A word of thanks to my dear nephew and his wife who keep me up and running on this site, no matter how many blunders I manage to achieve in a given blog.
Thank you Michael and Jeanne.
AND AWAY WE WENT
June 8th the Burns and Helmstetter families shared a day of celebration in honor of grandson, Sean's, graduation from elementary school. Sean's parents, their two proud families and friends attended the ceremony followed by a family gathering complete with a beautiful three tier cake made and decorated by Marci. It was both beautiful and tasty. It was a fine family day celebrated with pride and just a smattering of melancholy by yours truly. The little ones grow up too soon. Of course, our 14 year old welcomed the gifts in honor of the occasion oblivious to any personal anxieties that are uniquely mine as a result of this Grandma's problems with the aging process. Tsk tsk .
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Sean
Grad cake
As the celebration was winding down, the aging Burns', Ken and Pat, escaped to our waiting chariot and its attached "dinghy" for the start of a 10 day trip with Don and Linda (Ken's brother and sister in law) . We wanted to get out of town and miss the Monday morning LA traffic. Confident that we had escaped the "roar" of Monday morning, we stopped at a rest area outside of San Bernardino for a few hours before going on. We stopped again in Indio and after breakfast drove on into Camp Verde Arizona, arriving there about 3PM, June 9.
Don and Linda joined us Tuesday morning, the 10th, for the first leg of our ten day trip. Our first stop was Wupatki National Monument (link) going North on Highway 89 from Flagstaff to Tuba City.
http://www.nps.gov/wupa/
(If you cannot access this site by double clicking your mouse, highlight, copy and paste into your browser.)
Wupatki
After a brief "walk around" the site, we continued our trek north to Monument Valley where we spent the night at Goulding's RV Resort. Ken and I visited the awesome and statuesquely beautiful assemblage of rock formations in Monument Valley in 1998. Our second visit was no less appreciative as we viewed with wonder those beautiful rock sculptures developed through the ages by the genius of erosion, time and formations of mineral deposits.
Two pictures from Monument Valley
MONUMENT VALLEY
http://www.go-utah.com/monument_valley/
From Monument Valley, we proceeded to Four Corners where Ken posed with hands and knees on each of the four corners, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado. He complained that I took too long to shoot the picture because the cement was very hot and he was sure he was suffering long term burns. He survived and "nary" a blister. In my view, other than saying you have been to this location, there is little else to create any urgency for the trip. As our friend Bruce would say, "I didn't leave anything there!".
From our brief stop over at Four Corners, we climbed the steep mountain road into Mesa Verde National Monument where we camped for the night and at twilight, attended a ranger's outdoor amphitheater lecture on the many things to do and see while there. Our "night out" in this 8,000 foot elevation was cool in spite of jackets but the ranger cut no slack. He was in short shirt sleeves and in response to an inquiry from the audience said, "I saved up enough heat from the day to enjoy the cool of the night"..
Mesa Verde National Park was established by Congress on 29 June 1906. It was the first cultural park set aside in the National Park System. Mesa Verde National Park was also designated as a World Cultural Heritage Site on September 8, 1978 by UNESCO, an United Nations organization formed to preserve and protect both the cultural and natural heritage of designated international sites. These pre-Columbian cliff dwellings and other works of early people are the most notable and best preserved in the United States.
Designations:
* National Park - June 29, 1906
* Wilderness Designated - October 20, 1976
* World Heritage Site - September 6, 1978
Read more: http://www.mesa.verde.national-park.com/
The next morning Ken, Don and Linda toured the ruins of The Cliff Palace. They were pleased that the same ranger conduct their tour. I didn't go choosing instead to wait nearby, enjoy my book, bask in the silence and watch the people. There were many steps, ladders and some narrow walkways that induced me to exercise caution in lieu of my fear of heights, overweight status as an adventurer and plain laziness.
When they returned, they seemed to agree that I had made the right decision. One thing for sure, I didn't need to get caught in a small hole of an old Indian ruin at this point in my life. After the Cliff Palace Tour, we drove through the park, viewed several Indian ruins and gorges from view points within the park, visited the museum and returned to our "chariot" (la Bus) and made our way on to our next adventure.
CLIFF PALACE AND THE TOUR
After our mornings explorations at Mesa Verde, we descended the mountain road from whence we ascended the day before and enjoyed the drive through the scenic Colorado countryside to Durango.
