Fort Peck Dam and surrounding area

It is early Tuesday morning, August 4th and I am again late with this posting. We arrived at the Downstream Campground at Fort Peck Dam and Lake around 2 on Wednesday. We were fortunate that there were several walk-in sites available for the 4 nights we would need until our regular reservation kicked in. We had traversed US 2 east from Havre, Mt to Glasgow. MT. where we turned south on MT 24 towards Ft. Peck and then NE on MT 117 to the dam and campground. The road wound through the Montana farming areas where right now it appears hard ed spring wheat and the resulting hay once it is harvested seemed to be the biggest crops we saw and cows, horses and sheep the livestock of choice. We drove along the Milk River, following the Lewis & Clark trail. Isn't it amazing that so many of our cross county principle roads and interstates follow the old trails from east to west? Driving them and seeing all of the historical markers memorializing all the pioneers went through and their accomplishments is an eye opener. We did not plan this trip around those major pieces of history, so having all of this coincide has been a real treat. Today, even Bruce said that is was really amazing what you miss when you fly in a plane from one place to another, knowing nothing of what it took to get there in the past and never really seeing what this country may have looked like to those travelers or appreciating what it looks like today. As I may have have said before, the destination is nice, but the road traveled is the real enjoyment for us.

Downstream Campground is beautiful, even if you have to fill your water tanks instead of having water at your site. That is no big deal for us, we knew it ahead of time and came full and if we use it all then the closest water faucet is just across the road. The sites are well spaced, many are shaded and most offer all the privacy you would need or want. The Missouri River is just outside the park along with Ft. Peck Dam and also the Ft. Peck Interpretive Center where you can learn about the construction history of the dam, the C. M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and paleontology, including a cast of the Tyrannosaurus Rex known as Peck’s rex. So, since Tuesday we have been enjoying the campground, doing some sight seeing of the dam and surrounding area and I found a wonderful Quilt Store where I went crazy Friday & Saturday. This store, Plaid Square, was having a great sale as part of Glasgow's Crazy Days celebration and I found so many things at 40 and 50% off that I went crazy for 2 days. Many of their kits were in the sale, so I had to buy a few and she had quite a selection of sale fabric for $3 yard. What a find!

Yesterday we actually toured the Ft. Peck Hydroelectric Plant that is part of the dam. This dam is one of the few in the country where you can get close to anything since 9/11 so we took advantage and spent time learning about the construction and the history surrounding it. We got to go down into the plant, see the generators, learned about the flood gates, etc. The tour isn't real long, but it is definitely worth doing. Ft. Peck Dam is the largest hydraulically earth filled dam in the world. Electrically operated dredge boats dredged Missouri River bottom sands, silts and clays which were then pumped through 28” pipelines to the dam site to build this dam. The picture above shows one of the generator units with it's surge tower and the dam stretching to the right across the whole horizon. The dam is 4 miles across, 250 feet tall and 1/4 mile wide at the base. The water diversion and control valve gates are 1/4 mile away from the power plant as you can see in the photo on the left. They are the small towers in the top right of the picture. The spillway is another 1/4 mile away and has only been used 3 times since it was completed and the the last time it was opened was 20 years ago. Even then, only 3 of the gates were used. It has been called the largest bowling alley in the world and its construction was the cover picture of the very first Life Magazine published November 23, 1936. That picture is copyrighted but you can find it by typing into Google search "Fort Peck Dam Life Picture". The dam was constructed during the depression, authorized by Roosevelt in 1933 and begun 9 days later. Over 40,000 people showed up in the area to support this endeavor and at its heyday almost 11,000 people were employed related to the dam's construction. There was an major accident in 1938 when 1/3 of the almost completed dam gave way, killing 8 men in the slide, but although the independent review committee said there was risk in continuing, they did recommend completion. The dam and spillway were completed in 1930 and began generating electricity in 1943.

The other notable thing about this area is that the Fort Peck Lake area is full of fossils. The only skeleton of an akylosaurus was found in that area and the the most complete skeleton of a T-Rex was found 20 miles from the Interpretive Center in 1997. That T-Rex fossil is now called Peck's rex. The T-Rex original bones are too heavy and fragile for a display so they are stored at the Paleontology Field Station at Ft. Peck although the replica in the Interpretive Center was cast from the original fossil. . Additionally, the center has the massive skull of a triceratops on display. All of the displays are wonderful and should you ever be in the area- go and see them. And here are 2 small bits of information I bet you did not know - no T-Rex has ever been found on any continent but North America and the Tyrannosaurus has a third finger which scientists had previously not known until Peck's rex was discovered.

OK- we are up to date and it looks like the rain is stopping and dawn is breaking. I might see if I can get in an hour or so of sleep before breakfast, although I will make the coffee now so Bruce just has to push the button when he gets up. See you later!

Oregon is gone and we are off to Montana

For all of my faithful travel voyeurs, I apologize for not updating this blog for so long, but we have been a bit out of touch with good internet service and I have not wanted to fight with unreliable connections and slow service to get things completed online. I will try to be more faithful in the future.

After settling into our camp site at the Valley of the Rogue State Park, we made plans for touring opportunities. One of these of course was to go to Crater Lake. We decided on Wednesday, since the weather in the whole area was perfectly clear and was supposed to remain so for a few days. All we could remember was our last attempt at a visit 20 years ago when we began in the rain and ended up in a full snow storm at the top with an actual white out (we never even saw the lake) We decided we would take no chances and would go as soon as possible. Although the weather was near or over 100 degrees at the campground on Wednesday, Crater Lake was a delightful 85 or so. The sky was clear, although it seemed there is a cover of haze over most of Oregon. Some of this is attributable to fires, some to dry weather and dust, but most I think to the impact we have on the planet with cars, industry, electricity generation, etc. It is a shame, there are no real clear blue skies up here that I have been able to find. But, it was still a very beautiful park. The water is clear and blue blue blue, even if my pictures do not faithfully reproduce the color. It comes only from snow melt and no streams run into or out of the lake so it is considered by some as the cleanest water in the world. Crater Lake is 5 miles wide and ringed by cliffs 2000 feet high and is 1943 feet deep and is the deepest lake in the US and one of the deepest in the world. It is a caldera, the remains of the volcano Mt. Mazama that erupted and collapsed into itself over 7000 years ago. We drove the rim road from southwest corner to the north and back along the eastern edge. The drive took about 3 ours with all of the stops and pullouts to view the lake and the surrounding volcanic mountains. I, of course, got more pictures than a sane person should ever take, but as I have said before, digital cameras make everything so very easy. Enjoy them with us.

