Visiting Family & Friends

For the last two months I have spent most of my time visiting family and friends in Colorado, North Dakota and Pennsylvania rather than blogging.  (That will certainly tell you where my priorities lie,
won't it?)  I am posting this from York, Pennsylvania, the home of Suzanne, James and Audrey (4),
where I will be a few more days.  Then it is home to Silverton for a couple of months of snow shoveling (I hope), visits by the fire with friends, and time to reflect on my wonderful visits.

There have been some great adventures as well as visits.  How many of you have enjoyed driving across Wyoming on the back roads, where not even the buffalo roam anymore---just a few sheep, the occasional cow, and a few oil rigs pierce the great, open sky with their derricks.  Who has been to the Snyders of Hanover pretzel factory where 250,000 pounds of wheat are turned into pretzels of every conceivable size and shape each day?  Have you driven through the beautiful farm country of SW Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Amish land) where green fields roll away to the rivers and streams, often being cultivated by a team of six horses?  Or, had the great good fortune to attend a symphony
concert with your five-year-old grandson who hopes to play the tuba one day? (Think Denver
Sympony with Finn after a 70th birthday dinner with his family---James Bond music!)

Then there was the day I spent at Gettyburg, reliving the battle at the wonderful new museum
where I learned that by 1850 the United States enslaved more people than any other country in the world.  Somehow this stunned me...or the day I went along on a cattle moving trip in ND in a four-wheeler!  Picture me wrapped in a large fleece blanket (yep---Trav---it was the one that went to
Virginia with you!), seat-belted into the four-wheeler with Dean Helling, rocketing along through a
dry cornfield after black angus cattle that had other ideas about where they wanted to go!

Roosevelt Park Wildlife

While visiting my sister-in-law,Corinne, in Medora, which is the gateway town to Roosevelt Nat'l Park, she took me on a lovely afternoon drive through the park with the hopes we would see some of the wildlife that live in the park.

Lucky us!  We saw:

Beautiful, haughty white-tail buck

Prong-horn Antelope

The silly and fun-to-watch but destructive
North Dakota Flicker or prairie dog...

...but my favorite are always the American Bison.  The great shaggy beasts always represent what used to be on our grand prairies; Lewis and Clark heard them thundering across the land when they were still miles away; the American Indian sustained their lives with nearly every part of these pre-historic-looking creatures.

A great bull, watching over his herd and keeping his eye on us.

The bull's young-looking herd.

Bison spread out over the sunny hillside.

The backdrop for all this wildlife was the North Dakota Badlands, beautiful to me in all kinds of weather, with or without the animals.  It looks like this:

Thanks Corinne---it was a great afternoon!

Driving to North Dakota

Because my birthday this year caused me to ring the 70 year bell, I decided it deserved a little jaunt to celebrate!  The first phase of the celebration took place in Poncha Springs/Salida where I met my adopted twin, Pete Varne and his wife Tish, joined by my good friend from Pocha Springs, Karen Timbrell, and Varney's friend from Salida, Ed Berg.

We started our evening at Vino Salida, a small local winery which is developing more new wines

The Vino Salida Building---Makes Its Own Statement!

each year.  It shares a delightful and funky looking Butler building with an auto parts store! After tasting a number of wines, we purchased some and headed for dinner at the Twisted Cork, where Pete shared one of Vino Salida wines.

70th birthday desserts at the Twisted Cork
 

The gap to St. Elmo

 

   
                                          Karen and her dog, Gizmo, in front of the St. Elmo Store,
                                             which is actually open in the summer.

                                             Penny & Gizmo in front of a B&B

                                               Useful signs on the Main Street!


 On Saturday Karen took me to St. Elmo, which is up a secret canyon in the range of mountains west of Highway 50 en route from Poncha Springs to Fairplay.  I had always wondered what was through "the gap" between the mountains! We drove on a narrow trail through the trees and back through the gap and there we found the remains of the 1880s mining town of St. Elmo!


There are some wonderful log homes remaining:

                                                          This one looks quite liveable.

                                                                  
                                                Note its great dove-tail-style log joints!

