Month: July 2017

Wind power in Colorado

The Jr. Rangers rest under a tree at Bent’s Old Fort, Colorado

The encroaching storm on the plains of Colorado

Wind power in Oklahoma

Gretchen points to where we are in Oklahoma, Lynne is looking for the Santa Fe Trail

Kids at hotel in La Junta, Colorado

Desmond at Bent’s Old Fort, Colorado

Outside Bent’s Old Fort, Colorado

Bent’s Old Fort, Colorado

Antique game of checkers at Bent’s Old Fort, Colorado

Bent’s Old Fort, Colorado

The lightning storm outside Amarillo TX

July 4, 2017
La Junta is a small Colorado town with a lot of railroads, and some farms. It’s very flat, with the smells of feedlots and cattle drifting through  town. After the hotel breakfast we stopped at our usual, Sonic, for cherry limeades. We took the north route through town, crossed the Arkansas River, and took a right to Bent’s Old Fort. This was a trading fort on the northern leg of the Santa Fe Trail, about 100 miles north of the Cimarron branch, and was operational from the 1830s through the 1880s. It’s at an interesting place between the high plains and the mountains, and between Native, Mexican, and American territories. We got there probably around 11 o’clock in the morning, put our sunscreen on and went for a short walk to the fort. I had been there before, in 1976 when I was 10, right after the fort was renovated. It still looks pretty much the same as I remembered; a stucco exterior, two-story, and a large courtyard. There were all kinds of items relevant to the period–buckskins, knives, wagon wheels– and people in period garb explaining the functions and activities of an early 19th century trading post. There is a functional blacksmith workshop, a carpentry room, as well as a kitchen and livery with horses and chickens. It’s fascinating to see this place in almost working order. When I was a youngster this place sparked my imagination, I remember writing stories about the Santa Fe trail and the frontier and Bent’s Old Fort. The kids did Jr. Ranger packets, and there were a lot of 4th of July activities; a parade of sorts, the firing of the fort canon, and a reading of the Declaration of Independence in its entirety by one of the people in period garb. We had a good time exploring all the rooms on both levels of the fort. We talked to a nice family from Ulysses, Kansas, who also take their kids to national parks and monuments to engage them in their nation’s history.

It got hot, well into the 90s, and we realized it was almost 3! Time to go, unfortunately.
We headed east to Lemar, took a right and after a quick subway sandwich, headed south through the panhandle of Oklahoma and into Texas. It was really really flat. We did see traces of the Santa Fe Trail cut into the grassy landscape. As we descended south into Texas, large gray clouds were gathering on the horizon. We saw lightning scattering inside the clouds, the winds picked up, and by the time we were just north of Amarillo we saw the most incredible lightning storm we’d ever seen, with flashes almost every second. In the midst of all of this, several towns had fireworks bursting above, which was an odd but amazing sight to see. The rains started in earnest on the outskirts of Amarillo, which made driving difficult. It wasn’t as bad as some Southern storms, however.
We checked into our hotel around 11:30 and went to bed, exhausted.

