Pilgrims' Journey

New Guinea Singing Dogs

2012-01-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Now this was a day I'd looked forward to for several days. I'd heard via Facebook that Tom, who owns and rescues New Guinea Singing Dogs, was coming to Denver, right past our kampground. I asked if he could stop here, and he agreed. He came with 2 pups and 2 adult dogs. In this photo we see Jeff, our KOA owner, holding a pup. For those who don't know, the Singer is a wild dog from New Guinea, a large island north of Australia. They are related to the wild dogs of Australia, the dingos, and look very much the same except they are smaller. The name "Singing Dogs" is appropriate because they howl like wolves, but the timbre and tone is much more musical, especially when a bunch of them are together. Their "songs" are quite beautiful.

These girls are Audrey and Nikki, our pizza girls at the KOA. They were thrilled to see and hold the pups. We heard (and exclaimed) many oohs and aahs! and, "I want one!" When we were the animal caretakers at the Roo Ranch in Deadwood, South Dakota, in 2008 we worked with 6 adult dogs and 3 pups. I fell in love with them. Though wild, they are extremely sweet and affectionate when tamed.

Here is Tom, holding a Singer. Though many are tamed, they are still wild dogs, and need to be confined carefully. Owners typically have large yards with high fences, as the dogs are escape artists. Their natural instinct as they roam the countryside is to catch and eat other critters, so they can't be let loose to do that. Many zoos around the U.S. have Singers on display. There is not a large number of these dogs in this country.

We all enjoyed our minutes with these beautiful creatures. I would love to have a Singer, but living full time in an RV definitely makes that impossible. I'll have to stick with my kitty cats!

Parker Adventist Hospital

2012-01-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Recently Mr. Keith needed a spinal surgical procedure called a kyphoplasty, for a compression fracture, his second one. We were sent to the Parker Adventist Hospital, a wonderful place. We hated the reason we had to go, but we absolutely loved being there! The doctors and nurses are the best we've ever had, in their attention, concern, and diligence to make sure everything was okay. One nurse spent the entire time with us, about 4 hours. Keith felt like he was the only one there, getting the very best treatment.

I walked around outside for awhile and found this metal sculpture named "Eden Restored". The snow on the figures added extra poignancy to this mother and child holding a bird.

Here is Jesus, wiping tears from the eyes of the little boy examining His nail scarred hand.

As soon as he was awake, Keith got to order some breakfast. His favorite is always pancakes, but this plate had an odd addition, an edible orchid! He was too chicken to try it. I should have eaten it! Guess I was chicken, too.

This is the view from the hospital, those gorgeous Rocky Mountains. I had a yummy breakfast in the cafeteria, and got to look at the mountains as I ate. We will most likely never have reason to return to this hospital, but it will always be a sweet memory for us.

A Conversation

2012-01-18T11:20:00.000-07:00

BigTruk: "I feel so alone and cold over here by the fence. No one pays me any attention. My big, beautiful dualies are covered up like they don't even exist. All the business and use goes to that uppity little blue Focus. My humans must like her better than me. What can she do that I can't do?"

Me: "Don't you fret, Mr. BigTruk! Your big, important job is just ahead of you. Or should I say behind you? You'll be out in front in the lead. Be patient. Miss Focus can't do what you can do then. She'll be following you!"

Miss Focus: "We all have our role to play in life! I can do three things you can't do, Mr. BigTruk. I can save my owners lots of money by drinking gas instead of diesel. And I can get into a small parking space, and I can turn around easily, all things you can't do. It just seems to you as though they like me better because they use me much more often."

Me: "It's like us humans. God gives some an everyday kind of faith for the smaller, more ordinary jobs in life, and to others looking on it seems these people must be more important or more loved. Others, like Mr. BigTruk, may be in the shadows for part of the time, unnoticed, and then when the need arises, they come to the fore for the big jobs. We are all important to God! Each of us has a gift, not to be compared to others. Play your role as best you can, for Him!"

"And whatever you do in word of deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Colossians 3:17

My Desk, My Day

2012-01-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

This is my desk, located in the bedroom in our 5th wheel. From here I'm able to get my thoughts out on my blog, on Facebook, emails, and other avenues. That's my iMac, with my torti cat sitting on the mouse and looking out the window. You can even see the thermometer, registering 26 degrees outside. I love looking at my favorite curtain, a collection of scarves tied to a rod. Try it if you have some scarves or large handerchiefs lying around.

I had the whole day off today, New Years. I've been working as much as I can so this day is a treat. I have nothing earth shaking to write about, no trips to the mountains, no trips into Denver to see the sights, just a quiet day at the campground.

I always get up early, 5ish, and sit quietly drinking my coffee, holding my black kitty, reading my Bible and checking Facebook, the weather, email, etc. After dressing I went over to the store-office to let the campground kitty out and give her a treat. Then I got the Gator going so I could make a run around the park. I had noticed that one of the wheel covers on BigTruk had blown off yesterday in a fierce wind so I tried to find it. No luck. In making my rounds I discovered some campers had left bags of garbage in the wrong place so I collected it and headed over to the dumpster. It was cold and slick. Bunnies ran out and away as I passed. They like to stay under the RVs that are stored in the back of the campground.

I discovered a new 5th wheel had pulled into a spot during the morning. I knocked on his door to let him know he needed to plug in the water riser, or it would freeze. He'll be here awhile. We have about 18 or 19 monthlies here who are working on projects around Denver. Most of them will be gone by spring, just in time for the summer campers.

I'm excited to be starting a course on creativity, "The Artist's Way", led online by my cousin who is a much published author. That will be fun and challenging for me. The course covers many forms of creativity, not just writing. I hope it will give me some inspiration as I learn new piano compositions, and of course I need help making my blog more interesting!

After a quick trip to King Soopers, our nearest supermarket, I stopped along the road where there are prairie dog towns, hoping they'd not scamper into their holes when they saw the car, but they did. I guess I need to sit for an hour to put them at ease. No time for that now.

Home again, I played a few piano pieces, then made another trip over to the office to let Callie the campground kitty back in. It's too cold for her to be out all night, though she could probably join the bunnies, wherever they sleep. Oh no. I forgot, she eats the bunnies!

So passes a quiet day. Mr. Keith is still recuperating from back surgery. In a minute I'm going to serve us up our favorite evening snack, ice cream, put on a Netflix to watch till bedtime. Tomorrow is another "work" day, or, as we workampers like to call it, a "fun" day. What will it hold?

Quiet Times

2011-12-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Since Mr. Keith hurt his back and had surgery, we've stuck very close to home and led the quiet life. There have been no days off to take sight-seeing trips in our beautiful surroundings, so I've snapped photos where I can. Here is our itty bitty Christmas tree, complete with nativity scene, gifts from daughters, a snowman, and a festive bear.

The workamping lifestyle is one of great fun and adventure for us, the only down-side being so far away from family. God has blessed us in this place with the nicest people in the world, it seems. There is a close knit country concern for neighbors and folks in need, which we are during the holidays! A co-worker invited us to join her family for a Christmas Eve dinner, a true blessing for two old coots without our own family nearby. On the way there, a 12 mile drive out on the prairie, we came across these buffalo foraging for food in the snow. I had to stop and get photos! These critters are raised on a ranch near Byers, Colorado. We'd seen them before, but not up close, and not posing so picturesquely in the snow.

These new friends were our wonderful hosts for Christmas Eve dinner, the Gates, a caring couple with big hearts and an open home. They made us feel so included.

Part of the afternoon's fun, props for funny photos!

Christmas Day, another quiet time at home. I took a walk around the campground in the snow, and was intrigued by these semi-symetrical tracks, seeming to point towards the two trees in the background. Gotta take pleasure in small things!

I let myself into the closed office-store to check on our campground pet, Callie. (How many calico cats have you seen who are named Callie?) She wanted to go outside but wasn't so sure when she felt the cold air. I'll go back later to let her in again.

So passes another calm day while Mr. Keith recuperates a little more. Back to work tomorrow for me!

This 'n' That

2011-12-01T12:28:00.001-07:00

Our two cats, Montana and Mia, are our traveling companions. They are like our kids, providing lots of love and amusement with their antics. Montie, our longhaired black kitty, usually sleeps in this shoebox which is just big enough for him, but when Mia, our tortie, decided to curl up in there, he had to join her. What a tight fit!

I am a very amateur birdwatcher. The other day I was "watching" the doves that live in our KOA campground when I spotted this bird, about the same size as the doves, pecking his way up the tree outside our RV. I snapped a couple of photos, then went to the Peterson Bird I.D. app on my iPad and discovered he is a red-shafted northern flicker. Very pretty! Click to enlarge the photo, and you will see the red stripes near his beak.

Mr. Keith has been laid up with a bad back for awhile — that's why we haven't taken any trips to blog about lately. John, age 5, who lives in a 5th wheel near to us with his mom and dad, heard about Keith's illness, so he colored these pictures as a gift. We were so touched when he shyly presented them to Keith, ending his visit with a hug. He is a special little guy, so thoughtful and polite. His gift will remain on our wall for quite awhile! We are thankful to God for these small pleasures of life — cats, birds, kids — and hope our eyes will always be open to His gifts.

A Few Thoughts

2011-11-16T13:57:00.001-07:00

Mr. Keith and I took a drive last week, making a circle from Strasburg to Limon, then back west through Kiowa where we had lunch, and north to Strasburg again. I always have my camera in case we see something picture-worthy. About 20 miles from home we came across a group of horses and mules lining the fence along the road.

This mule, standing stubbornly behind the "No Trespassing" sign, reminded me of some people who reject the company and support of others. Maybe I'm like that sometimes, chalking it up to shyness, or to not wanting to bother anyone with my problems.

Or, maybe I'll get with a few friends of like mind and share with them.

Better yet, I want to include all those around me, knowing each one has great value in God's eyes, so should have importance to me, too. It's a big pasture out there, and we need each other for company, for support, for fun, for joy, and just because God's greatest commandment is that we should love Him and then love our neighbor as ourselves. Just a few thoughts on a pleasant day's drive.

Early Morning on the Prairie

2011-10-30T08:49:00.000-06:00

Since we were up and dressed early this morning we made a run to the gas station. On the way home we watched this gorgeous sunrise changing minute by minute.

Another treat! A buck with a nice rack was watching us pass. We stopped, he stayed, and when I said "good morning" to him he wagged his tail and raised his head a little higher. He made no attempt to run away!

There are many scenes like this across the prairie, old windmills no longer in use. Some are, though. I liked this picture, with the trees having just lost their leaves. It looks lonely there.

The Denver Zoo, Repeat

2011-10-20T07:48:00.001-06:00

Mr. Keith and I set out to go to the City Park in downtown Denver, planning to decide what to do when we got there. The Zoo won out! It's a wonderful place, huge, very well designed, and the critters are well taken care of and displayed. There are lots of benches, big trees, and goodies to eat and souvenirs to buy. We were there early, so avoided the crowds. Mostly we saw moms with preschoolers and strollers. I'm not posting many photos of the animals, just a couple that we didn't get before. Above you see a tapir. He was sleeping in the sun last time we saw him. Visiting the Zoo first thing in the morning seems to be best, because the animals are more active.

This beautiful animal is an Okapi. He looks like a cross between a zebra and an antelope!

The penguins were the highlight of our visit. I copied this from the Zoo website.

"Going, Going, Gone? - The African penguin population has been reduced drastically in the past century and currently only about 120,000 birds remain. The decline in the population was due to several factors including harvesting of eggs, reduction in the penguin’s food, removal of guano used by the penguins for burrowing sites and oil pollution from oil tankers. The Denver Zoo has participated in efforts to rescue penguins affected by oil spills."

These little guys are so much fun to watch. They are comical, and have quite the personalities. This African species makes a sound like a donkey, so have earned the name "Jackass Penguins".

We were lucky to be there at feeding time. The caretaker took a lot of time and patience to make sure each penguin got his or her fair share of little fishes. He said they are named and each one knows his name! He called one "Wilson", who turned out to be a female. Some took the fishes right out of the bucket and others waited to be hand-fed. Watching this was truly entertaining and educational for us.

After the Zoo it was time for us humans to be fed. We headed down to the old Lowry Air Force Base, which has been remodeled and turned into a trendy business area with shops and restaurants. Last season we ate at the Pei Wei Asian Diner so decided to try it again. This is Mandarin Kung Pao, a delicious dish that I couldn't wait to dive into! Mr. Keith had Pad Thai with shrimp. It's a wonderful place to eat and we will return. We still want to visit the Air and Space Museum, located at Lowry, so that will be followed by another great meal at the Pei Wei!

A Random Ride

2011-10-18T16:20:00.000-06:00

I love the contrast between this freshly planted field of winter wheat, I'm guessing, and the just-bailed hay right next to it. This scene is immediately at the edge of Strasburg. There are still fields of sunflowers around at this time of year, too, very dried up and awaiting harvest. Today we passed fields that were being plowed and disced, being readied for who knows what crop.

We see an abundance of horses on every country drive we take. I liked these spotted ponies, who seemed to be interested in us, too. Ponies and prairie dogs seem to go together! We stopped to watch the doggies today, but they scampered away and wouldn't come back as long as we were there. It would take a lot of patience and waiting to assure them we are harmless.

The prairie is flat and treeless almost everywhere, except where there is a dry creek bed. We've never seen water in these beds, but there are always lush trees growing for miles along them. Maybe there is water under the surface. Notice the sign warning of possible high water. I wonder when that happens? We enjoyed our random ride in the country today.

Colorful Colorado!

2011-10-08T10:33:00.001-06:00

I've seen many a photo of the gorgeous autumn leaves in the mountains of Colorado, but now I can say I've seen it for real! We set out early one morning hoping that we weren't too late for the best display. We headed northwest to Estes Park, planning on taking the Peak to Peak Highway south through the mountains, and then back across Denver. Last March when we first visited Estes Park we were surprised to find a large elk herd on the grounds of the historic Stanley Hotel. They were calm and unafraid of the many tourists taking their picture. This time we found them at the entrance to town at a park on the shores of Lake Estes. We think they are regular residents of the town, and are allowed to go where they will.

There was one huge "daddy" in the group, many females and quite a few youngsters. There were probably 20 or 30 elk altogether in the herd.

This was our first real view of the golden aspens. I like this photo because it looks like molten lava coming down the mountain. We are on the outskirts of the Rocky Mountain National Park.

I wonder how those aspens got up on the top of that hill?

