ON TO UTAH

I’m hold up in the RV today after pulling my back when the toasted startled me this morning.  So I figured that I should do something productive and write a post for the blog.

We continued south along the Western Slope in Colorado and found a really nice adult only RV park near Montrose.  Montrose was the destination because it was close to Grand Mesa, somewhere we’ve never been, and a really great bike path.  Colorado has a lot of bike paths separated from roadways and many times through green corridors.  Denver has over 600 miles of them!  This one in Montrose follows the Uncompahgre River though a open space where the deer and the antelope play.  Anyway I managed to get in a couple of rides early in the morning.  We spent a day checking out Grand Mesa, a high mesa of forest and meadows way up there at 10,000 feet.  The fall colors were in full display,

Leaving Colorado we headed west into Southeastern Utah to explore more Anasazi sites in and around the little town of Bluff.  With the exception of restocking with groceries in Moab, we did our best to avoid this, the most crowed town in these parts.  Moab is beautiful with all the red rocks, but it has become soo popular that it has become a place to avoid, at least for us.  Lots of traffic, a line to get into Arches National Park and most campgrounds are full.  We found Windwhistle Campground south of town about 40 miles on the edge of the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park.  A small 14 unit campground off the beaten path became a peaceful place to stay for 3 nights.

Next up, Bluff, a small town of about 320 folks situated between beautiful red rock bluffs and the San Juan River, hence the town’s name.  It was settled by Mormon Pioneers in 1880.  There were 230 settlers so the population hasn’t grown much.  Before the arrival of the Mormons, the area was populated by ancient peoples for thousands of years.  There are literally thousands of sights in this area where there is evidence of the previous occupants in the form cliff dwellings, stone structures, petroglyphs and pictographs.  Some are very difficult to access, but there are many that can be reached by a short hike.  If you keep your eyes peeled while driving the local roads and highways you can sometimes spot these sights from the road.

BLUFF FORT

We took a short hike to a ruin called “Split Level Ruin”.  The lower level is accessible, but the upper level is high on a cliff face making it near impossible to get to.  Besides the stone structures in various degrees of deterioration, there are lots of petroglyphs and pictographs.  There are some circle pictographs high on the cliff with a bluish green color which is rare.

We checked out several kiva sites in the area, one near Blanding viewed from across the canyon.  You, not me, can walk the ledges down into the canyon and get inside the site if you’re ok with cliff side climbs.  Not something I will do, preferring to stay away from cliffs.  In nearby Montezuma Canyon we saw more petroglyphs and a restored kiva.  Restored by BLM volunteers, the kiva is one that you can gain access to through the rooftop opening.

Tomorrow we cross into Arizona where we intend on checking out several places that we are considering moving to in the near future.  More about that in the next post.

WYOMING TO COLORADO AND BACK AGAIN

We managed to squeeze in a visit to the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne, crossing it off our list, before heading south to Colorado.

Every since leaving Helena, Montana we’ve been in the smoke of the numerous forest fires.  It was the same in Colorado with a large fire west of Fort Collins. We holed up in an just so-so RV park in Greeley primary as a base for a bike ride along the Poudre River Trail and a visit with my sister, Jude, in Denver.  The Bike trail is a paved trail running from Greeley to Windsor following the aforementioned river for 18 miles from start to finish.  I rode this trail some years ago and it was time to return.  Last time there was a coffee shop along the way, this time nada.  Still a great ride mostly in the country.  After a visit with my sister, we were planning on heading west, over the Rocky Mountains to and area in Northwest Colorado, a place we have never visited before.

The fastest and most scenic route would be Hwy 14 following the Poudre River, but it had been closed for sometime due to the fire.  We were aware of this, but not to worry, we could cross on Hwy 34 through Rocky Mountains National Park.  But as luck would have it a new fire closed that highway.  The next option was to return Laramie and head south from there to our intended destination, but you guessed it another fire sprung up in Wyoming blocking our intended route.  So we did manage to get to where we wanted to go, by going further west from Laramie before heading south.  The silver lining in our new route was the we were west of all the fires and seeing blue sky for the first time in weeks.

We spent a couple nights in Rawlins, Wyoming, a town with a mixed vibe.  You drive down the Interstate Business Loop, and is seems that every other business has gone under.  More than a couple of old motels are closed down and is different states of repair.  Some are derelict and seem that the owners just abandoned them.  Weeds growing up in parking lots, broken windows, door falling off their hinges.  Then along the old historic Main Street, many business seem to be thriving.  No more run down buildings, restaurants doing business.  It’s as though one street was just abandoned and another was revitalized.