The Great Sand Dunes National Park

Mariah and Desmond take Fifi for a walk at the Great Sand Dunes

Charlotte at the Great Sand Dunes

Spanish Peaks, CO

July 3, 2017
It’s our time to say goodbye to Lynne’s parents and hit the road, so we woke up early and packed the car, and had a quick breakfast at the hotel. Papa (Lynne’s father) helped “grade” the twins’ last Jr. Ranger packets, these were the Night Sky badges that the ranger at Dinosaur National Monument gave to us, and made us promise to check their packets once the kids were finished. They passed with flying colors, according to Papa!
Charlotte and Mariah planned to come to the Great Sand Dunes with us, so we drove in a caravan down I 70, and took a right on route 24, and drove down the twisty roads through Minturn and Burma Vista, passed beautiful 14,000 foot peaks and abandoned mining towns, and passed several busses carrying river rafts and thrill-seekers. Lynne and Charlotte ride in one car, and I took Mariah and the twins in the Family Sport Wagon. I chose some tunes for Mariah to listen to, she’s been asking quite a bit about new music. At one point the subject changed to favorite albums, and of course I had to play the new remix of the Beatle’s Sgt. Peppers, and what a better time than driving several hours through such expansive and beautiful scenery. (The remix is absolutely phenomenal, by the way). Plus, I had the kids’ attention and they couldn’t escape, so their ears were mine for a short while.
I had a good time catching up with my niece Mariah, she’s a young artist and is interested in so many similar things; music, art, comics, and travel.
An interesting (?) note about our music; we have listened to quite a bit of music on this trip, but not as much as I would’ve liked. Lynne and I like to listen to location-specific music that goes with the terrain we drive through. For instance, In South Dakota and Iowa Lynne and I listened to a bunch of George Jones, and truck driving and CB music of the 1970s (which I have been collecting for years). In Wyoming, we listened to a bunch of western swing music, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, and the like. In southern Wyoming, when we got out of the Tetons and Jackson hole, we listen to all of Rank and File’s “Sundown” record. I hadn’t listen to that album in maybe 20 years or so, and it still stands up, it’s great. I’d argue that it pre-dated alt-country by 10 years or more. After that, on a lark, Lynne and I listened to a bunch of Elton John from the early 1970s, most especially Tumbleweed Junction, and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. On the drive to the Great Sand Dunes I played a selection of tunes I thought Mariah would like, including Band of Horses, Telekinesis, and Depeche Mode. For some reason, the twins really enjoyed the song “Shake the Disease” and even sing along with it for a bit! That was quite a surprise.
We all met up at the great Sand Dunes, a collection of sand at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, where there’s a visitor center and a little creek that runs off to the side. The kids got Jr Ranger packets and got to work while I snapped some photos and smelled the fresh mountain air.
We took a quick stop at the creek, then struggled through the sand while the kids built dams in the sandy creek bed. After an hour or so we went back to the visitor center, kids got the Ranger badges just in time for the visitor center close. We had a quick snack outside, and said goodbye to Charlotte and Mariah. We headed south and turned left to Walsenburg, while Charlotte turned right and went to Alamosa.
We drove around a gigantic mountain, through the beautiful plains, then through a canyon that took us past the Spanish peaks. We went through the little town of Walsenburg, which seemed a little rundown and worse for the wear. I had been through Walsenburg years before on a crazy bike trip I took with my father and brother back in 1981. We rode from Trinidad to Pueblo, Colorado, the next day to La Junta, and the final day back to Trinidad. We passed through Walsenburg for a quick lunch on the way north to Pueblo. This was in the time long before lycra shorts and fancy helmets, and even before panniers and multiple water bottles. Most of the riding we did was on freeways–roads are few and far between in these parts.
We arrived at La Junta around 9, and since it was Monday almost all the restaurants are closed except for Sonic. That was OK, we got some burgers and tater tot’s, and of course some cherry limeade’s to drink, and took them to the motel where we stayed up late watching American Pickers.

Sampson family at Sylvan Lake CO

Cousins at Sylvan Lake, CO

Sylvan Lake, CO

Sampson sisters, Sylvan Lake CO

Cousins screenin’ at Grand Avenue Grill, Eagle CO

Cousins goofin’ at Grand Avenue Grill, Eagle CO

Gretchen and Grammy at Grand Avenue Grill, Eagle CO

Yeah! Family time!