A lovely view of Mt. Meeker and Longs Peak, left and center. Coming from the east approaching the city of Longmont this looks like one huge mountain with 2 points on the top. Closer up we could see that they were two distinct peaks. Longs Peak is in the "Fourteener" club, 14,255 feet, with Mt. Meeker a mere 13,911 feet.

There are lots of horses in Colorado! It would be quite an adventure to be able to ride horseback through the Rockies, getting the views up close and personal.

We came across a little old mining town hidden in a gulch down from the highway. Like many of the old towns in the hills west of Denver, this one once produced tons of gold, and is now ramshackle, a shadow of its former self. We liked the glimpse we had through the aspens. Of course we drove through it, and later read that the town, Ward, had been taken over by hippies! Interesting!

An old log cabin in Ward, surrounded by the beauty we saw everywhere. I didn't notice any other deciduous trees besides the aspens, mixed in with the dark green firs and pines. Their brightness makes the mountains look like they're on fire — a glorious sight, all too soon gone till the next year's autumn celebration of nature! God has shown us His creative awesomeness in this place!

Pikes Peak or Bust!

2011-09-25T11:33:00.001-06:00

America, the Beautiful!

I don't usually post this many pictures, but this adventure was so awesome I couldn't help it! I hope you will enjoy seeing a tiny portion of what we saw on our trip to the top of Pikes Peak, Americas Mountain. This first view is from near Strasburg, the beginning of our drive south. Pikes Peak stands out farther east than the other peaks in the Rockies.

Colorado Springs is about 80 miles south of Strasburg. Here we are just coming into the city, and this is the view of Pikes Peak from there. The early pioneers used the peak as a landmark on their journey, hence the motto "Pikes Peak or Bust".

At the small town of Cascade, west of Colorado Springs, we got on the Pikes Peak Highway. It cost $12.00 each to enter. There were signs up telling the drivers to use low gears when descending, and Rangers were out and about all the way to assist motorists who might be in trouble. So, being duly warned, we started our ascent up the 19 mile highway to the top. We did have some trouble with our brakes overheating on the way down — had to stop and let them cool.

We had hoped to see some fall colors, and just a few miles up we were rewarded with glowing aspens just beginning their change.

One of our first stops was this beautiful lake, the Crystal Reservoir. It was the most gorgeous view, with the water outlined by the red shores, and the peak; not to mention the fall colors.

At this point the road began to have many switchbacks, and we knew we were really ascending. Finally we saw this sign, "Timberline", at 12,000 feet. Abruptly the trees stopped and the rest of the journey was rocky and barren, but still beautiful.

In this photo we are looking down on one of the switchbacks, and we could clearly see the abrupt end of the trees, which were mostly bristle cone pines. I kept waiting to see if I would notice the high altitude. We'd had plenty of warnings about that, too.

As we rounded our last sharp turn, we were there! 14,110 feet high! (Click to enlarge to see the sign.) It was a lovely, sunny day with no wind, and just a little snow on top, 39 degrees. There is a gift shop and small restaurant there, as well as several viewpoints with binoculars stationed here and there. It was from this vantage point that Katherine Lee Bates wrote the beloved hymn, "America the Beautiful". We could surely see why she was so inspired. There is an obelisk with the words as a tribute to her. There were lots of tourists at the top, all as awed as we were.

Now, about the altitude. My bag of Cheetos was puffed up so tightly that I thought it would burst. That's how we both felt! Our tummies felt bloated, we were a little dizzy, and breathing was not the easiest. We took deep breaths, and along with that, my heart was thumping. The effects of the altitude were uncomfortable, but we did take time to peruse the gift shop, where I bought a souvenir t-shirt and some postcards, and we ate a donut each which were advertised as being high altitude donuts. (Not very yummy!) I looked over a steep abyss, but Mr. Keith declined, since he was more dizzy than I! Our symptoms did disappear just a couple thousand feet down as we descended.

We took many photos from the top, but here is just one, looking to the east, down at Colorado Springs and probably clear across to the end of Kansas. Who knows how far one could see on a more clear day! The red rocks in the distance are part of the Garden of the Gods, which we visited last winter, another amazing sight.

Just to prove we were actually there!

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Driving the Farmland

2011-09-15T15:45:00.000-06:00

Going from heavily forested country filled with lakes and rivers to a land that stretches flat for hundreds of miles can be a shock to our systems. There isn't much to do out here on the prairie except go for rides. All the roads are done in squares and rectangles, some paved, some gravel, some just plain dirt. But today our drive north of our area provided us with some sights pleasing to our eyes. Here is a field of sunflowers, one of many we saw. The petals are pretty much gone, and the sunflower heads are drooping, working hard to produce their seeds. It won't be long till they are harvested.

We saw cornfields with dried stalks and fields where the corn had been harvested, but this one was still flourishing. I don't know if this is eating corn, or corn for seed, or just what it is used for. The ears were plentiful.

This field looked as though it was being readied for plowing. We couldn't tell what had been growing here.

Sometimes the plowed acres are just as beautiful as the planted crops, with their varied browns against the blue and clouded sky, stretching forever. It's difficult to imagine the hours and hours the farmer must be out on his tractor, getting his fields ready for the next crop.

The Beautiful Prairie

2011-09-02T15:59:00.000-06:00

Last year when we came to the prairie east of Denver, it was the end of September. The fields were brown and most flowers were gone. The trees were losing their leaves. We came this year mid-August and were pleased to see a lot of green still around, with wildflowers blooming and trees looking lush. I wanted a photo of the fields of wild sunflowers, and I'd hoped to see some pronghorns, too. On this day we got both! These 5 or 6 critters watched us watching them, then they bounded off through the golden sunflowers. Last winter we did not see a single pronghorn and I had begun to doubt that they were around. Where were they hiding, I wonder? (Click to enlarge the photo so you can see the pronghorns better.)

A few more miles down the dusty gravel roads we were surprised by this bonus, 20 or 30 antelope, also in the midst of a field of sunflowers. You can get a good idea how flat the prairie is, stretching to the horizon.

What? Llamas out here on the prairie? I love llamas so I always take photos when I see them. It was a hot day in the 90s, but these guys didn't seem to mind. They weren't seeking the shade near the barn.

One last glimpse, a lone pronghorn. This photo shows different prairie vegetation, lots of prairie grasses and some yucca plants. We have enjoyed the prairie at this stage of summer. Soon it will be back to the browns and tans and naked trees and bushes of winter, also beautiful in its own way.

Our Home for 6 Months

2011-08-25T11:13:00.000-06:00

When we first came to the Strasburg Colorado KOA last October the trees were almost bare, and when we left in April they were still bare. So arriving in mid-August this year gave us a better idea of how the area looks when the trees and fields are green. We've had 90+ degree days, though, and have decided we like the cold better! We will be in this spot against the back fence until the end of September when the other workampers leave, and then we'll get our old spot back. We are treated to the constant buzz of cicadas all around us, and we see the bunnies we fed all winter still running around. Or maybe they are descendants of the winter bunnies! I look forward to feeding the birds again, too. In a way it seems we never left, but when I think back over the last few months, a lot has happened.

Our trip north last April included a visit with the Oregon Trail at Scottsbluff Nebraska, a fun stay in Rapid City visiting friends, and a shorter stay in Missoula also seeing former co-workers. We enjoyed our job at a campground in Coeur d'Alene for three months. What a beautiful area north Idaho is! A highlight was getting to see our best friends for 3 days in the Spokane area where they were camping. Our favorite couple of weeks were the ones we spent in Wenatchee visiting with our kids and granddaughters and some old friends from the years we lived there. Wenatchee is where our hearts reside, with loved ones.

Our trip back to Colorado was a good one. We saw lots of beauty. What a gorgeous country we have! We stayed in Baker City Oregon where we saw more Oregon Trail history, then journeyed across southern Idaho to Pocatello for a night. We took a different route from Pocatello to Rock Springs Wyoming, Highway 30, and discovered more Oregon Trail history and some incredibly pretty country. The drive across the bottom of Wyoming can be barren, but there is lots to see there, too, windmills, antelope, incredible rock formations, prairie grass. Our last night was spent in Cheyenne Wyoming, a scant 130 miles from our final destination. It was a long trip, nearly 1300 miles, and we wish we had stayed 2 nights in each place instead of just one. then we could have seen more in each town had we stayed longer. Our trip between jobs is really our vacation.

Well, we start work in another day, on to meeting more people and having more adventures during our second season in Colorado! Who knows what's in store for us next?

Baker City to Pocatello

2011-08-20T21:45:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm a little embarrassed to say I only took one photo today, a shot from my moving car, to capture this amazing edifice out in the middle of nowhere. I think it was somewhere below Baker City OR and before Ontario ID. We passed through so many long miles of similar scenery that I don't remember where we were when I took this picture. It is a huge cement plant, the sign said. Actually, it just said Cement Plant. I added the 'huge'. And there goes Mr. Keith and the 5th wheel down the road in front of me. (Click to enlarge the photo.)

We traveled 368 miles today, much farther than we like. We won't do that again. There was road construction everywhere along I-84, and lots of traffic around Nampa, Boise, Twin Falls. We had one close call. Mr. Keith was listening to the radio when a preacher came on whose name was Keith Wilson! He became so engrossed in the sermon that he missed a sign saying 'right lane closed' and nearly crashed into the big orange barrels put out for road construction barriers. I was hollering on the walkie-talkie and he swerved just in time. It's kind of scary watching a big 5th wheel swerve, believe me! But, God was with us and we were fine. Oh, yes. Keith turned off the radio.

The prettiest place we passed through was around Glenn's Ferry ID. There are 3 islands out in the Snake River which the Oregon Trail pioneers used for their crossing. It was called, obviously, the Three Island Crossing. They would go from one to the other, making their dangerous trip across the river much easier. We couldn't see anything from the highway, and we couldn't stop with our trailer, but it was one place I'd really have liked to see. We also passed a sign pointing to Massacre Rock State Park, intriguing, but I couldn't find anything on the internet saying why it was called that. It was a resting place for the pioneers.

The KOA here in Pocatello is pretty and quiet. They only had a 30 amp site for us, but we're doing okay with that. They served up delicious soft ice cream cones to these 2 weary travelers, and we may try their breakfast in the morning. Since we are traveling to work at a KOA we received vouchers for 3 free nights at KOAs on our journey. That's a nice perk! Our next 2 nights will be at Rock Springs WY and Cheyenne WY, then on to the Denver East/Strasburg KOA where we'll spend the next few months.

Tomorrow I'll try to get more photos along the way and in the town of Rock Springs.

The Oregon Trail

2011-08-19T21:33:00.000-06:00

This morning we left Wenatchee and headed south past the tri-cities into Oregon. We saw miles and miles of gorgeous orchards and grapevines, some desolate country, and, finally, the beautiful Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon. But my favorite sight by far was this one, real Oregon Trail wagon ruts! These are found a few miles east of Baker City, out amidst the high desert sagebrush, plainly in view down a paved pathway along the road. I am fascinated by Oregon Trail history! We did see and walk on part of the original trail when we were in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, but it had become a walkway and no longer showed the tracks left by 2 wheels. I can only imagine the bravery and determination of these pioneers. By the time they got here they were nearing the end of their journey and were weary and worn.

On a high hill overlooking the original Oregon Trail and Baker City we found a wonderful museum and interpretive center. It was near closing time so we couldn't see it all. Inside there were life sized figures of the pioneers, their horses, oxen, wagons, a few animals, and even some Indians, as well as artifacts of that period of history. Here is one old artifact standing in front of a beautifully restored wagon!

These two wagons are part of several in the typical circle, with campfires all around.

The sagebrush, prairie grasses and flowers in this area are beautiful. I couldn't resist these sunflowers growing wild by the entrance to the road leading up to the Interpretive Center.

As we drove around the town of Baker City we discovered a common theme everywhere — the Oregon Trail! Even our RV Park featured wagons, buckboards, and other old west decor. Click to enlarge this photo and you'll see that we are parked right beside a wagon of some sort, planted with flowers. It is a lovely spot! We wish we could spend more time exploring this historically important area, but tomorrow we must resume our own journey in our "covered wagon"!

Fun Family Times

2011-08-10T12:12:00.000-06:00

Our reason for returning to the Wenatchee area between jobs is always our loved ones. We made an overnight stop in Ephrata to see my sister and her family. Here 'sis' stands with her pitchfork beside her amazing container garden. She lives in a second floor apartment, but has made a wonderful vegetable and herb garden in a bare spot at the entrance to her building. We were very impressed, especially when we ate a dinner featuring many of the yummy veggies she'd cultivated. She even put nasturtiums and pansies in the salad, and they were good! Sis truly has the greenest of thumbs!

The Wenatchee River County Park is our favorite place to stay. The beauty of the park is unsurpassed, and we've stayed in lots of RV parks in our travels. Here is Mr. Keith with our granddaughters, taking advantage of some of the park amenities. These 'Tractor" style carts provide lots of fun for the youngsters. Katy chose the red one, and Natalie took the green. Grandpa even had a turn!

The girls did a switcheroo and rode the tandem bike for awhile. It was a hot, hot day. We are thankful for the tall trees in the park.

Finally, to cool down, we waded in the beautiful Wenatchee River, right at the edge of the park. Oh, that felt good! Now, back to the trailer for a fire and roasted hotdogs followed by s'mores! It was a happy day with our granddaughters!

A Few Final Idaho Shots

2011-08-07T08:48:00.000-06:00

I thought I would post a few final photos from Idaho. We have good internet here in Ephrata and a couple of hours to spare.

It was such a thrill to see this moose mama and her baby right near our campground on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene. People kept stopping to look, and some brave boaters from the park got an even closer look. I wouldn't mess with mama moose!

We took a hike in a very nice park in Post Falls. This is the dam on the Spokane River. In pioneer days there was a big mill and a log dam here. I don't know much else about the history of the place.

This busy and curious guy greeted us at the entrance to the Post Falls Park. Guess he's used to tourists and hikers!

I'd seen a photo of this building in a magazine, but had no clue as to where it was. As we were driving around on the North Idaho College Campus, there it was! The site of the college is where Fort Sherman was, the original settling of the Coeur d'Alene area. The sign says, in part, "Built on this site in 1880 by the U.S. Army, the Fort Sherman Chapel is Coeur d'Alene's oldest church, school, library, and meeting hall." It is beautiful! I love the red color!

This building is even older. It is the Fort Sherman Officer's Quarters, built in 1878 to help maintain peace on the frontier. The Fort was officially abandoned in 1900. As far as I know, these two buildings are all that remain of the earliest settlement. They are both now on the National Register of Historic Places. They are surrounded on all sides by the North Idaho College complex, which is right on the shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene, a gorgeous setting. We have surely enjoyed the beauty of North Idaho during the 3 months we've been here!

