Grand Mesa

Thu, Sept 29, 2016

Carol and I are staying in Grand Junction at the confluence of the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers.  The city sits in the Grand Valley and the Grand Mesa is to the east.  See a pattern here?

Wiki says the Grand Mesa is the world’s largest flat mountain and I’m not one to argue.  Pictures I’ve seen are beautiful so I thought I’d head up there to see what it’s all about.

Today was a wet one so no blue skies for me.  Here’s what it looked like on the way up.

The route is a dirt road with one switchback after another.  This wouldn’t be a problem were it not for the constant washboard.  Better check my fillings…

About half way up, I got a glimpse of some aspens and my perspective really changed.  And then around the corner and boom!  The side of the mountain lit up in various shades of yellow and red.  Really spectacular.  These photos don’t do it justice.

The Milky Way

Wed, Sept 28, 2016

Last night was a cool one with crystal clear skies and a bright Milky Way.  So I thought I’d take a stab at it.

I’m using a Nikon D800 camera and Nikon 14-24 zoom lens. This picture was shot at 14mm, ISO 1600 and exposed for 30 secs.  I use Adobe Lightroom to process my shots and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not very good at it.

Here’s the shot straight out of the camera.  Not much there, eh?

And here’s the shot after processing.  It’s a bit cartoonish but was fun doing it (the bright spot in the lower right was a neighboring town).

Kid Curry and The Wild Bunch

Tue, Sept 27, 2016

Carol and I visited the local historical museum today and it was a hoot.  Starting with the volunteer guide who has been around as long as, well, let’s just say a long time.

Silt has done a great job of collecting artifacts and they moved half a dozen old homes from the range onto their site to make a small village.  It was pretty cool.

One of the buildings was a saloon that had a copy of the famous picture of The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy’s outlaw group.

One of the members was a local kid that went by the name of Kid Curry.  The locals are really proud of him.

He and friends robbed a train in the neighboring town of Parachute and they rode east toward Silt for their escape.  But it was not to be as they were caught by the posse and Kid Curry was shot.  Not wanting to be taken prisoner, he fatally shot himself in the head.  Or so the story goes.

KOA Cabins

Tue, Sept 27, 2016

I always thought of KOA as campgrounds only but they’ve been expanding their business.

While this site is new and only has a single cabin, we’ve seen many more on our trip.  Very appealing on those rainy days when you don’t want to deal with a tent.  This one sleeps six, has a kitchen and full bath and costs $119.

We’ve seen smaller, cheaper cabins that don’t have kitchens and I find more appealing as they retain more of a camping feel.  Simply set-up your grill on the front porch and have at it.

What’s Out Your Back Window?

Tue, Sept 27, 2016

Carol and I are camped on the banks of the Colorado River near the town of Silt, CO.  Care to guess how it got its name?

Not terribly photogenic but not bad either.

Crossing the Rockies

Mon, Sept 26, 2016

If there’s a more beautiful freeway, I haven’t seen it.

Today was an great day as Carol and I drove I-70 up the front range and over the top through the Eisenhower tunnel (11,300 ft).  The scenery was awesome and I wanted pictures of the drive so Carol ended up doing all of the shooting, windshield glare be damned.

The Cayenne pulled like a champ so no issues there.  Now that lane closure just before the tunnel, well that’s another story.  But what’s an extra hour sitting in traffic when you’ve got all day?

The beauty quotient really ramped up on the down side as we drove past Frisco and the Dillon reservoir.  It was stunning with all the aspens but I can’t say that name without feeling like I’m insulting The City.

Further down we passed Copper Mountain, Vail and finally through the Glenwood Canyon.  The former are well know for their beauty but Glenwood was a surprise for me, a very good one.  It was carved by the  Colorado river which is just outside our back door 🙂

We’re now settled in to our campsite waiting for the debate.  Thank you Dish TV!

Frisco and the Dillon Reservoir.

Aspens along the road and yet more road construction 😦

Even the hillside shrubbery was beautiful – this is just outside of Glenwood Springs.

‘Oh My God’ Highway

Sunday, Sept 25, 2016

After relaxing in camp a few hours, Carol and I decided to drive down to Idaho Springs for some groceries at the local Safeway. But boy did we take a wrong turn.