Desmond braiding Lynne’s hair at the Rusty Boot, Eagle CO

Sketching at Bonfire Brewery, Eagle, CO

Lynne and Laura Sampson at Sampson Cycles, Glenwood Springs CO

Delicious tacos at Slope and Hatch, Glenwood Springs CO

Daddy and Desi at Glenwood Springs CO

Kids after the big green tube, Glenwood Springs CO

June 30-July 2, 2017
We were in Eagle, Colorado for three days, a nice break from the stop-and-go travel, and a good place to have a family reunion. Lynne’s parents Tom and Arlene came up from Phoenix, Lynne’s sister Charlotte and her daughter Mariah drove from Santa Fe, and Laura and Joe from next door in Gypsum. Desmond and Gretchen were happy to rest a few days and hang out with their cousin Mariah and her little dog Fifi, and see their grandparents and aunts. I took some time to sketch some journal illustrations, and update this blog, and Lynne loved seeing and catching up with her family.
FRIDAY. After our hotel breakfast and dog walking we went up in the mountains for a picnic at Sylvan Lake. It’s a gorgeous camping and picnic spot perched at 9000 ft. above sea level and surrounded by dark green pines and breezy aspen groves. We were there a few hours, Gretchen and I, along with Aunt Charlotte and Aunt Laura, walked around the lake. Gretchen took off her shoes and walked through streams and over mountain rocks, telling me that she “takes the road less travelled”. It was a lovely afternoon, I really miss western mountains. That night we ate at the Grand Avenue Grill and hung out, enjoying the clean mountain air.
SATURDAY. We took it easy this morning, I took Desmond and Gretchen to the hotel steam room, which they thought was crazy, and then for a swim. We walked to the Eagle Diner for a snack. Joe joined us at the diner, and spent the rest of the day with us. Back at the hotel the cousins bopped around and played video games, and then we all went to a city park to relax in the view of the mountains. Later that night we went to the Rusty Boot, a cyclist-themed bar and restaurant with excellent salads and deserts. After that we went back to the hotel. I decided to wander to the local Bonfire Brewery, where I did some sketching on the back porch next to an actual propane bonfire, drank a couple of beers, then took a slow stroll back to the hotel under the starry sky.
SUNDAY. Charlotte and Mariah went to the Denver ComicCon, Tom and Arlene opted to relax in Eagle, the rest of us and Laura went to Glenwood Springs. Another amazing drive through Glenwood Canyon, and we parked in downtown Glenwood Springs. By chance we parked in front of the Sampson bicycle shop (http://www.sampsonsports.com/), so we went inside to check it out. Eric Sampson happened to be there, so we talked to him and took a few photos of these titanium racing cycles, then he sent us to a great home-in-the-Wall taco joint called Slope and Hatch where we had some amazingly tasty fresh tacos. After that we milled around Glenwood Springs, Aunt Laura bought a few books for the kids, then we all went to the huge hot springs and soaked a while. The pools are enormous, the hottest one is about the size of an Olympic swimming pool, and the other cooler pool is twice that size. The kids went down the fun yet terrifying green slide that’s in yet another pool. We swam some more, then showered up and left. Back to Eagle, then a quick dinner at The Eagle Diner with the family. We chatted some more with Laura and then bid her adieu, and went to bed very tired.

Tents drying in the Utah sun

Our favorite pink dinosaur

Cowboy dinosaur… Cowboyasaurus? Vernal, Utah

Desmond is comparing femurs

Desmond got both the Dinosaur badge and the paleontology one! Dinosaur National Monument

Gretchen got both the paleontology and the Jr. Ranger badges! Dinosaur National Monument