                                               Another well-maintained 1880s home

                                                   I liked this view...

Today I left Pocha Springs to drive up through northern Colorado's mountains and across Wyoming to North Dakota.  What an interesting drive!

                                                     Unusual clouds...

                                          Dozens of coal trains, nearly 2 miles long

Central Wyoming seems to be a beehive of energy development.  I saw dozens of coal trains,
nearly two miles long, headed to ???? from great open pit mines.  Countless oil rigs developing new wells, tankers hauling oil in all directions.  Meanwhile the antelope, sheep, horses and cattle continue to munch around all the well equipment!

The two good things I saw before I got to Gillette?

                                           Bill, Wyoming is alive and well!  This is the
                                           entire town, by the way!

                                            There is a great deal of development and they
                                             seem to name their restaurants wisely!!!

Over and out....

Visiting the Chapmans

While Lee and I were wandering about in Iowa we visited our long-time friends, Karen and George Chapman who now live in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.  They formerly lived in Silverton and were family friends for many years so it seemed like old home week to me to visit them in their new home.

Their new home is really a lovely old mansion, built in the 1800s.  It is so large it has two staircases
to the upper floor---one for VIPs and the other for the rest of us!

This is the front of the house.  In the tower at the top they have a Christmas tree each year.
What an amazing place it is and they seem to be enjoying Iowa a great deal.

George took me to the Old Thresher's Museum where they have what seemed like every known
steam engine-tractor-device as well as complete sets of Farmall and John Deere tractors plus
all sorts of other agricultural relics.  I plan to return for the Labor Day Steam Engine event
when they haul the steam machines out and fire them up.  What fun!!!

Chapman's took us on a tour of the area and to dinner at Bonapart's Retreat, a charming country
inn where I had the best pork chop ever!  Thanks again, Karen and George!

I managed to forget to take any pictures of our friends so I'll close with this nosy little Iowa squirrel!

Touring the East Coast of Iowa

A few days ago I flew to Des Moines, Iowa to meet my friend Lee, who is from Tucson.  We rented a car and began our tour of what she calls "The East Coast of Iowa", a/k/a the
Mississippi River Valley.

Our first order of business was to tour the Covered Bridges of Madison County.
Do you recall the movie with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood or perhaps you
read the charming little book.  The bridges (six of them) were built between
1870 and 1884.  Several have been moved; all have been restored to a certain
extent.  All were in the beautiful eastern Iowa countryside surrounded by acres of
cornfields, small streams, and well-tended farms with great tall silos.

Imes Bridge 1870

Cedar, 1883

Our next adventure was to travel across the center of the state where our adventures began to Cedar Rapids where we went to see the Brucemoor Mansion and Grounds, a
large country estate from the early 20th Century.  It is on the National
Historic Register so imagine our surprise to find a display of large photographs of other buildings which are on the Register and right there on the top was the Town Hall of Silverton, Colorado!
(Doesn't seem quite right that I should have had to travel all the way to central
Iowa to learn that my own City Hall is included!)

Maple Tree on the Ground

Brucemoor Mansion, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Today we happily got to the river valley.  Even though the Mississppi is very low in water due to the extensive drought of her contributing geographical areas, the first glimpse of the river valley was stunning!

The fall leaves on the trees were also stunning....

...as we drove the Great River Road north to the border of Iowa.  The road wound up and down the bluffs along the river through an area that was spared the great scouring of the Ice Age.  As a result the topography was interesting with lots of hills and valleys.  Every now and then there would be a glimpse of the river and a set of locks, which are numerous.

Lock #15 and Dam

Next destination was the Effigy Mounds National Monument, which contains several hundred founds which date back up to 2500 years ago.  It is believed they were used as burial mounds for early native tribes as well as for ceremonial use.  We enjoyed a two-hour hike up the bluffs and through the forests to see a large bear-shaped mound which was 137 feet by 70 feet.  From the top of the bluffs the river views were marvelous...

