The Yearly Migration

Well, folks it's time. We have been in our summer home since June 1st....and the weather is telling us the summer is over. Our seasonal friends are packing up too, and we are all headed south, to pick up our lives where we left off.

We have a pod, or a rocket box on top of our car for the trip. All of our clothes, four blanket bags full, and a garment bag will ride on the top of the car. The back is filled with two suitcases, golf clubs, a car seat that we carry around for granddaughters, etc. etc. We will drive nearly eleven hours the first day. We like our second day to be shorter.

We arrived in Childress, Texas about 6p.m.....very tired of the car. The hotel includes a free breakfast. Wouldn't you know it! Texas waffles! Texas, by the way, is very proud of it's shape :) Ahh, someone platted that waffle backwards.

Having eaten our hearty breakfast, we are on the road very early. ...and arrived home before 11am. Lots of unpacking to do. Welcome to Texas Y'all!

Headed North

We left Vail after one night and headed north to the ski resort of Steamboat Springs

Not many trees on this road.

I did see a barn. For some reason I really like barns. Maybe it has something to do with playing in my cousins red barn when I was little. We would slide down the hay shoot, and scare the ducks. They would then chase us around!

There were some unusual rock formations

Tom even pulled off of the road so I could get this shot. It was under two hours on the road, so we arrived in time to meet our friends for brunch. These were Houston friends who had purchased a raffle ticket and won a week in a three bedroom condo in Steamboat. We were so pleased with the pretty weather.

Vail, cont.

We sure had beautiful weather in Vail. I will post a few pictures taken while walking through the village.

The next morning we were headed north to Steamboat Springs.

Top of the World

I got ahead of myself by showing you our dinner in Vail. On our way there, we went through a very colorful town. By the way, there are several definitions of colorful.

Before seeing most of the golden Aspen trees on Hwy 24 in Colorado, we went through Leadville. It sits at the highest altitude of any U. S. City, 10,152 feet above sea level. The population is around 3,000 people, and it seems large to me, since our little summer town has a much smaller population. See those traffic lights?...We don't even have one in Lake City. Founded in 1859 Leadville had a reputation of being a rather lawless silver mining town.

We didn't stay long, but long enough for me to discover a couple of pretty old homes.

By this time Mr. Tom was encouraging me to get back in the car.

So that we could continue on to Vail.

* The infamous character Molly Brown of the award winning play, and oscar nominated movie ( The Unsinkle Molly Brown), hailed from Leadville.

Oscar Wilde the famous Irish play write stopped here on his American tour and was warned that if they didn't shoot him, they would surely shoot his travelling manager.

On The Road

Tom and I escaped our little corner of Colorado for a trip to Vail, which is a ski resort in the middle of the state.   After one night, we headed up to northern Colorado to another ski resort, Steamboat Spring to meet friends.

Driving through Colorado this time of year is a real treat. It was ablaze with color.

It just got more and more colorful.

These of course are Aspen Trees and in the summer they are green.

You can see in this shot, the ones in the middle are still green

We arrived at our destination in the early afternoon, in time to walk around before getting ready for dinner.

Dinner was at a candle lit French restaurant with a great chef. Thank you Tom for a wonderful birthday celebration!

Okay What is Going on Here?

It all looked a little sinister to me when I first spotted them.

Young people fanned out across Henson Creek, scooping up every fish that came down stream. So not being exactly shy, I stepped out on a rock and said "What are y'all doing?"

The man in the blue hat, an Aquatic Biologist explained that they were with the Colorado Fish and Wildlife Dept. and they were counting fish in the creek, judging their health, and analyzing the chemicals in the water. He said all of the fish would then be released. There was also a young woman on a bridge just up stream. She was making sure no dogs ventured into the water, as they had a live electrical current pulsing through the creek to stun the fish, making them easier to catch. You never know what you are going to come across around here.

Headed out for a couple of days to celebrate my birthday. I will return. Janey

A VW Yak

Hmm, this strange looking car caught my eye over in Creede

I am thinking that you would have looked twice too.

Although it is difficult for you to read the sign.Seems it is advertising the salon and gift shop,( the Blue Yak), that it is sitting in front of.

A Fun Day

After photographing the moose (previous blog), we headed on over the mountain to Creede.

We wanted to have lunch before going the the matinee performance of Osage County. This is the wall of Creede's newest restaurant, (look, another moose)!

and this is the ceiling. I was too busy eating my wonderful lunch to photograph it. The chef here is internationally trained, but the prices are in line with a bistro. Great Place. If you are ever in Creede...do yourself a favor and eat at Arp's.

Next to the theater, which is in an old Opera house.

You can't takes photos during the performance, but I got one of the set before it started. By the way, we were blown away by the terrific performance (that is a good thing).