The rest of our time in the area we just toured (you know- drove around and looked at things) enjoying the weather and the scenery and one day I actually stayed at the site and sewed. On one drive we ended up in the Applegate Valley Wine American Viticultural Area (AVA) and we were amazed that there are so many different wineries just in that area. Add to that the Rogue River AVA and you have hundreds of small wineries. We could have spent days in that area sampling the fruits, but decided the weather was too hot to spend much time consuming alcohol, so instead enjoyed the mountain drives. Another drive took us south on I-5 with plans to get off at one of the exits before the Siskiyou Summit, elevation 4310 feet, that takes you over to California. Instead we missed all of the exits we thought we wanted so ended up at the summit and found Old highway 99 S so drove it back down the mountain instead. Bet 99 was the original road between Ashland, Or and Yreka, CA in that area before the interstate. The old highway that comes down from the summit is steep, winding and very narrow and was a real surprise for us, but it was the kind we love to find when we end up exploring an unfamiliar area and don't know exactly where we are and where a road will take us. Some people would call that being lost, but lost to us means you have a destination and time in mind to arrive at that particular destination, neither of which apply to us so we just call our excursions exploring. Anyway, we explored the Rogue River Vally for 6 days and then headed northeast to relax (as though we needed more relaxation) along the Columbia River.

Sunday, July 19th, we drove north on I-5 to just short of Portland and then turned east on I-84. This was our real first driving on just interstates in this area and I have to say, if you want to pick a few that are gorgeous, these will both qualify. I-5 north from Grant's Pass is winding and goes up and down the mountains, loosely following the southern route of the Oregon Trail (called the Applegate Trail - imagine that). The scenery is serene and lovely, valleys and hilltops, farms and cabins. You can just imagine all of those pioneers in their wagons, or riding horses, driving animals, etc. The hardships they endured just to traverse those lands are unimaginable to me. I-84 on the other hand actually runs along the south side of the Columbia River Gorge and the scenery is wild and dramatic although again, the Oregon Trail was involved here too.

This drive took us to LePage Park (just east of Rufus, Or for you Atlas followers) which is situated at the confluence of the John Day River and the Columbia. The campground is about 1 mile east of the John Day Lock & Dam and is just south of the mouth of the John Day at Lake Umatilla. The Corp has both a day use area with boat dock and picnic tables as well as camp sites with water and electricity. It is a great water activity and fishing area, so we enjoyed boaters, jet skis, wave runners and fisher people for 8 days. It was hot, hot, hot (over 100 on many days) and the heat, although very dry, will still bake you given the slightest chance. Additionally, it was always (and I mean always) windy- some times so much so that we had to stay inside. As you can see, we were really roughing it, with a site right on the water and a view of the bridges from our front porch, although you would need to be a mountain goat to get in and out of the water over the shore rocks. We hung out with little or no internet connections, reading, relaxing and of course, looking at old vehicles whenever we toured, oh and I sewed a few days too. The time spent there was delightful. The park is small and close, but most water activity based properties seem that way, so of course Bruce chatted with everyone one and learned most of their life stories. Cocktail time is always a good part of the day for gregarious gatherings. We did find a wonderful old GMC panel truck we would love to have had, but could not get the guy to consider parting with it- who knows, maybe next year.

We did one nice drive along the Columbia east, crossed into Washington and rode up to the tri-cities (Pasco, Kennewick and Richland), did our Walmart shopping and then drove back along the Washington side of the Columbia on Highway 14. I was surprised to see all of the grape vines growing in what appears to be desert mountains, but this is the home of Columbia Crest and many others. In fact, apparently the Columbia River Gorge area (from Portland to just east of The Dalles on both sides of the Gorge, Oregon & Washington) is its own AVA and there are many wineries. We did not stop at any, unfortunately, so I guess we will have to wait until next year to enjoy those particular pleasures. We did find an interesting artifact on that drive and went back the next day to take some pictures and spend some time since the previous day we had needed to get home to feed the animals so had not stayed. It is a replica of Stonehenge built by a local man, Sam Hill,in 1930 to commemorate the veterans from that area, Klickitat County, who died in WWI. He erroneously thought that the altar stone in the original Stonehenge had been used for human sacrifice so decided that a replica would be a good war memorial. It stands on a plateau above the Columbia River at Maryhill, WA (he named the city after his daughter Mary). Talk about unexpected sites.

We are now in Montana. We decided to forgo Glacier this year (we were unhappy with all the people at Yellowstone so felt we would be just as unhappy with the park at St. Mary and glacier in the full summer) and instead are just driving over to the eastern part of the state to Ft. Peck. We hope to be able to get into the Corp park there early, even if we have to move because finding campgrounds out ere for the weekends that are not reserved and that will fit The Beast is not easy. We drove I-84 east to I-82 where we drove north to Richland and took US395 up to I-90 at Ritzville,WA. The one good thing about leaving when we did is that i got to see a herd of Bighorn Sheep grazing on the side of the mountain on I-84. I almost missed them as their coloring makes them look just like the mountain. Since there is no picture, you should assume of course that I was not fast enough to get things out and digitized before we flew past them and going back was not in the equation. At least I did get to see them and they are one of the 2 animals (the other being a bear and I am still waiting) that I wanted to see while we were out this way. We followed 90 east through Spokane and made it through Idaho to Montana and camped at Quartz Flat Campground about 25 miles west of Missoula, MT. Today, we continued through Missoula and then cut off I-90 on US12 E to Helena where we got on I-15 and went north to Great Falls. We left Great Falls on US 87N and are spending tonight in the Havre, MT on US 2 at the RV Campground at the fair grounds. The city is small and in the middle of the plains - we are definitely out of the Montana mountains that I can see and the wind will be our companion until we reach Ft. Peck. So- I am now up to date on our antics and whereabouts. I will post again once we get settled at the Downstream Recreation Area at Fort Peck Lake and Dam.

Living on the Road

So, the highlight of the trip so far (the Quilter's Affair classes and the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show) has passed and Sunday & Monday we did those things you need to do just to get by on the road such as shopping, laundry and of course the thing you don't want to happen, visiting a repair shop (thank goodness there was nothing really wrong, we thought we had a problem with one of the air valves for the airbags, but we didn't- yea!!!!). Additionally, we changed campgrounds and are now at the Valley of the Rogue River State Park outside, Rogue River, OR (bottom of the state between Medford and Grant's Pass for you looking at an Atlas). Since all of that was pretty much boring, (except the drive, but you can only take so many pictures of the trees and mountains on the road,) I thought I would just let you get a look the inside of The Beast when Bruce & I are camped. I am sure you are already getting the picture that it might be somewhat scary and resemble our (Bruce & I) lives at home, a very lived in environment with 3 animals, shoes every where , a kitchen the size of a postage stamp (not our home mind you) and maybe somewhat cluttered. So, without too much prelude - here is The Beast in all it's indoor splendor.