The Wenatchee Youth Circus

2011-07-28T12:37:00.001-06:00

These pictures are of my favorite performers in the Circus, namely, my granddaughters, so this blog post is from my perspective! We were able to attend the Wenatchee Youth Circus home performance, the only time during the summer that they perform in Wenatchee. (Click on the title to go to the web page for the Circus.) It coincided with our days off, so to our great joy we were able to make the 4 hour trip over to see them. We took hundreds of photos of all the acts. This first one is of Natalie, age 10. I like it because she is pensive, thinking over what she's about to do on the high wire while she sits by the practice wire.

Here is Katy, dressed for her part in the Circus. She's a new member, so for now her main job is to look pretty, which she does wonderfully! She 'styles', which means she points gracefully to the other acts as they are going on, and she helps with the set-up and take-down, also. Katy says she aspires to become a 'fire-eater', truly a breath-taking act to watch.

The Wenatchee Youth Circus has been in existence for nearly 60 years, and here is the founder, Guppo the Clown, now 84, also known as Paul Pugh. He has done a fantastic job training the kids and keeping the group together each year as one big family, even though the faces change from year to year. The kids all are held to high standards and are given lots of love along with the discipline it takes to do these awesome circus acts. Their team work is inspiring.

Natalie with her face painted for her part in the clown act.

This high wire act is called 'the wheelbarrow'. That's Nat hanging below, looking as if she's touching the hills above East Wenatchee. It is truly a heart-pounding experience to watch this, as well as the other high wire stunts Nat does. She walks the wire with no fear! Mr. Keith and I may not get to see another performance this year, but next summer the Circus will be on the road again, thrilling audiences throughout Washington! Hopefully we will close enough that we can go, too.

And last, my favorite mother-daughter photo, taken after Nat descended from the high wire. It's priceless. All the parents of the circus kids are equally dedicated to the excellence of the Wenatchee Youth Circus.

Canoeing!

2011-07-17T13:03:00.000-06:00

I'd never been canoeing before in my life, but since using the canoes at this campground is one of the perks of working here, we decided to do it. I've always had a trepidation about being out on a big body of water, but I conquered my fear and off we went. Mr. Keith wanted to go out on the main part of the Lake, so we did, real scary for me. Hey, Mr. Keith, I wanna go back now!! The rest of our journey was going up Wolf Lodge Creek, a pretty substantial creek that feeds into Lake Coeur d'Alene right by our campground. It is a deep, calm creek. I sat in the front of the boat and "steered" with my paddle. I learned to paddle on the right if we wanted to go left, and on the left if we needed to go right. I only bumped us up against the reeds a couple of times! Mr. Keith was in the back with his paddle, helping to make up for my goofs.

The light wasn't quite right for a great photo, but it was sure exciting to see these two eagles watching us, and watching for fish or other critters to swoop down upon. The creek and lagoon are a haven for birds and small animals.

I don't know what this strange edifice used to be. It's in ruins now. This was our turning around place. I will have sore muscles tomorrow, and maybe a little sunburn, but I survived my first canoe ride! We will do this again!

Our End of Wolf Lodge Bay

2011-07-14T14:53:00.000-06:00

On a warm summer afternoon we set out on a walk to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Great Blue Heron who frequents the waters by our campground. The Lake Coeur d'Alene Camping Resort is at the very top end of the Lake at its eastern-most point, right off Wolf Lodge Bay, and next to I-90. In this view, looking towards the campground, you can see in the center of the photo a trailer and a motorhome on the hillside. They are the workampers' RVs, high above the rest of the campground. Our 5th wheel is too big to have gotten up there so we have a large spot amongst all the other campers. We miss out on the terrific view the other workers have, but I can't imagine getting up into that spot right on the cliff, let alone getting back down!

(Click to enlarge.)

Still looking towards the campground, hidden in the trees, we see what appears to be a beautiful stretch of green grass, but is actually reeds growing in the water. This is where we often see the Great Blue Heron standing watch, waiting for his dinner to swim by.

I love the summer daisies all along the roads! They are so cheerful and pretty!

Back home, at the end of our walk, we stopped to visit with one of the workampers, Mike, who lives in the trailer up on the cliff seen in the first photo. He gets plenty of exercise coming to and going from work, so is happy to ride in the golf cart while on duty! We work with a great bunch of people here and are so happy to be in this beautiful part of our country!

Pretty Sights at Long Lake

2011-07-10T22:19:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday we repeated a fun visit with our closest friends who are staying at an RV park just west of Spokane. After a breakfast in Davenport WA we headed north of Reardon to highway 291, which winds around Long Lake. None of us had been on this road before, or seen or even heard of Long Lake. The Spokane River has a dam, the Long Lake Dam, between where the river comes out from Spokane and before it runs into Lake Roosevelt on the Columbia River, creating a very long lake, shaped like an upside down V. The countryside is beautiful, and there are many neighborhoods and resorts along the lake, the most notable one called TumTum.

At the dam we saw this bird, maybe a fledgling osprey or eagle. Being the very amateur bird-watcher that I am, I wasn't sure. He sat there and watched us watching him, as curious as we were! We were fairly sure he was just a youngster, not yet out of the nest.

I wouldn't think of a thistle as being pretty, but these were. Look, but don't touch!

I love the simplicity and beauty of these wildflowers. They were growing all over in abundance, little circles of sunshine.

A Friendly Weekend

2011-07-07T12:42:00.000-06:00

We were thrilled to be able to see our best friends, who are from Poulsbo, when they came to stay at an RV park near Spokane. We had not seen them for over a year. We drove into Spokane on Saturday to see the sights. Mr. Keith got out at one point to look over a cliff at the Spokane River, and I noticed on my iPad map program that at the bottom of this particular cliff was a street called "Wilson". Of course we had to go there, so after lots of ins and outs trying to get around various freeways and the river which were blocking the entrance to this street, we finally made it. It was a short, peaceful, shady street with the cliff on one side. We chanced upon this Wilson Woodchuck who ran away from our car and positioned himself on the cliff rocks to stare back at us.

In 1974 I attended the World's Fair with my mom and aunt and my kids. I still have fond memories of that exciting event. It's always fun to go to Riverfront Park now, where the Fair was, and tour the grounds, which are beautifully kept with the Spokane River as the centerpiece. We rode this little train and took a tour of the park. Our guide had lots of stories and information about when the Fair was there, and about what the city has done with the grounds since then.

I remember this Pavilion, but not what was displayed inside. At the World's Fair it was covered with white canvas, but now is left with the 'skeleton' only, still an amazing sight. It's used to house amusement rides now. In this photo you can also see the old clock tower, built in 1901 as part of the Great Northern Railroad Depot. From the bridge in the photo we looked down on the raging Spokane Falls, truly an awesome sight. Seated in the little train I wasn't able to get as many photos as I'd have liked.

On Sunday we spent most of our day in Coeur d'Alene. The streets were jammed with tourists, most celebrating the 4th of July weekend. We walked the boardwalk, the longest floating boardwalk in the world, and enjoyed views of the gorgeous lake and the many boats, and we ate lunch at a table on the sidewalk, where we got up close and personal with the people passing by. What a great day it was for "people watching"! I imagine they were eyeing our buffalo burgers, as well!

Away from the busy Coeur d'Alene streets, we took a drive along Fernan Lake, one of our favorites. This lake does not have houses and private property along the way, so we could really get a good look at the water, and at this parking area, the lilypads. The end of the lake is full of them. All in all, our 2 days were wonderful with our friends. We could only wish for more time!

The Silver Valley in Idaho

2011-06-27T11:42:00.000-06:00

I may never convince Mr. Keith not to take the unlikeliest looking roads, but this one came close to a cure! It wasn't the longest bad road we've been on but it was the worst. The gullies running down the road were deep, and the raised parts almost too far apart for our wheels to fit on. In between there were small "stumps" of trees sticking up about a foot, too difficult to pull out. Whew! We made it once again, though. Poor little Focus — how we abuse you! This "road" was just above Smelterville.

I'd always wanted to stop at the Sunshine Disaster Monument, visible from I-90, and since we were having a day of avoiding the freeway, we were able to visit here. On May 2, 1972, there was a terrific fire in the Sunshine Mine. Of the 178 miners working at various levels, 87 survived and 91 perished. (Click to enlarge.)

The Sunshine, the largest silver mine in the nation, is a mile deep and has 100 miles of tunnels. Below this huge statue of a miner is a list of those lost in the disaster of 1972. We were surprised to find the surname of one of our fellow workampers! He thought it might be a relative, but wasn't sure.

On to Wallace, one of our favorite old mining towns. The entire town of Wallace, population about 800, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The old Depot, converted into a museum, is probably the most recognizable landmark in the town. Across from the depot we found an old restored hotel - restaurant - saloon, where we had the most delicious hamburger and reuben sandwich!

Wallace also holds the distinction of having had the last stoplight on I-90 all the way across the entire nation. And, since the whole town is an historical monument, and is in a narrow valley, the only way to complete the freeway was to build it over the top of the town! Most of the way the road runs above the south fork of the Coeur d'Alene River, which is beside the town, but in parts it is actually over the streets, as you can see here. Quite amazing!

We both had dim memories of driving, many years ago, up a side road to Burke, a "ghost" mining town, so we set out to find it. On the narrow, winding road along a raging creek we passed miles of mining ruins. There were remains of log and rock foundations all along the way, hills of tailings, and even some metal equipment of some kind sticking out of the sidehills. We saw signs posted telling us what the towns or mines were called, names such as Gem, Frisco, Black Bear, Yellow Dog, Mace, and, finally, Burke. The entire remains of Burke are fenced in with 'no trespassing' signs all around, but it all is easy to see from the road.

More of Burke. This would be a beautiful place, restored for tourists. It's pretty amazing as it is. Here and there along the way we saw a few old ruined houses, but also some that were kept up and lived in.

This is an example of the ruins left in the sidehills along the road. The logs were rotten and looked burned, and the rock walls had trees growing through them, telling us how old everything is. It was a great day for exploring! Who knows what we'll find next?

Higgins Point on Lake Coeur d'Alene

2011-06-21T18:33:00.000-06:00

We've always been intrigued by this statue along I-90 about 6 or 7 miles east of Coeur d'Alene. We go by it on our way to and fro and thought it might be a statue of some historical figure. The Idaho part of the Centennial Trail, where this statue is located, stretches from the Idaho-Washington border, along the Spokane River, through Coeur d'Alene, and ends at Higgins Point. When we began the walk along the trail we discovered this golden photographer is no one in particular — he represents the thousands of people who flock to this area in early winter to witness the visit of the bald eagles as they migrate south. Unfortunately we will not still be here when that happens.

Which way to go? The main part of the trail is paved, but we decided to take the road less traveled, hoping we'd see more forest and get some good views of the lake.

True to our expectations, we did see lots of wildflowers on our forest trail. I always love to see these delicate, beautiful wild roses.

Beyond the crest of the trail, we looked east along Wolf Lodge Bay. Our campground is located just at the very end of the bay, which is, in fact, the very end of the northeastern part of the lake. That's I-90 to the left.

I liked this big pine tree with its roots stretching out towards the lake, which a short time ago was quite a bit higher, probably covering these roots. The lake has dropped about 5 feet in the last couple of weeks.

True to our desire to take the less traveled trails, we found ourselves climbing this steep incline, which felt like it was almost straight up. It was not too easy on these arthritic legs, but I made it, with Mr. Keith's help. The view was wonderful, and the wildflowers abundant.

It took me awhile, but I finally identified this beauty. It is the Sego Lily. We wouldn't have seen these if we'd stayed on the main trail!

Here's one last look at gorgeous Lake Coeur d'Alene, looking west. The sailboat completed the fabulous view, seen from near the golden gentleman photographer in the first photo. We'll return here another day!

A Drive Around Hayden Lake

2011-06-14T17:46:00.000-06:00

Today we took the 40 mile drive all around Hayden Lake. The sun was shining, and spring is bursting out all over, albeit a little late this year. New colts are part of the spring awakening, always so cute and curious!

Hayden Lake is just north of Coeur d'Alene, off highway 95. This whole region is heavily forested and incredibly beautiful. Wild flowers are blooming everywhere.

We caught many glimpses of the water, but like several of the lakes in this region, houses are built on the shores and signs are posted "No Trespassing" and, "Private Property". We encountered only one public access point along the 40 mile route, but hopefully there are others somewhere along the way that we didn't see. Whenever we ventured onto a side road we would find more of these signs and would have to turn back. It's kind of sad that such beauty should be enjoyed only by those fortunate enough to be able to acquire land on these lovely shores.

Always a beauty, and a favorite of mine, the arrow leaf balsam root is abundant here.

This lady didn't seem to have a care in the world! She posed for several photos, then sauntered across the road behind us. In spite of the heavy forest lining the highway, there are neighborhoods all around, so she is probably used to looky-loos.

The last leg of our trip took us back to downtown Coeur d'Alene. This is a part of the public beach with marinas and docks. In warmer weather I'm sure the water here will be filled with swimmers. Whenever I look across the water at this spot I think about a summer camp I attended when I was 9 or 10. We kids rode a bus from western Washington to Coeur d'Alene. I remember getting off the bus here, walking out on a dock and getting into a power boat when it was my turn, and being wisked across the lake to a rustic camp right on the shore. I wonder if it's still there, 50 plus years later? Ah...childhood memories!

More Exploring, then a Surprise!

2011-06-10T12:31:00.002-06:00

We had doctor appointments in Kellogg, so we decided to combine it with a trip up into the hills. There was an intriguing looking road north of Wallace that went through an old mining town and then along the Coeur d'Alene River, exiting back onto I-90 at Kingston. So, after our appointments we grabbed a quick lunch at McD's, then headed to Wallace to find the road. We climbed for awhile and were treated to this view of the valleys below.

The old mining town of Murray, partly a ghost town, boasts the Spragpole Restaurant and Mining Museum. The museum was indeed chock full of all kinds of mining memorabilia. We enjoyed very good milkshakes while in the Spragpole, too! If you click to enlarge, you will see a lady of the evening peering out the upstairs window!

Gold was first discovered near the town of Murray in 1882. A.J. Prichard and his partners came to the Coeur d'Alene from Walla Walla WA, following Mullan's Military Road. The area swelled to 5000 miners, mostly centered in and around Murray. By 1886 the mining activity had shifted elsewhere. Today the mines near the towns of Kellogg and Wallace and others along the I-90 corridor are still producing ore.