Afterwards, we stopped at Freemon's. It is a very popular place where you will feel like you have gone back in time.

They have seriously good hamburgers, and an ice cream counter that we were very interested in.
 We got our cones, and headed back over the pass, so that we could arrive before dark. Another fun day in the mountains..

Well Hello

I have mentioned before that our summer home in the mountains is just over one pass from a terrific Repertory Theater. So, Yesterday we headed over for the last play of the season.

Well, you have to keep your eyes open around here. All of a sudden we saw this. A female moose (called a cow), was right beside the road. Problem is, I had to stand in the middle of a highway to get this. The sun was shining into my lens and the moose was in the shade, but hopefully you can see it.

To our surprise she had a calf.

Oops, make that two!

The Hidden Falls

I am still using pictures from our drive last Sunday, mainly because I haven't been out much. It is almost time to head south with the birds, and I have been packing. I like to leave everything neat around here, so closing up means cleaning the fridge from top to bottom, the oven, etc. etc. Did I mention that I am a bit of a neatnik. Anyway back to the drive.

We are not on this road that often, so I always like to stop at Whitmore Falls.

Heading down the steps, and like I said..I am a bit of a neatnik so I kept wishing I had a broom .

Click on photo to enlarge

We went all the way down....which meant we also had to climb all the way back up, only to discover that an Aspen tree was blocking the view from the observation point.Grrr

Our Destination

Our destination on our drive  into the mountains on Sunday was Rose's Cabin.

When I first started coming here back in the 1980'S, I thought Rose was a woman, well she was actually a man named Corydon Rose. Back in 1874 Rose decided to build a large cabin at the base of Engineer's Pass (12,880ft). This area was half way between the new mining towns of Ouray and Lake City, Co. It soon became an overnight stopping point for miners coming over the high pass.

Unfortunately, there isn't much left of the area. This photo is not remains of the cabin, but are the walls of the stable. In 1877 a stage line came right in front of the cabin, going to and from Ouray, which increased Rose's business($2.50 for a bed). Rose's cabin was said to have a bar running the length of the building, and 22 curtained off sleeping areas upstairs. Mr. Rose was reported to be quite a character, but a very welcoming host.

Cabins sprang up in this area, because of all of the nearby mines; the population was said to have been near 100.There was even a post office at Rose's Cabin, and this is the safe that belonged to the postmaster.

By 1877 mining had dried up, and the area around Rose's cabin became a ghost town. 

It is a beautiful ride up to this area. We like to go and have a picnic on the banks of Henson Creek, which flows just  down from where this lively stage stop was so long ago.

The Corral

In a valley high in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado we came across this corral.

Click on picture to enlarge

We were not on the road pictured, but a higher road, so I did not get a closer look. Is it to corral cattle or horses? My guess would be sheep since there are so many herds in this area.

Linking to: Good Fences

The Chimney

On our drive into the mountains on Sunday afternoon. I saw a large chimney. I thought maybe there had been a large house attached to it at one time.

It is quite a ways down the hill, so it must be huge.

click on photo to enlarge

Although I was wrong, seems it was a  Lime Kiln.

Fishing

If it weren't for the fabulous fishing and cool summer temperatures, this little mountain town would have gone the way of so many other little mining towns in Colorado. It would have become a ghost town. Neighbors from the hot flat lands of Texas headed this way in the 1930's and 40's to stay cool and fish, and they are still coming. That is why we have so many little vacations cabins, and summer homes here. Of course today the cabins have gotten a lot fancier, but some more modest ones still exist.

I pass this  little storage shed almost daily on my walk. Imagine my surprise when I found out it had been someones fishing cabin! Naw! Really!

It even still has a matching outhouse to the back of the property.

You see the top half of these sides lift up and latch to the roof, exposing screening  for ventilation....and to keep the bugs out. I was told that inside  all of the original furnishing are still there. Even an old icebox, mind you not a refrigerator...since there was no electricity, but an old icebox  the kind you put a block of ice in the top. After a bit of research I have discovered who has the key, but they are gone for the winter. I promise to get inside next summer, and show you around...so stay with me :)

Fall in the San Juans

Yesterday was the perfect day to drive higher in the mountains to see the Fall colors.

There was not a lot of color when we started up Henson Creek (on the left).

It wasn't long before the golden Aspens were everywhere.

There is not much left of Capitol City, except a couple of cabins. There was once a mansion near here, and the owner wanted so desperately for this town to be the capitol of Colorado.

Tom was wonderful about stopping to let me get out to take a pictures.

It made for a very enjoyable day.

Not sure what this plant is, but I liked the red berries.

There are several tall waterfalls flowing down the mountain on this road,

and this is a favorite. The Aspens that turn a reddish orange.If you are planning a vacation, remember that mid September is the perfect time to visit Colorado!