You enter The Beast through the door in front of the passenger seat (what a pain and it is a noisy door when we are on the road) and come into the actual living area. I guess the living area could be larger than I am describing since I have realized I can turn my passenger seat 90 degrees towards the center of The Beast and it opens up the front of the motorhome so I can sit in my chair and see the world through the "big screen." Additionally, the chair then gives Samantha (the cat with the love/hate relationship with Bruce and the slight weight problem- think a cat Linda) a place to spend all day and night and stay out of the way of a rambunctious Hazel and her Dat (dog/cat) friend Wolfy. Oh, and I forgot that the Wolfy, Hazel and sometime even the weight conscious cat Samantha all think the front dash (boy am I ever glad we covered it) is their personal space to relax, view the world and just hang out. Anyway, back on track with our tour - the living area includes the couch (Bruce & Hazel's retreat) along with a cheap euro-style chair and ottoman for me across from them and we all face the 26" flat screen above the dash that can only be used when we are NOT in the mountains. Next to my chair is a set of (invisible) kitchen cabinets we put in with a nice finished wood counter top that are used to keep my computer(oh there it is, on the ottoman not in the cabinet) and printer and of course 3 months or more of the cat and dog food. Have you ever tried traveling with animals that eat high end food you can't just find at the corner grocery? Why, you ask , are you traveling with 3 months of food? Well, miss fat cat (let's call a spade a spade, OK) throws up anything new- so we had better stick to tried and true. Boy, am I off track again. Yes, I still need to be a connected traveler as we have learned in previous posts so the computer equipment is necessary, wherever it may reside. In the back ground you see the lovely dining area- a booth with storage underneath. This had turned out to be more important than we gave it credit- we would have chosen a table because it would have been much more comfortable for people of size (OK- me), but then where would I have put a full complement of pots and pans? Even better- where to store the plastic cutlery, paper plates and plastic cups we use whenever we don't have sewer at the actual site. It does have lighting overhead and yes- it always probably has all that stuff on the table. We have to remember our daily pills, have the plates, salt, pepper, cutlery and napkins readily accessible, and of course have a somewhat Hazel proof night time feeding area for the wonder cats. both the couch and the booth are in a slide=out so it opens up the whole room to living size, what a relief. Can you imagine Bruce & I trying to get by each other with only 2 feet of maneuvering room? What a nightmare that would be- and what a divorce we would end up with!

Across from the booth end slide is my wonderfully equipped kitchen (and I am not being sarcastic). For such a small space, it is very user friendly. I have a double door refrigerator/freezer, with ice maker (unfortunately right now that is a set of manual trays) that we can get away without defrosting for 6-8 weeks. After that time we enter the "ice chest from He?? " defrost period and usually stop talking to each other. but, for those 6-8 weeks we are OK. To the left of that wonderful appliance is the all in one food prep and clean-area. I actually have a full gas stove (used for bread, onion and potato storage) and gas cook-top along with a convection/microwave oven, a double sink and covers for both to enhance the counter space. To make it easier we added the wonderful cutting board counter top that plays a central role in food & drink preparation as well as holding the various clean dishes that have not been put away timely. There are 4 drawers full of stuff we don't use enough to justify carrying (but when you need that potato peeler it better be there) and the counter holds our most important appliance - the automatic coffee pot. The morning routine revolves around the coffee pot and the pet feeding- and once that is done, I usually get up. OK, some times he rebels and the dog stands on us until I get out of bed and do the honors.

We will skip the bathroom, suffice it to say that it is a walk through, with a separate head on the right with a door and the shower and sink in the pass thorough to the bedroom. You can see it if you look closely at the first picture. The bedroom is very, very tight, at least on Bruce's side next to the window. Thank goodness the closet actually is in the slide-out next to my side of the bed (left in this picture and hidden) so I can actually get up and move around. Bruce, on the other hand, has the 9" (I know you don't believe that based on your view of the picture but I am sure that is what Bruce told me, but remember, men have a real problem with inches) side so most times he has to crawl over the end of the bed to get in. All I can say is Better him than me! Of course Wolfy and Hazel seem to find the bed just perfect for their late morning and early afternoon naps.

So, that is the quick tour of the interior of The Beast- in a blogger's nutshell. Next time I will try to find soemthing more scenic and interesting to relate since we are now camped for 5 more nights at the Valley of the Rogue River State Park and we will be visiting Crater Lake tomorrow and are only a short drive from the coast for later in the week when it hits 100 here. Adios.

It's a Qult Show and More

We spent this morning in Sisters at the 2009 Outdoor Quilt Show. It was great- but let me bring you up to date on my Thursday/Friday class first. As I indicated in my past posting- I took Sarah Kaufman's Folded Log Cabin class (Titled 99% Marimoko in the brochure for the fabric she used). I really enjoyed taking this class- it is the perfect work at your own pace and almost completely sewing. You cut the strips, pre-iron them, cut to fit the first 4 around the center square and that is the last time you cut to fit or press until the block is done. You just piece and use scissors. I will be making several more using this style.I got the 6 blocks above right done and still need to decide on sashing and then mounting, etc. Jeremy & cassandra - thoughts? We can discuss in an email. This is not a block for a bed quilt- these are definitely display or ornamental. You do not batt these blocks most of the time so that will be an easier finish also. I have also included 2 of Sarah Kaufman's "quilts" she showed us in her trunk show so you can see there is not much you can't do with them. I definitely want to return next year- these classes were a blast and I learned so much! Good thing we have already made reservations- now to finish what i did this year.

On to the show- this is a great venue. The weather was wonderful, clear and not too, too hot (high 80s by this afternoon). Bruce and I were up at 6:30 and on the road to Sisters for breakfast at The Gallery and then to wander the streets as they put up the quilts, taking pictures and chatting with the other watchers. The official start of the show seems to be after all of the quilts are put up on the Stitchin Post by the Sisters Fire department. As I have mentioned before, the whole city seems to participate in this outdoor show. These are traditionally the quilts of the Stitchin' Post employees who this year were challenged to do a quilt in the "style" of the Gees Bend Quilters. The Gees Bend Quilts hung on the front of the Stitchin' Post and the employee quilts are on the end. The hang the quilts from wires that are permanently mounted on the front of the businesses and in most cases just use clothes pins. The effect is perfect.

All of the quilts are great and I admire everyone who submits one to hang. they have 10,000 people viewing their individual expression of art and not just from a distance. My favorite part of the show was the Teacher's Tent. All of the Quilter's Affair (that is what the week of classes is called prior to the show)intructors displayed some of thier work in this tent. There was quite rush seeing all that wonderful inspiration, creativity, art and of course- quilting. All of you readers I hope realize that putting the top together is piecing and the quilting is when you put the bating and the backing on the top and then "quilt" it- and that can be done in a variety of ways. There is hand piecing and machine quilting, hand piecing and hand quilting, machine piecing and hand quilting and of course, machine piecing and machine quilting. Much of the work today is done by machine and it is definitely not your grandmother's flower garden, although there were quite a few traditional quilts at this show too.