Here we photographed one house that has been abandoned for a long time. The rest of Murray was about half a block long with not much evidence of the thriving town it once was.

And here is our surprise! We were traveling along the Coeur d'Alene River Road, looking at the lush greenery and the swollen river, when suddenly this moose appeared, very close to the road. He, or she, was eating leaves, nonchalantly ignoring passing cars. We stopped and had to honk our horn to get her to look our way. Then she went back to chomping the vegetation. It was my very first moose-sighting, apart from one at Northwest Trek and one in Yellowstone. I expected to see moose in those places, but not along the road here when I only thought I might see a deer.

We looked for awhile, then turned around and drove back to look again. This moose went about her business, entertaining us even more on a day already filled with the beauty of north Idaho.

Last, the Coeur d'Alene River is gorgeous, even in flood stage as it is here. Very little of it is visible from the freeway, so we were happy to find and explore this area. I never knew this part of Idaho had so many rivers, creeks and lakes, truly a watery paradise! We look forward to many more scenic drives throughout our summer here!

The Mullan Tree

2011-06-06T07:58:00.002-06:00

As we've worked and lived in Montana, and now Idaho, we've noticed how many places, roads, and at least one town, are named after John Mullan. Mullan is responsible for building the 6oo plus mile road back in the 1850s and 1860s, from Fort Benton in Montana to Walla Walla in Washington. The road was used for all kinds of travelers, and parts of it still exist today. Taking a drive on a mountain road which came out on the freeway, we discovered a sign pointing to the Mullan Tree. We just had to see what it was!

At the parking lot we found a trail leading to parts of what was once the original Mullan Road. Here is Mr. Keith finishing his soda as he looks down the road. John Mullan, an army engineer, led the construction party of soldiers and civilians who built this road. Parts of I-90 still follow Mullan's road. The original route was marked with the letters "M. R." on posts, trees and rocks. The "M.R." stood for "military road", but it has always been referred to as "the Mullan Road."

The Mullan Tree was inscribed with "M. R. July 4 1861" by Lt. John Mullan's road crew during the construction of the military road. His crew celebrated July 4th at the summit, chopping the date into a great white pine which probably looked like this ancient tree beside the monument. The tree was the last surviving mile marker on the Military Road. Fourth of July Pass, Fourth of July Canyon, and Fourth of July Creek were named for the inscription on this tree.

The Mullan Tree was about 250 years old when it was blazed in 1861. In 1962 the top of the tree broke off in a windstorm. In 1988 the remains of the blaze were removed for preservation. (Quoted from a sign on the site of the tree.) The tree stump is now housed in a museum in Coeur d'Alene. We loved being in this deep, old growth forest with remnants of deserted roads and the history that took place here.

Little Things

2011-05-29T13:27:00.000-06:00

Our porch up, and our awning out. Now it feels like home!

(Click to enlarge any of these photos.)

A walk on a forest trail on a sunny afternoon.

Soft, delicate, spring wildflowers, some kind of clover.

Turtles catching some rays, active even amidst the flooding debris.

The pavilion in the tenting area — beautiful reflection, though it means no tent camping till flood waters recede!

A Daring Deed!

2011-05-25T11:46:00.001-06:00

Our anxiously awaited first opportunity to visit the family in Wenatchee finally came. The weather was perfect, and we had 2 days to see the kids and the Valley after a year away. This is Saddle Rock, probably the most notable landmark in the Wenatchee Valley, and seen at the most beautiful time of year, spring-time!

We've been so excited for our 10 year old granddaughter ever since we learned she had joined the Wenatchee Youth Circus. It's doubtful we can attend an actual performance because of our work schedule, but we did get to go to the practice. There is Natalie, up 30 feet in the air, walking the tight wire for her 3rd or 4th time! We held our collective breaths, amazed at what we were seeing! She showed no fear, did not waver, and made it safely from one end to the other.
(Click to enlarge for a better look.)

This looked even scarier! The two young men above are seasoned walkers, and had coached Natalie well. Her life was in their hands, and on their shoulders!

Ta Dah! Half-way there! And they made it!

http://wenatcheeyouthcircus.com/

Back down to earth, here is Grannie admiring one of daughter Betsy's backyard chickens.

And daughter Jessi, with her best friend's son Jakey.

Katy, 13, wouldn't pose for us, so this is the best I could do. She and mom are checking out the camera. I tried to get my son in a photo but that didn't work out. We got to enjoy the whole family at dinnertime, a yummy hotdog barbecue on Betsy's newly decorated patio. We had a wonderful visit with our family in Wenatchee, hopefully to be repeated a few more times this summer.

Hey, Ma! Look at this!

2011-05-16T22:32:00.001-06:00

It's been raining so much here in north Idaho, Mr. Keith decided to put the awning out so we could keep dry when we open our door. He went around back to take the step ladder off where we have it bungie-corded to our RV ladder. This is what he found! Hey, Ma! Look at this! He very carefully put it back so Mama Robin could sit on her eggs once again. It looks like the nest has a nice roof over it to protect it from the rain.

Our 5th wheel sits right up against the forest in the back of our space. Mama Robin must have thought this looked like the ideal sheltered place to set up housekeeping and baby raising. We had no idea what was going on out there! I'll be sneaking around the back occasionally to have a peek. I imagine we'll be able to hear the peeping from inside if we listen carefully.

On a more serious note — Lake Coeur d'Alene is predicted to rise about 5 feet or more above its normal level, and has already risen half that. This is the view from our campground office, looking down on the tent sites. (Click to enlarge.) The water has covered more than half the sites and will reach nearly to the road that you can see in the photo, just beyond the flower boxes. We're told that doesn't happen very often. The last time was 2008. It's that rain, combined with warmer days melting the snow in the mountains too quickly for it to be absorbed. We look at the geese and ducks swimming around down there, some with babies. They at least are having a good time!

Cataldo Mission

2011-05-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

After a week of hard work, we had a beautiful, sunny day to go sight-seeing. My first choice was the Cataldo Mission State Park. If you know Mr. Keith, he likes to go anywhere using back roads. Before we drove into the Mission, which is the oldest building in Idaho, we explored the very small town of Cataldo, and found this lovely photo opportunity up a gravel road. This is a Mennonite Church, reflected beautifully in a pond made by the overflow of the Coeur d'Alene River.

I first visited this site many years ago and have always been fascinated by its story.

In the early part of the 19th century, Coeur d'Alene Indians heard of a neighboring tribe who had powerful medicine men in black robes. Wanting this power themselves, they traveled the long journey east to St. Louis, inviting the "black robes" (Jesuit priests) to live among them. Father DeSmet, and soon Father Ravalli, came and established the mission with the help of the Indians, who did the labor to construct the mission, from 1850-1853. Many became Christians and lived at this site for years. I've always been amazed at how these two priests got around! Many places in Montana also bear their names, for instance, St. Mary's Mission in Stevensville, Montana, the oldest building in Montana, and St. Ignacius Mission on the road to Glacier Park.

The complex sits on a hill right above the Coeur d'Alene River and is beautifully landscaped and preserved. The Parrish House, to the left, has also been restored and is fun to tour. The history of the association and co-operation between the Indians and the Jesuit priests is fascinating. There were no wars fought here!

Father Ravalli must have been a genius, multi-talented and vastly educated. He designed and supervised the building, hand-carved the altar and much of the furnishings, and even painted the art-work. "The Mission of the Sacred Heart was constructed using a technique called "wattle and daub" which involved using large hand-hewn logs latticed with saplings, woven with grass and caked with mud. The resulting walls are up to a foot thick and built without a single nail. The limited materials were used ingeniously to decorate the church. The walls were covered with fabric and painted newspaper, creating the illusion of wallpaper. The main wooden altar was painted to resemble marble; tin cans were shaped to create chandeliers. The blue color of the interior wood is not paint, but a stain made of huckleberries."

Beautiful and amazing!

As we stood at the back of the mission complex and looked over the hill we were treated to this lovely picture, the swollen Coeur d'Alene River surrounded by trees just beginning to leaf out, with the snow covered hills in the background. There were wildflowers popping out all over, a warm breeze, sunshine, and a great feeling of God's presence in this place!

The Lake

2011-05-05T19:37:00.000-06:00

Since we've arrived at the camping resort near Coeur d'Alene where we are working for the summer, it's been mostly cloudy and cool. We're anxiously awaiting days of sunshine! Mr. Keith has managed to find many back roads already, and we've done some exploring in our off hours. Here is a photo of the lake taken from a beach near the main part of town.

That is I-90 up there in the sky above the bay! We've been intrigued by how the freeway has been suspended in this particular stretch, named the "Veterans Memorial Centennial Highway". I believe the old highway followed the lake shore as far as it could, and the freeway still does most of the time. The roadway where we took this photo is part of the old highway, but it ends abruptly a little way from here. There is a great hiking path along the road, which borders the old Yellowstone Trail and the Mullan Road.

I love this photo! We took BigTruk out for a spin to make sure everything was working okay after his major surgery (new transmission). Mr. Keith snapped this photo showing the winding road we'd just traveled in our search for a good view of the high section of freeway that we had wanted to photograph. There will soon, we hope, be a day with sunshine and we will get some good pictures of beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene and the forested area that surrounds it.

Missoula to Coeur d'Alene

2011-04-28T19:13:00.000-06:00

We have completed the final leg of our trip to Coeur d'Alene. Since the Missoula KOA is one of our favorite places to stay, and to work, I've included a photo of our rig there. It's a lovely park, with big, old pines and firs and willows. We enjoyed greeting the employees with whom we've worked and also enjoyed some meals with various ones during our 3 night stay there. But, as it always does, the time to move on arrived, and we said our good-byes.

The weather reports said there would be snow on Lookout Pass, and there was indeed snow, but none on the road. About 100 miles from Missoula we crossed over the pass, headed down and saw the 'Welcome to Idaho' sign just below the summit. Yay! We're almost there!

This is our spot at the Lake Coeur d'Alene Camping Resort. It's one of the largest, yet it took 3 men quite a bit of maneuvering to get our big rig into. We're used to pull-thrus! In the process, just about when we thought we had it right, BigTruk gave up the ghost and shed red fluid all over, a real tragedy for us. We felt like crying!

Fortunately, we have emergency road service so the next morning we called them and they sent out this tow truck to haul BigTruk to the Ford garage in Coeur d'Alene. In a few hours we had the verdict. BigTruk needs an organ transplant, a rebuilt transmission for only $4500! We are devastated, but we must do what we must do or we won't be going anywhere! God is good to take care of us no matter what happens. We've seen that over and over!

The owners here are so nice. We know we are going to love working with them. The park is still closed for a couple more days and we are the only rig here. It feels kind of lonely, but that will change soon!

This is the view of the eastern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene from the entrance to our campground. It's been a cloudy, darkish day but you can still see the beauty that we will be looking at on a daily basis. Mr. Keith and I are very thankful for what we have, our health, the great people we get to meet, the memories we're building, and the adventures we are able to have.

Rapid City to Missoula

2011-04-25T09:53:00.000-06:00

I did not take any photos on our trip from Rapid City to Sheridan because the weather was so bad it took all my energy to keep vigilant on the road. We experienced heavy wind, rain, snow and mud almost all the way. Mr. Keith did well with the 5th wheel. The horizon was in a fog so we missed the lovely scenery we know is throughout Wyoming. We could imagine it, though, as we've been this way many times! In due time we arrived in Sheridan Wyoming. By then the sun was out a little, but it was freezing cold and still blowing furiously. We did have a pretty spot to park at the Sheridan KOA. We had never stopped there before.

The next day was gorgeous, all trace of wind gone. We were so happy about that because we've found that in a heavy wind BigTruk gets about 6 miles per gallon, while in good conditions it gets close to 10. Diesel is always the biggest part of our traveling expense. The most we paid was $4.14 a gallon and BigTruk holds 72 gallons. You can imagine the cost of a fill-up! This view is of the Crazy Mts. in Montana, close to Bozeman. Stunning! I wonder why they are called 'Crazy'. They didn't look all that much different from the other mountain ranges surrounding us.

There is a long trek through very high, rocky mountains to the east of Butte. I say 'rocky' because the rock formations through this region are amazing. Here we are coming down out of the mountains into Butte.

Here is one last photo before we got to Missoula, We're near the cut-off to Anaconda. It's still a beautiful day. We arrived at the Missoula KOA about 1:00 and were greeted by several of the employees with whom we worked for the last 2 summers. Hugs were exchanged! It was almost like coming home! We set up in 60 degree sunshine and actually sweated a little, in contrast to freezing the previous 2 nights. We will be here for 3 or 4 nights, waiting for our campground in Coeur d'Alene to have water turned on and a site readied for us. The last leg of our journey will be short, about 170 miles, and then we'll be settled in for the next 4 months. It's a fantastic life-style!

Our Time in Rapid City

2011-04-22T07:01:00.000-06:00

The Black Hills are our favorite place to be, besides Wenatchee where the kids are. It's with sadness we leave here after 5 days. Gotta get going to the new job in Idaho! The weather is bad today, very windy, not good for our 5th wheel, but we have to go. I didn't take very many photos while here. Seems like all our time was taken up with lunches and dinners with friends we hadn't seen for 2 years. We did take a couple of drives out in the Hills, though. I have to say that this RV park, Happy Holiday, is about the best park we've ever been in. We stayed here all summer in 2008 while we worked at Bear Country USA. The owner is super, and the sites are nice. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

These are the children, Noah Nathaniel and Madison, of our very dear friends. They've grown so much! We stayed at their place for 2 months when they lived in Nebraska. I loved that they started calling me "Grandma" on their own!

We had lunch with these 2 good buddies, Dave and Charlie. That's Mr. Keith on the right. Both of these friends work at the Rapid City Rescue Mission.

We had to go to Mt. Rushmore at least! We picked out educational booklets for the granddaughter of our best friends in Washington, and also did a little birthday shopping for our own granddaughter. By the time we got here the snow was mostly gone and it was a beautiful day. We never tire of Mt. Rushmore, and for that matter, of any place in the gorgeous Black Hills! Bye for now!

Scotts Bluff & Chimney Rock

2011-04-17T07:15:00.000-06:00

I've wanted to see this area of Nebraska for years. We were foiled in our attempts to go through here 5 years ago by bad roads and snow, but we finally made it! Our opinion of Nebraska has changed. It's not just miles and miles of prairie! The Scottsbluff and Gering area is beyond beautiful, and has such history to boot! If you are an Oregon Trail student at all, this is what you'd want to see. I've included lots of pictures here — it was too difficult to choose! Here we are at the entrance to the monument, adjacent to the town of Gering.