Trail Up the Bluff

Lee Enjoying the View Along the Trail

River View from the Bluff

Penny and the Great River

Tonight we are on the Wisconsin side of the river, staying in a lovely country inn.  Tomorrow we plan to seek out several Lands End outlet stores in the area and then we'll return to the river valley and work our way south.  Our ultimate destination is Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, where we
will visit our good friends, Karen and George Chapman, before returning to Silverton and Tucson.

I love the colorful trees with all the reds...

Goodnight!

Traveling Home to Silverton

During the past week I enjoyed a whirlwind trip from Silverton to Boulder to Centennial (where Maggie, Travis and Finn live) to the Vail Valley to the Rifle Gap and Falls to Grand Junction to Delta (where I purchased apples to can pie filling---come see me!) to Montrose to Silverton!
Fall colors were abundant followed by the first snow.  I had such fun taking pictures so
please enjoy!



This was the first hint of fall in Silverton---frozen dewdrops on the clothesline!

                                          Next sign of fall?  My neighbors woodpile!

                                          Rifle Falls---quite spectacular!

                                          Underneath the falls, looking out....

                                           Looking through the Rifle Gap toward the Colorado River                        

                                          Red Mt. in its colorful glory...

                                           Red Mts. #1, 2, 3

                                            A rainbow in the distance...

                                           New snow today as I came home from Ouray.

                                           It was so utterly beautiful...

                                           You can see why I love living here...

Fall is truly here.  Colored leaves, chilly mornings, new snow on the peaks...a feast
for the eyes for sure.  Signing off for now.........

Opera in Santa Fe

For the past two opera seasons, the Metropolitan Opera Compamny in New York has broadcast their season's repertoire of operas in real time to selected movie theatres around the country, including the theatre complex in Durango.  My friend Becky has become an opera fan so this summer I had the inspiration that it was time for her to see live opera.

We are fortunate to be in reach of Opera Santa Fe, an amazing company who draws talent from around the planet and has a beautiful outdoor theatre seating 2,128 people.  So, tickets were purchased, hotel reservations made, and off we went.

The drive to Santa Fe is beautiful, through the Abique Canyon where Georgia O'Keefe had her Ghost Ranch, as well as through parts of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  We enjoyed New Mexico's new Folkart Museum that is part of Museums on the Hill, a complex of several marvelous museums as well as part of a day on the Plaza, the original center of the city dating to Spanish beginnings.

Having filled our little picnic cooler with tasty treats and beverages for a tailgate party, we went to the opera grounds early enough to hear one of the pre-opera lectures which I have long wanted to do.  It was a delight and gave us advance insight about the finer points of the rather weak but typical opera plot.

Dining in the parking lot is always a hoot---our next door neighbors had an elaborate setup of spaghetti pot ice bucket for their "bubbly", table and cloth, lots of bowls and trays and baskets, and a small grill on which they appeared to be preparing hot dogs!

Our menu included sesame crackers and chipotle hummus, chilled yellow beet salad with arugula, curried turkey salad, fruit compote and biscochitos. (Thank you, Whole Foods and the La Fonda Bakery!)

The opera was delightful.  We saw "The Pearl Fishers", an opera written by Bizet when he was very young (24) and didn't know he was supposed to follow the rules of Parisian Opera.  It was performed 18 times in his lifetime (right after he wrote it) and then no more---poor guy.

Lovely, "hummable" music; altogether a great production for Becky's first live performance.

Returning home the next day we had an added bonus:  we spotted a large black bear in an open area in northern New Mexico.  We stared at each other for awhile...I could just hear him in a growly voice saying, "What are you two old gals staring at anyway?" (Too bad I didn't have my camera.)

Looking forward to Santa Fe 2013!

Canoe Trip on the Green River

It was an ADVENTURE for me to join friends Tish and Elena on a five-day canoe trip on the Green River in Utah.  Since I had very little previous canoe paddling experience this was a big "What if I can't?" plunge!!
The three of us met in Moab, Utah for an overnight and met the outfitter and the rest of the group of 20 the following morning.  Visiting, breakfast, packing our dry bags (we brought our own tents and sleeping gear), and the assignment of paddling partners started the day and soon we were rattling off in the back-country vans to where we put in the Green at, where else?  Green River, Utah!