To reach Central City from Denver, you drive up Hwy 119 about an hour to the Black Hawk exit and then it’s only a couple of miles.  And that’s the problem.  The businessmen in Black Hawk weren’t about to let all those gamblers drive by so they built new casinos.  They now have 18 vs 6 in Central City and do about seven times the revenue.

In an effort to compete, Central City completed a four-lane, 8 mile Parkway down to I-70 that bypasses Black Hawk.  Carol and planned to use it to reach Safeway.  Out of our KOA campground, there’s a sign that points to I-70 and down we went not knowing that we weren’t on the Parkway.

It all started pleasant enough but the blacktop turned to a dirt road and I’m thinking ‘this is a parkway?’.  Carol was driving, sweaty palms and all, and I told her to keep going but it was pretty rough and one of the signs said ‘12% grade, not maintained in winter’.

I took over driving and we made it to the Safeway.  While Carol was shopping, I checked the maps and sure enough, the dirt road was there and so was the Parkway.  So who was the prankster who put up the I-70 sign that pointed to the dirt road?

In the Safeway, Carol asked the clerk about the dirt road and learned that the locals call it the ‘Oh My God’ road.

Here’s a pic I took out the windshield when Carol was driving and before we hit the ‘oh my god’ section.

Jacob Mack Hops

Sunday, Sept 25, 2016

Carol and I explored Central City, CO this afternoon looking for a bite to eat and perhaps an adult beverage.

Central City boomed back in 1859 when a gold vein was discovered and the rush was on.  New veins were mined and the population exploded to 10,000 but, like all boom towns, it’s only a matter of time.  The population today is 663 and casinos are the only thing keeping it alive.

We had lunch at the Dostal Alley Brewpub (and casino 🙂 ) and took a table by some growing hops.  According to the waitress, a brewer named Jacob Mack came to town in the 19th century and planted hops.  They grow all over town and the city comes together each summer to pick them and Dostal does the honors to brew the mild ale beer.  Not sure how much of this is true but it makes a great story.  And the beer is actually pretty good.

The town has done a great job of preserving the 19th century architecture and the aspens aren’t too bad either.

On our way out, we went into the local grocery store looking for bananas but there were none to be had. Then into their liquor section for drinkable wine. Again, no luck but lots of whiskey. Out of curiosity, we walked into the dispensary section and there were dozens of choices. Oh my, how the times have changed 🙂

The Morning Light

Sunday, Sept 25, 2016

The sunrise cooperated and gave a nice magenta hue to the valley to our northwest.

Colorado Aspens

Sat, Sept 24, 2016

Carol and I departed Fort Collins this morning and drove down to Golden for lunch with a former colleague.  Then it was up, up, up to Central City where our campsite is at 8,885 ft.  A quick 1-2-3 up a flight of stairs is all you need to know that you are in thin air.

If that wasn’t enough, our Cayenne was wheezing a bit through town as it was very steep with stop signs.  Once the combined 12,500 lbs is under way, all is good but that initial start can be tough.  Note to self: upgrade to that Turbo that you’ve always wanted 🙂

We are camped on a knoll with clear views of the surrounding hills and this place is spectacular!  The aspens have started to turn and should reach their peak in the next week or so.  Luckily for us, we don’t leave Colorado until next Fri and fingers crossed we see them at their peak.  Here’s the view to the northwest.

Here’s the mountain to our south and I’m hoping that it’s aspens are glowing with the morning sun.  We’ll know first thing in the morning.

Finally Colorado

Fri, Sept 23, 2016

After a leisurely five day drive across the Heartland, Carol and I arrived in Fort Collins last night.   We’re planning two nights here for some R&R and then we’ll head west over the Rockies to Utah.

Six years ago, I was working on a project to convert algae oil to fuel and we were generously funded by Obama’s stimulus program.  One of our partners was located here as they were affiliated with Colorado State University (Go Rams!).  I’d been here before and really liked it so it was an easy decision to stop here on our way down to Denver.

