Nice day-May 31, 2013

The memorial service for dear friend, Letha, was so nice. It was a tribute to a wonderful lady I've always loved and admired. She will be missed.

We left quickly so we could get back to Derrick's because he was having a barbeque of sorts with some of his friends we have known for pretty close to forever. It's the group that normally goes to On The Border. We stayed at home tonight. The food was delicious and the company was great. It did make for a long day but that's ok with us.

I have always been fussy when trying to take a picture. I don't like clutter in the background. But please forgive me. Little Hannah came to see us this morning while we were still trying to get set up in our new "home", Derrick's side yard instead of his driveway. When Hannah started having fun I just grabbed the camera. Please just pay attention to her and disregard everything else in the picture!

Do you see now why we came to Colorado this summer?

We're Here!-May 30, 2013

This greeted us when we stepped outside the coach this morning. Those are the Greenhorn Mountains. It's a gorgeous view to start the day. Never mind that building in the foreground. It has something to do with this park, but not sure the purpose.

 

 

The wind today was almost as bad as we have ever driven in. In Pueblo it was just plain nasty with blowing dirt, not wind, it was dirt.

This is what blanketed Pueblo. Once we got through the dirt, we

felt better but the wind did not decrease at all. It intensified.

 

This is north of Monument which is north of Denver. Isn't that peaceful?

 

The snow capped mountain is Pikes Peak. In spite of the wind we felt more at ease when we saw

this. It was our first glimpse of it today. Disregard the Wrong Way sign. We were on the right side.

 

 

We are extremely glad to be here. The wind has laid down a bit tonight. Little Hannah has just captured our hearts. I'll post pictures of her later.

 

A dear friend of 30+ years passed away on Monday. I knew we were close but could not get here for her funeral. For some reason the funeral was delayed and will be tomorrow so we can go. I am sad to be going to her funeral but also glad I can be there. Does that make sense? So, our first full day here will be busy. I would have it no other way. There will be lots to post in the days ahead.

 

 

 

 

 

Moving on-May 29, 2013

We spent today thinking and planning on where we go from here. In mid afternoon we all talked and decided to move on to Derrick's house tomorrow. We are actually very excited about doing that. In celebration we decided to order a pizza from Viktorio's Pizzeria in town. Fabulous pizza. We discovered it on our last trip through here. On our way into town we were reminded how stunningly beautiful this part of Colorado really is. It's breathtaking. We almost pulled off the road just to stare at the scenery. If ever we wanted to live in Colorado again, we would have to seriously consider this part of the state. However, they still have snow! So tomorrow, we are "on the road again" to be followed by a time of relaxation and enjoying family. Maybe we'll do a little work, too.

Colorado City, CO-May 28, 2013

Despite the insane wind we had a safe trip to Colorado City today. We think we will only be here a couple of days. We realized today that we have traveled the entire length of the I-25 corridor in this coach. That seems like an accomplishment to us. The coach has no comment. The scenery today changed so many times it became confusing. We saw dry desert, deep green forest, rolling hills, mountains, prairie land including a good looking coyote and a number of antelope. I took lots of pictures only to realize there were lots of bugs on the windshield. It happens. I'll still share a few.

Look at this humongous dust devil. As we found out these dusty things can be

very detrimental. One of them tore the roof off of a school in New Mexico. This one

was in the middle of nowhere with only cattle to get alarmed over it.

 

Out in the middle of Southern Colorado they cut through this chunk of rock to build I-25.

Why didn't they go around? Looks like it would have been cheaper rather than blast all that rock.

 

After going over Raton Pass at 7834 feet, this is the first glimpse of the

Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains. They were pretty today.

 

 

This butte has to have a name but I don't know how to find out what it is.

I know the exit was called Butte Road. Duh. Now that I look at it, it appears to be some more of

that lava rock I am so crazy about.

 

We are tired tonight. We are happy to be safely settled in.

