You Can't Get There From Here

The morning dawned.  Doesn't it always.  Its just that it is a grand thing in the mountains.  To the East from Highway 36 just West of Estes.

And to the West looking back as I'm headed out town on Hwy 34.

I've always been sad to leave Estes and the mountains.  Stuck around long enough to get coffee at Kind Coffee.  And some treats to take home for the dogs.

The drive east on I80 is a long one.  I80 in Nebraska is not known for constantly changing scenery.  This is an area where there is NOT something cool around every corner.  There are not actually many of what I'd call corners. I stopped at the border of Colorado and Nebraska to capture the general landscape of Western Nebraska.  You can just add corn and get an idea of Eastern Nebraska. Comments relevant to the I80 transit only.  It might be hugely cool elsewhere.  But, it may say something about me that I do like to look at the corn.  There is just an awful lot of it.

I stopped for lunch in a small town called I don't remember what.  Felt like a BLT and in a flashback to childhood, also a glass of milk.  It was, of course, whole milk, like direct from the cow, I swear.  Been doing the skim thing so long I had forgotten just how THICK whole milk tastes, if thick can be a taste.  And the place served up one size, humongous.  Took me awhile to finish it, but I have my monthly quota of dairy fat.  The BLT was quite good and hit the spot.  People were nice so I recommend the....

Red Rooster Cafe wherever it is in the town I don't remember the name of.  Saw something totally unexpected in that town.  Those curious can send me a note and we'll chat.

To the purpose of being in NE.  Got together with my fellow speaker geek Curt In Lincoln.  A great guy and some sort of genius in the realm of speaker design.  Also got to tour the company he works for, Duncan Aviation.  Duncan is a firm that repairs and refurbs corporate sized jets.  From the frame out including finish and avionics.  There were planes from France, Egypt, Asia and elsewhere in the hangers.  Curt is an avionics, specifically autopilot, expert.  Showed me the lab in which the cores of gyroscopes are rebalanced and tested.  Pretty cool stuff.  Dinner and Curt's company were just great.

Which leads me now to the punch line.  Tomorrow, I was going to shoot southeast and snag I29 south to I70 as the quickest way to FL.  Oops, forgot the flood of the millenia on the Missouri River in June and now you literally can't get there from here.  No bridges and I29 closed.

Alternative plans underway, and I am glad I built in that extra day.

Flattop

Interesting that Colorado would be my last stop in "the West".  I've been going to Colorado for about 25 years - sometimes several times a year and I love it every time.  Last night I stayed in at the Simple Hostel in Salida.  Highly recommended.  John, the proprietor is very accommodating.  Not a traditional hotel.

Salida is a very special town.  People are welcoming, culture is amazing for a small town, and the view is, well, great.  The town is in a wide valley where the Arkansas stops flowing southward, and turns east.  It is situated in a low spot, so to speak, and has an amazing microclimate that defies reason for a town at 7080 ft. Even though it is in the mountains, it is a very moderate climate with a decent growing season for vegetables.  Cattle also graze throughout the valley.  White water rafting and other adventures sports are big business there as well. 
 

Left Salida early, as I had some work to complete in Denver.  This is to the west from the north end of town. Two of those peaks are Antero and Shivano -  fourteeners. 

The drive to Denver took me through Fairplay - the inspiration for the TV show South Park.  Did not stop.

Next stop, Estes Park.  Rocky Mountain National Park is one place I go to renew.   Over the years, I have been all over the park doing some great hiking.

This picture shows many miles of continental divide - East Slope.  To the East, water flows to the Platte then Missouri Rivers.  To the West, the Colorado River originates in the Northwest corner of RMNP.

