The food was wonderful and the desserts were great. They served donut holes with carmel and/or chocolate sauce. Simple but so good. Cream puffs, and about 20 little small bite size treats were available to try. That is our meal for the day.
We are staying close to Denver tonight and will return the car by 11 o'clock. I expect we may sleep on the flight home.
What I have learned on this trip:
1. I not only tolerate long drives but enjoy them. You can see a lot of things in a short amount of time.
2. I love to take photographs.
3. I am not really good at taking photographs.
4. I have developed camera envy from seeing so many amateur photographers with fancy equipment.
5. I love the western states but am glad I do not live here.
6. Once again Bill has amazed me with his knowledge and his super eyesight. He sees things about a mile before I do. We got to see lots of animals because of this ability.
7. It is always wonderful to leave home and just as wonderful to return.
8. Family and friends are the most important things in life and your health.
Happy Trails to you, 'til we meet again.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Tuesday, Oct. 7,2014
We're heading for the last round-up....leaving tomorrow afternoon for home. The last two days couldn't have been better. Traveling through WY to Rocky Mountain National park was great. We saw all kinds of animals right by the roadside. A bald eagle was just sitting on a fence post surveying the open fields. Then we saw a golden eagle wondering if he wanted a road kill.
Antelope were everywhere in WY and then we didn't see any in Colorado. Wonder if they are banned? The sky was completely cloud free and very blue. You can see why WY is big sky country. Not too far into Colorado we saw mountains. We were also looking for a drug store in several small towns but there were none. It amazes me that people can enjoy living so far from my necessities. None of the homes we saw were big or even attractive. I think all the money goes into cattle and maintaining the ranches.
As we entered the park we knew we would be going up. The vistas had changed to mountains and the car was climbing up and around and down. We encountered snow on the sides of the road when we were at 6,000 feet and it just increased in volume as we climbed and so did the wind. It was so pretty. We took way too many pictures but so what. The peak was at 12, 714 ft. and I developed sinus problems at that height. Never had that happen before. The peak was crowded with cars. Not many RV's on this road. Just beautiful. We had a late lunch in the town of Estes Park and then I did some window shopping while Bill enjoyed samplings of beer. Our motel was on the way out of town so we were set for an early morning escape.
This morning we returned to the Park for Elk watching and photographing. We were in the park by 7 and there were already lots of cars traveling to the best spots. All we had to do was lower or windows and you could hear the males bugling. We saw a male with about 8 females in his harem and another male with 7 or 8 females. If you just stood outside the car or sat in the car and didn't make any noise, they wouldn't even act like you were there. One elk came very close to me and then just walked into the road, blocking traffic for a short time. There was no indication that people were anywhere near him. Exciting to be so close.
We left the park and headed south to Rollinsville, a town where John Applegate used to have a cabin.
Bill found the property but three building have been built on the property. About a mile from that spot were the public restrooms for the town. A large sign was pointing to a port-a-john. We went to the next town for a break. As we were lower in elevation, some Aspen trees still had leaves. Against the green pines and snowy peaks, they are pretty.
Bill found his way to Black Hawk, a town devoted to gambling. We stopped for brunch and some gambling. Both endeavors were wonderful. The food was probably number one for buffetts. They served smoked beef brisket, crab claws, shrimp, chicken, one of the best Cesar salads I ever had, fish,
Antelope were everywhere in WY and then we didn't see any in Colorado. Wonder if they are banned? The sky was completely cloud free and very blue. You can see why WY is big sky country. Not too far into Colorado we saw mountains. We were also looking for a drug store in several small towns but there were none. It amazes me that people can enjoy living so far from my necessities. None of the homes we saw were big or even attractive. I think all the money goes into cattle and maintaining the ranches.
As we entered the park we knew we would be going up. The vistas had changed to mountains and the car was climbing up and around and down. We encountered snow on the sides of the road when we were at 6,000 feet and it just increased in volume as we climbed and so did the wind. It was so pretty. We took way too many pictures but so what. The peak was at 12, 714 ft. and I developed sinus problems at that height. Never had that happen before. The peak was crowded with cars. Not many RV's on this road. Just beautiful. We had a late lunch in the town of Estes Park and then I did some window shopping while Bill enjoyed samplings of beer. Our motel was on the way out of town so we were set for an early morning escape.
This morning we returned to the Park for Elk watching and photographing. We were in the park by 7 and there were already lots of cars traveling to the best spots. All we had to do was lower or windows and you could hear the males bugling. We saw a male with about 8 females in his harem and another male with 7 or 8 females. If you just stood outside the car or sat in the car and didn't make any noise, they wouldn't even act like you were there. One elk came very close to me and then just walked into the road, blocking traffic for a short time. There was no indication that people were anywhere near him. Exciting to be so close.
We left the park and headed south to Rollinsville, a town where John Applegate used to have a cabin.
