What I Did On My Summer Vacation- Monday Mission

Well, um, I am not going to get a summer vacation because I am having a spring vacation now. And I have been posting photos of the trip at some somnolent length.
And so, to satisfy the last MM before the summer break,

What I Did after My Vacation

When I got home from Colorado, I had to cut the grass. It was at least knee high in most places, and full of lovely dandilions, all gone to seed. The next thing I had to do was dust the house, and clean up the dead bugs from all the windowsills, wash the clothes we used on vacation and sort out what I needed to do for the CHC board. I shopped for food and restocked with perishables. Then I packed up again and headed for the yearly CHC conference in Toronto. I was not having fun.

Sigh.

We start home tomorrow. Goodbye beautiful Colorado.

On the road -- more mountains

We are back chez YD after a really great circuit north to Golden, west to Steamboat Springs, south to Glenwood Springs and east to CS through Buena Vista. Wonderful scenery. Lots of high roads for JG. He wanted his photo taken in the snow and he got it.

For the mad mountaineer, this was, erm, a high point. Here is the road we drove to reach these heights.

The cruddy stuff at the bottom of this pic is also snow, a windrow left by the plough. JG was disappointed that the snow was not cleaner and therefore proposed to go back via Independence Pass which is 12000'+. Luckily it was closed due to inclement weather. I am told the road is only one lane in places. Whimper.

I got to veg out in the hot springs, and they are wonderful. Lovely and sulphury and bubbly and hot. A nice change from the snow. Steamboat Springs is a fun little town that lives on skiing and white water sports, fishing and hunting. And lives well. Lovely shops and superlative restaurants. I have not had to cook a meal for over three weeks now. Eat your hearts out, my friends.

This is the Yampa River through Steamboat Springs, with the ski hills in the distance.

We toured up to Fish Creek Falls from Steamboat Springs. There is, as you can see, a huge amount of melt water coming down and the falls were spectacular. There is a fine paved walkway to take you to see them, and along this walkway I encountered this little guy, who posed for me.

The only down side for me is that the high tech shot that was supposed to fix my knee did not work and I have been limping, shirking climbs and not sleeping any too well for the whole trip. Yesterday the YD arranged for us to have a tour of the NORAD facility under Cheyenne mountain. I have no photos of this as I gather that if you take a camera in there they have to arrest you and throw you in the clink. Brig? Anyway, a fantastic tour and much enjoyed by the engineer in the family. I kept thinking about how it would have been to be in there during and in the aftermath of a nuclear strike, and shuddering. There were a lot of stairs and ramps and a lot of young and agile fellow tourists. I came home exhausted and was no good yesterday afternoon at all.

But what a place! I have been over and under mountains now and, given my choice, would take Independence Pass. Hoping for a hot spring in which to recover.

We're hanging out at the YD's the last few days. Laundry is done and I have a lot more pics downloaded.

As follow.

Pronghorns. Is this a flock or a herd? JG is all confused, he says.

Capulin Volcano in New Mexico. See the notch on the right side? That is the start of the road that winds all the way to the top. You drive up on the outside. The scenery is fantastic if you can bear to look at it.

This is an extreme telephoto of JG at the bottom of the inside of the cone.

Same shot. Look at the left hand side of the bare patch to see a very tiny JG.

View from the top of Capulin. The tiny snow peaks in the extreme background are in the Sangre de Christos range.

This is Raton mesa, a major landmark on the Santa Fe trail. At least I think it is called that. My notes are really scrambled just here.

You've got to love the weather. And not a black fly or mosquito anywhere.

On the Magic Forest Drive

The Red River, with snow melt.

Some very scruffy buffalo in Highway 64, north east NM.

On the Circle Drive.

The Cimarron River in Cimarron Canyon.

In pueblo country, just outside Taos, NM.

The Rio Grande gorge just east of Taos, New Mexico. I was out on the bridge to take this when two big transport trucks rolled across and the bridge shook like a bowl full of jelly. Not happy, no.

We did the circle drive twice, once each way. The major pass is Bobcat Pass at 9820'. You are looking down at patches of still unmelted snow. And, if you are me, hyperventilating.

Off to climb a volcano tomorrow and walk around the rim. Send oxygen.

On the Road to Santa Fe

Travelling -- photos.

Trip Photos, in no particular order. And I never, never want to get there, for

"...all experience is an arch, where through
Gleams that untravelled world whose margins fade
Forever and forever as you move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end.

Or something like that.

The YD's Gorgeous Living Room.

View from Wilkinson Pass, Colorado

Mt Shavano, Colorado

Pike's Peak,Colorado.

The Missouri State Legislature building.

The Missouri River at Jefferson City

One of the sand sculptures at Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, Colorado.

These are stone fence posts used in part of Kansas where trees are few and far between.

Travellin'

Hi to everyone from glorious Colorado, where we are hanging out at the YD's house and recovering from four hectic days of driving across the continent. (You want the dead raccoon count? No, I thouht not. Not that we hit them; it must be the season when young and silly adolescent raccoons leave home and head for the highways.)
We drove the southern route; crossed into the States at Sarnia (I have never seen such white teeth in my life as those the Customs Officer used to smile at us -- quite a contrast from the Canada Customs patented snarl.) Spent the night at and drove south through Lansing and down, ending up at St Louis or thereabouts. We picked up I 70 and bombed along it to Colorado. We did take one or two detours, notably a morning following the Missouri upstream. It has a lot of water in it; really roaring along. I will add pics when I find my card reader.
We have a lovely lady inside a GPS who tells us where to go and we have named her Effie (for efficient, ha ha, and also so that when we get annoyed with her carping about our choices we can say Effie Off.
Hey, anything is funny while you drive the interstate through Kansas.