Tish, her daughter Elena, and Penny, ready to go!

I was very fortunate to be chosen as a paddle partner by Marlene, a lovely grandmother from Chicago who has paddled (kayaks and canoes) all over the planet and is a real pro.  Was she ever a patient teacher!!!


Marlene enjoying a quiet float

We had such a good time---from quietly paddling along not feeling the need to chat to talking about our grandchildren and our travel experiences.

Marlene showing me how to tie-down the gear in our canoe

  The river was low, because of the dry season, so we had to paddle nearly all of the sixty scenic miles through Labyrinth Canyon.  "How many paddle strokes might that be?", Travis asked when I was relating tales of our trip.  The water was slightly cool so when we got too hot in the canoe we could just stop and have a dip in the river---clothes and all.  That would keep us cool for a while in the 100-105 degree heat.

Taking a cooling dip in the muddy Green

We also had water blasters so we could squirt (shoot?) each other while on the river, which was great silly but cooling fun for twenty adults plus three guides.  It was such a wet sport that I have no photos but if you'd care to come to Silverton I'll let you "play" with my blaster!

About four o'clock each afternoon we would beach our canoes, unpack all the gear (each of our two-person canoes carried a pro-rata share of the group gear, including 150 gallons of water!), pitch our tents and then relax until the three-person crew called us for wine and appetizers.  What an easy way to camp!!
The food was amazing---first night after cold shrimp and various munchies with our wine we had grilled salmon, barbequed ribs, green beans, rice pilaf, and brownies!!!  My favorite breakfast was the day we enjoyed Huevos Rancheros with piles of bacon...or maybe it was the blueberry pancake day...they came with more blueberries and syrup, scrambled eggs with chives, pineapple chunks, bacon, and orange wedges.

Canoes pulled up for the night

Guides preparing dinner on their "canoe" tables

One of the great parts of the day was bathing in the river after making camp.  The routine was to get into your swim suit and head into the muddy river (North Dakotans:  think the muddy Missouri!) with your bar of bio-degradable soap.  Now you need to know that the combination of water heavily laden with silt and soap that doesn't hurt the environment does not really cleanse!  However, it felt good to have someone scrub your back (I think the silt worked as a scrubbing abrasive!) and for me, washing my hair was the best.  Of course, when it dried it felt rather sticky but it didn't matter at all for I never saw a mirror for five days!

Bathing in the Green after a very warm day

Our guide Heather---she doesn't even look silty!  See how muddy the river looks?

A folk group from Chicago, a couple, known as "Small Potatoes" joined our trip and entertained in the evening, which was great fun.  Rich and Jacquie were a great addition to the trip.

Small Potatoes entertaining after dinner

When we were en route we would string out along the canyon walls of the river.  That way we could

Marlene catching a few winks before paddling one morning

sometimes catch a bit of current for floating so our arms and shoulders could rest and we could enjoy the great read cliffs and beautiful scenery.
 

The red rock cliffs were stunning

The end of the day on the river---totally serene

 Our final day on the river was a Sunday.  That morning we lashed our twelve canoes together and enjoyed an inspirational time, with music and singing as we floated on the elusive bit of current, as well as some spoken bits.  It was a memorable way to end the river trip.

Tish, looking relaxed

Music on the river

Jim, guide, preparing to recite Robert Service

Elena, catching some rays (or was it winks?)

By the end of the trip I had a new understanding of some of Lewis and Clark's struggles as they worked their way west.  We needed to tow or push our canoes over the gravel in a few spots where the water was too shallow to float us and I managed to fall in a hole while doing so---something of a surprise!  Our final paddle was across the Green to the take-out at Mineral Bottoms, which is west of Moab. We all heaved to and hauled the canoes up the bank, sorted the gear, and were ready to load the shuttles when they arrived.

Canoes, ready to load...

Paddles collected...



It took a lot of gear for 23 people!



Final Shot---Marlene and Penny on the Green

It was an adventure for me---something of a physical challenge which is always a good thing.
Thanks Centennial Canoe for offering such a great trip!