep and Deep, Blk Cnyn Gunnison

However, these cliffs were small compared to those we explored in our next stop: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and the Curecanti Recreation Area. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison has the steepest canyon walls of all the national parks;  the 2,000 to 3,000 feet deep canyon walls are only one quarter of a mile apart at the top and only 40 feet wide at river level at “The Narrows”.  It is so steep and deep that it is impossible to capture its beauty in pictures since you cannot easily penetrate its dark depths and shadows.  We hiked both the south and north rims, and enjoyed seeing various views from both rims.  Unlike the Grand Canyon and most other canyons, you could see people across the narrow canyon at viewpoints on the other side; the people on the other rim were closer than the Gunnison River below. 

Painted Wall, Black Canyon of Gunnison

This park was especially interesting to Linda.  She had tent camped with her niece Valerie here in 1993, when Valerie was 13 years old. They rafted the Gunnison River in the lower part of the canyon.  It was a “girls only” trip; Linda, Valerie and our two female dogs at the time! Linda had only seen the canyon from the bottom; so it is a very different perspective from the top! 

Fall Color, West Elk Loop, near Crested Butte

While in the area, we drove our Cherokee on the West Elk Loop, which included lunch in Crested Butte and a stop at the Gunnison American Legion.  The mountains were in the prime of the aspen trees color change, and there was a lot of traffic enjoying the beautiful vistas.  We also passed the three reservoirs of the Curecanti Recreation Area, formed by three dams on the Gunnison River.  Since it was now after Labor Day, all boat activities had ceased, including the Recreation Area Boat Tours, and the marinas were empty….winter is coming!!! 

Blue Mesa Reservoir, Curecanti Rec Area

Bob Teaching Ranger Antique Level Use

The local area to the west of the canyon is a verdant agricultural area, because of the Gunnison Tunnel and Diversion Dam.  This agricultural water tunnel from the Gunnison River was a surveying, engineering and construction miracle in its time (1904-1912).  The 6-mile tunnel was blasted through solid hard metamorphic rock, and required less than an 8 foot drop in elevation over the 6 miles from the river to the irrigation ditches.  They did it, but it took 8 years to complete – and it was initially funded by the local farmers only, but finally the Government (Bureau of Reclamation) paid for the completion!  

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park near Montrose was our third primitive campground in a row, which would normally not be a problem.  But it was getting COLD. And we were using a lot of propane in our coach every day and night to keep our motorhome toasty warm.  With a lot of rain and cold weather, we were really glad we were NOT in a tent.  We were fortunate to enjoy the warm bar and internet at the Montrose Elks Lodge several times during our stay. 

 

Telluride Valley from Gondola

We continued south to visit Telluride and Ouray, in the beautiful San Juan Mountains of SW Colorado.   We camped in a Colorado State Park in Ridgeway, grateful to have continuous electric heat in the colder weather; it was not unusual to have a daytime high in the 40s and frost in the morning.  The San Juan Mountains are spectacular: jagged volcanic peaks uplifted through the surrounding sedimentary layers of the Uncompahgne Mesa surrounding them.  Telluride and Ouray are on the north side of the mountains, both nestled into box canyons of the mountains which reflect the rugged nature of the area. 

 

Historic Bowling Lanes, Ouray Elks Lodge

We especially enjoyed our visit to Ouray, including lunch at Maggie’s Kitchen (a local’s hangout) and Friday night dinner at the Ouray Elks Lodge. We were lucky as they are only open on Friday nights except for special events and bowling leagues. Yep, the beautiful 1905-built historic lodge has its own antique 2-lane bowling alley.  It was included in the original 1905 building (the beautiful bowling lane floors have been refinished numerous times) and is still used 3-4 nights per week during the winter to this day (no full-automation here - local high school students are hired as pin setters).  What better way to get through the cold winter??  They described their nights as “fun drinking events with a bowling problem”.  Fun people and interesting place (Bob’s favorite of the area), but unfortunately too cold – because of the box canyon, the snow rarely melts during the winter.  

Intersection of Fall and Winter, San Juan Mtns

We drove the awesome San Juan Scenic Byway using the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton (in the center of the San Juan Mountains) several times, including Red Mountain Pass (during a light snow/hail) and Molas Pass. The aspen trees were at their peak color there, and the two days of rain we had in Ridgeway were the first snowfall in the mountains.  It was an awesome intersection of fall and winter.  The snow covered mountain tops and snow sprinkled green pine trees were interspaced with golden aspen groves at their peak color, also sprinkled in snow at the higher elevations.  It was one of the most beautiful landscapes we had seen in a long time.   Linda couldn’t get enough pictures of the beautiful landscape; each turn of the road and new vista was better than the last.  

Mountain Pass Lake, Million Dollar Highway

First Snow, Silverton, CO

Million Dollar Highway, First Snow on Golden Aspen

Durango Silverton Railway on Steep Canyon Wall

We headed to our last stop in the SW Colorado mountains – Durango.  Instead of driving our coach over the passes, we took the less mountainous route via Delores to Durango.  We enjoyed our narrated ride on the Durango to Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway, even though it was still cold and raining (snow at the top) on and off.  It was a fun ride on the historic section (narrated by historic “Otto Mears” - the builder of the expensive original toll road which was later named the “Million Dollar Highway”), but we were glad we had already gotten our sunny pictures on our Jeep Cherokee transits.  With the two additional days of wind and rain/snow, much of the aspen had already lost their color. 

 

Historic Statler Hotel, Durango

 After our train ride to the mining town of Silverton (“Silver-by-the-Ton”), we walked muddy streets and saw the usual tourist tee shirts stores, but had a great lunch at the historic Imperial Hotel.  Bat Masterson was the jail keeper in Silverton for a while. We finished our visit in Durango with a fun evening at the original Statler Hotel, including a performance at the historic theatre.  

We are now headed to Mesa Verde National Park, the Four Corners area, and then on to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and Arizona.  It’s time to head south, and the sooner we finish up these higher elevation (colder) venues, the happier we will be.  

Unfortunately, with the end of summer, the “Ministry in the Parks” programs, which we have enjoyed on Sunday mornings in some of the National Parks, have also come to an end.  These young people do a great job sharing their faith to Park visitors. You have to search them out in the parks as they are not allowed to advertise. We would recommend any college age person consider doing this program; you get a guaranteed National Park job, which is very hard to get.   

We continue to thank God for his blessings and remain thankful to be able to continue our travels and exploration of this wonderful country.   

Feel free to pass the blog link on to anyone who might be interested.   

Best to all,

Linda and Bob