The caravan Startes

Mesa Verde Looking up from bottom

Petroglyth from the ancient people

Horseshoe Bend the river goes 7 miles to only gain 1.5 miles in its coarse to the sea

Mullie point

Natural Bridges NP

Top of Laplata Mt with old mining equipment

Top of Laplata Mt looking to sleeping Ute Mts

Gorge as seen from train

Durango Silverton Train

The back of the train

Long House at Mesa Verde NP

Long House

The tunnel we had to squeeze through at Cliff house

Escalate Ruins

Mullie Point

Monument Valley

Monument Valley

Mexican Hat

                                                         SOUTH WEST CARAVAN

Durango Colorado is our start to the Airstream caravan. This is where we meet the 31 other trailers that have come from all over the country and Canada. Durango was originally started as a Railroad town and today the Durango/ Silverton railroad is the centerpiece of the tourist draw to the area. This railroad is a narrow gage rail that originally was designed to bring oar to be processed in Silverton. The trip to Silverton courses through spectacular scenery including large gorges filled with cold mountain water coursing south in the Animas River. Our car was open so we got to experience soot and embers generated by the antique coal fired steam locomotive. In fact all our clothes were black dusted at the end of the day.

The town of Silverton is a tourist town today. We had lunch in an old restored hotel with much of the old furnishings from the day. I felt we were on an old Western movie set.  We had a couple of hours to explore the town before boarding a bus to go back to Durango. It was a 45-mile drive through the mountains down to Durango with more spectacular scenery along the drive.

The other activity in Durango was a Jeep ride up the Laplata Mountains where we saw ruins from an old mining town dating back to the late 19^th century. The views and scenery in general were great but the ride was really bumpy, good thing they had seat belts or we may have been bounced out of the vehicle.

There was some free time in Durango so I was able to search for my “B and B”, that is Bakeries and Breweries. We found an excellent bakery and two good microbrews. There was also time for us to do some birding along the Animas River where we picked up several new species of birds.

Next stop only about 50 miles west is Mesa Verde National Park. This parks main emphasis is archeological significance to the 4 corners area. It is also a World Heritage Site. People inhabited this area from about 550 AD to 1280 AD. These were the early or ancestral Pueblo People, in the past known as the Anasazi, who were the fore bearers of many of the present day native American tribes including the Hopi and Ute not to mention many others. These people lived in what are known as pit houses on top of the Mesa where they farmed corn, beans and squash. As time progressed they moved into the pueblo homes contained in the alcoves in the steep cliffs of the canyons. We went on 2 Ranger guided tours that took us down the cliff and into what is called Balcony House and Long House.  To visit Balcony House we had to scale a 38 foot ladder and traverse a tunnel only 18 inches wide.  Here we learned about the people and their culture, as it is understood today. It is amazing to think we were walking in the same place people walked and lived almost 700 years ago.

On August 25^th it was the National Parks 100 birthday. I feel so lucky and humbled to be in such a special place. At our campground in Mesa Verde there was to be a celebration but the weather didn’t cooperate, it rained that evening.

Over in Deloris Colorado the BLM has the Anasazi Cultural Interoperation Center. They have a world-class museum with many artifacts from the area. This was a Stone Age culture. There was no metal until the Spanish showed up in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Imagine cutting down a tree with a stone ax, sewing with a needle made of animal bone with a fiber from a yucca plant, creating garments out of turkey feathers or animal skins.  The oldest artifact was a piece of a basket dating back 7000 years!

On to Bluff Utah only about 100 miles through some dry desolate terrain. The closer we got to Bluff, a town settled by Mormons in 1880 the redder the rocks became. Bluff is a small town of about 200 people, not much different than 1880, the major difference the Mormons are all but gone. The story of the Mormons was told by a museum that described the arduous journey to Bluff. This band of people came with the mission of making friends with the indigenous native Americans. They set off on what was to be a 6-week trip that turned into a 6-month slog that included blasting out what was called a hole in the rock into a barely passable road to take their horse and ox drawn wagons through.

Bluff is a good point from which to explore The Valley of the Gods, Monument Valley and Natural Bridges National Preserve. The ride through the Valley of the Gods included a section of gravel road known as Moki Dugway, a series of switchbacks snaking up the sheer face of a very large Massa. I should add there are no guardrails and grades of 10% with hairpin turns, best driven with eyes directed straight ahead not down over the edge. The view from the top of the Massa, Mulie Point was spectacular. Monument Valley is on a large Navaho Reservation where we had a guided tour that explained the history of the area and some of the Navaho Culture.

Pictures From the Heartland and Beyond

Mountain Lake in Colorado

The Black Caynon Of The Gunnison

Don, Gretchen and Diana

The Vast Mountain wilderness

Cedar Waxwing

Prairie Preserve

Farm House at Prairie

Reural Western Kansas Road

Great Sand Dunes

Mississippi Kite

Eastern Kingbird

Storm over Sand Dunes

Sand Dunes at End of Day

Diana On The dunes

INTO THE HEARTLAND

The Tall Grass Prairie is a collaboration of The National Park System with The Nature Conservancy. This area of Kansas is located in what is known as the flint hills. It is a beautiful rolling landscape with occasional outcropping of limestone and flint. This area was home to several American Indian tribes, one of which was the Kansa, hence the State of Kansas. The Tall Grass Preserve is a small example of what once was a vast area running through the mid section of the country from Canada to Mexico. The native grasses are being slowly reintroduced to the area along with a growing herd of Bison. It was interesting to visit this Prairie after our experience of The Tall Grass Preserve in Oklahoma in the spring. There were no campgrounds associated with the Prairie Preserve but we found a great spot in Cottonwood Falls, a city park with a swimming pool. For the most part we had the entire park to our selves for only $15/ night honor system.