We were delighted to see that we could drive to the very top of the bluffs, 1 1/2 miles. There was a hiking trail, too, but it looked too much of a challenge for these 2 old coots. What a monumental task it must have been to construct this road and 3 tunnels. This is the backside of the monolith you see from the visitor center, Eagle Rock.

Here I am on the very top of the bluffs. That is a huge cliff behind me, overlooking the towns below. These gorgeous bluffs are sandstone and clay.

Here's another view looking down onto the towns of Scottsbluff and Gering.

(Click to enlarge for a better view.)

From this vantage point we are looking down onto the visitor center and ranger station. You can see the road leading to the top of the bluffs, going through the tunnel in picture #2.

Back down to lower ground we found the path leading to an actual section of the Oregon Trail. The pioneers passed between two sections of the bluffs, a narrow trail that took them back down towards the Platte River Valley. This is a Conestoga wagon, and the bluff in the background is Eagle Rock, the most photographed and well-known part of Scotts Bluffs.

Another view of Eagle Rock, with an old Studebaker wagon. It's amazing to think that we were able to drive through a tunnel carved in the backside of this promontory!

Here is Mr. Keith standing on part of the actual Oregon Trail! In this section the wagons had to follow single file between the outcroppings, thus leaving a clear trail.

Two old coots on another part of the trail, with Eagle Rock again in the background. We met a friendly couple at this viewpoint who were willing to get us both in the picture while we did the same for them. It's not quite tourist season so we didn't have any crowds to dodge.

The most famous landmark for Oregon Trail pioneers was Chimney Rock. The gal at the visitor center told us that it was mentioned more than any other marker in the diaries left by travelers. This rocky phenomenon is 20 miles east of Scotts Bluff and is visible from there. I could go much more into the history of these places, but then my blog would be a book! Oddly, there is a small visitor center here, not the extensive facility we found at Scotts Bluff. I like this photo with the old fence and the yucca plants in the foreground.

This is as close as we could get to the rock. I was hoping for a trail leading right up to it, but there was a gully and a fence indicating 'no tresspassing'! I imagine that keeps Chimney Rock in the pristine state it was when all those wagon trains passed by so long ago. I'll never forget the awesome time we had on this day, seeing all this beauty and thinking about the thousands and thousands of hopeful, brave and hardy folks who went this way. Had we lived in that time I wonder if we would have joined them!

Leaving Colorado

2011-04-15T20:27:00.000-06:00

It is with sadness that we leave our spot at the KOA in Strasburg, Colorado, where we've been working for 6 1/2 months. Here we are all hooked up, slides in, hoses disconnected and stowed, and ready to pull out. It was a sunny but windy morning.

Sadness aside, moving on to a new job in a different part of the country is always exciting. Our travel between jobs is really our vacation, so we take things slowly and enjoy the sights along the way. In this photo we are heading east on Highway 36, shortly to turn north on Highway 71, passing through the high plains of eastern Colorado.

Oops! A stop for a long, long coal train at the town of Brush, Colorado. Just north of Brush we were stopped in our tracks from continuing up Hwy 71. It was closed for some reason, we thought maybe snow. We found our way back to the freeway, not easy in a big 5th wheel when we don't know the roads or whether we'll get into a spot where we can't turn around! Our detour took us 20 miles out of the way before we got back to Hwy 71 many miles farther north.

We thought we might run into snow, since the highways farther east were closed, but all we got was wind, and lots of it, very strong. This windmill was one of many just south of the Nebraska border. Mr. Keith did fine at keeping the rig between the lines. My biggest challenge was to keep our two cats calm in the car with me! They did well.

As we neared Gering and Scottsbluff, Nebraska, we were treated to this sight. I imagine the Oregon Trail pioneers felt even happier to see Scott's Bluff in the distance as they traveled along the Platte River. Our purpose in coming this route was so that we could tour the monument and see parts of the actual Oregon Trail and other historical sights around the area. We'll do that tomorrow and I'll be able to post some close up photos of the Bluff.

For now, we're settled into a very nice and inexpensive RV park in the south part of Gering, right near the Bluff. The sites are not too close, and they have concrete pads, making leveling very easy.

Good Thoughts!

2011-04-08T10:24:00.000-06:00

With only a week to go before we hook up and pull out of the

Strasburg KOA, we feel a little bit of sadness to be leaving the friends we've made. There is tremendous excitement, too, as always, as we head for new adventures, new sights, and new friends. Last night we made one last trip to downtown Denver, a truly amazing place, busy as an ant colony!

God has been so good to us here. Reflecting on His blessings: we were invited to a family gathering at Thanksgiving, a great time with people we had never met prior to that day. They were so good to 'entertain strangers'. The same thing happened at Christmas! A co-worker invited us to her grandma's house with their family, alleviating somewhat our missing our own family. We had a family of 8 staying in the campground for a month. We entertained the children, took them to church, and thoroughly enjoyed them. The day they left we found an envelope taped to our porch, and inside was a large sum of money! We shared with our co-workers who were as amazed as we were at this unexpected gift. One night recently a couple who were here all winter took us to the Olive Garden in Denver for dinner. Another unexpected surprise! There is a lady here who needed a ride to church, so we took her with us. She gave us a lovely, hand-made, framed verse, "In Him we live and move and have our being." Another blessing! I've been giving a co-worker piano lessons all winter. At the conclusion of our last lesson, she gave me a gift and a card, composed and written from her heart. More blessings! We enjoyed a yummy dinner at the local Mexican restaurant with another couple who have been here all winter. We wish we could know them better and longer! And, last night, after our final drive through Denver, we had dinner with a couple who befriended us after we met them at the Thanksgiving dinner we shared together. Especially dear to our hearts are the two girls who were the pizza makers. We grew really close to both of them. Last, but certainly not least, we've been blessed to work for the wonderful owners of this campground, who've made us so welcome and made our time here so much fun and so memorable! We will miss them.

In contrast to the picture above, this is the sight we see from all directions around Strasburg, the high plains view, with the Rockies to the west. We are just now beginning to see some green in the fields and in the trees, a welcome change from the browns and tans of winter. In a week we will head north through Nebraska, spend a few days visiting friends in Rapid City, South Dakota, then on through Wyoming and Montana to our new job in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where we will experience new adventures and blessings from God!

Driving Back Roads

2011-03-30T17:11:00.001-06:00

Mr. Keith is an incurable back-road driver. He absolutely must follow every road he sees. Out here on the plains of eastern Colorado there are many roads, some paved, some gravel, some just dirt. They seem to follow what must have been originally the 640 acre sections of land, because they are all laid out in squares. With just 2 weeks to go before we leave Colorado, we are pleased to see some green starting to appear, mostly in the fields planted with winter wheat. I love this lone tree.

From one back road we got a good view of the Denver International Airport. The main terminal is constructed to look like the Rocky Mountains. Planes were taking off and landing every few minutes. (Click to enlarge.)

The grass is always greener...! One horse wouldn't give us the time of day while he stretched his neck through the fence in search of something better. We didn't see anything green there, though. The other horse was more curious about us.

Here was the best part of our day. We kept hearing the melodious song of meadowlarks as we drove along the fields. On a whim, I opened the Peterson bird identification app on my iPad and played the meadowlark song. This bird, who was sitting on a mailbox a few yards away from us, promptly flew as close as he dared, and answered us back each time we played the recording. I wonder if he was saying, "I keep getting a recording! I want to talk to a real bird!"

Dorothy, you're not in Kansas anymore!

2011-03-25T11:54:00.000-06:00

With just 3 weeks left before we hit the road again, moving on to our next job, we decided we'd better make a trip to Kansas, just to say we'd been there. Mr. Keith had crossed that state many times in his youth, but I'd never been there. Ten hours and 370 miles later, I can say I've been to Kansas! The first photo shows the countryside near Limon, Colorado. I love the golden colors, and the railroad bridge gives the scene perspective.

We decided to travel old highway 24, which runs close to I-70, so we could see the little towns up close. We stopped in every single one! This strange tower was in Genoa, Colorado. It advertised that you could see 6 states from the tower. We did not go up. Genoa itself seemed to be completely dead. There were some occupied homes, but the downtown had only boarded up buildings. How sad.

Bethune, another town with deserted buildings, did have some life, seen in these pretty horses. We wondered if the freeway by-passing the towns had something to do with their demise.

This is Vona, typical of the other small towns we explored. One wonders what they were like when these buildings were first constructed and used. They are almost like ghost towns.

A few miles away from Burlington, a healthy, thriving town, we left Colorado and entered Kansas. The very first town on Hwy 24 was called Kanorado, also old and half abandoned.

It looks like Kansas is preparing for a celebration this year!

Here we see the grain elevators in Goodland, KS, which was another small but thriving town. We have noticed that just about every town is announced miles away by these huge elevators, most much more compact but equally as tall as these in Goodland. It's hard to imagine the vast amounts of grain they hold.

As we headed up highway 36 towards St. Francis, the final town on our way out of Kansas, I took this photo of the landscape. These metal towers I'm sure also hold grain. They were all over the countryside. This looks like last summer's corn crop.The land seemed to be divided into 640 acre sections. There were gravel roads arranged in squares every mile. It's like that in Colorado, too.

We enjoyed our very leisurely trip into Kansas. The wind blew fiercely and it was cold, but we had a productive, fun day. I now understand how Dorothy's house blew up into the sky and took her and Toto to the land of Oz! We did not see the yellow brick road, but we could imagine it!

Estes Park, Colorado

2011-03-16T15:12:00.003-06:00

Mr. Keith and I have taken another day trip, this one to Estes Park, Colorado. This mountain view was with us almost the entire trip, standing out amongst the other peaks in the Rockies. Having been told that there was "nothing" in the town of Longmont, we decided to go through there to see for ourselves, as it's right on the way up to Estes Park. We were very impressed, and found out that Longmont was listed as "One of the Best Places to Live" in 2006 and 2008, plus it was awarded "All-America City" in 2006. So much for the verdict of "nothing"! We agreed that we could live there!

Back to the peaks in the photo — the front peak is Mt. Meeker, 13,911 feet, and the other is Longs Peak, 14,259 feet. They are sometimes called the Twin Peaks. Both are inside Rocky Mt. National Park. We snapped this photo just west of Longmont.

In the same area, we were intrigued with this scene. The trees are actually growing out of the tops of the silos, which are obviously not still in use!

Here we are at the entrance to the Estes Park Valley. Some kind ladies who were also enjoying the view took this photo for us.

Estes Park was established in 1859, and is the headquarters for the Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as a popular summer resort area. We were told we were fortunate to be there in March instead of during the summer, when the streets and stores are jammed with people.

We'd heard about the Stanley Hotel, so were excited to see it. This old and exceptionally beautiful hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places, and has the majestic backdrop of the Rocky Mts. We were told that the movie "The Shining" was filmed here, and the hotel is reportedly haunted. They capitalize on that rumor!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stanley_Hotel

Here is a close-up of the main building. We drove all around it but did not go inside. Maybe we were timid about ghosts! There are other buildings in the complex, all equally gleaming with white paint.

These elk were on the lawn directly in front of the Stanley Hotel. They allowed people to go right up to them. We were trying to figure out if they've been tamed, or what. They ignored us completely!

No day out would be complete without a good meal. We drove all around looking at restaurants and finally decided on Penelope's World Famous Hamburgers and Fries, right on the main street among all the tourist shops. To our surprise, it was quite crowded. We were told there is sometimes a 2 hour wait in the summer. I always have a buffalo burger whenever it's on the menu, and Mr. Keith enjoyed his shrimp basket and fries. We will not soon forget the breathtaking views, clear air, and fun shops of Estes Park!

Colorado State Capitol

2011-03-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Colorado State Capitol is an imposing, elegant, and huge edifice, right in downtown Denver. I could not get far enough away to snap a really good photo of the entire complex from the front because of so many bigger, taller buildings all around it. In its early days the Capitol was probably the tallest building around, but no longer! Here is one fairly good view from the side.

The inside of the building is gorgeous, all granite and marble. This collection of paintings of the presidents goes all the way around the 3rd level.

We two old coots decided we simply had to climb up to the top of the dome. I forget how many steps it was, but we made it, huffing and puffing! The view was well worth the climb. I can remember hiking to the top of the Capitol in Olympia WA when I was a child. The steps up were closed for safety reasons many years ago, so I was glad we could still go to the top of the Colorado Capitol.

This is the dome. The circle paintings going all the way around it are portraying various people who were important to the history of Colorado. You could not really see those unless you did climb up there! We were up at the top railing, above the pictures.

I took a picture from every window up at the top. This is the best one, looking right down on to the main part of downtown. After we finished our tour, we found a riverfront park where we could take a walk along the Platte River. Mr. Keith always talks to strangers (his mom didn't teach him not to!) so we found out there were some great restaurants and even a huge bookstore not too far away. We drove there, and did discover a fun place to eat called "Noodles & Company". Yum! One of the very most central streets in Denver is called the 16th Street Mall. It runs for a mile, and is closed to all vehicles except city buses. The street is lined with shops and restaurants and other interesting places. A person could spend a day there, walking along and seeing all the stores! It was jammed with people on their lunch break, and hungry tourists like us.

On this part of the 16th Street Mall I noticed these old buildings dwarfed by the newer, taller highrises. We walked over there and discovered they were indeed the old original downtown buildings of early Denver, carefully preserved. They look so out-of-place but so intriguing! The date on the first one said it was built in 1881. They've been turned into shops and eating places and offices. As we hiked back to our car we thought it would be a perfect time to find a Coldstone Creamery to round out our day. Our handy iPad located one for us so off we went to indulge one more time before we headed home. It was a delicious end to a tiring but an exciting day!

The Denver Zoo, Again!

2011-03-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

The first time we went to the Zoo, in October, we were thrilled to find it was a "free" day, no admission charge. We soon decided that we'd better come again when we had to pay, because the free day was so jam-packed with attenders! We didn't get to see everything as well as we wanted to. We've been amazed at the vast flocks of Canada Geese in the Denver area. The first thing we noticed at the zoo was that the geese had no fear of people and were actively begging with loud honks and squawks! They cleaned up all food scraps dropped to the ground.

We ate lunch at the outside tables and were solicited by these 2 geese. The photo is blurry because I had to click so quickly so many times to get a shot of this guy snapping up a french fry. Mr. Keith donated almost his entire lunch to them! What fun!

This spotted hyena is between a rock and a hard place, obviously enjoying his nap in the sunshine. I'm glad there was thick glass between me and him!

Here's a great shot of a majestic lioness. Seems like she was posing!