 

 

Car Show-May 25, 2013

Instead of walking through more petroglyphs we decided to walk a gigantic parking lot full of gorgeous old cars. It was a 10 minute drive from us at the Route 66 Hotel. There were some fabulous cars and motorcycles. We only saw one for sale. Others were just competing for prizes.

Cute entrance to the Route 66 Hotel

 

1941 Lincoln Continental

 

Of the hundreds of cars on display this one was the prettiest color.

The paint job was flawless. Candy Apple Red maybe?

 

A powder blue Lotus. I did not realize they were so tiny.

 

'57 Chevy. This was a really nice car.

 

Nicknamed the Pink Panther

 

Look closely. The little silver Mazda has very long pink eyelashes.

I don't know why, but it is certainly cute.

 

 

It was a hot and windy day but we still had a good time and got lots of exercise. I wish you a blessed Sunday and a Happy Memorial Day. Stay safe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Petroglyph Nat'l Monument-May 24, 2013

Before I tell you about the petroglyphs we saw today, please let me show you the unknown substance in the air that blanketed Albuquerque today. No one can explain what it is. So should we be breathing it?

Look closely and you can see the outline of the mountains. Between us and the mountains is the unknown substance we are all breathing. It does not smell like smoke of any kind.

 

We went to Petroglyph National Monument this afternoon. We should have gone just after the sun came up. It was too hot to do much climbing. The petroglyphs, all 24,000 of them, are along a 27 mile long volcanic escarpment. We saw only a very small part of it. However I did get my wish. I was up close and personal with thousand and thousands of tons of lava rock. I loved every minute! 

 

At the bottom of the mound of lava rock looking at where we needed to climb.

 

 

 

It is not possible to know what these petroglyphs mean because they are not in a particular language. Instead they represent whatever the writer wanted to say.

 

This actually looks a great deal like a piece of coral one would find on the beach of the Gulf coast.

 

Part of the way up the hill. See the Cute Red Vehicle? It's a long walk back.

 

It was a hot and tiring day but we really enjoyed it. We saw such a small part of this monument we may get up early and go back tomorrow for some more. Will keep you posted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Albuquerque, NM-May 22, 2013

We are happy to be safely in Albuquerque though not ecstatic about being in this city. It's a necessary stop along the way to our destination. We are thrilled to be in the Mountain Time Zone. Now life will return to normal. The drive here was very interesting. First of all we did not know that the Painted Desert was visible from the interstate. What a fun way to start the day, looking at those beautiful colors. Secondly we went through the rocky part of northwestern New Mexico which provides a different view depending on where the sun is shining. We also went through Grants, NM which is almost completely covered with lava rock from an ancient volcano. It must have been a gigantic one. I am fascinated by lava rock. That's fine. You are entitled to your opinion! We arrived here to, guess what?, more wind. Oh, joy. The entire country must be blowing away. We are relaxing and planning what we want to do here. We know we will eat at a wonderful Mexican restaurant we found last time.

Isn't this the oddest rock you have ever seen? What caused the holes? Sorry about that truck being in the center. So much traffic I could not avoid them.

 

Another odd rock with a cave entrance at the bottom.

 

Lava rock. I would really like to walk on this rock. I am curious to see what's there. This was one of the smaller piles. When we got to the huge ones I could not take pictures because I was enjoying what I was seeing too much to stop and pick up the camera.

 

I will say that I was unable to take pictures on the Navajo Indian reservation. I was so heartbroken at the living conditions I sat silently trying not to cry. How can anybody live like that? Since many do not have indoor plumbing might we also assume they do not have running water? 

 

This park offered us a deal so we will be here for a few days. Hopefully I can find some interesting things to share with you.