With the advent of the long arm quilter- machine quilting took on quite a different look. Also, as art quilts came into their own, the whole face of quilting changed both what was pieced, what is considered a quilt, and how it is quilted. Surface embellishment is very popular and the variety is endless. This is a true art form- just look at some of the quilts in the album. I have included a few that will make you think twice about what is a quilt and who "quilts".

Well, enough of my chatter- lok at the pictures to really get the idea. This show is a wonderful street festival with people selling drinks, food, music in the streets, restaurants as part of the actual venue and the quilters part of the crowd. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I think that even Bruce had an acceptable time, although when we got back to the campground he found all of the other husbands didn't have to go in to see the show and were sitting around in the shade gossiping. Their wives went without them so I am sure he will probably think about this differently the next time.

Quilt Show A Comin'

OK- we have been here since last Friday- and tomorrow is the last day of Quilter's Affair- the classes, lectures and other events that precede the show. I have taken 3 classes (OK- the last day of the last class is tomorrow) and loved them all- and have actually produced soemthing (although not completely finished anything yet, surprise, surprise) from each to bring home for show and tell at the quilt guild. Monday I took a class called Simply Floral Squares although it is being renamed Floral Remix. Take one piece of floral fabric and use it to make all sorts of combinations quilt blocks that then go into one single quilt or wall hanging. Here is a picture of one Judy Johnson's (the instructor)display quilts using the same material I have, but a different colorwave- you will just have to wait to see mine.

Tuesday and Wednesday I took a class from Johanne Gibson called Cut, Combine & Design. Using a print fabric with a 24" repeat (that means the fabric repeats the complete print every 24 vertical inches) you identify different parts of the repeat to use in your design. My choice for this project is a pastel Asian print. It works, but the colors are not what I most enjoy. Again, you will have to wait to see the final product, but here is a work in-process photo which gives you some idea of where I am going with this one.

Today and tomorrow's class is with Sarah Kaufman and is a Folded Log Cabin.No pictures of it yet, so you will have to look at the quilt pictures in the public foler to see what they could look like. Tomorrow we will finish that class and I wll then be able to decide how those cbolcks will need to go together. The classes are good, the teachers all seem to be award winners and the atmosphere is very social, informal and less hectic than any other show I have attended. Eating is the only real issue. They give you the choice when you originally sign up for classes to have lunch brought in each day and save you the trouble of finding something to eat. I opted for the lunch M, T, TH & F thinking I might want to do something different W, but should have bought then too. The classes are held at the Sisters High School, and McDonald's is the only thing close- if you have a car and of course you know I don't. Bruce and Hazel drop me off a 7:30 every morning and pick me up in the afternoons.

Speaking of Bruce, Hazel and the cats, they seem no worse for wear for having to fare without me all week, in fact, maybe they are even better. Bruce has definitely made friends with everyone in the campground and knows who is doing what and when. Additionally, he has made major inroads in his stack of books, so we will probably need to start looking at thrift stores soon for additional reading materials. The weather has held and the Black Butte II fire that is on the mountain right in front of us does not seem to be coming our way or even blowing smoke in our direction. This is a picture I took on the way home Monday afternoon the day after it started. Currently it is only 25% contained but apparently the cooler weather and other conditions have the fire managers predicting the fire will be fully contained by Sunday. That is good there are 535 personnel involved in this endeavor, with early on airplane and helicopter support. These type fires are very costly and the terrain is difficult. Let's hope that our good luck holds until we are out of here and that they contain this fire as soon as possible.

Well, it is late and 7:30 at the school is early tomorrow morning. I will update after the show on Saturday and include campground pictures too. I will also include quite a bit from the show and any other pertinent info at that time. Again, the quilt and quilt class pictures are in a separate album marked Sisters Quilt Show, so those interested can easily find them, and those not caring can avoid them. Hasta luego/...

Sisters, OR and the Quilt Show

We have been out of touch for a few days so I will bring you up to date on our whereabouts. We spent Wednesday and Thursday evenings at Farewell Bend State Park just outside of Ontario, Or. Farewell Bend is where the Oregon Trail travelers left the Snake River and crossed overland until they met up with the Columbia River. They had traveled 330 miles along the Snake River and probably felt contradictory emotions when they said "farewell Snake." They were close to their destination, but still had to cross the Blue Mountains. The campground at Farewell Bend was both old and new. The older part had trees, small sites, large park areas and was not made for today's large motorhome. The newer section where we stayed was out in the wind and sun, but along the reservoir. The sites had some grass but you knew you were in a desert area. We put the awning up at night because we didn't know what to expect. Thursday we had to get it up unexpectedly in the middle of the day because rain showers were on the way, and as we found out, they are preceded by very high winds. We left early Friday morning (July 3rd ) to drive the southern route to Sisters. Unlike the Oregon Trail travelers, who went northwest up along what today is close to I-84, we drove back to Ontario and took US 20 west which is called the Central Oregon Highway. There is no real direct route across the middle of Oregon. You drive 2 lane roads that flow through the mountains just like the rivers, following them and the sides of the mountains from one pass, through the valleys to the next pass. Once we hit Burns-Hines the scenery began to change and we drove though miles of high desert with nothing to see but sagebrush. Of course that is when I have to have a nap. I can only take so much flatness with nothing to see before my eyes close involuntarily. The initial drive in the morning took us through some beautiful irrigated farm land and along the North Fork of the Malheur River until we hit the mountains and followed Kingsbury Gulch as i said, from one pass to another. It is interesting to see where people will find to live in the mountains and it makes you wonder what they do for a living so far from any type of close civilization. You definitely don't run to the store every week, let alone every day.

Anyway, we went that direction on US 20 to Bend and the travels, although slow, were pretty uneventful. Just west of Bend that changed (just like the Oregon Trail travelers, with mixed emotions we saw the end of our journey but alas, there were more challenges ahead)and we sat in traffic because of an accident. Everyone was trying to get somewhere Friday afternoon before the 4th, so there was quite a bit of traffic. Our final destination was Camp Sherman- just northwest of Sisters out 20 on Forest Service Road 1419 - not 35 more miles, but we all jsut got to sit. Once we finally arrived at the Black Butte RV Resort & Motel I immediately knew that I might have made a bad choice. It is a small RV resort in what the locals consider the best area to stay, Camp Sherman, but all of the RVs are crammed together and of course, out site was what Bruce would call an overflow area, no gravel, just grass and not in the best location. We had passed the newly redone KOA on the way in and that was on Bruce's mind as he pulled in and spent quite awhile trying to get us set up. We of course had words and spent the first night here not really speaking, , but we are over that now- especially since we found out today we would have to pay $47-$50/night at the KOA and $34/night at the Sisters Overnight Park, if we could even get in.