June 29, 2017
Nothing will dry out a soggy Yellowstone tent quicker than the Utah sun in the morning time. Lynne and I unpacked the garbage bags full of wet rain fly, tent, ground cloth, towels, etc. and spread them out on the hedges out back near the parking lot. We had breakfast, and then packed up to go. Thankfully things dried really fast. We hit the road around 10, taking the main drag through Vernal after a quick stop at Sonic for some tater tots and cherry limeaides. Vernal is about 15 minutes from Dinosaur National Monument, so it’s been the tradition for local businesses to have awesome Dinosaur effigies in front of their establishments. Some are truly impressive; pink-painted plaster and concrete, metal, wood… while others are paintings on glass, or wooden signs propped up on old gas station pumps. We lost count after the first dozen or so.
Dinosaur National Park was fun, and has a fascinating array of fossils. Apparently the dinosaurs died in a riverbed, were fossilized over several million years, and were unearthed around 100 years ago in this spot. The kids worked on Jr. Ranger packets and we looked around the visitor center before taking the quick shuttle to the enclosed dig site. Along one wall is an array of hundreds of dinosaur bones, inside a fancy modern glass enclosure. We poked around the exhibits for a bit, the kids got sworn in as Junior Rangers in front of the recently discovered Aptosaurus.
We had a nice lunch under a shelter, then headed south to Colorado. We took small roads and twisted through several small river valleys, and got more snacks at Rifle, Colorado, then took a left and headed through the gorgeous Glenwood Canyon. If you ever get the chance, drive this stretch of I-70, it’s an engineering marvel, and the views are spectacular.
We made it to Eagle, said hello to Lynne’s parents, sisters Charlotte and Laura, and Charlotte’s daughter Mariah, then settled in for the night, talking and catching up on things.

Goodbye Tetons, we’re southbound!

Ranger Ann and the newest crop of Jr. Rangers at Grant Village, Yellowstone

Desmond and Gretchen said their daddy is a big ol’ bear, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Bunnery, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

The twins at the Bunnery, Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Southern Wyoming forever

June 28, 2017
The storm raged on through the night, and stopped around 3am. When we got up it was clear, bright, and warm… but also dripping wet. Gretchen and I tidied up the car and hung a few items out to dry in the thin slivers of sun that made it through the trees while Lynne and Desmond slept in.

It was so wet we decided to skip campsite breakfast. Instead we Let the tent dry for a bit while we all went out to eat breakfast near the lake. As we ate we saw more clouds rolling in, so we decided to get some trash bags and wrap up the whole wet mess and take it to Utah to dry out.

The drive south of Yellowstone wanders through alpine forests and luscious grassy valleys. We saw elk and bison, and several folks in rain garb bicycling up the steady grade to Yellowstone, loaded down with panniers filled with camping gear. The road twisted past clear lakes and we arrived at the Tetons after an hour or so. One remarkable thing I pointed out to the kids: this is one of the few places where you can look out over a landscape or lake and not see any human development or building anywhere. It’s as pristine a view as you’ll get in the lower 48, and it’s all thanks to the visionaries who preserved this place over 100 years ago. These views make me really thankful for the National Park Service.

We stopped in Jackson Hole, for a late lunch. The town reminds us of Santa Fe. There is a central plaza (about the same size) ringed with pricey shops: Pendleton blankets, silver jewelry, western art. JH leans more Wild West/cowboy/skier less Native American/Southwest than SF but very similar in feel. Substitute deer antlers for cow skulls. We ate at “The Bunnery”, an excellent bakery/diner just off the plaza. The food was amazing and we were glad to finally have access to wifi for the first time in days. We had just enough time to post to the blog and clean up our inboxes before we hit the road again.

More rain as we headed south over mountain passes and through thick forests, slowly winding our way to more arid land, and just as we hit the flat dry land of southern Wyoming the skies cleared. On one lonely 20 mile stretch we saw a minivan on the side of the road, with a family watching the dad fix a tire. I stopped to offer to help, and found out they were from Knoxville, Tennessee. A boy, about 8 said “I just lost a tooth!” And I told him I hoped the Tooth Fairy brings him a new tire tonight. They were just about finished anyway, so we left them on the windy 2-lane highway and headed to Vernal, Utah. We followed several rivers and crept down dry, twisty canyons until we crossed into Utah and Flaming Gorge.
Tired and twitchy from the road, we let the kiddos hop into the pool just before it closed at 11pm. While kids swam we took over the guest laundry at the hotel and washed all the wet, smokey, camp clothing we had accumulated. We cleaned up, had some bowls of cereal and then went to bed, exhausted.