And here's a couple, the Mrs. enjoying a large bone while the Mr. looks on.

We took a good picture of Nemo the clownfish at the Downtown Aquarium a few weeks ago, but I think this display at the zoo was even better. I heard several moms say to their toddlers, "Come and see Nemo!" I like the blue fish, too, but don't know what kind he is.

Some of my favorites at the zoo were these tiny antelopes, dik diks, I believe. They are the size of cats, and so delicate and pretty.

Last, but certainly not least, we saw this hippo, which we missed last time. She was very pretty and smooth, and had just taken a dip in her large pond when we came upon her enclosure.

It was a wonderful day at the zoo! We walked for at least 4 hours, seeing all we could. We noticed that the crowd consisted mostly of parents with small children and babies, with lots of strollers......and old people like us! Mr. Keith got to try out his giraffe joke several times. "Why is the giraffe's neck so long? Because his head is so high!"

I Need Spring!

2011-02-27T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I need spring! We've had a fairly mild winter here on the prairie east of Denver, with not much snow, but after awhile the brown fields and grey trees and bushes get old. So...I looked through my photos of last summer and found these cheerful scenes. They are all located in Montana, in the hills above Missoula. I love the Indian Paintbrush, with its bright red color in contrast to the fresh green grasses.

This is one of my favorite scenes. The delicate, new grasses and pale green needle sprouts on the ends of the fir trees, interspersed with several different varieties and colors of wildflowers, is an amazing sight! I identified some Indian Paintbrush but the other flowers I'm not sure of. They are all beautiful! I once read a statement that said, "Looking into the face of a flower is looking into the thoughts of God." I feel that's so true! I see God in each one!

We took this photo at lovely Seeley Lake in the hills east of Flathead Lake. Pond lilies are always a gorgeous sight. There are a few reeds in there, too, standing tall in contrast with the flatness of the lily pads on the water. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Matt. 6:28-29 Come, Spring! I'm ready for your bright, and carefree flowers!

More Old Colorado Mining Towns!

2011-02-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

We see this scene every time we get in the car for our excursions west. The Rockies are magnificent! This photo was taken on Hwy 36 near Watkins.

In my post from last week I showed a photo looking down into a gorge with a road running through it. We determined we just had to go on that road! It's Hwy 6, going to Central City, our destination for the day. There isn't much snow in the area, but you can see how cold it is by frozen Clear Creek.

We'd heard that the old mining towns of Black Hawk and Central City, even though on the National Register of Historic Places, had been turned into gambling towns, much like Deadwood SD. These huge casinos completely dwarfed the original town, which has also been restored and made into gambling places. This is Black Hawk.

(Click to enlarge.)

This sign greeted us as we drove into Central City. Central City is located 35 miles west of Denver at an elevation of 8, 496 feet. Mr. Keith, always the jokester, rolled down his window and asked a flagger, "If it says 8,000 feet, does that mean there are 4,000 people in this town?" He even asked a policeman that question, and got some good laughs.

In 1859, John Gregory discovered "The Gregory Lode" in a gulch near Central City. Within two weeks, the gold rush was on and within two months the population grew to 10,000 people seeking their fortunes. William Byers, founder of the Rocky Mountain News, and some companions pitched their tents on open ground squarely in the center of the mining district. Thus Central City was born and was soon the leading mining center in Colorado. It came to be known as "The Richest Square Mile On Earth". Gregory's discovery is commemorated by a stone monument at the eastern end of the city. I don't know the time period, but Butte MT has also laid claim to being the richest spot on earth! In this photo you can see the old downtown, Main Street, restored.

We liked the Courthouse. All the buildings except the main street are perched on the side of the gulch. It seems all the old mining towns we've visited are like that — a narrow gulch with the houses marching up the sidehills. The streets are tricky to drive, very narrow, since they were originally made for horses and buggies.

This cute little house caught my eye. All the houses were tiny. Some looked like they were built for very short people. I guess they were shorter way back then! We noticed, for example, that in the ghost town Garnet MT we had to actually stoop down to get through the doorways!

There were about 5 or 6 cemeteries in Central City, just outside of town. This one was labeled Central City Cemetery, and was quite neglected. Groves of young aspen trees had grown up all around the headstones. That's me walking through there. I am fascinated by very old graveyards. I always wonder how the folks lived in those days, and how they died. (Click to enlarge.)

Here we saw quite a contrast between the new apartment buildings (probably to house the casino and hotel employees) and the ruins of a once sizable structure. This one has a chain link fence around it and concrete applied to the tops of the walls to prevent further erosion. There was no sign to say what it used to be.

We just had to visit a brand new KOA Kampground above the city, and this is the view from there! It is the whole town of Central City spread out below. We were thinking we would love to be able to stay there in the summer and look at this panorama! It was quite a narrow, winding road to get up there, which would be difficult for a big rig like ours, but worth it. (Again, click to enlarge.)

The main office and store for this KOA is made to look like a mining shaft. Not your traditional A-Frame KOA building! Altogether, it was a wonderful day of sightseeing once again! In our efforts to stay off the freeways we've found many beautiful valleys and gulches to go through on the west side of Denver.

Golden, Buffalo Bill, and Red Rocks!

2011-02-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

Mr. Keith and I did a marathon of sightseeing on a warm day in Colorado! We drove quickly across Denver, looked around for awhile in Arvada, then headed out to the hills around Golden. We found a winding road called Lookout Mt. Road just outside the town. Here is the view from the first wide spot in the road. As you can see, Golden is dominated by the huge Coors Brewery in the center of the photo. The Colorado School of Mines is the next biggest complex to the left. (Click on the picture to enlarge.)

This was a gorgeous view — the Windy Saddle Park. Down in the very center of the valley we spied Highway 6. The cars down there looked so tiny! Again, click to enlarge so you can see the highway.

From higher on the mountain we could look out and see downtown Denver and all the way across to where the prairie disappears on the horizon. I think Strasburg is probably a little too far to see from here! Mr. Keith used his telephoto lens to get this perspective.

We were surprised to find that Buffalo Bill is buried at the highest point of Lookout Mountain overlooking Denver. I've visited the huge museum honoring him and other old west characters in Cody, Wyoming, but did not know about this site.

We learned that Buffalo Bill Cody requested this site for his burial. He died in 1917, and his wife was buried in the same spot 4 years later. At his funeral and burial, there was a huge procession of Denverites and others attending the ceremonies. Later there was erected a museum, with a gift shop and restaurant next door named the Pahaska Teepee.

Just foolin' around!

Next we meandered on down the mountain to the Red Rocks Amphitheater. I would perhaps compare it to the Gorge, near Quincy, in Washington. We'll not be able to attend an actual concert here, but it was fun to see! This tunnel leads right up to the amphitheater.

This huge rock is on one side of the top of the amphitheater, and its twin, even bigger, is on the other side. The seating and stage are placed right between and below these monoliths.

Looking down onto the stage, you can once again see the Denver skyline way up in the center of the photo. I imagine it's an amazing sight at night when the city lights are visible off in the distance. Click to enlarge so you can see the city.

To complete our day, we ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday in Aurora. A fitting end to a wonderful sightseeing trip!

A Glorious Sunrise!

2011-02-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

This is the amazing sight we saw from our 5th wheel window this morning! That's one thing about living out on the prairie. The sunrises and sunsets seem more vivid and more visible. Praises to God for His handiwork!

I Found a Treasure!

2011-02-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

It's been so cold and snowy the last few days — we wanted to get out for awhile. I suggested we drive to Kiowa, a tiny town 30 miles south of us, and have lunch in one of the two restaurants we've seen there. We enjoyed Kiowa on previous trips. It's reached by partly paved and partly gravel roads which today had a light coating of snow and ice. In Kiowa all the streets have Indian names and it is an attractive town of perhaps 700-800 people, established in the 1800s as a stage stop. Here we are parked in front of the Kiowa Creek Cafe´,

I made my way back to the women's restroom and in there I was intrigued by this old fashioned style tin, six inches high, used as part of the western decor. Now, here is something I've never done before — I came out and asked the waitress if I could buy the old tin, since it had the Wilson name on it and some cute kitties. She said she'd check with the owner, and a couple of minutes later she presented me with the tin, saying they didn't need it and I could just have it! Wow! I was amazed! We finished up our very good hamburgers and fries, and gave the ladies a super big tip for their great service and for their gift to me. I probably won't put my yarn and thread in there, but will think of something useful for it. I definitely found a treasure in an unexpected place, in the ladies' restroom!

On our drive the road turned west for a few miles and we were treated to the usual prairie view of a long straight road with the Rockies in the distance, only this time everything is covered with snow. The tree lines around here always signify a usually dry-looking creek bed. We're told the water runs under the surface. I assume that sometime in the spring all these gullies start running with water above the ground as well. It would be a pretty sight to see when the trees turn green, but we'll be gone from Colorado too early to see that, I'm guessing.

A Curious Question

2011-02-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

I've been feeding the birds for a few weeks. We have sparrows, starlings and ring-necked doves who regularly wait for me to sprinkle seeds on the ground and on two picnic tables nearby. I have a question. The sparrows descend en mass to the seeds, peck once or twice, then ascend en mass back to the tree branches. They do this over and over and over! What signals the ascent? I know what signals the descent — the birdseed, but why do they fly up in a group? Sometimes there is one little sparrow who stays longer, till he notices the others have gone, then he joins them till they all fly back down again. Curious phenomenon!

A Scottish Bagpiper!

2011-01-31T08:39:00.000-07:00

As cold weather and snow threaten, we have RVers stop by the KOA for overnight shelter from the storm. Last night this man and his wife came in, driving their motor home, and since they were on their way to a Scottish Bagpipe performance, Mr. Campbell (a truly Scottish name) needed to practice. We lent him the meeting room, turned up the heat, and then left the inner doors open so we could listen. What a treat! He played many Scottish tunes, and played them wonderfully and skillfully. We never know what unusual experiences we might have, even on a cold wintry night. We treated the couple to a pizza in thanks for the performance!

Divine Appointments!

2011-01-28T13:28:00.004-07:00

Our faithful little Focus surely gets some hard use from us as we go adventuring around the country. On this day we set out early for Boulder, Colorado, planning to spend the day. We were innocently traveling down a country highway when we hit something that made a loud bang under our car. We immediately lost power and coasted to a stop in a wide spot by a little farm. As I spent time on the phone talking with someone from our Good Sam Emergency Road Service, 3 ladies came out of the house, helped Mr. Keith push the Focus a little further off the road, and then kept us company for the hour that we waited. One was 9 months pregnant, and we really enjoyed hearing about her life, her schooling, and her hopes for the future. We said we'd pray for her, for a safe delivery of her baby. We got hugs from her.

In due time the tow truck driver arrived. He put the Focus up a little on his truck and then began to look underneath the car and under the hood, trying different things to see if he could fix anything. We were amazed at his determination to save us some money! He was a gruff, biker type with skulls on his vest and across the back of his truck, but we talked about God and had a wonderful time with him! He did finally find a little switch that reset the fuel pump, and it worked! That's all there was to it! We were back on 4 wheels with our motor purring nicely, just like it was supposed to! We all hugged good-bye and the tow truck driver, John, followed us for several miles to make sure we were okay, then he left us as we headed on to Boulder for the short time we had left.

I am always amazed at how beautiful the Rockies look from out on the prairie. I wish I knew the name of this peak. There are many that reach the 14,000 foot mark. This was our view as we got nearer to Boulder.

Boulder deserves another visit from us, one that begins earlier in the day, as we had intended. We had time to find an Arby's, wolf down our food, and then go up into the hills a little way to see the view. My pictures are few and not good. This is a view of the University district from an overlook. All the buildings were red brick. The whole town was gorgeous, with the Rockies right there at the edge of the town. We will go back and I'll have some good photos to blog about.

One Humongous Pancake!

2011-01-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm posting these pictures of the critters we are feeding because I didn't get a picture of the amazing dining experience we had this morning for ourselves! I'll tell about that further down. I love this picture of the bunny and the sparrows eating together. They don't seem to mind each other and are sharing the birdseed with doves and starlings, too. I wish all critters, human, too, could share like that.

This cottonwood is right outside my bedroom window and computer desk. I'm able to sneakily photograph the birds eating the seed I put in the crook of the tree. These are sparrows, but the starlings also come, and once I saw a hairy woodpecker here.

One little squirrel likes this spot, too. I've put peanuts and apple cores out for him.

Now for our dining experience! Mr. Keith asked if we could go out for breakfast this morning. Since we're out on the Colorado prairie, restaurants are not too plentiful. We decided to go 5 miles east to Byers to see if they had a likely looking restaurant. They did, the only one in town. It was called the Country Burger. Entering, we saw groups of men in cowboy hats and boots or baseball caps with their ranching clothes. "Hmmm! This must be the place", we said to each other. Mr. Keith loves pancakes, so, even though the menu stated the pancake was really big, he ordered one anyway. When it came, our eyes popped out. The pancake was on a 12 inch pizza plate, and it was hanging over the edges, easily 14 inches across! We couldn't believe our eyes! I noticed the man in the booth next to us was laughing. He was a local who knew the pancake size and had specifically asked for a "small" one for himself. He showed us his, about 8 inches across. In addition, the meal included a large hashbrown and 2 big sausage patties. Well, Mr. Keith managed to eat 1/4 of the pancake. I didn't help him, as I had all I could handle with my french toast and bacon. The waitress got quite a kick out of our reaction. We told her we worked at the Strasburg KOA and we'd tell everyone about this restaurant. What an experience! We'll go back, but we won't order a pancake again without asking for a small one!

Denver's Four Mile House

2011-01-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

As promised, we did return to the Four Mile Historical Park, on a day it was open. The name comes from the fact that the house, built in 1859, is exactly 4 miles from downtown Denver, at the corner of Colfax and Broadway. This roadway is part of the original Cherokee Trail, which was the major north/south highway through Colorado in the first three decades of the 19th century. The House wasn't built as a stage stop or inn, but did serve in that capacity various times in its history. Settlers came to the Denver area in search of gold, which was plentiful in the foothills of the Rockies. Inside this fence reside several horses, used to pull the wagons and stagecoaches used for festivities at the park during the summer.

We were greeted by a friendly, but strange-looking goat named Betsy, who showed her teeth for a picture! She and her 2 cohorts had the freedom to roam the park grounds.

This is the House. It began as a log house, to the left, later covered with clapboard, then built onto with planed boards, to the right, and eventually with a brick addition. It has the distinction of being the oldest building in Denver. The inside and the outside have been restored beautifully, and furnished with many of the owners' original furniture and household items. The white picket fence encloses a garden.