We stopped at a RV park located alongside the Animus River, overlooking the tracks of the Durango-Silverton Railroad. We arrived just in time to hear the train approaching from its daily trip to Silverton. As it made its way down the track exuding a combination of smoke and steam. As the train passed us with its mournful horn sounding more distant, like excited little children, we climbed into our "towed" (dinghy) and headed into town to see the train's arrival at the station.
Of course, the boys made an inquiry as to the availability of tickets for the next days adventure up the mountain and upon learning that room was available, with little discussion and no abstinations` tickets were purchased for the 830 AM train to Silverton. The men folk had accomplished their goal and were now ready to eath. Back at "la bus", dinner was prepared and the evening topped off with entertainment from our satellite. Our early date with the DSNGRR (Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Rail Road) seemed motivation enough for an early night and thus, concluded June 12th, our third day on the road.
In view of our early scheduled departure, we were up, had breakfast and on the road by 7A. Once at the depot, we had plenty of time before boarding the train at 745A. A trip through the railroad museum occupied our group, while I sat watching over jackets, cameras and items of refreshments considered imperative to our ride on the "tracks". The high altitude seemed to "slow" me down a bit.
As the train huffed its way up the the narrow mountain pass, the Animus River flowed briskly beside us and the beauty of the great outdoors and the magnificent views of the still snow capped mountain above surrounded us. I was so "taken" by the excitement of the train and the beauty around us, I called our friends Gwelda and Bruce to encourage them to speed up their participation in retirement adventures. Not able to get through to them, we left a message, "eat you heart out - wish you were here". Another call was placed to our son Gary, from whom we learned that we had been deprived parents. He and Marci did the trip bc (before children). Alas, we are behind the times!
Once in Silverton, one gets an idea of the tremendous motivation for wealth that prompted those who searched, gambled and won(or lost as the case may be) in their quest for wealth and adventure. Those old timers surely had more ambition and "umph" than our modern day dot.com entrepreneurs who demand six figure incomes from venture capitalists to fail! Times have changed, indeed. The sacrifices that have been made by our pioneers to bring our country and its wealth to this point in history, are rarely viewed from a price paid perspective. Like so many things, we seem to have also lost respect for individual initiative. Too bad!
Once Silverton was a thriving mining town. Today its existence depends on the tourist crowd that seeks the adventure and lore of a ride on the narrow gauge railroad, the scenic beauty of the route and those who long for a look back into time. It was a wonderful day. We were a happy group of "campers" as we arrived back at the train station, toured the museum and returned to "la bus" for dinner. Our day had been filled with sights, sounds and inspiration provided by a day of exploration in the great outdoors.
[more]
http://www.railsnw.com/tours/durango/durango01nf.htm
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The view below
That was snow on them thar mountains
Silverton
We had originally intended to ascend the mountain pass from Durango to Silverton via "la bus". After our train ride and upon further analysis, we recognized that the route would transition a pass in excess of 10,000 foot elevation on a winding, narrow road that looked taxing even for cars, never mind a 34 foot bus with a "towed".
Our good judgment prevailed and thankfully, the powers that be (Don and Ken) decided to forego the adventure of the "climb". For those of you who have known me in our sailing days, my anxieties on mountain roads rivals my anxiety at sea when the boat heels at a 45 degree angle. I am not a "relaxed" happy camper under either circumstance. Thus on our fifth day of adventure, (June 14) we took the longer less scenic but still beautiful route to Montrose, Colorado en route to Gunnison where we were to have a few days of relaxation from the rigors of travel.
As we traveled through the mountain passes and valleys of beautiful Colorado we were "smitten" by the beauty of the State. Of course, we were mindful of the winter snow to which skiers aspire but uninviting to those who have long since passed their prime for "snow". Nevertheless, we enjoyed our drive and outside of Montrose, we stopped at a RV park where we enjoyed a relaxing evening of dinner and television.