Today is a layover day so Carol and I went out for a hike in Lory State Park.  A really nice place that was once a homestead that grew into 3,500 acres.  Colorado bought the land and now there’s a playground for the locals.

We did the self-guided Well Gulch Nature Trail.  The whole 1.4 miles.  Perfect.  Here’s Carol and TiVo with the Horsetooth Reservoir in background.

Tomorrow we head up I-70 into the Rockies.  Yippee!

‘We Have Red and White’

Thu, Sept 22, 2016

Carol and I are camping in Ogallala, a small town in Nebraska. Named for the Oglala Sioux tribe.

Back in the day, the town was quite a doozy as a terminus for cattle drives.  This became possible only when the Union Pacific connected the town back to Texas.  Ogallal was also a stop on the Pony Express and later along the transcontinental railroad.  Yee Hah!

There’s a tourist trap called Front Street that has a bar and restaurant.  So naturally we had to go.  Walked right in with TiVo in tow hoping no one would say anything.  Carol carried a blanket so we covered a chair and had him sit right up 🙂

When the waitress came over, I asked about wine and she gave the classic response: ‘We have red and white’. Uh oh.

So I ordered a vodka martini and the waitress turned to Carol who said:  ‘I’ll have a beer’.  I only hear those words about twice a year.  LOL

When a Dog Follows

Wed, Sept 21, 2016

We’re camped in an area where the dirt roads are laid out in one mile squares.  So I thought it’d be easy to lay out a run that was 2 miles west, two north, two east and then two back to camp.

So I headed out feeling good despite the warm breeze out of the south.  About a mile and half in, I came upon this beautiful family farmhouse.  Fresh white paint, beautiful flowers, lots of green grass and large silos by the garage.  A really nice set-up.

After clicking the shot, a beautiful black and grey dog came running up.  At first, I was a bit apprehensive but she turned out to be really friendly so no worries.

I restarted my run and she followed with her long legs making it look so easy.  Her game was leapfrog in which she’d sprint ahead and then stop to sniff something on the side of the road.  I’d pass her and then a few moments later she’d go streaking by only to stop again.  So leapfrog it is.

After about a mile, I started to worry about her getting too hot and/or losing her way.  On the approach to the I-80 overpass, I stopped and tried to get her to turn back.  On the third attempt, it worked and I lost sight of her due to the pitch in the overpass.

Relieved, I started running again again only to have her come streaking by.  Leapfrog was back on.  So off we went and I realized that I was really enjoying her company.

But I also knew that she’d bonk and I didn’t want it too happen on the far side of the loop.  How then to get her back home?

The answer was to make a U-turn at the 4 mile mark and backtrack to her home.  So that’s what we did.  And then the bonk hit, all she could do was walk at an easy pace.  So we slowed and worked our way back to the farm.

As I stood outside, the owner came out.  Really nice guy.  Said that she followed all of the runners.  Nothing to worry about.  Now he tells me.  Here she is.

Windmills

Tue, Sept 20, 2016

The last time I drove across the Midwest was 1980 as I was headed to Arizona to pile it high and deep.  But drove is misleading as I rode across on my motorcycle.  Remember it like yesterday.

A lot has changed over the years but the scenery is pretty much the same.  Beautiful farms, lots of corn and soybeans and an unending line of semi’s.

And then there are the windmills.  A lot of them.

They’re concentrated in southern MN and Iowa which has me thinking about tax policy.  No way these things get built without tax credits.  And since we didn’t see a single one in Nebraska, I suspect they’re legislature wasn’t biting when the industry came calling.

One thing fortuitous about windmills is that they generate their power during the day when energy demand is highest. Same for solar.

Anyone who’s experienced rolling blackouts will tell you that the more power generated during the day, the better.

KOA and the Heartland

Mon, Sept 19, 2016

Carol and I left Minnesota yesterday and we’re in Iowa today and heading to Nebraska tomorrow. The Heartland.

It’s kind of funny but we’ve been staying in KOA’s.  Totally family friendly.

If you’ve never been to one, KOA is Kampgrounds of America.  All camping related words that start with a ‘C’ are spelled with a ‘K’.  Sort of Korny, no?

