We finished our home improvement projects on our place in Ajijic. The
remainder of the month included a ten-day RV road trip through Southern Colorado with
Denise, Craig, Clara and Chase, sharing the total solar eclipse with our
children and grandchildren in Wyoming and spending time
with siblings, nieces and nephews in North Dakota. We are also trying something new with our
website--embedding videos on YouTube. Let us know what you
think!
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Day one of our RV trip included a tour of the Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs.
This National Natural Landmark has these breathtaking towering red sandstone
rock formations jetting as high as 300 feet.
As
we hiked along these stunning formations, the kids found this crevice to climb
into. They soon found out it was a one-way trek, but it turned out to be a
great place to pose for pictures.
Glorine's niece Linda and Terry treated us like royalty that evening. The kids
got to ride an ATV and watch a Harry Potter movie while the adult sampled
libations
and laughed the night away.
Day
two was spent at the Great Sand Dunes National Park where we all took turns sand
sledding. Click to view the video of Clara enjoying the ride.
It was interesting to see this 700 feet mountain of sand change overnight as the
winds shifted directions. Hiking and sledding the dunes was a fun adventure.
Day three started just south of the Sand Dunes, with a hike at 9,000 feet about sea
level and included hiking in the waters of the Zapata Creek.
Our goal was to view Zapata Falls, but we were not expecting this much
excitement. Click to see how we got here!
After hiking the icy mountain run offs that morning, we could not resist soaking
in one of the many natural hot springs when we arrived in Pagosa Springs.
Day four was spent touring Mesa Verde (Green Table) National Park. And
one can see how it got its name.
This 52,000 acre park includes more than 600 cliff dwellings built by
Ancestral Puebloans around the year 1190 AD.
This dwelling, called Cliff Palace, has over 150 rooms crafted
from sandstone and mortar. The round rooms are called Kivas, used for
religious rituals.
The deeper recesses of the enclave were used to store grains and food.
While we got to walk on paths, natives use ropes, ladders and toe holes to climb
back to the top of the mountain.
The kids completed a Junior Ranger program, which included drawings and
other activities unique to the Park. Upon completed, they recited an
oath to protect the National Park and received a badge.
Day five consisted of a 170 mile road trip from Durango to Gunnison including a
stop in historic Silverton, a silver boom town in the 1880s. It is now
home to mostly bars, restaurants and novelty shops.
The next 25 miles to Ouray is one of the most scenic drives in the USA,
called the Million Dollar Highway. In addition to tunnels, the road
consists mostly of switchbacks and roads cut out of the mountain side.
We
spent the afternoon soaking, swimming and playing at the Ouray Hot Springs, with
six pools ranging from 87 to 104 degrees. It is easy to see why Ouray is known as
the Switzerland of America.
Day six whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River - class III rapids.
First time for Clara and Chase and they loved it.
We all paddled through the
rapids, made the raft spin in circles and swam in the Arkansas River.
Day seven we rode on this train sandwiched alongside the Arkansas River at
the bottom of the Royal Gorge. Note the Royal Gorge bridge
above.
On
the two-hour ride, we rode in an air-conditioned coach enjoying spectacular
scenery and walked out on this open-air car to pose for pictures.
The Royal Gorge bridge is one of the world's tallest suspension bridges
spanning 1,250 feet over the Arkansas River, about 1,000 feet below.
We rode a gondola over and walked the flag-lined bridge back.
That
evening, Chase used his Boy Scout skills, to build this "chimney" fire. It
was unbelievable how much heat this fire produced. The high elevations in
Colorado provided a reason for the fire.
Day eight, we toured the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
As hockey players, both Clara and Chase enjoyed posing with the infamous
1980 gold medal team. Unfortunately, Craig had to fly to Korea.
Day
nine was spent at the Terry Bison Ranch RV Resort near Cheyenne, WY. Here
the kids got to ride a train into a pasture surrounded with bison. They
enjoyed feeding them treats of alfalfa and molasses.
Day ten, we were joined by Carmen, Mike, Dakota, Sierra, Hunter and friend
Stephanie to witness the Great Total Eclipse, the first coast to coast
viewing since 1979, when our kids were this age.
The
kids got a chance to pose with Grandma Glorine, after enjoying one of her
awesome meals. This would be the second time these cousins got together
this year.
Day eleven we were set up along the banks of the Platte River near Orin, WY.
At $100 per night for dry docking, it was one of the cheapest in the area. Watching
the kid's enthusiasm made the trip priceless. Click on the video to
see our reaction as the sun went from a partial eclipse to a full eclipse and then back to a partial eclipse.
Our
cameras were not equipped to capture the awesome views we witnessed through our
eclipse glasses.
The neighbors had the foresight to put on an awesome fireworks display while
the sun was in the full eclipse. It was not "total darkness" but rather it
appeared like a 360-degree sunset.
This
was the view for hours and hours following the eclipse, as thousands made the
trek back home. We drove to Sioux Falls that evening and Denise got
up at 4:00 am to drive to work on Tuesday morning.
For the remainder of August, we spent time with family in North Dakota.
Here we got to celebrate Randy's birthday, Larry's nephew.
We
spent one afternoon visiting the gravesites of our parents and siblings at both
the Mandan cemetery and the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery.
Glorine's nephew, Dennis treated us to a ride on his brand-new pontoon on
Sibley Lake, where he and Natalie recently purchased a lake home near Dawson.
The
following day, we drove to Lake Tschida, where Larry's nephew, James and Lee Ann
have a lake home where the family gathered for Labor Day.
James proudly displayed Grandma Rose's cupboard that she purchased in 1930.
After removing five coats of paint, the real beauty of the cupboard showed
through.
We
hosted dinner for Larry's sister Lorraine and brother Jack at the KOA campground
where we stayed while we were in Bismarck.
Glorine's brother Ray and Ida hosted a family get together at their home in
Mandan and where Glorine got to pose with her sister Marlene.
Her
nieces, Koreen and Lynn added to the excitement as the family reminisced about
growing up in North Dakota.
From there we walked a few blocks to tour Koreen's new house, where she has
displayed just a few of their many antique collections.
On
our way to Minnesota, we stopped to visit families in Fargo. Here is a
picture of Ben, Larry's nephew, with their pool in the foreground.
August's web page includes August 1 through August 31.
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