Bill found the property but three building have been built on the property. About a mile from that spot were the public restrooms for the town. A large sign was pointing to a port-a-john. We went to the next town for a break. As we were lower in elevation, some Aspen trees still had leaves. Against the green pines and snowy peaks, they are pretty.
Bill found his way to Black Hawk, a town devoted to gambling. We stopped for brunch and some gambling. Both endeavors were wonderful. The food was probably number one for buffetts. They served smoked beef brisket, crab claws, shrimp, chicken, one of the best Cesar salads I ever had, fish,
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Sunday morning, October 4, 2014
Bears, and Elk and Buffalo Oh MY! We drove north into Yellowstone yesterday and were greeted by wild animals of all kinds. A huge male Elk bid us farewell as we left Jackson. He was majestic. When we arrived in Yellowstone we saw deer on the road and they do not seem to be afraid of cars. This portion of Yellowstone, entering the south exit, is primarily trees. The growth of new trees from previous fires absolutely amazed us. No human would ever plant the trees this close. Bill, Rob and I were here in 1988 during the huge fire that destroyed much of this portion of the forest. I guess the Fire Service has it right now, let it burn and it will come back. It was about 27 degrees this morning and the short road to Old Faithful was closed for the season. Too much snow on the pass. We had to go 80 miles around the park to reach Old Faithful. Along the route we saw Buffalo but mostly singles. No herds were evident on our route. I needed to photograph every single one. It is weird to see them walking the road or grazing by the side of the road. They are huge.
We drove to the canyon area called Artist's point to view the waterfall. The sun was shining by then and it was worth the walk. We saw about 4 buses pulling in as we left. Timing was perfect yesterday. Because it was Saturday, we saw lots of families with their children. The kids just love the geysers and want to run into them--bad idea. Driving down to Firehole Lake, we discovered that it was just geyser after geyser. It appeared to be all steam with the smell of sulphur. We have to accept that there is a Lake somewhere in the mix.
On our way to Bozeman through the west exit of the park, we drove on what we considered the deadliest road in America. Out here every fatality on a highway is marked with a white cross. This road goes through a tall canyon and at every curve you could see 2 to 5 crosses. Signs proclaim that they want to make the road safer but until then, we drove with extreme caution. Big horned sheep inhabit this area and we came across about 5 of them in the road. They scampered up the gravel hill without even stopping.
Dinner with friends was fun. The building was a converted hotel and had several restaurants and a chocolate shop and bar. Bill had his first bison and had chicken. No beef today. Heading south to Rawlings, WY. It will be a long day but pretty.
We drove to the canyon area called Artist's point to view the waterfall. The sun was shining by then and it was worth the walk. We saw about 4 buses pulling in as we left. Timing was perfect yesterday. Because it was Saturday, we saw lots of families with their children. The kids just love the geysers and want to run into them--bad idea. Driving down to Firehole Lake, we discovered that it was just geyser after geyser. It appeared to be all steam with the smell of sulphur. We have to accept that there is a Lake somewhere in the mix.
On our way to Bozeman through the west exit of the park, we drove on what we considered the deadliest road in America. Out here every fatality on a highway is marked with a white cross. This road goes through a tall canyon and at every curve you could see 2 to 5 crosses. Signs proclaim that they want to make the road safer but until then, we drove with extreme caution. Big horned sheep inhabit this area and we came across about 5 of them in the road. They scampered up the gravel hill without even stopping.
Dinner with friends was fun. The building was a converted hotel and had several restaurants and a chocolate shop and bar. Bill had his first bison and had chicken. No beef today. Heading south to Rawlings, WY. It will be a long day but pretty.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Friday, October 2
Two wonderful days of vistas. We traveled from Vernal, UT to Jackson, WY on Thursday. It was ridiculous the number of times we stopped to take photos in the first hour. The scenery was a compression of all that is western. It started with mountains, rocks and prairie lands. I was waiting for the Calvary to come galloping around the corner. In one section on the highway, where we couldn't stop because the road was too narrow, we saw a flock of sheep, perhaps 300 in number. Then we looked to the north and sitting on a small plateau was the herdsman sitting on a pinto horse. He was wearing chaps and a large cowboy hat. I thought we were traveling through a movie set. We arrived in town about noon, early enough to go window shopping. Jackson is filled with small stores. However, the goods are on the high end. Decorator stores and galleries dominate. Next to our motel is a deli so we ate in our room for a change.