We spent a nice 4th in Sisters. I preregistered for next weeks classes, got all my stuff, spent some quality time (and money) in the quilt shop, the Stichin Post, and then we did the Sisters Faire. This is an outdoor craft fair in the park where the crafters are local (Oregon & Washington), the food vendors sold everything from German sausage plates to Soba noodles to fresh made Quesadillas and there was music to shop "buy". I bought a few things, of course, that will remain nameless and we ended up back here mid-afternoon where we read, played with the computer and shared a lovely Porterhouse hot off the grill for our 4th of July feast. Sisters & Camp Sherman have no fireworks as the fire level is HIGH and there is a ban, so we don't have to worry about the dog going neurotic or things going off long after we are ready to bed down- so I would say this wasn't a bad day and a fine time was had by all. Tomorrow we will go into town and do the Fiber Arts Stroll & Quilt Walk. This is where the show sponsor businesses hang one of the show quilts during the week (so you get a preview of over 100) and they also feature a fiber artist demonstrating different techniques and displaying & selling different art forms. It should be a great time - will report on it with pictures later this week. It is late now and Pacific Time is kicking my butt- so it is off to bed once I get this posted. My Verizon may not work up here in the mountains but their Wi-Fi is taking its place so I can shop, email and blog to my hearts content.

By the way, I exhausted one Picasa web album (digital cameras make it too easy to just take pictures of everything and I have also included a few videos) so have begun another and have adjusted the link on the blog page so if you are interested, you can view one or the other as you wish. I will probably set up some smaller albums on that link with like kind pictures (e.g all of Yellowstone in one, etc.) so they are easier to find- but not tonight, that is for later. Promise to post some pictures next time for you all that only follow through email.

Idaho Things to See

OK- we have to admit we love the Mountain View RV Park in Arco, ID. They have a wonderful park, with reasonable prices for spacious grassy sites, electric, sewer and water, free breakfast for up to 2 of the campers (coffee, eggs, and large, fluffy pancakes, clean bathrooms, laundry and private showers and each site has a grill and picnic table. Many of the sites are shaded and they have both 30 and 50 amp service. Our site had large trees on both sides so we always had the early morning sun when the weather was cool and shade in the outside area in the afternoons when the temperature is up.

We have relaxed and found multiple things to see here. We toured EBR-1, Experimental Breeder Reactor 1, the first reactor to produce electricity from atomic power. It is located within the land of the Idaho National Laboratory on US 20/26. There was much to see and we learned quite a bit about early atomic energy use, safety and also projects that were on the books, including atomic powered aircraft. Believe it or not, this is a test stand for an atomic jet engine, and the engine is only about 10 feet of it, the rest was built to prevent the engine from running off across the desert.

We took several scenic drives and enjoyed the wonderful scenery- including a drive over Trail Creek and the pass on a one lane dirt road to Sun Valley Ski area. We seem to like those narrow, high, unprotected roads to some place different. These are the things you miss with city to city travel by air- few people see any of the things in between, especially if the in between area isn't serviced by a big airline.

Did you know that Idaho has a National monument that is unlike any in the continental US - Crater of the Moons National Monument. this area is more like the volcano area of Hawaii than any other- with lava, cinder cones, small volcanoes, etc. They have a small dispersed camping campground- that means no electricity or water, just a campground. There are multiple hiking trails, lava funnel caves to explore and a desert beauty to enjoy- we were back twice. We rode through early on, enjoyed the loop and discovered that we definitely didn't want to try to camp at that campground so stayed in Arco. It was definitely the right decision for us.


We are ready to leave this area now- after spending 5 wonderful days exploring many of the available sites. Arco is on the direct route between Yellowstone and Boise and if you are ever n the area, you should stop and see what is available. It is amazing what you will find by just taking the time to stop and look around. Tomorrow we are off to Farewell Bend State Park, OR on the Idaho/Oregon state line just north of Ontario, OR (west of Bosie, ID) on the Snake river. We hope to experience some of the history around the Oregon Trail but won't be there long since we are moving on to Sisters, OR for the 4th and that was the first focus of this trip- the Sisters Quilt Show. So- we are moving ever forward- more to follow.

ARCO, ID and Beyond

Saturday - Trip Date Time 20090620 2:52PM MST - We have returned from our errands in Cody, including updating the blog, we have gotten our ice cream treat, again, I have now finished putting captions on the multitude of scenic drive pictures so I can upload them next time I have access to the associated Web Album and mountain man Bruce has succeeded in cutting more wood for the fire that he now has burning merrily (although I must say that looking out the window indicates we may be in for quite a rain storm soon). Tonight's couture cuisine will take us to the Far East - Thai Green Curry with Chicken and I hope to end the evening with a video or book or maybe get out the machine because I did get myself a kit that could be completed very quickly. It is all cut, the edges are already ragged and even the batting is ready- so all I have to do is - Do It!! What a novel idea- finishing something I start. The best part about this one is no binding, no backing, no quilting after; it is all finished when you sew everything together. Yea! If, and that is a pretty big if, I get started with it tonight, pictures will be forthcoming as soon as it is done. Uh oh, here comes the rain, better get up and get the windows shut and the chairs under the awning. Poor fire, I doubt very much you will survive this onslaught.

OK , it is now Thursday - Trip Date Time 20090625 8:09PM MDT - and guess what, no I did not start that quilt so of course I didn't finish it either. We are in ARCO, ID , drove today thru Yellowstone and then down to ARCO which is 66 mi west of Idaho Falls, ID on US 20. The drive was lovely, we left very early this morning, went to Buffalo Bill State Park to dump are tanks and then hit the road for Yellowstone. Based on the time it took us to get into the park and even just see some of the sites on Wednesday, we knew we would have problems if we didn't leave early. It still took us over 3 hours to do the 95 miles from the east gate to the west gate of Yellowstone at a maximum speed of 45 mph- but much of the time we were going much slower. And of course the animals have priority so if there is a herd of bison in the road- too bad- and we had to stop several times and just wait as people stopped in the middle of the road to take pictures. On Wednesday we spent the day in Yellowstone- and I want you to know- there were way too many people for us. Just to try to see the sights at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was a disaster. They have opened a new road on the north rim, and it was mobbed- so my pictures are few and far between. I can tell you - I want that park all to myself- so we will never be here again in the summer or even the near summer.