With every visit to this place comes some contemplation.  The flat-topped mountain below is called Flattop.  I guess there was not someone convenient to name it after.  Fourteen years ago, Aaron and I made a trek up Flattop to scatter some of my brother Steve's ashes.  Steve charged Dad with dividing his ashes among his friends and charged his friends with leaving them somewhere meaningful to each of them.  This was the meaningful spot for me.  Our intent was to leave the ashes at the divide such that some may flow East and some West.  The usual afternoon lightening arrived way early that day and when it started to crack all around us we said "Hope you like it here Steve!" dumped him just at the bottom edge of the snowfield in the pictures and fled down the mountain.  He would have appreciated that.  His motto was "Life is not a spectator sport", and indeed it is not - but neither is life a sport that requires tempting fate in mountain lightening.  In the spirit of Steve's motto, a couple of years later, Aaron and I traversed the divide over Flattop, visiting Steve on the way over.  A long, long hike, but one of those things that make a father and son a father and son.

Next stop is Lincoln, NE. Why?  Well, not because it is there, but I will fill you in tomorrow.

Last Stop? Not so fast.

US 550, the highway from Durango to Ouray is about as mountain highway as highways get.  The destination was Salida, CO.  Made it, but not without some care.  The mountains north of Durango are something to behold, and they just get better as you approach Ouray.  The mountains were in the clouds and the road often misty.  

After quite a bit of climbing and crossing the Molnas pass, we arrive in Silverton.  The town was a mining town and staging area for equipment and supplies for the surrounding mines, mostly silver.  Great breakfast to be had, by the way, at the Brown Bear Cafe.  Then, back on the road.

The final pass above Ouray is called Red Mountain Pass after the iron laden mountain next to the pass.  Approaching the pass, I shot this one.  Is there any wonder I love Colorado?

In any event, the decent from the pass to Ouray is an 8% grade, with lots of twists and turns at 10mph, meaning, lots of chances to use the brakes.  By the time I hit Ouray, the brakes were so soft, that I decided to have the car taken down the mountain to Montrose on a flatbed.  I felt testing the brakes on the downhill was not a smart move.  Montrose, however, is billiard table flat.  After having reached Montrose the brakes had cooled and were functioning normally.  I did quite a lot of driving in town to see how things went.  After consulting with Aaron, I determined to proceed to Salida.. Made it fine, no further brake problems.

It was about dark on arrival, so I was not able to get good pictures.  I'll include some in tomorrow's blog.

So far, the 40-year-old Dieter has offered a fuel pump failure - thanks to Aaron I had a spare on board.  Then, there was the strange loss of oil pressure, which, sadly seems to just happen from time to time.  Shut it off, wait a couple of minutes and restart.  Pressure good, back on the road.  Has probably happened 7-8 times.  We are stumped.  The radiator boiled over climbing out of the Mojave desert in 107 degree heat, and now the brake thing.

It has been an adventure.  Tomorrow, off to Estes Park, where I will enjoy the food and people at Ed's Cantina.

Last Stop - Ouray

Parked.  Having some chicken salad and a slightly too sweet ale at the Ouray Brewery.  Not much else to do.  I had the good fortune of having my brakes go all squishy (technical language for suspected master cylinder failure) while traveling 20mph here in town rather than flying down a mountain. 
Ouray is quite scenic and quite worth the trip.  After lunch I'll have the car towed to Montrose where there are mechanics.  Really need professional brake bleeding equipment.   Should be an easy fix if parts for a 40-year-old Mercedes can be found.
I guess it is a sign???

Trains and Automobiles Anyway....

The drive from Cortez to Durango is so short and it was raining a bit so the journey was not committed to digital permanence.  When I arrived, there was much activity at the rail station as there always is.  The Durango&Silverton narrow gauge trains are a mini-industry here - lots of fairly high priced tickets sold every day.  I did not indulge as I will drive through Silverton tomorrow.  I have included a few photos lest anyone forget the huffing, hissing sounds, the feel of the ground moving and the slightly acrid smell of the smoke mixed with steam.  There really is nothing like a steam locomotive.

I settled at the General Palmer hotel - a very nice old hotel built by the guy who started the Denver and Santa Fe RR.  Dieter had a place of honor out front - actually a place of hopefully better security. 