Today was a highlight day for me. We were up before dawn to see the sunrise on the Tetons. Then by 8 p.m. we were watching the horses being driven into the corral at the dude ranch. Traveling though the Teton Park was filled with snow covered mountain peaks. The snow resembles powdered sugar when you get closer. The Tetons are fairly young mountains and they seemed to just grown out of the plains. We viewed the peaks from every angle and all were great. When we went to Jenny Lake, the lake was surrounded by trees and then you would get a glimpse of mountains and the lake.Very pretty. One trail looked well paved until you got about 5 miles into it. Syracuse would be proud of the ruts we discovered. They had a sign that said rough road but that hardly described the experience. One excellent sight on the road was a moose feeding in a pond. I really like seeing moose. We saw another 2 before the day was over. We had lunch at a ski resort and enjoyed that very much. Dinner at the Gun Barrel was a great ending to a terrific day. Tomorrow we head to Yellowstone in the morning and finish up in Bozeman MT having dinner with a former SU colleague.
Today was a highlight day for me. We were up before dawn to see the sunrise on the Tetons. Then by 8 p.m. we were watching the horses being driven into the corral at the dude ranch. Traveling though the Teton Park was filled with snow covered mountain peaks. The snow resembles powdered sugar when you get closer. The Tetons are fairly young mountains and they seemed to just grown out of the plains. We viewed the peaks from every angle and all were great. When we went to Jenny Lake, the lake was surrounded by trees and then you would get a glimpse of mountains and the lake.Very pretty. One trail looked well paved until you got about 5 miles into it. Syracuse would be proud of the ruts we discovered. They had a sign that said rough road but that hardly described the experience. One excellent sight on the road was a moose feeding in a pond. I really like seeing moose. We saw another 2 before the day was over. We had lunch at a ski resort and enjoyed that very much. Dinner at the Gun Barrel was a great ending to a terrific day. Tomorrow we head to Yellowstone in the morning and finish up in Bozeman MT having dinner with a former SU colleague.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Wednesday, October 1,2014
We are having such a good time seeing the sights. We traveled through the little painted dessert, the petrified forest and the painted dessert on our way to Aztec New Mexico where Bill's cousin Lynn Gilkey lives. The petrified forest was very interesting with marvelous colors on the wood which have turned to stone. It is strange to see where the wood has fallen. Not anything like a forest, more like someone riding around in a truck and dropping them anywhere they wished. This area turned into the Painted dessert and was so wonderful with various colors of dirt and stone. One can easily see where the Native Americans got their decorative ideas--straight from nature.
We arrived in Aztec just in time for cocktails and a home-made dinner. The dinner was so good, especially after eating out for so many days. On Tuesday we traveled up to the mountains north of Aztec to visit the cabin of the Gilkey's daughter Karen and her husband. It was a magazine worthy cabin, wood exterior and interior, open concept big room and kitchen, two lofts upstairs. Bill was ready to spend the day. The lot contained a pond filled with fish and a roaring river with spawning salmon. Picturesque.
Our lunch stop was in Durango, Co. That town has some beautiful old homes that are situated about 3 blocks away from the Main Street. The town has really grown since our last visit. Almost too big for me.
Karen also had us visit her home in town and it was similar to being in a museum. Wonderful authentic artifacts and furnishings in the southwest style. It is another candidate for a magazine spread.
Had another great dinner with Lynn and Shirley and some great memories were exchanged.
This morning we left early to go through the pass at Durango to Ouray Co. Still my favorite drive. Saw the Durango Silverton train leave town just as we started up the pass. It was crowed with every car full--including the open-air car. The Aspens are just changing color and it is awesome to see the trees against the mountains, covered in snow, and clouds. Much to my horror we needed to add snow to the view. It was dicey for me when we encountered snow covered roads but really beautiful. Took tons of photos today.
We are in Vernal, UT tonight and will go to Jackson Hole Wy. for the next 2 days. Another of my favorite places.
We arrived in Aztec just in time for cocktails and a home-made dinner. The dinner was so good, especially after eating out for so many days. On Tuesday we traveled up to the mountains north of Aztec to visit the cabin of the Gilkey's daughter Karen and her husband. It was a magazine worthy cabin, wood exterior and interior, open concept big room and kitchen, two lofts upstairs. Bill was ready to spend the day. The lot contained a pond filled with fish and a roaring river with spawning salmon. Picturesque.
Our lunch stop was in Durango, Co. That town has some beautiful old homes that are situated about 3 blocks away from the Main Street. The town has really grown since our last visit. Almost too big for me.
Karen also had us visit her home in town and it was similar to being in a museum. Wonderful authentic artifacts and furnishings in the southwest style. It is another candidate for a magazine spread.
Had another great dinner with Lynn and Shirley and some great memories were exchanged.
This morning we left early to go through the pass at Durango to Ouray Co. Still my favorite drive. Saw the Durango Silverton train leave town just as we started up the pass. It was crowed with every car full--including the open-air car. The Aspens are just changing color and it is awesome to see the trees against the mountains, covered in snow, and clouds. Much to my horror we needed to add snow to the view. It was dicey for me when we encountered snow covered roads but really beautiful. Took tons of photos today.
