I’m a little late with this chapter, and may be off and on for the next week as internet and cell service are, and will be, spotty. This day found us on the longest day’s drive that we will have with the group, about four hours. The KOA campground here is tidy, small, and has no amenities to speak of, but the scenery is spectacular. It is situated smack in the middle of Monument Valley; we have mesas on all sides of us.

It was a somewhat quiet day, as there were no group activities. We did take a side trip enroute to Four Corners Monument. A half mile stretch of highway, and a quarter of the monument, constitute my first visit to the state of New Mexico. I enjoyed my 15 minutes in the state, and look forward to our next visit. They tell me it’s pretty nice…

Along the way we saw the reddest rock either of us could remember. Very pretty. Then a highway bridge that had ninety degree approaches at both ends, a steep grade on the other side, and a width that only generously could be called “two lanes.” A great adventure.

We spent some time last night taking pictures of the moon (just a day past full), and then later of the stars. It was a lot of fun, and i think we’ll try again at the Grand Canyon.

Tomorrow we take a group open truck tour of Monument Valley. They say it will be dusty! The group then goes out for a late lunch nearby. More to follow…

Tomorrow is a travel day, but today was a stay close to the RV day. We spent the morning in Durango; we did a little shopping, had a cup of coffee, then took a tour of the narrow gauge railroad’s shops and yards.

The tour made me nostalgic for the old LP&N shops…the oily dirt around the property, the greasy pits under the locomotives (we used to run in and out of those…heaven only knows just how greasy our shoes must have been), and the tour guide’s comment that we should use the restroom in the depot because those in the shops are not the tidiest in the world. It made me think about the aromas of the shop, and of the little things like the sink in the shop…with its hands free mechanism.

We did some grocery shopping. There are only two stops left in the trip, and grocery stores are rumored to be hard to find in the desert. Next grocery stop will be on the way home.

The group had a spaghetti dinner tonight, then our driver’s meeting. We took a group picture tonight too; one couple of our group leaves tomorrow, as they need to get to Wisconsin for a family member’s funeral.

Next stop: Monument Valley, Utah. On the way we’ll make a stop at Four Corners and we’ll see just how many states we can actually step into at the same time.

I should have brought a thesaurus along on this trip, as I’m running out of adjectives. To paraphrase Miles, I’ve run out of words. Today was a free day, and we went for a drive.

We headed north on US 550, the “Million Dollar Highway.” I’ve heard at least three explanations for the name, I’m just not sure which is right. The highway dates back to 1889 and a toll road that was punched into mining country for mules and wagons. It’s seen improvements since, but we’ve never been on a road with so many 10 MPH curves and switchbacks, and so many sheer drop offs. At one point you head over 11,000 feet in elevation.

But…the scenery is spectacular. Mountains, streams, fall colors all exploded into view around each corner. Never mind the warnings about avalanches, the drive was wonderful.

There was one more thing to watch for, at least according to a sign. We now have to watch for bighorn sheep, cows, rocks, prairie dogs, deer, marmots, elk and bison. I’m not sure what else this trip can throw at us…

At the end of the drive was the mining town Ouray; they bill themselves as the “Switzerland of America.” The town is in a pocket canyon with mountains on all sides. We did some strolling there, and enjoyed a really nice lunch. The day was most excellent…

It was a full day of travel today. It was also a little cooler; we broke out our long pants for the first time on the trip. We bused to Silverton, Colorado this morning. The driver/tour guide was a hoot; we learned a few things and somewhat didn’t notice that we were climbing to better than 10,000 feet (at least until we stopped at a viewpoint. The view was tremendous!).

We arrived in Silverton about 15 minutes before the first train of the day was due to get there. So, job one was to beat the train passengers to the town’s restaurants for lunch. We did this, beating a path to Handlebars, a tavern/restaurant on the Main Street of town. They served a great meal in a really fun space…see pictures below.

This left us with an hour and a half to explore downtown Silverton. We shopped a little, bought a coffee for the train ride, and as we often do wandered by some little churches to take pictures. Soon enough, the call “all aboard” rang through the air.

We had the good fortune to have a steam locomotive pulling the train, the sounds and sights of a steamer are nostalgic. The ride from Silverton to Durango was nearly four hours, but was the prettiest scenery you could have asked for. We saw mountains, aspens just turning on their fall colors, the canyon dug by the Animas River, and so much more.

So, the next two days are free for us to spend. Tomorrow we plan to drive the Million Dollar Highway for ourselves, visiting Silverton and Ouray for a closer look.

We arrived here at the campground to find ourselves in a lovely campground strung along the Animas River. It reminded me a little of going up to Aunt Gladys’ place on the Toutle…the stream hurrying downhill. Today’s drive was short, just one mountain climb above 8000 feet.

We rested this afternoon, then the group went to the Bar D Chuckwagon for dinner and a show. Dinner was fun, and the show was a quartet along the line of Riders in the Sky…cowboy tunes, yodeling, and some comedy. They were great! We picked up a couple of CD’s…now all i need is to be at home where I have a CD player.