What’s nice about KOA is that it’s like McDonald’s.  You pull into a new city and you know exactly what you’re going to get.  No surprises.  Every evening I log on, enter my frequent Camper Rewards Kard and bingo, I have a site.  Easy peasy.

At this KOA, they take family friendly to a new level.  Our site is on Barnyard Row which is next to Kornfield Kourt.  Kamp K9 is over there.

Here’s our site at last night’s KOA.  Korn, anyone?

Land of Lakes

Fri, Sept 16, 2016

Minnesota is known as the Land of Lakes and a quick look at a map will tell you why.  The license plates are adorned with ‘10,000 Lakes’ but there are over 15,000 that are greater than 10 acres and many more that are smaller.  These lakes were formed by advancing glaciers that scooped and pushed soil during the last ice age leaving depressions in their wake.  In time, they filled with water.

Most lakes are clear enough to drink but not recommended where motor boats are allowed.  In the Boundary Waters Canoe Area up north, it’s paddle power only so all you need for a drink is to dip your cup in the water.

With so many lakes, it’s no wonder that fishing is a favorite pastime with walleye (for eating) and musky (trophy) two popular fish.  If you’re ever out there, you’re likely to see a loon, the state bird (although others will argue that honor should go to the mosquito).

It’s also no wonder that having a lake cabin on one of the lakes is treasured up here.  Growing up, we weren’t so fortunate but my sister has corrected that and her two boys grew up spending weekends fishing at their cabin.

Here’s a shot of the area where my buddy has his place.  If you’re wondering if the shores are lined with cabins, my response is ‘you betcha’ 🙂

Hops and Craft Beer

Wed, Sept 14, 2016

If it weren’t for craft beer entrepreneurs, we’d all still be drinking Bud – Miller – Coors.  But then there’s always Bud Light – Miller Light – Coors Light.  Sigh…

The craft beer revolution has really caught on in the Northeast, Midwest and West (especially Oregon!) and thanks to the Boston Beer Co for leading the way with Samuel Adams.  But not in parts of the South such as Texas where the big beer distributors have firm control over what gets in.  Grrr…

My buddy has 24 acres about half of which is leased to his neighbor for feed corn.  The rest is trees, open pasture and access to his dock.  So I wasn’t too surprised when he decided to put some of it to work growing hops.  He has three types: Willamette, Cascade and Centennial.

This required digging holes for the 25ft poles and stringing wire as the hops are vines and they like to climb.  He’s in his fifth year now and growing beautiful product that he sells to the local craft beer producers.  His effort may be coming to an end, however, as it’s proven to be a lot of work for little (financial) reward.  And the hailstorm a few weeks ago didn’t help matters.

Here are some shots of the set-up and the cleaned hops.

40 Paces from Farm to Market

Mon, Sept 12, 2016

After four days of R&R, we drove 2 hrs west to my buddy’s place where he keeps a small garden.  Walked down there and he handed me a shovel and said ‘Here, turn it over’.  So in went the shovel and out came the potatoes.  Never done that before.

We also picked some tomatoes, pole beans, peppers, cantaloupe and watermelon.  The corn came from the corner store.  It’s tough to beat food in the midwest during harvest season.

 

 

Among Hmong

Sun, Sept 11, 2016

Being 9/11, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of those lost on that awful day 15 years ago.

When you hear ‘Minnesota’, you might think snow and cold but you should also think vegetables as this is a farming state.  And that means great farmer’s markets.

But great farmer’s markets need great farmers and that’s a lot of hard work.  Enter the Hmong, an ethnic group of farmers from the mountainous regions of Laos, China, Vietnam and Thailand, who have settled in the area in great numbers.

My sister lives in downtown Minneapolis and she was our tour guide for the day.  Being a boring guy, I stuck to the usual (i.e., heirloom tomatoes, portobellos, purple cauliflower, asparagus) but you could get pretty much anything that grows in the ground.

Kudos to the Hmong as an example of an immigrant group that has made this country the great country that it is today.