About 100 miles to the west there is a very large salt-water wetland. A salt-water wetland in the middle of Kansas? In prehistoric times Kansas with in the middle of and ocean therefore there are abundant amounts of salt in Kansas. The significance of a salt-water wetland is that it provides an excellent stop over for birds making their annual migration between arctic breeding grounds and South America. Unfortunately it was blazingly hot while we were there. 100 degrees Fahrenheit! Despite this adversity we managed to see some new birds.

Pushing westward our next stop was at Scott Lake State Park, a beautiful canyon in an otherwise flat western Kansas. The wild life was great and another new bird!

We climbed slowly out of western Kansas into eastern Colorado on our way up into the Rocky Mountains. Next stop is the Great Sand Dunes NP. The scenery will take your breath away. The sand dunes measure 30 miles by 10 miles at 8,100 ft. elevation. The surrounding mountains in the background are up to 14,000 ft. Here we explored the dunes and surrounding area. This area provides a very unique ecosystem found nowhere else in the world. In fact it is home to several species that live only here. We walk out to the dunes, went on a few hikes and drive on some of the worst gravel roads but well worth it to get to a hike into a waterfall. We also find a couple of new birds for our life list.

We are now on to Crested Butte. Here we visit with our friends Don and Gretchen from the Caribbean 1500 days. Crested Butte is a small town in the mountains with only one year round paved road leading in or out of town. In it’s former life the town was a base for the many mining towns north in the mountains. Aspin Colorado is north by about 13 miles, a 6 or 7-hour hike, by car it is 2½-hour drive around the mountains. The town now is home to about 2000 people and has a ski slope so tourism plays a big part in the local economy. The ride to and from Crested Butte brought us through some amazing mountain passes. Don and Gretchen brought us to a small lesser-known National Park. The Black Canyon Of the Gunnison. The Canyon is about 2500 feet deep but only 1700 feet across therefore little light gets to the bottom thus it is the Black Canyon.

We are now in the town of Durango where our Caravan officially starts tonight with a get together and dinner. Arriving a few days early let us do some birding along the Animas River where we were able to see several new birds. Of coarse we had to visit a local brewpub for lunch.

So for now we will close until we have more stories from the caravan. Our internet capabilities are meager at best so pictures will have to wait!

                                                      ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Work finished up for me on July 29^th.

After a very brief stint in Maine we have started our journey west where we will join an Airstream Caravan called a South West Adventure. It will traverse the Four Corners area of the SW.  It was very difficult to hook up the trailer and leave Wilson Lake in the rear view mirror. We departed on the 31^st. As hot and steamy as it is now Wilson Lake would be GREAT!

The first leg of our meander west was north and west through Quebec and Ontario Provinces to visit with Diana’s cousin in Uxbridge Canada, a beautiful area of rolling hills and many dairy farms located north and east of Toronto. The 3 nights with Rob and Lynn went by very fast. We did manage to visit 2 microbrews in the area. There was a rail to trails path near their house so we went for a walk on the gravel trail. They were great hosts. We look forward to visiting with them in Florida this winter.

After 4 nights in Canada we were off to Kalamazoo Michigan to visit with boating friends Bill and Melinda from our Caribbean 1500 days. We had a great bike ride on a rail to trails trail that took us out of town through the cornfields.  Kalamazoo was a vibrant town with lots to offer. It was the complete opposite of my preconceived notion of a decayed Mid-western postindustrial town. Proof of that is they support 13 microbrews! We sampled several. The highlight of the visit was spending time with Bill and Melinda.

Springfield Illinois was our next destination.  We by passed it this past spring when we were trying to put as much distance between us and a huge tornado weather complex originating in Oklahoma.  Springfield is the capitol of Illinois and of coarse the adult home of Abraham Lincoln. We visited both his home, now part of the National Parks system and the museum associated with the Lincoln Library. The museum takes a very modern approach to telling the Lincoln story.  There are some traditional displays, such as one of the three remaining stovepipe hats know to exist today. This hat has marks on it created by the President’s hand as he tipped his hat when he encountered other people. They had a holographic “movie” called the ghosts of Lincoln. It was incredibly real. We knew we were in the heart of the Midwest when we looked out the back window of the trailer and saw a huge soybean field less than 100 feet away. In fact the camper next to us approached me and he asked what brings you here? He pointed out there’s not much here other than corn, beans, beans and corn.

Play ball! Our next two stops involve baseball. Bush Stadium in St Louis Missouri is home to the storied National League St Louis Cardinals. The stadium is downtown, close to the famous St Louis Arch along the banks of the Mississippi River. Our campground was located in the center of the city 2 miles from the stadium. This enabled us to walk all over the city.  Our first stop 3 blocks from the campground was a home where Scott Joplin lived for a few years. Here he wrote the Entertainer along with many other songs. The campground can best be described as a paved parking lot however it fit the bill and made our visit to see the Cardinals possible. Our next baseball experience was at the opposite end of the state in Kansas City Missouri. Kaufman Field is a very nice and friendly venue to see a baseball game. This stadium is located on the outskirts of the city so we drove to the game from another less than beautiful campground, but it worked for a day. Abe had been here and recommended a BBQ place. We arrived unhitched and hit the road to go get lunch/dinner. The BBQ was in an old gas station. Parking lot was packed and what a surprise when we went inside. Great food.

Diana with Bill and Melinda in Kalamazoo

Lincoln's home

Player Piano at Scott Joplin's home

Scott Joplin's home

St Louis Arch from down town

Bush Stadium

Joe's BBQ

St Louis Arch

Kaufman Stadium