Cortez to Grand Canyon

March 22

We drove 305 miles this day and the scene continually changed.

We were driving through an Indian reservation. 

There were unusual rock structures, eroded sand, miles of flat

land with nothing but scrub bushes and an occasional old trailer

 with broken down cars scattered about, then a small group

of Indian Homes

                           

These were called Elephant Feet

    We stopped at a small roadside stand, where this man and his

wife were selling their wares.  He was carving out of stone and

 she was making jewelry.  He told us he'd been to Salamanca, NY

 and Syracuse. I asked him if I could take his picture. He said,

after you buy something, I told him then I'd charge him

for the picture.  He laughed and let me take it. 

THE GRAND CANYON

This is a must see for everyone

I don't like heights so this was scary for me to look down

in the canyon.  I kinda stood back in some places. Larry

took the pictures.  It's amazing, if you don't see it in person, 

 you can't imagine the beauty and how awesome it is.  

I did take this one but notice how far away from the edge I was !

Wish these pictures could be in 3D so you could see how deep and

beautiful it really is. Well, make plans to visit it, you won't be sorry

Hopefully we'll reach California tomorrow. Larry wants to visit a

man who collects and restores Hudsons.  On Saturday we'll meet

a Kested relative that I've never met.  She gives tours of Crystal

Cathedral, so will give us a personal tour. Then on to visit the

Crannell's, Moulton's and our granddaugther Stephanie. 

FOR COUSIN TOM

Time out Folks while I pamper

my Cousin Tom !!!

Cousin Tom had a request re: pictures of the

steam train. So, this is especially for you Tom

This next RR is The Durango to Silverton

We arrived just as the train was about to leave on it's 4 hr

trip over the mountain.  Larry took several videos.  The best

one is too big for my blog.  I'll try and upload a smaller one.

Tom, you'll have to wait to see the long one when we

get to Red Bluff.

From Pagosa to Durango & Cortez

round every curve or mountain is another picture!!!

Colorado is an absolutely beautiful state.

Entering Durango, CO

Syracuse Plays at McDonald's

Here I am with my computer, watching Syracuse on my computer.

We were on our way to the RV park in Cortez. Stopped half way

there in Durango where Larry wanted to see the steam train.

The wifi connection was in the playland area.  We had it to our

selves way in the back of the dining area.  Syracuse had a good

game even without Arneze O.

As we drove up to McDonald's the Durango Steam train was just

starting up, getting ready for the ride over the mountains. 

NEW MEXICO

Saturday March 21

We left Colorado around noon when the roads finally

were clear.  We headed for Pasago, CO by way of

New Mexico.  We'd never been in New Mexico.

The scenery was breath taking. Miles and Miles of

very crooked roads, snow, snow and more snow. Miles

of just snow and going up a mountain and then back down

again...over 7,000 feet high. 

4

Enlarge so you can the direction sign.  Others like this was every

few miles.  We went about 30 and saw just snow, mountains,

 trees and beautiful scenery and not one house for all those miles

These pictures just don't show how it really was.

We arrived in Pagosa around 4 o'clock.  Found our RV park,

then went to the Hot Mineral Springs.  The water that comes

out of the mountains is 154 degrees.  There are at least 20

areas/springs to get into.  They start at 94 degrees, up to 110

degrees.  We got in one of the 102 degrees, then decided to

walk in the pool which led over to a one that was 104.  There

was a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter already in it.

We asked each other where we were from.....the grandmother \

is a neighbor of Alan Kested in Loveland, CO.

Can you see the blue areas between the river and the white

building?  They are some of the 20 hot pools.

We were in this one, overlooking all the others.

Like my new black swim suit?  hehehe

See the posts and ropes?  We walked between them over to
the pool at the end.  That's where we met the people from
Loveland, neighbors of Kested's.

While Larry was changing in the men's locker room. He got
to talking to someone and they were telling each othere
where they were from.  All Larry said was NYS, north of
Alband and west of Lake George.  A young fella standing
near them spoke up and said that his parents live in
Northville, NY.  He was Acquira's son.  They live across
from Kings cemetery which borders our property.  I use to
be in garden club with his mother and have been to
their house.
.

http://www.pagosa.com/pagosa_hot_springs.php

MISCELLANIOUS

We are camped at a KOA campsite in Alamosa, CO.