 

Edit:  How could I forget the Minnesota Salad composed of seven varieties of greens you’ve never heard of and garnished with edible flowers?  Carol’s preparing it as we speak.  Should be yummie 🙂

 

Home Sweet Home

Fri, Sept 9, 2016

Carol and I had an easy drive from Sioux Falls, SD to Medina, MN on the west side of Minneapolis.  My twin and his wife have lived in this area for a long time and the appeal is the proximity to Lake Minnetonka.  It’s the largest lake in the metropolitan area and is a favorite playground for the boating and waterfront restaurants.

We’ll be here for a few days of R&R and then off to my high school buddy’s place out in Alexandria.

Here’s dining at Birch’s on the Lake.  Had I not butchered my hair this morning, you might have a hard time figuring out who is who.

Happy 22nd anniversary to Carol 🙂

Go Big or Go Home

Tue, Sept 6, 2016

Today was a long one as we drove 350 miles crossing South Dakota on I-90.  Relatively boring other than the morning storm.  I slowed to 55-60 with wipers on full but the semis were having none of it.  When four in a row blasted by me, I was in whiteout for a solid minute.  Scarred the bejesus out of me.

During our trip, we have marveled at the size of the rigs in the campgrounds as we thought our 25 footer was a good size.  Not so.  While our’s may be good for a couple, it’s too small for a family for anything other than a quick weekend outing.

If you have a family and want to be comfortable, you need a class A motorhome or a fifth wheel travel trailer 🙂

Class A motorhomes look like a bus, have slide-outs to widen the LR and BR and are 40 feet long.  They typically tow a small car or jeep for mobility while camped.  We toured one a few days ago and it had 1-1/2 (!) bathrooms.

Traditional travel trailers are limited because they attach to a hitch that is cantilevered off the bumper or frame.   This means that the tongue weight exerts torque on the frame and well, there are limits.  I’m at mine with the Cayenne.

Fifth wheels to the rescue as the hitch is in the pick-up bed directly over the rear axle.  Bingo!  No torque!  Just like a semi-tractor trailer.

Here are tonight’s neighbors with their Class A’s and fifth wheels.

And here is the back side of the two on the right showing their slide outs.

Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt & Lincoln

Sept 5, 2016

I dragged Carol to Mount Rushmore this afternoon.  Can’t say she was kicking & screaming.  In fact, she was down right agreeable.

What allowed us to go was that it was a short drive off of I-90 that connects Yellowstone and Minneapolis, my home town.  Well sort of as it’s really Edina, a suburb.  We’re heading there to see family and my 40th high school reunion.  Looking forward to it.

Being Labor Day, we expected Mount Rushmore to be packed and the crowds didn’t disappoint.  But the Dept of the Interior sure did.  At the gate when we paid our $11, the rules were posted and No Dogs Allowed.  wtf?  The National Park Service doesn’t allow dogs in their parks and cites damage to the flora and fauna and I get that.  Sort of.  Canada welcomes canines to all their parks and I love them for that.  So we left TiVo in the car and headed in.

TiVo was in a parking structure with lots of people walking by and we didn’t get 50 yards before we heard him barking.  Carol doesn’t like to leave him behind so she was never comfortable.  So it was up the path, quick view of the mountain, then back to the car.  What I call a hit and run.  No doubt this will rear its ugly head many times over the next year.

If you haven’t been, here’s what the granite looks like:

Grand Prismatic Spring

Sept 4, 2016

I was aware of the Grand Prismatic Spring from reading photography forums and was really excited to see it.  Yesterday we visited the site but Holy Moly was it crowded.  Worth it though as it’s the most beautiful site in the park IMHO.

Unfortunately, the walkway was on the downwind side so all shots were through the steam.  Also, the classic shot is from the hill in the background that’s not easily accessible.  Not happy with this result but it is what it is.

This adjoining spring is called the Turquoise Pool and is equally beautiful.

 

Another Shot of the Fire Damage

Sept 4, 2016

In an earlier post, I commented about the fire damage that we saw shortly after our arrival.  Since then, we’ve seen plenty more and here’s a shot on our way out.  Sights like this were everywhere.

Wildlife in Yellowstone

Sept 4, 2016

Our efforts at wildlife sightings were a bust.  After spotting a beautiful pronghorn antelope on the drive into the park, I was optimistic that we’d get lucky and perhaps see some wolves and maybe even a brown bear.

