Second
week of October with Diane and Dave at Woodland Park, on Ute Pass, on the north
slope of Pikes Peak.
I
wrote this poem for the Scarecrow that we constructed at Dave and Diane’s;
As
we were visiting in Woodland Park
We
encountered the Sun Valley Scarecrow stark
We
inquired, if he ever tired of standing staring
The
Scarecrow replied, I never tire of the joy of scaring
Stuffed
with straw, wearing old pants and shirt
He
guards the field to protect the dirt
He
stands for hours, under the sun
And
fights a war without a gun
He’s
one of a kind, that’s what we know
A
scarecrow on the outside, but inside aglow
He’s
happy in the yard all day
Just
chasing the hungry birds away
10-11-16
traveling with Sister Rose
We
met Rose at DIA in Denver and spent two days with Dave and Diane at Woodland
Park. Together, we made a day-trip to Cripple Creek and enjoyed the “Fall
colors”, Mining Museum, lunch, and the open-mine overlook.
After
a very pleasant and relaxing visit with friends, Diane and Dave, we headed west
and visited the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Beneath a grassy
mountain valley in central Colorado lies one of the richest and most diverse
fossil deposits in the world. Petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide and
thousands of detailed fossils of insects and plants reveal the story of a very
different, prehistoric Colorado. Located on Ute Pass, this high mountain park
seems like a very unlikely location for an ancient wetlands, and an even more
astounding story of how it was raised up to thousands of feet above sea level.
Continuing
to Buena Vista, in the Upper Arkansas River Valley, we saw Pronghorn, Buffalo, Hawks,
and Deer, but no Elk. In the Arkansas Valley, the snow-capped Collegiate Peaks
rise abruptly from the valley floor, in towering rows. We enjoyed two days in
the Arkansas Valley, on the Arkansas River, at the foot of the Collegiate
Peaks, in the Sawatch Range. Buena Vista, “Beautiful View”, certainly lives up
to its name!
Next,
we headed to Salida, situated on the Arkansas River, just west of the Sawatch
Range and north of the Sangre De Cristo Range, for a little shopping.
Leaving
Salida, we followed US 50, from the Arkansas River Valley, over Monarch Pass (11,365ft)
to the Gunnison River headwaters. Around Gunnison we saw a herd of Yak, a most
unexpected discovery. We took a campsite at Gunnison, an RV Park run by an Ole
Miss Alumni.
Next
day, we followed the Gunnison River to Montrose for a visit to the Black Canyon
of the Gunnison National Park, a stunning sight. Black Canyon of the Gunnison
exposes you to some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires
in North America. An awesome park to visit, with terrific trails, towering
overlooks, and abundant wildlife.
On
Saturday evening, we caught the LSU vs USM football game on the SECN network,
at the Montrose R&R Sports Bar. Spending a couple of days in Montrose, we
learned about the Gunnison Tunnel, which irrigates the upper Uncompahgre
Valley, while enjoying the sights of the San Juan Mountains to the south, and
the Uncompahgre River, which joins the Gunnison at Delta. Irrigation is a
fascinating study in the western States, employing a variety of methods, using
surface and sub-surface water sources. The most interesting to me is the use of
surface water, utilizing gravity to irrigate millions of acres of agricultural
land. Very fascinating stories and history in the development of these systems!
10-17-16
Today,
we cruise over to Delta and then Grand Junction, for a visit and lunch with my
friend Monty. We saw the confluence of the Uncompahgre River with the Gunnison
River at Delta, Colorado. Delta, located at the river delta, is a town of
beautiful murals, prolific fruit orchards, and old pioneer buildings, a unique
spot on the Western Slope of Colorado.
We
spent several days at Grand Junction, Colorado, located at the junction of the
Gunnison and Colorado Rivers. GJ is the largest town on the Western Slope and
is home to the Colorado National Monument, and Grand Mesa, one of the world’s
largest flat-topped mountains. The Grand Valley, taken from the early name of
the Colorado River, is a garden-spot for agriculture and ranching.
We
had a pleasurable lunch-visit with Monty and caught-up on our news and old
recollections. Monte and I worked together in Denver. It’s nice to see old
friends!