Father's day, we drove to Ouray, Colorado, a little town nestled in the mountains of Colorado to which Don and Ken's parents traveled many times. They loved that "swiss" mountain town and at one time they had considered purchasing property there. They were negotiating for a house in the middle of town when the Police Chief's wife (or some similar person of authority) backed into their car. The Police Chief gave Ken's dad a ticket. Indignant with his handling, Ken's dad ended the negotiation and as far as I know, he never returned to Ouray. However, through the years both parents spoke warmly of this quaint little town, nestled high in the mountains of Colorado. Knowing Ken's dad, we could all understand his infatuation with the town, its history and its resources that, according to the sign, "fueled the industrial revolution and financed two World Wars".
We drove up the mountain toward Silverton (the road we would have come down if we had not "chickened out") and viewed the large reclamation project that is being undertaken by the Neumont Mining Company. The gold and silver mine extends through the mountains for miles and the wealth that has been removed from "them thar hills" makes one shake their head in disbelief.
What a wonderful period in our history. Too few people stop to appreciate the price and sacrifices that have been made to make our country what it is. Our life and current standard of living did not just happen, there are many who have paid a great price for that which we take for granted today.
As wonderful as it is to welcome to our country and its freedom those who wish to have a better life, it seems that too often those people want to bring their culture, their way of life and their shortcomings with them. Once here, many seem to want to implement the things that kept their country from achieving the kind of freedom and standard of life that we cherish. Therein may rest the foundation for the demise of the way of life that our forefathers provided. Only time can tell. EOS (End of sermon).
View from Idarado Mine.
After our quick venture into Ouray and its great mining history, we returned to Montrose, returned our car to a "towed" and drove "la bus" to Gunnison. Our day included a stop over at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and we viewed from its canyon cliffs the Gunnison River flowing briskly and noisily through the deep gorge below, another extravaganza of "Mother Earth". The Canyon is not as spectacularly beautiful as the Grand Canyon but the depth of the cliffs that have been carved by this mighty river pays tribute to the power of its spell. I was somewhat intimidated by the depth of the gorge hence, I chose not to get too "close" to the edge and stayed in the coach. However, I was able to see enough of the canyon as we drove along the road above to conclude that a drop from the cliff was a drop to whatever lies beyond this life. I had no desire to test the patience of my fellow travelers by providing an opportunity for them to "lose" me in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. NOSIREE!
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
After our brief stint at exploring the byways, we arrived at Blue Mesa, our RV resort outside Gunnison. Once parked, camp set up (room extended awning out and carpet laid) the "towed" was returned to vehicle status and we were ready for our drive into Gunnison for a Father's Day dinner out for Ken and Don. Linda and I discussed a possible Father's Day gift for the two but since neither of them looked old enough to be our father and I'm not sure we would claim them if they were, we ignored that aspect of the day. However, we did agree that we would treat them to dinner out and we did. We had a wonderful dinner with a charming waitress, originally from Wisconsin who is supplementing her lifestyle as a waitress while attending college in Gunnison. We later met a man in Camp Verde who had attended that college. He said that the college there has a reputation for offering an excellent marketing program and that was what our waitress was pursuing.
A visit to the local Walmart provided Ken with a one day fishing permit. We were all anticipating a fresh fish supper the next night.. Contrary to our premature expectations, we had to be satisfied with "camp fare" which on this particular evening was a tri tip roast hot off the grill, baked potatoes and a fresh garden salad. Hot fudge sundaes and television topped off the evenings dinner and entertainment. Roughing it sure does get tedious.
The next morning Monday, July 17 we crossed over the great Divide at Monarch Pass, 13,000 foot above sea level. As we drove through the pass we were accompanied by the Arkansas River where we waved to rafters as they foraged the rapids in what Linda referred to as "bottom bumpers". As we waved and snapped pictures of the water adventurers we looked forward to visiting the Royal Gorge where we hoped to get even better pictures from the bridge that spans the gorge.
Alas, after traveling the several miles into that commercialized activity, we elected that $18 each for entry into the Gorge was too much for our brief stay. We did not resent paying an entry fee, but their entry fee encompassed a look at the Gorge, a ride on the train into the Gorge itself, a walk across the bridge and entertainment park concessions "ala Disneyland". The price was too "rich" for a 30 minute view. All but Linda had been there before and she nixed the "investment". So it was that we "shined the "gorge" on and refused to patronize the greed of that enterprise. We support free enterprise but there is free enterprise and there is "fee enterprise". However, the trip was not a total failure. We had lunch and on the way out, Don was able to get a good picture of a deer and one of the bridge over the Gorge for our memory folder.