A root cellar beside the House.

Here is a typical covered wagon used to cross the prairie. The Mennonite gentleman to the right was our tour guide, and a very knowledgeable one he was. We enjoyed his explanations and stories of old time life. I was surprised to see that the old wagons were so narrow, only 4 feet wide. Our guide said the people who owned the wagon mostly walked alongside and slept on the ground because there was no room inside the wagon! Our RV, with slides out, is 16 feet wide! We're living in a palace! We truly enjoyed visiting the Four Mile House. There is so much to see and learn in this part of our country, as well as in every place we've visited. We are grateful for the opportunity to live this lifestyle!

Goin' Fishin'

2011-01-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

We picked a good day to go to the Downtown Aquarium in Denver, since it was snowy and very cold and we didn't want to be outside. This edifice is huge, holding tons and tons of water and fishes. It was expensive to get in, even with the senior discount, but well worth the money and the time.

Most of our photos of the fish didn't turn out because the fish wouldn't hold still and pose while we clicked away! Some did, however, so we got a few good shots. I didn't have a pen and paper to write down the names, and my memory fails me.

This is one gorgeous guy! Or gal?

We were so amused by this critter, who was sticking to the glass wall of his enclosure so that we could see his underside. His real eyes are on the top of him, but whatever this is, it sure looks like a cute little face!

Can you spot Nemo in this photo? I saw the movie with Nemo the clown fish living inside the anemone. It was fun to see the real thing!

(Click to enlarge.)

Believe it or not, there was a tiger at the Aquarium! He wouldn't hold still, either, but Keith did get a pretty good photo of part of him.

We ate at a lovely restaurant inside the Aquarium. The entire place was lined with huge tanks full of fish so that we could watch them while we dined. This photo isn't the greatest but you can see that our table was right up against the glass where we could see lots of big fish swimming by. We didn't have the heart to order fish to eat while we watched live ones, so I had chicken and bacon on a croissant, and Mr. Keith had a Reuben sandwich. Yum!

A Tuesday Drive

2011-01-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

I am amazed by the huge numbers of Canada Geese that reside in and near Denver. There are fields of them out in the country, and in the city they find every pond and sports field and park to gather in. This is a typical 'convention' of geese. Maybe they're having church!

We intended to tour the "Four Mile Historic Park" in Denver, but it was closed. We could only take pictures through the fence. The building in the picture is the oldest standing structure in Denver, built in 1859. I can't wait to go back on a day it's open! There is even a small barnyard with farm critters to pet.

We're always driving past intriguing buildings. These twins caught our interest. I think they are office buildings.

No, this is not the sun setting! It's the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of the Assumption, very magnificent — another fascinating Denver structure.

For my daughter Jessi...

As we drove once again through the old Lowry Air Force Base we saw the Jackie Robinson Field. There are several baseball diamonds there. This one, we noticed as we passed around the other side of the building, was jammed up with more Canada Geese. Maybe they were waiting to hear, "Play ball!"

(Click on photos to enlarge.)

Rocky Mountain High!

2011-01-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

We left home early one cold morning and headed across Denver, trying to beat the worst of the freeway traffic. We'd been told that Winter Park, a famous ski area, was worth seeing, so we made that the farthest point in our day, hoping to see some interesting little towns on the way. There isn't much snow in the foothills directly above Denver, but up high at the 10,000-12,000 foot elevations we found all we could wish for. The ski area was jam-packed with happy skiers, and was very beautiful.

Here's a sign I have not seen before — Moose Crossing! We were not so lucky to see the real thing, however.

Several little old mining towns in the foothills proved very picturesque. This one, Empire, boasts of the "Original Hard Rock Cafe´". It said so on our map, too, so we believed it. We did not go inside, since we'd just eaten breakfast at a McDonalds. If we'd only known! Driving through parts of the Rockies, I now understand the term "hard rock"! I used to think it had something to do with rock music. Not so!

In the town of Idaho Springs we found a completely frozen waterfall and an old wheel with a sign that said, "Charlie Tayler used this waterwheel to power a stamp mill at his gold mining operations on Ute Creek. Tayler, who attributed his good health to the fact that he never kissed women or took baths, built the waterwheel in 1893. It was moved to its present site in 1946, a gift to the people of Idaho Springs by his estate." We had to hike a trail under the highway to see this amazing sight up close.

This huge building was another intriguing sight in Idaho Springs. "In 1893 construction of the Argo Tunnel began. It would be 17 years before it would reach Central City, over 4.5 miles away. The tunnel would provide water drainage, ventilation and economical transportation of the gold bearing ore from the many mines it would intersect along the way. The Argo Mill was constructed to process the gold bearing ore from these mines. When completed, the Argo would be the largest mill of its type in the world. The mill processed over 100 million dollars of gold ore at the old time prices of $18 to $35 per ounce and stands today as a memorial to the hard rock miners of the day when gold was king!"

Our main destination for the day was the quaint Victorian village of Georgetown, begun in 1859 as a mining town. The first thing we saw was this large, completely frozen lake, with cars driving around on it! Up close we read a sign saying that permits were necessary to drive on the lake, and there were orange cones set up on the ice, maybe to mark the safest spots. I don't think I'd want to try it anyway!

There are many very old buildings in Georgetown. This was the original school, built in 1874. It looked as though it was still in use.

As we shopped for birthday gifts for our daughter, we asked the sales clerk if she would recommend a good place to eat lunch. She sent us to this restaurant where we did find wonderful food and a good atmosphere. We were amused by the sign!

Many of the very old storefronts in the town have been carefully restored and kept up, but this one seemed to be deliberately left to rack and ruin on the outside, but was a lovely souvenir shop on the inside. I loved the ghost town effect! I've found, in our travels, that the towns I seem to like the best resemble this one, all old mining towns. Among my favorites are Deadwood and Lead in South Dakota, Silver City New Mexico, Wallace Idaho and Phillipsburg in Montana. Now I can add Georgetown, Colorado to the list! May we find and explore many more!

Winter at a Colorado KOA!

2010-12-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

I noticed a strange purple light out my bedroom window a couple of days ago, so had to get up to see this gorgeous sunrise. The entire area was bathed in this lovely purple. It was portending the coming storm, predictions of our first real snow and single digit temps. Notice the motorhome on the left. (Click to enlarge photo.) I took this from inside my trailer.

Two days later, the storm had arrived, along with the low, low temps. There's that motorhome again. I believe they are leaving for Texas in a couple of days. Can't blame them! Our row will be empty except for us on one end and the other workamper on the other end, visible way down there in the center of the photo. We do still have several monthlies here, also.

The store and registration building, the typical KOA 'A' frame — Keith is out front shoveling the walks. He's very good at that, since we haven't yet learned to head south in the winter!

Here is our cozy home, skirts on and ready for snow and wind. Our park is across the road from the huge Strasburg grain elevators, towers so familiar in this part of Colorado. We are also right next to the famous railroad where the last spike, at Comanche Crossing, joined the rails from New York to San Francisco. (See my post from October 15) I like the rushing sound of the train and its warning whistle as it zooms through town several times a day, carrying sometimes coal and other times who knows what. To me, it's a friendly sound.

The Garden of the Gods

2010-12-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

The weather was great, warm and sunny, so we set out for Colorado Springs, about 90 miles away, using the back roads, some gravel, to avoid the freeway. This is the view of Pikes Peak from a few miles south of Strasburg. We kept wondering why there wasn't much snow up there, when we could see heavy snow on other peaks near Denver.

The map program on the iPad has been such a life-saver for us as we traverse the backroads and the cities. We'd have been lost many times over without it! We looked up a Mac store in Colorado Springs, found it using the iPad, and purchased a car charger for our handy little tool. We already had a car charger for our Verizon MiFi card. We are so spoiled to have internet wherever we are!

The main purpose of our trip was to visit The Garden of the Gods. We found it easily, up against the foothills of the Rockies. My pictures don't do it justice. What an awesome place! I would call it The Garden of God! We were met by a retired gentleman, a volunteer, who walked with us halfway through the garden, explaining the formation of the Rockies and how this particular area was formed. I can't remember most of it, and wasn't sure I believed some of it, since there was no one around but God when these wonders came to be.

These formations all have names. We didn't get a brochure to help us remember them, however. This is a partial view of the biggest one.

This tall tower was home to many pigeons. We heard the loud cooing and could tell that the birds used the crevices for their nests. You can see a flock above the left spike. We looked for faces in the rocks, and found many. I saw a family of 3 in this formation. Can you see it?

Rock climbing is a popular sport in the Garden. We saw several climbers. Here is one making his way up the right side of the spike.

We did learn why there wasn't snow on top of Pikes Peak. The Colorado Springs area is very dry, with only about 60 inches of precipitation a year! I hadn't realized that, even though up in the Denver area we've had hardly any rain or snow, either. At least there the Rockies do have a good coating of snow. I learned that Katherine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" as she gazed out from the top of Pikes Peak, which is the most easterly of the 14,000 foot high mountains. It is the most easily visible from any point east, making it a famous landmark of the Rockies for the pioneers coming west across the plains. There is a toll road going to the top, as well as a cog railway that runs year-around. There are even gift shops and other buildings on the very top! We'll save that trip for another day! This photo is the view from the Garden.

I said there were many faces in the rocks. This one is our favorite. Is it a mummy, or what?

I do remember the name of this rock, the one to the left. It is 'Balanced Rock'. It seems to be resting on only a very small portion of its bottom. It's scary that the road goes right beneath it. Guess it's been that way for millenniums, though.

Here is the Trading Post, a building originally constructed in the 1920s for trade with the Indians in the area. It's been greatly expanded and improved, while retaining the original adobe, southwest look. You can see Pikes Peak again, from the parking lot. We loved the gift shop, filled with beautiful and unusual items, but even more we loved the cafe´ where I ordered my favorite buffalo burger and Keith had chili fries. One more point of interest about The Garden — we saw a large metal plaque on the side of one of the spires that said,

"The Garden of the Gods
given to
the city of Colorado Springs
in 1909
by the children
of
Charles Elliott Perkins
in fulfillment of his wish
that it be kept forever
free to the public."

It is indeed free to enter and explore the park. The city has constructed beautiful parking lots, pathways and fences (and restrooms!) throughout, to protect the beauty of the place, but it remains free to the public! Our trip there was one of the highlights of our time in Colorado. More to come!

A Museum Day

2010-12-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, since it was a beautiful day, we decided to drive into Denver and visit the Museum of Nature and Science. This amazing skeleton greeted us as we entered the building. It was a day for school kids, too, as the place was swarming with them.

(Click to enlarge any of these photos.)

Neither of us are enthusiastic museum-goers, but we both were very impressed with the displays. There was so much to see that we only got to a small portion of it. The nature displays were awesome! There were animals and birds from all over the world, all very life-like. What amazed me was seeing the real plants, grasses, flowers, and trees in the foreground, all preserved somehow, and in the background paintings so skillfully done that we could hardly tell where the real left off and the painting began. This display was in the Botswana, Africa section.

Again, isn't the background beautiful? Here is the American Bald Eagle. Each display was enclosed in glass. I was able to take these pictures without using my flash.

There was an American Indian collection of displays, too. Here is Keith checking out a 'hogan' from the Ute tribe. The Utes inhabited most of Utah and Colorado.

The Museum is located in the huge City Park in downtown Denver. Also on the property is the Denver Zoo, a large golf course, 2 lakes, and miles of walking and biking trails. We discovered that up on the 4th floor of the museum there was an open observation deck, which overlooked the lakes and the skyline of Denver with the gorgeous Rocky Mountains framing the city. We spent some time up there admiring the beauty and taking these photos.

Here is my favorite shot! The Park was inhabited by thousands, and I mean thousands, of Canada Geese! They were everywhere, flying in groups, honking, landing on the lakes and all around the trails and lawns. We were told they stay all winter. They know they are safe in the Park.

Leaving the City Park we drove around the downtown. The State Capitol has beautiful grounds, but is dwarfed by the tall, more modern buildings all around it. At one time it must have been the most imposing edifice in the city. We plan to go inside, maybe on another trip.

Here is the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. This is an awesome structure, the largest Catholic Church in Colorado, also right in the middle of the downtown. I would love to go inside. Notice the 'One Way' sign seeming to point to the church! As with the Capitol, one cannot get a good photo of the entire church because of the huge buildings and many signs and traffic around it. I photographed it by sections.

Heading for home we drove back through the City Park to get a closer look at a building we'd seen from the observation deck. We passed by these barren trees and had to get a photo of them. They are filled with nests of some kind which are probably hidden from view when the leaves are on the trees. I wonder if they will be used in the spring? It must be a bird condominium! We returned home to Strasburg very satisfied with today's excursion into the big city. What will we find there next? I'll be sure to blog about it!

Where, oh where, has my little dog gone?

2010-12-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Adventure! Our next-door RV neighbor pulled out of his space this morning, not realizing one of his weiner dogs had gotten out of the truck while he wasn't looking. I peeped out the window to watch him going and saw the little dog trying to follow. I went out, grabbed the doggie, and waved frantically to no avail. The trailer turned the corner onto the main road where he couldn't see us. Keith and I jumped in the car without coats or drivers' license, me holding a trembling, bewildered dachshund, who was looking at me very suspiciously, and raced down the road in hot pursuit. We went several miles before we could get close enough to the 5th wheel to begin flashing our lights. The driver did see us, finally, and pulled his RV over. He was so surprised and happy to see his little friend, who he hadn't yet noticed was missing. Happy ending!

Christmas in Strasburg

2010-12-05T13:07:00.002-07:00

Every year the people of Strasburg Colorado get together and put on a community Christmas celebration. The do this without a mayor or a city council, just a lot of co-operation amongst the townsfolk and business owners. Last night we experienced this communal effort. The KOA was thoroughly involved — notice the 3 happy Santas, some of the crew here. We have Keith, all around worker, and Brittney and David, pizza makers. We were preparing for the hayride wagon to come through loaded with Christmas celebrants and potential shoppers and pizza eaters!

Keith and David made this roaring fire and put the tables and chairs around for movie watching for any of the hayride people who were interested in staying awhile. There were 2 wagons which made round trips several times during the evening.

The sun has set, and we are waiting for the folks who will sit around our fire. They'll need to cozy up to the flames, because it is cold!

Here's a load, waiting to leave the campground. Keith and I were talked into riding into town during our shift, by our boss, so we wouldn't miss the celebration and the decorations.

And a Merry Christmas to all from these 2 Santas, sitting on a haybale in the back of the crowded wagon! What fun!