Next
day, we headed on down the Colorado River to Moab, Utah. Taking the UT 128,
“River Road”, the steep, narrow, gorge, with towering sandstone walls, and
spectacular rock formations, we picnicked at Dewey Bridge and took a campsite
at Moab.
Our
next day, visit to the erosions of Arches National Park, as always, brought new
and exciting views of contrasting colors ,landforms and textures, massive
arches, towering spires, soaring pinnacles, massive fins, and giant balanced
rocks. On the 28-mile driving tour, we picnicked, took photos, and enjoyed the
spectacular sights.
Leaving
Moab, we decided to cross the San Rafael Swell, between Green River and Salina,
making our way to Cedar City, Utah. The Swell is situated along a 110-mile
stretch of I-70 with no services, so fuel-up in advance! The swell is a huge
anticline, exposing very old rock. Subsequent erosion by powerful flash floods and
wind, have eroded the sedimentary rocks into numerous valleys, canyons, gorges,
mesas and buttes. These "basement" rocks below the present-day Swell
moved upwards relative to the surrounding areas and caused the overlying
sedimentary rocks to fold into a dome-like shape called an anticline. The
elevation of the swell reaches 8500 feet according to my altimeter. It’s an
astounding geographical wonder and should be a National Monument.
After
a long day, we stopped off at a Salina RV Park for a good night’s rest.
Next
day, we cruised on down to Cedar City, Utah for a couple of days camping and
exploring. In the morning, we drove up to Cedar Breaks National Monument for
sightseeing and a picnic lunch. At 10-thousand feet, Cedar Breaks National
Monument, looks down into the brilliant colors or colorful, half-mile deep, geologic
amphitheater, on the edge of the Grand Staircase, of the Colorado Plateau. With
a brisk, cold wind, we didn’t linger too long but it’s a special place!
Our
next attraction is Zion National Park, so we took a campsite at Springdale, on
the Virgin River, at the mouth of Zion Canyon. With towering sandstone walls
surrounding us, we can watch the constant changes of light and shadow on the
sandstone walls of the canyon. Daisy also likes the walk along the river!
With
free shuttles in Springdale and Zion National Park, we could move around the
area, so I enjoyed the break from driving. We took the shuttle tour of Zion
National Park, made some pictures at selected stops, and enjoyed a picnic lunch
at the Temple of Sinawava, at the head of the canyon. Also, I must complement
the Visitor Centers at all the parks, especially for the informative overview
videos. Zion is an awesome place!
After
a couple of days at Zion, we headed down the wild and scenic, Virgin River to
Las Vegas. From Zion National Park, the Virgin River flows SW across SW Utah,
NW Arizona and southern Nevada, to the Colorado River and Lake Mead, just south
of Las Vegas. My favorite section of the river is the I-70 route, through the Virgin
River Gorge in NW Arizona.
In
Las Vegas, we took a very accommodating campsite at Samstown Casino and RV Park
on Boulder Highway. We enjoyed the remainder of our visit with Rose, by
exploring around Las Vegas, and visiting Terry’s kin.
Our
visit to Red Rocks canyon was loads of fun. The conservation area showcases a
set of large, 3000-foot-high, red rock formations: a set of sandstone peaks and
walls called the Keystone Thrust. Red Rock Canyon features a one-way, 13-mile
scenic drive, a Visitor Center offering information and interpretation about
recreation opportunities, hiking and trails, wildlife, vegetation, geology,
cultural resources and terrific views. The facility also offers a book and gift
store. Additionally, the Visitor Center maintains an informative desert garden
of native plants. We have been so fortunate to see the beautiful “Fall colors”
on our entire travels with Rose!
Traveling
from our summer assignment in Indiana to our winter assignment in southern
California, I had a complete revelation of John Charles Fremont’s statement:
“the breast expands when, upon some far-away hilltop, the eye ranges over a
broad expanse of country or in the face of the Pacific Ocean, we do not value
enough the effect of space for the eye; it reacts on the mind, which
unconsciously expands to larger limits and freer range of thought”. Wide-open spaces
are good-medicine for us all!
November
2, 2016
Sadly,
we had to say goodbye to Rose and drop her at the Las Vegas Airport, ending her
nice visit with us. We plan to stay another week or so before we head to our
winter quarters in Southern California.