Royal Gorge Bridge
We pressed on toward Walsenberg, our destination for the night. A quick reference to our "parks" guide, revealed Lathrop State Park just outside of Walsenberg. Our driver "honed" in on the park and in no time flat, we were settled in a nice roomy site and dinner was served. After dinner, the men folks enjoyed a noisy action DVD while Linda and I tried to concentrate on a game of Scrabble with the surround sound of the movie vibrating the walls of the coach and stilling our mental agility. At last the men had found a place where they could play the DVD loud and no one but their wives to complain.
The next morning we made our way over the pass into New Mexico. We had lunch in a small interesting New Mexican restaurant as we drove through Taos. It was a "local" place with our food cooked to order. It satisfied our need for a noon meal, and we felt good that we had patronized a local enterprise, for better or for worse.
After our lunch, we continued our trek to a RV Park half way between Taos and Santa Fe. Ken paid for a "one day" fishing permit and tried his luck at the stocked lake. He caught four catfish but two got away (does that sound like a fish story or not?) In spite of a heavily infested area of mosquitoes that we avoided, the camp site proved to be comfortable enough in spite of our convictions that it would not meet Gwelda's criteria for acceptable accommodations.
The next morning June 19, we visited Santa Fe and enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant where the "chaps" were most indulgent to two old "grays" with orange caps. At Monarch Pass Ken found an orange cap that he thought would help me identify him in a crowd. He decided that I should have one also. Thus, we both toured Santa Fe with our orange caps adorning our gray hair to identify one to another. The chaps at the restaurants were amused by our rather unorthodox style - at least they seemed to be.
From Santa Fe we ventured down the hill into Albuquerque. We had planned to spend the night in Albuquerque and say hello to Bruce and Gwelda but Bruce was out of town, Gwelda was recuperating from a back spasm suffered in Key West, as well as entertaining visiting grandchildren and preparing for a visit from daughter Monica and family the next day. Since we were pressed for time so we decided to go on and get a head start on the remainder of our trip. We ended up spending the night in a RV Park and Horse Motel near Belen, New Mexico. The name sounded a little strange and it would definitely not meet Gwelda's criteria for a "sleep over", it proved not to be too bad. We decided that the owner needed to put more emphasis on the RV motel and less on the hotel motel but who knows, maybe in Belen New Mexico, horse motels are as important as RV parks. How would we city folk know?
We rather enjoyed a "stint" around the barnyard. There was an accumulation of animals i.e., ducks, geese, chickens, goats, horses, pigs, (including two pot bellies)` turkeys, rabbits and goodness knows what else. It was a little aromatic in spots, but otherwise not a bad overnight stop. The early morning's crow of the roosters reminded us of the Caribbean and the smell brought back memories of my farm days of long ago.
As we crossed the valley from Soccoro to the Datil Mountains and Magdalena (where we had our problem with the door latch in December), we were curious about the many large satellite dish devices that stood in a line before us. Ken remembered that they were radio telescopes from our last "pass by" but we did not fully understand the enterprise. As we drew closer there was a sign that identified the project as a Very Large Array. Curious for more information (inquiring minds you know), we drove to the visitors center. There we learned that this was the World's largest assemblage of radio telescopes, covering a distance of many miles. The radio satellites are placed in a Y shaped design over several hundred acres and moved by rail, throughout the project as necessary to maintain a tracking signal. It was an educational experience and one that we enjoyed greatly. The satellites are huge and the project mammoth.
According to the VLA website, " The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation , operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc .The project was authorized by Congress in 1972 dedicated in 1980,. It cost $78,578,000 dollars, (approximately $1 per taxpayer in 1978 dollars). The project came in within budget and nearly one year early. What a concept! It is a facility of the National Science Foundation and operated under a cooperative agreement by Associated Universities. The facility is used by Astronomers from all over the world. Amazing what a person can learn about where the money goes when they are out and about with time to explore
To read more click here: http://www.vla.nrao.edu/genpub/tours/
One telescope.
After our all too brief "quest into education", we continued on through the Datil Mountains, stopping for home made pie in Pietown. Stops at these little shops are for me the highlight of our trips. I enjoy observing the interesting culture of a small community as both patrons "passing through" and citizens of the community stop in to have a sandwich, coffee or desert.