We are in Vernal, UT tonight and will go to Jackson Hole Wy. for the next 2 days. Another of my favorite places.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Sunday
Bill got to see Lake Havasu City today. He has talked about it as a possible winter escape. It sits on the Columbia River and Lake Havasu and is a year-round resort area. The city is larger than we thought, it sports all the stores you would expect to find in civilization USA. The downtown area has the London Bridge that you may have heard of --maybe 5 years ago--that was shipped over here from London. Boating, fishing, hiking, jeeping, golfing and having sunshine are the main highlights. The town looks very new and most homes are the same--single dwellings, all light stucco and built rather close together. We only saw about 3 resorts that were 2 to 3 stories high.
We headed east this afternoon and took Route 66 for several hours. Some of the towns along the route have really made the old buildings look like they may have looked in the 50's and 60's. Tourists were out today in those towns. Most restaurants served food outside. Motel signs advertised Roomy Rooms or private baths. We only stopped in just 2 stores. I didn't remember that James Dean was an icon for this road. Cardboard cut-outs were of Dean and Elvis were everywhere. Even some near the entrance to the bathrooms.
Saw some great sandals by minneonka trimmed in Native American motifs. Looked similar to a bracelet design. Too expensive for a vacation whim.
It was another beautiful day. Trains were our constant companion on the tracks next to Route 66. Sometimes an East bound train would pass a West bound train. Certainly keeps trucks to a minimum.
Tomorrow we travel to New Mexico to visit Bill's cousin, Lynn Gilkey, who used to live in Cazenovia.
We headed east this afternoon and took Route 66 for several hours. Some of the towns along the route have really made the old buildings look like they may have looked in the 50's and 60's. Tourists were out today in those towns. Most restaurants served food outside. Motel signs advertised Roomy Rooms or private baths. We only stopped in just 2 stores. I didn't remember that James Dean was an icon for this road. Cardboard cut-outs were of Dean and Elvis were everywhere. Even some near the entrance to the bathrooms.
Saw some great sandals by minneonka trimmed in Native American motifs. Looked similar to a bracelet design. Too expensive for a vacation whim.
It was another beautiful day. Trains were our constant companion on the tracks next to Route 66. Sometimes an East bound train would pass a West bound train. Certainly keeps trucks to a minimum.
Tomorrow we travel to New Mexico to visit Bill's cousin, Lynn Gilkey, who used to live in Cazenovia.
Saturday
Water, water, cool clear water! Death Valley dries you right out. We left for Death Valley before the sun came up. It is very barren but with mountains, valleys and dips. The dips almost made you sick to your stomach--they were frequent and steep. The registration area was almost 30 miles into the valley. There was an aquifer underground, so there were some trees and green. The place we enjoyed most was the Artist's loop. Very narrow roads, one way travel, some areas with huge dips were just wide enough for one car. Trucks and long vans were not allowed into the Park. They called the area Artist's Way because the roads had some color instead of looking like dark volcanic rocks.
We discovered that bikers seem to love the valley. One biker had camped in the middle of no where and was packing up his tent as we drove by. I just do not understand the purpose of testing yourself in that harsh environment.
The Golden Canyon was another interesting place with narrow walkways between cliffs. It was a little unsettling to see all the rocks that had fallen on the path. I didn't venture too far.
After lots of driving we got back to a main road. We did see sand dunes and valley floors but mostly Death Valley is similar to other drives out west. Rocky Mountains of various sizes, scrubby growth, no growth--looked like gravel had been dumped on the ground in a lot of places--and roads to drive on that let you experience all of the variety. The temperature high for the day was only 90 degrees. It is usually 100 or more this time of year. It really wasn't too bad but you had to drink all the time. Very drying.
We arrived in Loughlin in time for dinner. The Saturday night special, for $18.00, was all the crab legs you could eat and prime rib. And of course all the other stuff you get on a buffet. Delicious.
We discovered that bikers seem to love the valley. One biker had camped in the middle of no where and was packing up his tent as we drove by. I just do not understand the purpose of testing yourself in that harsh environment.
The Golden Canyon was another interesting place with narrow walkways between cliffs. It was a little unsettling to see all the rocks that had fallen on the path. I didn't venture too far.
After lots of driving we got back to a main road. We did see sand dunes and valley floors but mostly Death Valley is similar to other drives out west. Rocky Mountains of various sizes, scrubby growth, no growth--looked like gravel had been dumped on the ground in a lot of places--and roads to drive on that let you experience all of the variety. The temperature high for the day was only 90 degrees. It is usually 100 or more this time of year. It really wasn't too bad but you had to drink all the time. Very drying.
We arrived in Loughlin in time for dinner. The Saturday night special, for $18.00, was all the crab legs you could eat and prime rib. And of course all the other stuff you get on a buffet. Delicious.
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