What a Sky!

2010-11-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

We were returning home to Strasburg after a ride awhile ago and were treated to this beautiful sunset. I focused on the water tower in town to put it to scale. Isn't this gorgeous? As I zoomed in with my iPhoto program the yellow part of the sky began to look like a huge lake, complete with islands. There are dark lands beyond, between the golden lake and the blue sky. Amazing! It sparks one's imagination!

KOA Scenes

2010-11-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

I've taken a variety of quick photos around the KOA kampground, (it's Kamping, not Camping!) so thought I'd put up a few of them here. This is Jeff, the owner, putting a new roof on the hot tub enclosure. He is a talented jack-of-all-trades, very necessary skills for a campground owner.

Every RV park should have its own kitty! Callie, a mostly outside cat, favors the bench by the office door when she's not wandering through the kampground, but she readily comes into the office and store when the weather gets cold and snowy. Isn't she pretty?

Here is a great shot of David, one of our pizza makers, and a workamper here. He's had years in the pizza business so is a valuable asset to our KOA, where we make, sell and deliver pizzas to the kampers and the townsfolk. He's got one pizza half finished on the table and 2 coming out of the oven. Yum! It's delicious pizza. I've been known to make a few myself if orders come in before Dave or the girls get there!

Ordinarily I work in the office, but here I pitched in to help Keith haul a big load of leaves. We were thinking the leaves might blow out while we were on our way to the burn pile, so I plopped myself down on top of them!

It was a fun, though somewhat bumpy, ride out back. We are almost finished raking and hauling leaves. The trees are bare now.

One more KOA photo, taken this morning after a fresh snowfall — pretty sunrise!

Lowry Air Force Base

2010-11-17T15:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we set out to Aurora to see if Keith's computer was repaired yet. It wasn't, so to make the trip fruitful we decided just to drive around in Denver and see what we could see, not expecting the treat we found. Nestled right in the big city is the old Lowry Air Force Base, closed since 1994. Most of the buildings have been converted into housing, colleges, schools, and some into stores and restaurants. Two huge hangars are still there, one housing the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. This big airplane is part of the museum exhibit. We didn't go inside, just admired the immensity of the whole complex. (Click on my title at the top to read the Wikipedia account of the Base.)

Here is the Eisenhower Memorial Chapel, still cared for in the town center. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The headquarters buildings covered a lot of ground. These enormous barracks along with the headquarters in the center are now converted into apartments. Very ritzy-ditzy!

Looking down the main street towards the former headquarters buildings we saw many unique little stores, businesses and eating places.

And, the best gift of all — we decided to eat here at the Pei Wei (Pee Wee?) Asian Diner. It was packed with the lunch crowd. We got into a brief conversation with a uniformed Air Force officer while we were reading the menu board. He went ahead of us, in our indecision about what to have, and as we ordered and then headed towards the doors thinking we would sit at the outside tables, we started to walk past the officer's table. To our surprise, he invited us to sit with him! We did, and had a fascinating and stimulating talk with him as we ate our Pad Thai and egg rolls. He was a reserve officer doing some duty with the last vestiges of the Lowry base, and told us he was a lawyer in Washington, D.C. the rest of the year. It was such an unexpected treat to be invited to eat with a perfect stranger in a crowded diner, and find the talk so engaging. We returned home feeling our trip to downtown was most rewarding!

A Trip to Kiowa

2010-11-02T17:15:00.000-06:00

What beautiful, sunny October-November days we've been having! The photo above is what we see looking west from the Strasburg area. The Rockies are stunning even from this distance!

Our day off yielded a trip to Kiowa, a small town south of us reached by a long partly paved, partly gravel road. The residents of Kiowa get to daily look at this view of Pikes Peak.

The main street of Kiowa is about this long! We were intrigued by the taller building in the center of the photo, a 'biker bar'. It was a bright turquoise color, which doesn't show up too well in the picture — it seems to blend in with the sky.

On the way home by yet another dirt and gravel road I spotted a 'photo opportunity'. The barn is made from sod or stucco of some kind, and the windmill, typical of the high plains ranches, adds to the scene, along with the contented cows. (Click to enlarge.)

Random Colorado Photos

2010-10-29T10:01:00.004-06:00

After some business in Aurora at the Verizon Store and the Apple Store, we set out for a drive west of Denver to Golden. We took some detours here and there. This was a stunning rock formation somewhere west of Littleton. The sun was in the wrong place for a clear picture of these beautiful red rocks.

As the sign says, "Welcome to Golden". Since it was late in the afternoon, we cut our sightseeing short and only stopped at the local Burger King. Golden is the home of the Colorado School of Mines, as well as the site of a Coors Brewery. Those seemed to be the main businesses.

We had to drive to this "town" many miles east of Strasburg, because Keith's middle name is Woodrow, a name we use frequently to tease. Here it is, out on the high plains. It contained 2 houses, a church, and a building that combined the post office, a coffee shop and a general store. That was it!

This is the outskirts of the town and the typical scenery of just about anywhere east of Denver, on the high plains. We think we've about had our fill of this eastern panorama and will concentrate on going west towards the Rockies from now on!

Nice sign!

And the many-functional General Store, Coffee Shop and Post Office of Woodrow, Colorado.

The City of Denver

2010-10-22T11:01:00.000-06:00

We made a trip into Denver to pick up Keith's repaired laptop and decided to tour the busy canyons of the downtown. The buildings are huge and tall! Here is one I snapped from my car window. I don't know the name of this building. I would have loved to get good pictures of some of the more impressive edifices, but they are so close together and so tall that they wouldn't fit into my camera lens.

We found our way to Riverfront Park where we walked the paths for a short distance. I love this photo of the city with the ornamental grass in the foreground.

And for my daughter Jessi, the baseball fan, the Coors Field! Again, it was so huge we couldn't get the whole thing in pictures.

Driving under an overpass on our way to the park we saw these gorgeous paintings on the wall, protected by the bridge above. There were 7 or 8 faces there, all beautifully done, as well as wolf, deer, and fox faces, each one 5 or 6 feet tall. I love the way they've painted the city skyline in the sunglasses. (Click to enlarge.)

This is the famous Platte River, which runs through Denver, the same river followed by the Oregon Trail pioneers on their way through Nebraska. There are several foot bridges throughout the park crossing the river, so it's easy to walk the entire trail on both sides.

As we drove towards home we took residential streets to avoid the mainstream traffic. This is 6th Avenue, a long street filled with gorgeous stone and brick homes, beautiful plantings, and, as you can see, lovely fall colors.

And, as we exited the city and headed back out on the plains, we could see Strasburg far off in the distance. This is pretty much what it looks like east of Denver, for miles and miles, clear to the Kansas border and beyond. The land is mostly flat, rolling gently in some areas, and was planted with wheat, corn, and sunflowers, which have been harvested. That's all we've seen so far. Spring might tell a different story!

Comanche Crossing

2010-10-15T13:25:00.000-06:00

Strasburg Colorado's claim to fame is featured in a local museum and display of the old railroad station and other early buildings and artifacts. This somewhat weather-worn sign is near the actual location of the final rail connecting the east coast and the west coast. By clicking on my title, you will be directed to the website for the Comanche Crossing Museum, where I copied the text below. Comanche Crossing, a sometimes dry and sometimes raging creek, was the original name for the area.

"On August 15, 1870, the last 10¼ miles of track were laid by two crews, one working from the east and one from the west in a record-breaking nine hours. Fifteen months earlier, the golden spike ceremony had been held in Utah, to note the joining by rail of the eastern United States with the west. But the tracks joined at Promontory Summit connected only Omaha and Sacramento in a continuous chain. With the completion of the rails at Strasburg it became possible, at last, to board a train in New York and travel all the way to San Francisco by rail."

Here I am standing by the original old train depot and an old caboose.

Another view. This location is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Keith had to get up on this old Case tractor!

That's me inside the whatchamacallit, the little car that goes by a hand pump along the rails. Anyone know what that's called?

And last, my favorite picture, not at the museum — it's an old abandoned railroad car alongside the tracks right outside our KOA. I like the lonesome prairie scene.

(You may click on any of these photos to enlarge them.)

The Denver Zoo

2010-10-14T16:27:00.000-06:00

Other than a few short drives on the country roads surrounding our new location, Strasburg, our trip to the Denver Zoo was our first big excursion west to the big city. It was well worth the distance and the traffic! The Zoo is very large and well thought out. Each group of animals have ample enclosures. I've put up just a few of our favorite pictures, first the giraffe. Keith queried several zoo-goers with this question, "Why is the giraffe's neck so long? Because his head is so high!"

These zebras are beautiful, standing in the shade on a warm day.

A popular attraction, the elephant! Our only mistake on this trip was coming on the Denver Zoo's "free day". It felt like there were a million people there, and we couldn't see the critters without stepping on the humans! Next time we'll go on a "pay day"!

I forget what kind of penguin this is. He posed nicely.

We were anxious to see the grizzlies after our great experience with Tank and Cherokee at Bear Country USA. These 2 didn't have names posted, but they did the same 'grizzly' things we were used to seeing. Bears everywhere seem to love the water!

Heading back east after our time at the Zoo we were surprised to see this large prairie dog colony right in the city, in a vacant lot! There was even a sign up telling people not to drive or park in the lot, or dump garbage there. We had the feeling the neighborhood was quite protective of their furry little residents!

Fort Collins to Strasburg

2010-10-06T11:35:00.000-06:00

Choosing to stay 2 nights at the Fort Collins/Wellington KOA, we needed to find something to do during the day. Locals said the Poudre (pronounced Pooder) Canyon drive was beautiful so we decided to do that. It truly was beautiful. Here is our little car going through a tunnel and, in the photo below, coming back the other way, just for fun.

The Poudre River is gentle, clear, and inviting on a warm day. We passed several spots where people were fishing, or just lazing away on the rocks.

My favorite photo, wildflowers overlooking the river. This looks like a good place to jump in!

We were told the colors up the canyon would be pretty. It's been hot here in this part of Colorado, so the the leaves weren't as brilliant as we hoped. Still lovely, though. I'm taking a photo of the cliffside here.

Heading out of the canyon we were surprised to see this fence line made up completely of old skis!

Finally, we've reached our destination! Here we are at the Denver East/Strasburg KOA, in place for the next 6 months. Weather is warm and sunny for now. We'll be experiencing some snow and cold soon, but we know how to hunker down for that. I'll be getting more photos as we make our way into Denver to see the sights there.

Lyman to Rawlins, Wyoming

2010-09-29T09:34:00.000-06:00

We camped at the Lyman KOA on September 26, after another 300 mile day of travel. As we approached the small town we saw these windmills on the horizon. There are hundreds of them on the high plains of southern Wyoming. They always look so friendly to me, a strange reaction, I'm sure!

Rawlins, where we stayed at another KOA the night of the 27th, is a quaint, old town. This bed and breakfast was the most striking building besides the prison

The Old Wyoming State Penitentiary is the landmark of the town. The "Old Pen", as they call it, was constructed in 1901 and served till 1981, and sent a message that Wyoming would no longer be a haven for the lawless. The last known train robber was imprisoned here, as well as many other notorious western outlaws. A new penitentiary has been built outside of town.

We took the hour-long tour. I must say it was fascinating and at the same time very gruesome and depressing to see how the prisoners were housed. These cells are dark and tiny.

You wouldn't catch me in there, but Keith wanted to sit in the gas chamber, always the actor! 14 prisoners were executed at the "Old Pen" in its 80 year history, several by a tortuous and sometimes ineffective hanging system, and later by lethal gas. Keith was reprieved by the governor in the nick of time! So...on to happier times and the next leg of our journey.

Missoula to Rexburg

2010-09-28T21:16:00.000-06:00

It was with some sadness that we left Missoula on September 24, but also great excitement for the next adventure. You can barely see the "M" on the hill above the city, the white speck just to the right of the 5th wheel. We've loved our time in Missoula.

We drove 300 miles to our first stop in Rexburg Idaho to visit Keith's uncle and aunt. I couldn't resist this picture behind our RV park, an old truck in a wooded area.

We were treated to a whole day of reminiscing for Keith. He spent his high school years in Rexburg, 1955-1957, living with an older uncle where he did ranch work besides his schooling. In this photo we see Keith in the center, his youngest uncle and his aunt on the right, and a cousin and her husband on the left. Keith had not seen these relatives for about 50 years.

We took a drive up into some buttes west of Rexburg and were surprised to find an elk farm. These elk were standing in the sprinklers, seeming to enjoy themselves keeping cool! In the background you can barely see the Tetons from the west side. This part of Idaho is much like eastern Washington with miles and miles of scab land and sagebrush. Here, though, there is no volcano in evidence that might have caused all the lava everywhere.

Rexburg is a thoroughly Mormon town with its own temple and a 4 year university named BYU Rexburg. The regular population is about 15,000, and swells to 30,000 when the students are in residence. The town holds blocks and blocks of dormitories for the students.

And last but not least, here is Keith in front of his old high school where he was student body president in his senior year. The school is now a middle school but is slated to be torn down after this school year. New buildings have been constructed west of town. It was good timing for him to be able to see it one last time.

Black Bear!

2010-09-15T12:12:00.000-06:00

We spend a lot of time on our drives looking for deer and other critters. We've never seen a black bear out in the wild, however. Imagine our surprise, as we were driving back to Missoula the other day, to see a bear running across a cultivated field right by the freeway, I-90! He (or she) was trying to find a way through the barbed wire fence, which would have put him right up on the freeway.

Here he is, going up the bank of an irrigation canal which runs under the road. He jumped in, and we expected to see him come out on the other side.

The way must have been blocked, because he surfaced where he'd gone in, and he climbed back out. The last we saw, he'd run back across the field toward the little town you can see in the first photo. Hopefully the residents there will treat him kindly until he finds his way back to the forest.

A deer! A deer!

2010-09-04T12:05:00.000-06:00

We've enjoyed the abundant deer in the Missoula valley, both out in the wild and in the residential areas. They seem to have no fear! This one was up the Petty Creek Road, the type of narrow, gravel road we seem to be attracted to explore.

A beautiful canyon right north of the freeway called the Rattlesnake is home to many deer, and also home to a large neighborhood of people. The deer like to camp out in yards and again, have no fear of passing motorists. This photo shows a deer right in a front yard, looking at us with unconcern. We saw several fawns out with their mothers, too.

This lady had just exited someone's back yard across the street. She didn't mind our curiosity. Most of the residents enjoy having wildlife in their yards. Many have protected their desired plantings, but seem to give the deer free reign otherwise.