Big snow storm north and east of us, so we decided to

stay here for a couple of days. The campers next to us

headed for Denver this morning and turned back.

I thought it would be a good time to post some odds

and ends pictures. They probably won't be in order.

Larry: "Grab your camera and take the picture of that car, it just might

be a Hudson." We never did find out, it went down a different road.

Taken under the St Louis Arch.."The builders of the Arch"

The church near the St. Louis Arch.

We couldn't find a parking place less than a 1/2 mile walk, so pulled

into the parking lot of this church. Sign: No parking for Arch

and No RV's. OOPS One of the priests was in the

parking lot, so Larry said to him, "You look like you

know what's what here. We told him we couldn't find a

place to park close enough for me to walk. He

called the police on his cell phone and told them

that he was letting an RV park in the church parking

lot so he'd know not to ticket it. Nice guy..he didn't

have to do that. Larry asked him if he was preaching

that day and he said with a big smile, he was going to try.

Paxico, Kansas

A nice little town, where we camped. The houses and stores all

looked like they were in the early 1900's. No one was at the office

when we arrived so we just found a spot, parked and hooked up.

We were also the only campers !!! Later the owner stopped by and

came into the MH where we had a nice visit. (and pd for our site)

She told us all about her church, Bible study, ministry etc. It's nice

to meet christians along the way.

Paxico, Kansas

Going down Kested's Mountain Road and this doesn't begin

to show you how steep and scarey it was!

Alan Kested is also a pilot...He is on the right in the picture

(click on picture to enlarge)

These two elk crossed right in front of our car

We took this picture right near the Belgian horse farm. This man

maintains the roads up the mountain. This day he was removing

tree limbs and some trees that fell in the road. He was a character

Note: Smoking a cigarette and pouring gas!

Looking out Kested's window at the Buffalo

(click to enlarge)

Carved Indian on our way to Thompson Canyon

Wild sheep in Thompson Canyon. They had come down the steep

mountain side. We could see more of them on the ledges.

Alan drove us up the mountain past his house and the Belgian

horse farm. The green roof is the horse.farm. It was a narrow

snow road covered road. Only a 4 wheel drive would make it.

At the top of the mountain was a canal and power station that

provides the water for Loveland, Denver

and I think Colorado Springs.

When we went to Estes Park we visited the Stanley Hotel

http://www.stanleyhotel.com/

The Stanley family lived here.The brothers who were twins

invented the Stanley Steamer Car. Here's Larry

drooling over the Stanley. The hotel is beautiful

(see the website above) We walked through it and also had some

coffee and pastries in the visitors snackbar.

It was Saturday when we were there, so we went to

church in town and afterwards the church served

a corn beef and cabbage dinner.

We took this picture from Kested's kitchen window. About 8 of

them showed up the morning we were to leave.

What beautiful animals.

ALONG THE WAY

Castle Rock, Colorado

This is a huge rock on the top of isolated mountain.

We ate our lunch near the foot of it on our way to

Colorado Springs

Antique Shop

This was on the San Luis Mountain /ValleyPass. We needed a

break and a place to eat lunch (in the MH). We went inside which

was a lot less messy, than outside. The lady asked us where

we were from. She told us that her son went to Union Colleg

in Schnectady and that he wasn't going to return to Colorado,

so she was selling the shop and going to move to NYS, but

didn't know where. Larry told her he had a house for sale in the

ADK's. She's interested and took down all the information.

I bought a small restaurant creamer/pitcher here for my collection

Great Sand Dunes National Park

The Great Sand Dunes are the tallest sand dunes in North America.

Some of their heighths are up to 750 feet. They cover about 30 sq.

miles. You can climb them, but we only walked out part way to

them. They continue to change by the hour. The wind is blowing

constantly. The sand is very fine and is constantly changing the

the ridges, gullies etc and even the flat sandy part.

T

We were walking here. The wind is constantly changing

the design on the sand. I was thinking how much my grand

kids would love to climb on these..my kids would too.

Scenes from Colorado City to Alamosa