In Springerville, at Don's suggestion, we decided to take an exploratory trip to the White Mountains. Many years ago, Don and Linda camped with Don's parents and sister, Barbara, in a lovely spot called Harragans Meadows. Don thought that might provide us a good place off the beaten path to spend the night. No sooner said, than we were on our way. The White Mountains of Arizona are truly beautiful and perhaps as spectacular as the Colorado mountains but more limited. Colorado's spectacular scenery and abundance of beauty goes on forever with its dry spots short lived because it gets more water. Its rain and snow supports a much larger assemblage of scenic beauty. In spite of heavy wind with some alarming gusts that slowed our pace Ken maneuvered the bus along the mountain road to Hannagan's Meadows Lodge and campsite.
However, this was not the camping spot that Don remembered so we moved along, until we decided that we had gone far enough without risking getting stuck on the winding narrow road that descends through narrow and winding mountain roads with signs explicitly forbiding trucks over 40 feet. Ahem - our RV is slightly less than 34 feet and trailing behind it is our "towed". People traveling in passenger cars have been known to arrive at Hannagans Meadows ready to pronounce the road unfit for travel and loudly stating their recommendation that it should be removed from the map.
We removed the "towed" and escaped down a forest road where we found the camp site that the Burns' had enjoyed many years before. There surrounded by a beautiful green meadow were several absolutely private and remote camping sites but alas, they were not "RV" friendly. We looked with envy at this "ideal" and inviting space but there is a cost for our "state of the art" camping gear and reluctantly we returned to the more RV friendly camping sites. Even those surroundings were not as friendly to our bus as first thought and Ken was appalled that a low limb left a scratch on his coach to which he immediately applied "elbow grease". In the future, I think he will exercise more caution before choosing a camp among the beautiful trees in the mountains without first determining that access is clear and tree limbs high enough to accommodate our "higher profile".
That evening we enjoyed our lsst night "out in the wild" amid a rather cool breeze that reminded us how high we were. The next morning we walked the short distance to Harragans Meadows lodge where we enjoyed a breakfast buffet in a welcoming atmosphere and watched the "locals" prepare for a community festival displaying their arts. A VIP (Chris Udall of the Udall family) was to be there later to open the ceremonies amid music and local activities heralding the occasion. Unfortunately, we had several miles yet to travel to get Don and Linda back home for commitments the next day so we did not remain for the ceremonies.
We drove back to Springerville, through Showlow and once again sorrowfully observed the devastation of last years terrible forest fires. We arrived back at Camp Verde at 4PM, said goodbye to Don and Linda and spent a quiet relaxing evening at our home park, Camp Verde before striking out the next morning for home.
We spent Sunday night on the river in Blythe and Ken devoted a couple of hours to fishing in the Colorado but without luck. The next morning we headed into Los Angeles. As we approached Indio we were greeted by a sign advising of extremely heavy winds. It was Gary's birthday and since we were so close, it was important that we get home to celebrate his birthday. Too often, we have been away on his special day and we wanted this to be an exception. We decided to take the old route through Indio, Palm Desert, Cathederal City and Palm Springs and as we drove through in relative calm, we patted ourselves on the back. We had "outfoxed" the wind. However, when we approached the freeway through White Water wash, the winds through the canyon were unbelievable and we were barely able to make 25 miles per hour as we edged ourselves carefully along the road and through the canyon pass. We only THOUGHT that we had beat the wind. It had the last word and it was uncompromising in its effort to "get even". We got through but, the next time we see an advisory of high winds, we will pull off the road and "sit it out".
There you have it - 2,000 miles, two weeks and many good memories.
Our heartfelt sympathy to our dear friend Helen Holzaepfel and her children Todd, Lisa and Jeff and their children in their recent loss of husband, father and grandfather, Bill Holzaepfel. We recently visited Bill and Helen in Orlando and we are thankful for that brief visit. Ken and Bill shared a very special bond. Bill and Helen are our oldest friends in our very special extended family. Bill was a very special person, a good friend, loyal husband, dedicated father and loving grandfather. His spirit lives on as we forever cherish the memory of his ready smile, the bright twinkle in his eyes, his keen sense of humor and genuine wit. Bill was an officer and a gentlemen before the term was put to film. He will be missed by family and friends. He was one in a million!