Cool old hotel isn't it?

I may be appearing on TV - Durango's promotional channel that covers local businesses, etc. for cable TV.  I was enjoying dinner and sipping wine at a place called Ore House.  Highly recommended BTW.  Despite my undeniable charm (I was reading a book at the bar - OK if you must know a book by Alan Watts.)  So, though I was captured on film , rather, digital media no doubt, I do expect that fame will continue to elude me.

Today, for the first time on the trip, I began to feels as though it is time to wind it down.  Not the appeal of work I assure you.

It is just time.

Tomorrow, I am off to one of my favorite towns, Salida, CO, where people are uncommonly friendly, the pace of life is manageable, and the three fourteener's across the valley keep the spirit inspired.

Bluff, UT to Cortez, CO

Last night I dined at a steakhouse that was about the only option in Bluff.   A pistol in a case in the front counter with a sign "I ain't gonna be calling 911."  You get the idea.  Food - not Zagat rated.  So, stopped at a coffee/ice cream shop that seemed out of place and was for sale.  Had a chocolate shake for my real dinner.  Back to the hotel, fairly modern, just in time for the power to go out.

All this encouraged an early departure.  Had a chance to watch a nice sunrise on a cloudy morning.

Once the sun was up, I found myself in the most desolate surroundings in Navaho country.  The landscape was dotted with oil wells, which, judging from the number of pickups on the road very early, provides some substantial employment.  The landscape was both barren and lovely.

On to Mesa Verde National Park.  The cliff dwellings are at about 8000 feet, and one must wonder what the heck people were doing there.  There is a lot unknown, which makes it all the more fascinating.

I hiked a trail out to Petroglyph Point, where, guess what, the dwelling inhabitants left petroglyphs.   The hiking was fairly strenuous, moving along the cliff face, lots of up and down.  Some tight squeezes, which had me thankful that I have remained fairly slim.

Of course, no one really knows what the petroglyphs mean, but they are thought to represent the journey of the inhabitants from the point they emerged from the earth to their arrival on the mesas.  This is a sample.

So, it was a day with more time spent hiking than driving - which was a nice change.

Tomorrow, a short drive to Durango.

Cool Things Around Every Corner

Yes, this is a road trip through the West, so there will be lots of shots - in the West.  An excellent motoring day in that there were no scares with the car.  Everything went extraordinarily well.

The day started as it was getting light in Sedona.  Some regrets about focusing on the road trip aspects as I'd surely like to do some hiking here.  It will wait for a future trip - I am certain there will be future time spent in Sedona.

Northbound from Flagstaff on the way to the Grand Canyon.  More vastness of the West.  The lands along the highway were sparsely populated and travelled.  This is the day's picture with the car looking back toward Flagstaff.  The Flagstaff-Sedona area impressed me.  Will be back.

Nothing can prepare one for a first look at the Grand Canyon.  Grand does not cut it as a description.  Superfantacular perhaps. Ginormous.  Strangely, most of the conversations I heard around me there were in German, Chinese, French, or other languages.  An easy majority.

There are a few fires in progress in the canyon or around it, so photos are hazy.  A repeat of a perspective on the landmark that is familiar to most, perhaps because this view is so spectacular.  Could stare at it all day.

All of the visitors to the Park did not seem to disturb this resident.

Turn to the Northeast.  Headed now to Monument Valley Navaho Tribal Park, which covers part of Utah and Arizona.  Beautiful red sandstone formations.  Throughout Northeast Arizona and Southeast Utah, I have found something around each bend that was great.  Will have to pick up a book on the geology of the region.

Passing now through Mexican Hat, UT.  Amazing geology.  The red and white alternating striations you see in this picture appeared to be sedimentary layers folded in some sort of uplift into these patterns.  In the bluff further away, you can see the same layers remaining horizontal.  Again, research to do.

Ended up in Bluff, UT tonight.  Will go on in the morning to Mesa Verde.

I'm loving this sabbatical.