So what have we been doing all this time since Saturday, well- we enjoyed Sunday at the camp, we moved The Beast to a new site on Monday and Tuesday we did laundry and had lunch at Zappatos, a New Mexican Mexican place. Then we rode out to Valley along the South Fork (of the Shoshone I think) and enjoyed the wonderful scenery in the area. Wednesday was Yellowstone and today- well you now know where we are today. I don't think I have done all my pronunciation here either- Shoshone is 2 long o's and the last e is silent (boy have I been saying it wrong) - but I think that is the river and maybe some of the park info- the Indian tribe pronunciation is with the long e on the end. Wapiti has the emphasis on the Wap (with a short a), with the first I short and sounding like "it" and the final I sounding like a long e so it would be Wop'- it - e. It means Elk in Cree. Here is something really interesting- did you know that in Europe the animal called an Elk is similar to the North American moose. The North American moose is the largest in the family of deer and the Wapiti or North American Elk is the second largest.

So you ask, what is in ARCO. Well, one of the reasons we are here is that it is on the way to Craters of the Moon National Monument. Additionally, right outside of the Idaho National Laboratory where EBR-1 is located. EBR-1 (Experimental Breeder Reactor) is a decommissioned (1964) research reactor and was the first nuclear power plant to produce electricity in 1951. It is now a National Historical Landmark. We intend to tour it tomorrow or Saturday and then have a go at Crater of the Moons National Monument and walk the trails, if it doesn't get to awfully hot. This time we are staying in a private campground- Mountain View RV Park. It is very nice, affordable and includes 2 fee breakfast each day of coffee, pancakes and eggs. Can't beat that with a stick- I don't have to cook and we can say it is part of the cost of the campgrounds when I detail how we spent our money. We have a nice, partly shady spot, with picnic table, trees for shade and a grill (which we will never use). It has water, electricity, sewer, free Wi-Fi, nice bathrooms with private showers, a laundry room, miniature golf and other things I am sure. Who knows- we may stay longer than our 3 nights.

Well - I will post this as our update and then add some pictures tomorrow so come back and catch up with all of the pics once I get them on the web

Cody and Surrounding Area

Well, it has taken me until Friday, June 19th to do this update and it won’t even get posted until tomorrow because there is absolutely no cell service in the middle of the canyon where we are staying. The drive from Casper to Cody was very uneventful- unless you consider the fact that the manual GPS took us 45 miles out of the way – instead of turning on the scenic WY 120 out of Shoshone- we ended up taking US 14/16/20 up to Greybull and then OVER to Cody – you know, the sides of the triangle instead of the hypotenuse. . Now I ask you – if you knew that you were coming out of Cody on US 14/16/20 towards Yellowstone as your ultimate goal, wouldn’t you think that the most direct route to Cody would be on 14/16/20? Noooo – the cut off to Cody is WY 120 – and of course that manual GPS missed it. We got to see some of the rest of Wyoming and that was good – but the driver was a little put out with the GPS unit, to say the least.

We are camping (yes I am still going to call it that, even with the kitchen sink) at the Shoshone National Forest Wapiti Campground and are actually camped along the Shoshone River. Although we can’t see it from our campsite as the underbrush has grown up and the water is high, making getting near the banks tough, we can hear it well. This is a rushing water river- not a stream. Think of what the ocean sounds like when you camp directly next to it at night - but the sound of the river is not rhythmic, it is constant. The campground is west of Cody, WY about 30 miles and east of Yellowstone about 22 miles. We are in black & grizzly bear country, and every site has a bear box that you are expected to use. No food, grills (supposedly), pet food, etc. can be left out over night – they must be locked in the bear box or in your car/camper, etc. We haven’t seen a bear yet (only a young moose) but that is probably because they make you use these items. Bears don’t get much chance as far as I can tell – I think they will relocate them once and then if they have a second incident they kill them. It is our responsibility to be conscientious campers since we are the ones encroaching on their territory- they are only responding to what comes natural for them – searching for food.

Tuesday was just a hang around the camp site, visit the only store for miles, The Red Barn at Wapiti and buy ice cream. Have you noticed a pattern yet, we seem to find places to buy ice cream. I think this is my favorite dessert. Anyway, Wednesday was necessaries day, you know, laundry, shopping, etc. They have a Sierra Trading Post Outlet here so we had to take that in as well. Additionally, there are a few quilt stores that Bruce volunteered to let me browse, but I am saving them until Saturday I think. Thursday was our first real ride – into the East Gate of Yellowstone to the Lake area so you can see that there has not been much to add to the blog anyway.


The drive into Yellowstone goes over Sylvan Pass at about 8500 ft and then drops into the park along Lake Yellowstone. There are plenty of reminders of the fires they have experienced in the last years, including one as late as 2008. What is worse though is the damage that is apparent from the Mountain Pine Beetle. Talk about deforestation on a grand scale. I am sure Mother Nature takes this all in stride and will recover, but not in our lifetime. We saw some geothermal activity along the way as well as many waterfalls over the road from Spring melt. Again, we didn’t see any bears, although I have been looking very hard. They say the Eastern entrance in the late Spring and early Summer is the most likely place to see them, but we haven’t been lucky yet. We stopped at all the overlooks going in and concluded our time in Yellowstone that day at the Lake Hotel for lunch. This hotel is the Grand Old Lady of the park and was designed to let those patrons who could afford it reside in as much comfort as Yellowstone could offer in the early 1900s. It is still considered the best accommodations in the park as well as having the best food. Lunch was OK, but I wouldn’t consider it world class. We inspected the campground at Fishing Bridge where we were supposed to stay beginning Monday next week, and we both agreed it left us wanting so much more, so we canceled. That means we are on our own for 9 days with no real schedule – whatever will we do, OH MY!. I still want to go to Crater of the Moons National Monument and also to ARCO, ID to see the first breeder reactor, EBR-1, so we aren’t completely off our original road map. We just won’t be staying in Yellowstone for any time, and will only do a few short visits, especially since this weekend will be a free weekend and I can assure you the crowds are already appearing. I think we would be much happier here in the fall or early spring, even if there is snow in the area. We are finding more and more how much we do not enjoy crowds, especially when driving and stopping. Not a fun event as far as I am concerned and there are always people who want to speed by, rush everything, etc. No, hundreds of families with children and their respective vehicles, including motorcycles and bikes, on a free weekend in Yellowstone are not my cup of tea. Anyway, we have enjoyed all our time so far, and we will see what Monday brings with a trip back through on our way to the other side. We will pass the Geyser Basin and if it is early enough and there are no crowds, we may get a chance to stop – who knows. The scenery outside Yellowstone is spectacular enough for us, so we are contenting ourselves with it.