 

 

How Could I Forget?-May 21, 2013

Just outside of Flagstaff, there was a big digital sign on the side of the road. It read "Expect Delays 21 miles ahead Crash site". For a while we thought it was a joke. Then we came upon it. The truck in the crash was not present. There was a front-end loader that was scooping up huge bags of something. We smelled it at exactly the same moment and we both said "Onions!" We were able to conclude that a truck carrying 100 pound bags of onions had, in some manner, had an accident. The smell that bombarded the land barge was so strong I feared having to be close to anybody for the rest of the day. I was talking on the phone when we came upon the scene and immediately the "Onions!" blurb caused a stop in the conversation. I had to explain but I thought it was funnier when she did not know why I suddenly shouted Onions! Our clothes still smelled of onions when we arrived but there was nothing we could do. So do beware when you see a crash warning sign on the side of the road. One never knows what vegetables lurk ahead.

Holbrook, AZ-May 21 2012

We wandered into Holbrook, AZ today for one main reason: to make our time on the road tomorrow a bit more tolerable in length. If the Petrified Forest was not close by, this town would not exist. It is the armpit of Arizona and that's being nice. We will be here only tonight, thankfully. We'd love to go through the Petrified Forest again but this is just not some place we want to be in order to do that.

You know how I love pretty clouds in a vivid blue sky.

I could not resist taking a picture of these cirrus clouds.

 

As soon as we were settled in, we headed for a gigantic rock/petrified wood store for a gift. They have a volume of petrified wood that would shock anybody. It is as fascinating as it is stunning.

 

Looks more like stone than wood, doesn't it?

 

There is one very bright spot in today's journey. There was no wind! Only when it stopped did we  realize how battered we were by the wind of the last week. It is supposed to return tomorrow.

 

Moving on-May 20, 2013

We were starting to get ready to move on down the road early tomorrow morning when we happened to turn on television. We should not have done that. We watched the tornadoes hitting in Oklahoma. I am still trying to comprehend that we sat here and watched live while a tornado destroyed Moore, OK. Moore is the home of Toby Keith. That's displayed boldly on their water tower. We have been through and in Moore more times than we can count. It is a terrific city. It is full of people. Now they are showing the aftermath live. It is almost more than we can comprehend. My heart breaks for those people. I am praying. I ask that you pray, too. Another day of storms is predicted in the same area tomorrow. At least we will be on the road and won't be glued to the tv. What a sad day for those people. Truthfully those storms are one reason we decided not to be in that part of the country this time of year.

More Grand Canyon-May 18, 2013

Thank you in advance for letting me post a few more pictures of the beauty we saw in the Grand Canyon. I did not mention that the wind was blowing like crazy there, too. A 40 mph wind at 7400 feet in altitude tends to be chilly. But we didn't care. We wanted to see everything possible. At times the wind was so bad I had to lean against Jerry to keep the camera steady. Two guys from Florida asked me to take a picture of them and I could hardly stand still in the wind to take their picture. I think I got a good picture of them. Here are a few more for today.

Doesn't look real, does it?

 

The couple on the edge did not know I was taking their picture.

I had not desire to walk out on that ledge.

 

 

 

Taken through the window of a Tusayan Indian kiva at the east

entrance of the park. It was 4 stories tall and we climbed to the top.

 

What do you think this is? We saw this in the parking lot as we were leaving the Tusayan Indian kiva. It, or she, got on a motorcycle and zoomed out of the parking lot. Her helmet and her tutu match but

the red and black leather jacket is out of place.

 

 

We feel very blessed to have seen such extraordinary beauty this week. Words fail me but the memories will not. I wish you a very blessed and peaceful Sunday tomorrow.

 

 

 

Grand Canyon-May 17, 2013

The last time we went to the Grand Canyon we took the train. It was a fun experience. Today we drove the Cute Red Vehicle and enjoyed the trip much more. We could go wherever we wanted to go and stay as long as we wanted to. If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, please put it on your bucket list. It's an incredible feeling to stand and look at the canyon knowing it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It's just magnificent. I only took 94 pictures. It will be difficult to pick just a few, so I may share them over several days. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

That's the Colorado River meandering through the canyon.