The closest we got was arriving at a pull-out that had attracted a large crowd.  I inquired and was told that a wolf had passed through but just left.  Oh well.

There were bison galore but nothing else to write home about.  Here’s one that was enjoying a stroll down Hwy 20:

Waterfalls and Geysers

Sept 3, 2016

Yellowstone is located on a volcano that blew about 2 million yrs ago, then again 1.3 million yrs ago and finally 640,000 yrs ago.  The central part of the park collapsed forming a large caldera that is heated by the underground magma.  Yellowstone Lake, which is much larger than I anticipated, is central to the park and our campsite was adjacent to the lake.  The breadth and variety of features in this park is truly amazing.

The park is huge and the roads form a figure 8.  We drove the southern loop that was 96 mi long and it took us about 5 hrs.  Being Labor Day weekend, we feared crazy traffic but that wasn’t the case although parking was tough at the park highlights.

We hit the usual suspects including the Upper and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River that are at the beginning of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

There are several geyser basins on the loop and we got lucky at the Lower Geyser Basin.  Great Fountain Geyser is a beauty and just as I started to focus, she blew!  The eruption lasted 3-4 minutes and we were all giddy like a bunch of kids.  Too bad that I didn’t have a blue sky to highlight water and steam 😦

Trail Running in Yellowstone

Sept 3, 2016

Today is a layover day and I went out for my morning run. Started on the highway with plans to switch to a trail at the first opportunity.

The sign at the trailhead warned that this is bear country and to:

• Hike in groups of 3+
• Be alert for bears
• Make noise
• Carry bear spray
• DO NOT RUN

I think I’ll stick to the roads 🙂

 

The Yellowstone Fire of 1988

Sept 2, 2016

Do you remember the great Yellowstone fire of 1988?  It was the largest fire in Yellowstone’s recorded history and also the largest in National Park history.  Killed many of the trees that had survived earlier fires and should have survived this one.

This event prompted the US Forest and National Parks Services to reevaluate their fire fighting philosophy.  Their approach had been to put out the fires as quickly as possible to minimize damage.  However the result was a huge build-up of fuel that created ever larger fires.  Today’s philosophy is to let nature take its course, at least to some degree and the result has been a reduction in the area lost annually to fires.

Yellowstone has recovered well and here’s a shot showing the growth of new pine trees. The downside is that the trees will all be the same age and that’s never a good thing, particularly when they approach end of life.

This photo was taken from one of the high points in the park and the new trees at lower elevations are significantly larger.

Lenticular Clouds

Sept 2, 2016

Lenticular clouds are saucer shaped and form from shear in the upper atmosphere. So I was a little concerned when I got up this morning and saw a number of them scattered around (if you want to see some real beauties, Google ‘lenticular clouds Patagonia’).

Wind out of the south was forecast for our drive to Yellowstone so I was worried about trailer sway. Particularly since the first half of the drive was east on I-90 so the wind would be hitting us broadside.

Turns out that the wind was just starting to build when we turned south on Hwy 89 so no swaying although we fought a headwind the rest of the day.

Here’s an example that I shot out the front windshield while holding Carol off trying to take my camera away 🙂

Sweaty Palms in Butte

Sept 1, 2016

Carol and I bid adieu to Glacier this morning and had a beautiful and uneventful drive to Butte.  Uneventful until the city limits that is.

The weather was sunny this morning with increasing clouds throughout the day.  On our approach to Butte, we drove into some dark clouds and gusting winds.  From reading the Airstream forums, everyone has their white knuckles day and today I had mine.

We’re cruising along at 73 mph on I-90 (speed limit is 80!) when the Airstream started to sway.  I’m holding the steering wheel with both hands and the Cayenne is tracking straight but we could feel the trailer shifting back and forth.  And I couldn’t reach my hand controller for the Airstream brakes because it was on the floor on the passenger side and Carol was relaxing in the back.  We slowed and it mellowed out but the adrenaline rush was no small boost.

The cause was gusting wind and more is forecasted for tomorrow.  Guess I’ll slow down 😦