Friday we did the ultimate scenic highway drives. We began in Cody, took WY 120 west and then turned left on the Chief Joseph Highway, WY 296. It takes you another way to the Northeastern Entrance to Yellowstone. It was a beautiful drive and we enjoyed it quite a bit. This is the land where Chief Joseph and his band of Nez Perce Indians led the cavalry on a merry chase. We stopped on Dead Indian Pass at the top for a wonderful view of the whole surrounding area. I documented it with many pictures that are now in the album (or will be soon if I don’t have enough time to upload Saturday). It ends at US 212 east of Cooke City which is just NE of Yellowstone. US 212 include east from that point to Red lodge, MT is the renowned Beartooth Highway. It is the highest elevation highway in the Northern Rockies. We did the Beartooth Scenic Highway from East to West when we left Billings, MT for Yellowstone on our 30 day trip with Jeremy in 1987 so decided to try it west to east this time. The west side of the highway is in Wyoming and is still under quite a bit of snow. Once you pass over into Montana on the east side, although there is still some snow, it is evident they have not gotten quite the same moisture that the west has been experiencing. We turned east at Red Lodge, MT on Montana 308 to Bearcreek and past the remnants of Smith Mine #3 of the Montana Coal and Iron Company. This is the site of the worst mining disaster in Montana history where on February 27, 1943 74 of the 77 men working the mine were killed when the mine blew up. The old buildings are still there as the memorial and the mine was never reopened. At Belfry we turned south for cody and an hour later completed what was a wonderful drive through the Wyoming & Montana countryside.

Today we are running errands and I found a wonderful quilt shop where I just had to buy some Buffalo Bill Cody material for my travel quilt. We are on our way back to the campground- so I am publishing this without the requisite pictures- they will be added later.

Onward Towards Yellowstone

It is Monday, June 15th and we have been on the road 4 weeks now. We are really enjoying this trip- even when I can't breathe, or I get some stomach thing, etc. Thought i would start this with the one real picture i got of Pike's Peak - from The Beast as we drove past on our way to Loveland/Ft. Collins. look at all that snow still there- good reason we did not take the cog railway up this time- but definitely next time - hopefully this fall.

We are in Wyoming as I type this- on our way to Wapiti Campground just east of Yellowstone and West of Cody, WY. This will be an all day trip (over 500 miles, about half on secondary roads) ending in a cell phone/internet less area I am sure- so I will do my updates now. The Loveland/Ft. Collins area is a great place and we will have to go back to do all the things available. The weather has been pretty funny there this spring, with rain and wind storms every afternoon, so we didn't get to see and do as much as we wanted. Additionally, I was just not up to the trip to Rocky Mountain National Park and the drive at 11,000 feet. My breathing has been bad, I feel as though there is a weight sitting in the middle of my chest all the time and it does not make having fun- fun. This weight has got to go!! Anyway .....

We did drive west of Ft. Collins on Co. 12 through Poudre (pronounced in the west as cash luh pew-der) Canyon along the Cache la Poudre river- Colorado's only designated wild and scenic river. We were early in the morning so did not encounter all the late to rise Coloradoans (yes, they all seem to get up after 8 and take awhile to get doing things, might have something to do with the late sun in their valleys and the early morning cold) so had the road to ourselves for awhile. Once it got more towards 11 the traffic picked up so we became the sight seeing slow pokes. They were all on their way to raft, kayak, picnic, etc. on the river. Many of the pictures in my album in the canyon are just that- remembrances of the drive. It is beautiful and the river was high, moving fast, and very cold (per Bruce who walked down the steps and sampled it with his foot). There were all sorts of people rafting- and quite a few companies offering to shuttle, provide the raft, pick up, etc. Kayaks are prolific also, with most people wearing some type of dry suits to stay warm. Trout fishing is also big- with several of the areas only for catch & release and artificial lures and flies are all that can be used.

We stayed at Boyd Lake State Park in Loveland, Co This lake is used by lots of boats (motor & sail) as well as jet skis, wind surfers and of course swimmers. The campground is the normal type where water activities are the center - more campsites to accommodate as many people as possible, but still done in a park setting. The state is very involved in preventing zebra mussels from infiltrating the fresh water bodies- so all of the water craft go through mandatory inspections before they go into the water. That does cause quite a back-up during heavy use times like weekends and all during the summer, but everyone seems to take it in stride and it is very necessary. You should do some research on the zebra mussel- they are very prolific, cover everything, clog up intakes for the water ways, and cover anything that sits still, etc. They are not natural to the US, they came into the Great Lakes on freighters and just stayed. They are not in Florida yet, probably because so many of our boating areas have salt water intrusion and they are fresh water creatures- but they need to be contained where possible. Bruce's idea is that this is a plan, that since the US hasn;t fallen to communism or major terrorist activities, instead the countries that really hate us are just introducing these innocuous things into our environment and letting them run amuck, killing indigenous species, and costing us time and mucho money to try to control (which we probably can't). But you know us- we are big into those conspiracy theories. I got several pictures of the boaters waiting in line to get their boats OUT of the water later yesterday afternoon as a storm approached, and that is probably how it is on any given weekend.

We were fortunate that the camp site one I picked out and reserved via the web was next to an unused site so we had more room. I have run into people who have asked why I reserved sites (they supposedly didn't want to be on any type of schedule) - well I can tell you that every campground we have stayed at since summer started has been full on the weekends - and if the sites were reservation sites, people camped on them had to move on if someone had reserved them for that time. The reservation systems work both ways- to help and hamper you. I would also have preferred to ramble this area, but in a 36 ft motorhome, you can't always find a campground at the last minute that will accommodate us. In the west many of the parks are older and were built for smaller trailer campers, pop-ups (they are the #1 type of non-tent camping out here I think), tents, etc. - let's face it this is an outdoors type of world, not a stay in your moving home world. The bigger RVs were never contemplated. If we ever move out this direction we will add a smaller class C, or a nice slide-in for the truck to our assets so we can stop about anywhere (Right now that is a big IF).

I will close with the campground we all see- Walmart. Seems even where the parks abound there are those campers who will park at Walmart. I always find it kinda funny that people will pay $100,000+ for these homes on wheels and then have to save money by camping in the Walmart parking lot. When you are traveling for one night- fine- you come in, park, eat, go to bed and leave the next morning- but that is not the case with many - I will never understand.

We just left Casper, WY on the trail to yellowstone so I will probably lose connectivity soon but who knows. The next few posts may be farther between as we enter the wilds of west Wyoming and Yellowstone. Don't think the Verizon coverage map shows much of that area having connectivity. Enjoy.