 

This place is magical. It's a must see.  

 

 

 

 

More wind-May 16, 2013

We cannot remember being in wind this strong and for such a long period of time before now. Maybe we have been and just forgot. It is terrible. It is not possible to stay indoors all day so this afternoon we went for a very long walk. It is difficult to stop and talk to people. First of all, you can't hear them. Secondly, it's hard to stand still because the wind tries to knock you down. However, we needed the exercise so we hunkered down and walked around this area. It is possible to walk to Safeway from here. Williams is a city built by trains. They are still the predominant reason this town exists. Well, that and the fact this is the gateway to the Grand Canyon.

A good warning indeed.

 

Nice looking engine, right?

 

The park benches are made from old train wheels. Very clever.

 

Oh no, somebody was wrong. The light at the end of the tunnel

really IS an oncoming train!!

 

Do you know how loud a train whistle is this close to the engine?

It's VERY loud!

 

By the time we got back we felt like we had been beaten with baseball bats and left on the side of the road. It appears the wind will not let up until Sunday night. So, we may have to head up to the canyon and not let the wind bother us, if that's possible.

 

 

 

 

 

Windy-May 15, 2013

Windy is an understatement. It is absolutely horrible. We are rockin' and rollin' in this barge. It is not a comfortable feeling. However, it is not hot. For that we are thankful. We went to the Pine Country Restaurant for lunch. We found it last time we were here. It has changed ownership but the quality is still there. They are known for their pies. One piece will serve us both for two meals. That's how big the pieces are. My choice today was chocolate cream/cream cheese pie. No words describe how heavenly that pie is. Leftovers are in the refrigerator. Yummy. We hope the wind calms down so we can go to the Grand Canyon tomorrow. We took the train last time. This time we want to drive our Cute Red Vehicle. We have changed altitude many times on this trip and never had a problem until this trip. A big bottle of expensive laundry detergent exploded. I keep everything in plastic tubs so it only filled up the tub, but I nearly cried at the loss of that expensive hypoallergenic detergent. We spent a long time going through here opening every container to let the "gas" escape out of the bottle. We only went from 2000 feet in altitude to 6800 feet here. That's not that much but it certainly affected all of our closed bottles. It's all cleaned up now and everything is fine. But now we know to pay attention in the future. We still like this altitude a lot. It feels so good. Clean crisp air is so easy to breathe. Life is good!

Williams, AZ-May 14, 2013

You must be asking why we are in Williams? We decided for sure on Monday to double back a bit and then go north. More of that at the end of today's blog. I thought I was going to cry when we started to leave Las Vegas. It is such a wonderful city. So much fun. When we got to Boulder City and made the turn to drop down into the area of Lake Mead I decided it was ok to move on. I had truly forgotten how beautiful this area is. It's not beautiful like the beach or the top of a snow capped mountain. But it is so revealing on how our earth was formed. My mind just goes in wild circles thinking about what it must have looked like when the earth was being  formed. Ok, for some pictures.

Lake Mead is such a pretty color of blue. It is really low, too.

 

The road ahead goes past this huge pile of lava rock.

That means this area was part of a gigantic volcano. That's where my imagination gets active .

 

The Colorado River as it flows out of Lake Mead and down through

Bullhead City, AZ/Laughlin, NV. It's still that beautiful blue.

 

There are miles and miles of piles and piles of lava rock. It may

have been a number of volcanoes instead of one large one.

 

A picture does not do this landscape justice. It is just beautiful. Can't you see the layers of history in your mind's eye? Imagine what's buried in those rocks.

 

This is about as green as the desert gets.

 

Now for our change of plans. We have planned for almost a year to spend the summer in Washington and Oregon. But we have to go to Colorado for one precious reason.

 

 

Allow me to introduce you to little Miss Hannah Hoffman.

She is our 9 month old granddaughter. And what a GRANDbaby she is!

We just have to spend some time with her. So, Colorado here we come. Do you blame us?