Before dinner they had a number of activities you could do…we took a nice little train ride, and Leila got to try her hand at a six-shooter. They had target shooting with a real revolver, with kinda real ammo. The bullets were filled with wax, but they certainly put real holes in the target. She got to keep the target, and received a certificate naming Deadeye Leila as a junior deputy.

Tomorrow takes us by bus to Silverton, CO, and then on a narrow gauge train ride back to Durango. It’s gonna be fun!

Another beautiful day in American SW. We took a drive out to Hovenweep National Monument; the trip out took us through rolling hills and farmland, the road back went first through Navajo land, then through a very pretty river bottom.

The monument was the main attraction though. A very kind ranger got us oriented, and we set off on a two mile loop hike around a canyon. The path took us clambering down into the canyon and back up again on the other side, eighty feet down and eighty back up…over very rocky terrain.

The payoff was the chance to see Anasazi dwellings at a much closer range than we could at Mesa Verde. The buildings date back to 1200 AD or so, and show an amazing level of ingenuity. It’s quite something to see how those peoples survived and prospered in that place and its environment.

The afternoon was much quieter. We got caught up on stocking our larder, and did some reading before tonight’s driver’s meeting. After the meeting we were treated to a showing of The Long Long Trailer, starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Funny movie, and the mountain roads looked familiar to some of our fellow travelers.

Tomorrow is moving day; we take a short drive to Durango. Tomorrow night the group goes to a chuckwagon dinner with western music show following. Should be fun!

My lovely wife and I went for a drive today to Telluride, CO. The highway took us up the Dolores River, past a cute old mining town named Rico, then into the San Juan Mountains. Our trip today took us over 10,000 feet in elevation twice; once on the highway and a second time on the Telluride gondola. Our map has the route marked as scenic, and it certainly was.

We had a pleasant day up there. Historic downtown Telluride is in a valley, the ski resorts are about 2000 feet higher on the mountain. The resorts have built a gondola ride that connects the two; it is a no charge public transport and a real hoot to ride. We did some browsing in both places and had a great lunch in an old tavern downtown.

These mountains certainly have stories to tell. Native Americans, miners, ranchers, railroaders, all must have been challenged by the terrain and the climate.

Well, tomorrow is another day to learn more. We are headed to Hovenweep National Monument to do some hiking. We have a driver’s meeting tomorrow night; Friday is a travel day as we move on to Durango, and an appointment with a train on Saturday.

Today started quietly with some chores. I spent time cleaning Utah bugs off the front of the motorhome and Utah dust off the car’s windshield. Then, we took a stroll through the RV park, visiting a little bit as we went. The afternoon was where the day’s activity was…

Our group took a bus tour through Mesa Verde National Park. Once again we were presented with something different than what we’d seen before. Archeologists have uncovered Anasazi dwelling places in the park that range from roughly 700 AD to 1300 AD (if my memory is still working…it was hot out there!).

The people of the area were bright and resourceful, and managed to survive in a really hostile environment. Life expectancy was short, and the challenges were many. What they accomplished with meager tools is amazing.

Tomorrow is a free day…we’re planning to drive to Telluride to look around. They say there is a free gondola ride up the mountain…”free is a very good price!”

We’re solidly into the second half of this trip, and we’ve moved into a new state. We arrived here in Cortez around lunchtime, then went into Cortez to explore.

We found a Safeway and picked up some groceries. We looked for a coffee shop, but the one that looked interesting closed at 2 PM. Nuts. Leila did find a quilt shop, and then found a quilt kit she likes. It will look great on the wall at home.

Next we took a side trip; our campground’s address is actually Dolores, Colorado, but is a good eight miles from there. When we got into town we first noticed Railroad Avenue, but no train tracks. Soon enough we came on an old train depot that contained a museum for the narrow gauge railroad Rio Grande Southern. Out front was one of their Galloping Geese, a depression era mashup of Pierce Arrow car and box car. It was all very cool, and a nice warmup for the train trip coming up in Durango.

Tomorrow…we go to Mesa Verde National Park.

Last day here at Moab; we spent the morning filling in the gaps at Arches. We got an early start to beat the heat, and saw a variety of windows and arches. The early start also helped with parking…Arches parking lots fill up by mid-morning.

The hikes were great…we saw the North and South Windows, the Pine Tree, Turret, Skyline, Tunnel, and Landscape Arches. It’s amazing to see how the arches come to be and to enjoy them.

Next we turned a little ways north and drove up a BLM dirt road to two dinosaur areas. The first had dinosaur footprints imbedded in rock, the second was an area with exposed petrified dinosaur bones in a rock face. We used Leila’s new experience in driving through drifts of sand to get us through safely. The whole excursion was interesting.

The afternoon was a rest period after a busy few days. Tomorrow is a travel day, as we move to Cortez, Colorado and a visit to Mesa Verde National Park