Moving northward but still in Colorado

We are on our way towards Loveland/Ft. Collins and since we are just going 120 miles up I-25, I will have internet access the whole way I am sure. Sky is blue, mountains are in the distance on our left and there are currently a few white fluffy clouds in the sky.We spent the last 4 nights in Colorado Springs at Cheyenne Mountain State Park, Colorado's newest park. Yes- it is on the side of the fabled Cheyenne Mountain,in fact one of the roads through the campground is restricted and for emergency exit only. We could see one of the secondary entrances at night because the lights at the access points made it more visible, the main one (I just know there are big concrete doors up there some where) was around the bend so we did not have a clear view. The road itself is restricted to peons like us- so we had to just use our imagination. Those places just fascinate me- just full of conspiracy theories and secret enclaves. Anyway- the state park overlooks Colorado Springs because the whole park is actually on the side of the mountain. The entrance is directly across from the Ft. Carson Gate #1 entrance (another place we were not welcome) off 115. The entrance takes you up to the visitors center at about 6900 ft and the day use areas, camping store, and various campgrounds are higher. We stayed at the top campground- Raptor Glen. I would say we were just short of 8000 ft., at least that is what my lack of comfortable breathing told me. My camera does not do justice to the views- especially with so much the same color - green & brown.

Weather has been wonderful as far as not using the air conditioners since Raton. The last few days here have been pretty overcast and reining so we have resorted to wearing long pants. Early mornings we wake up to about 48 and start the electric heater for a couple of hours to take the chill off. The cats climb down to lie next to it, so even they have been feeling the chill. There is nothing like drinking your coffee in the chilled air- overlooking the beautiful mountains, especially when your wonderful husband has done the dirty work- started the coffee, fed Hazel & Wolfy and taken Hazel for her early morning walk. I did do all of that once this week- but Hazel seems to prefer his walking style to mine so once was apparently enough.

Pike's Peak was a No Go this trip - we couldn't make ourselves go up with wind chills of 21 and the whole mountain socked in with weather. Instead we did go to the Garden of The Gods. The rock formations there are absolutely wonderful and I was very jealous of the homes overlooking those magnificent views, what a way to start your day! The weather was overcast and cool and my camera seems to be taking in less & less light, so the pictures are rather dreary but I kept trying, and trying, and trying. The one thing that never seems to change is that we get somewhere and the area gets some much needed rain and unseasonably cool temperatures. Guess it is inevitable that we bring the rains. (Does it remind you of any other trip Jeremy? Every time I check the Yellowstone weather I see they are having snow- we are just fated I guess, but this time we have a built in heater. After the trip through Garden of the Gods we ate in Jorje's in Old Colorado City (Of course that wasn't until we had purchased fresh bread and pastries aat the french pastry shop La Baguette). Jorje's has great Mexican food and Bruce acquired another of their T-shirts. His first one, bought last year when we were here in January, says "You can?t drink all day if you don?t start early". This one says "Shut up and drink your Margarita?" I am pretty sure it is directed towards me.

Other than a drive down to Canon City to check on our property- we just took it easy since we had been in this area of Colorado several times . We found that the little storage shed we built 4-5 years ago is still standing as built and the stained walls are holding up very well. Only the paint on the trim seems to be suffering in the Colorado weather. The shed is filled with things we left behind if we ever want to just come out and stay any time (which probably will never happen). except of course for the animal droppings left by all the little critters that used it to get out of the cold. Those will just have to wait until we have masks to get cleaned up. Hazel completely refused to come up the stairs to even see the inside, she was smarter than either of us. Seriously, I am sure it is because the stairway is made of safety treads , raised metal steps and they hurt her little feet. Everything was greener than we had ever seen this time, at the ranch, in Colorado Springs, at the Garden of the Gods - everywhere, so I guess it pays to come in what is still considered Spring. Later in June when we usually arrive everything is desert colored except for the Aspen.

Well - time for bed, more about our new camp site tomorrow. Adios.

Trinidad and Cokedale

  We went to Trinidad but I didn't get to update the blog with that information, so this will suffice. Trinidad was great fun. If you go- first stop at the visitors Center- get any info you might need for all of Colorado- but then take the FREE 1 hour city tour on the trolley. The man who drove us around (and there were only 5 of us) was full of interesting tidbits about the city. Apparently Trinidad was the stopping off point for many different ethnic groups moving west during the days of wagon trains. It makes perfect sense- many people probably had to stop, get jobs for short periods of time to fund the cost of food, etc. so they could complete their journeys westward. Retirement and RVs were not in anyone’s vision in those days. We are very fortunate to be able to visit the historical works of our ancestors- everyone should take whatever opportunity afforded and get out there and see this country. Anyway- the Italians and the Germans were some of the people who provided the excellent architecture, stone work and interior woodwork for this city. All of the brick used in Trinidad was made there- until the mid-1950s and most of the stone used in the buildings was mined in the vicinity. Apparently the Italians are responsible for the excellent stonework in the buildings. The workmanship is so good that none of the buildings have needed restoration and the city's plicy is to never touch any of the historical architecture unless it is falling down and there is a safety issue.
The tallest city building completed was the First National Bank- made of stone and even better, a year after it was completed the Italians returned and carved the existing stone into fanciful shapes, gargoyles, etc. There is speculation that this may be the only building in the country made of stone that has the actual stone carved into shapes rather than having them added after completion.

 One of the really unique items to see is a graphic portrayal of Raton's history depicted in a ceramic mural. It was designed and completed by Sister Augusta Zimmer, SC and hangs in the Mount San Rafael Hospital entrance. It weighs about 3000 pounds, hangs on a reinforced interior wall and is 38ft W x 12ft H. According to the tour guide, there are 5000 pieces in the mosaic and Sister Zimmer was 80 years old when she finally completed the mural She did all of the work and spent 16 hour days on the scaffolding putting it up . I don;t know if all of what he said is true, but it is still quite a piece of art and my pictures do not do it justice. In any case, if you are interested, there are more pictures and explanations of what the different images portray in the web album.


After touring Trinidad and a fast lunch, we drove out the highway of Legends a few miles to another another interesting place - Cokedale, Co. It is a significant intact example of a coal miner's camp. The first thing you see as you come to Cokedale are black hills - they turned out to be slag heaps. There were 2 mines in Cokedale and one 9 miles north in Bon Carbo in the early 1900s. The mined coal was washed to remove impurities (mainly sulfur and phosphorus) in the Washer and then cooked in ovens to remove the moisture and the final product, coking coal, shipped off in rail cars. Coking coal was a necessary ingredient in the smelting and refining of iron since it burns with intense heat. The slag heaps we first encountered were where the remaining impurities were deposited.



The first picture is what is left of the coal washery and the next are of some of the 350 coke ovens that were at Cokedale, These ovens ran non-stop during the heyday of this town supporting the 3 mines in the vicinity.

There is quite a bit if history in Trinidad and the surrounding area. Come and see it for yourself!!