We paid a visit to the old Wyoming State Prison, an took a guide tour.  Opened in 1901, it was in business for 80 years till 1981.  First built with stockade like wooden walls, they we easily breached as evidenced by a mass escape in 1912 when 30 inmates escaped through the walls.  By 1915 the wooden walls had been replaced is the current cement walls.  Another improvement was the addition of hot water in the original Cell Block A in 1978.  In 1907 Anne Bruce was the last female prisoner to be held the the old prison.  She was convicted of killing her father after putting poison in a pie she baked.  In her confession, she states, “....While I was in the act of making the pies a feeling or wish came over me to kill someone....”

As I write this, we are staying in an city park in Meeker, Colorado.  With three RV spots with electrical hookups and really fast WiFi, it is situated in town with the White River running by.  Nice spot for $20 a night.  Just outside of town is the Flat Tops Scenic Byway which follows the White River into the mountains and then continues over the Flat Tops.  The 82 mile road is paved for the first 30 mile or so, the rest being a good gravel road.  The fall colors were in their full glory, causing us to stop numerous times for photos.  If you’re ever in this part of Colorado, I highly recommend this drive.  Really beautiful.

Today is a down day for being a tourist as I have once again drawn the short straw and will be spending the morning doing the laundry.  Tomorrow the journey south towards home continues, but with 3 weeks left, we intend on going slow.

AND WE CONTINUE

While in Riggins, we took the opportunity to take a drive along the Salmon River as it descends through the canyon.  Beautiful scenery for 20+ miles till roads end.  Not much going on in the little town of Riggins as it’s existence is dependent on sports fishing and river rafting.  Since the  pandemic business has fallen off considerably.

We were sorry to leave our idyllic camp spot on the river, but being a popular spot it was reserved for someone else.  So we headed north and made a stop in Coeur D’Alene for a quick resupply and a bike ride.  After a trip to Costco we continued on to Libby, Montana for a three day visit with Cathie’s brother Rod and his wife Mary.  They live just outside of town on about 10 acres of forest overlooking Granite Creek and the mountains beyond.  Deer and turkeys are common visitors in the yard.  One morning this little fawn was caught sneaking up on our satellite dish.

Rod stays busy in his position as Commander of the local VFW Post.  The town of Libby is big enough to have a Ford Dealership and since the truck just turned over 100,000 miles it was time of service.

After catching up on old times, we headed east to glacier country as in Glacier National Park.  All the campgrounds in the park were closed because of....you guessed it, the pandemic, but as luck would have it we knew someone who lives just outside the park boundary.  Cathie’s x-sister-in-law Holly lives in Hungry Horse at the entrance to the park.  She and her husband volunteer at the Glacier Bible Camp, which besides a lodge and cabins, has an RV park which Holly arraigned for us to stay.

Our arrival at Glacier was planned for after the Labor Day Holiday.  We figured there would be fewer people about.  Our first clue of the crowds was that we had to wait in line to get in the park.  Then the only road open was the Going to the Sun Highway.  A steep and narrow road to the top of Logan Pass.  When we arrived at the top, the visitors center parking lots were full and the staff was blocking entrance.  So, we turned around and headed back down the hill.  We noticed on the way down, there were no cars coming up.  When we arrived at the park entrance we found out why.  They had closed the park because it was so crowded.

It’s sad to say that many of our National Parks are over run with people, making a visit less appealing, to us anyway.  We have been lucky enough to visit all the Parks in the Western U.S. before they became over run.  Our favorite, Zion is especially crowded, but the tram system they have there works pretty good, but other parks are a traffic nightmare.

I did manage to get the kayak wet again in a beautiful little lake outside of the park.  I was the only one there....Nice.

Helena was our next stop and we were driving south on September 11th.  We saw these firemen paying tribute to those lost on the terrible day, standing in front of the Sealy Lake Fire Station.

As Helena the Capitol of Montana, it was on our list of State Capitols that we hadn’t visited.  Not many people about but the doors were unlocked so we gave ourselves a tour.  We explored every floor, checking out the House and Senate chambers, the old Supreme Court and peeking into most of the unlocked doors we could find.  Many states have guided tours of their Capitol buildings,  but.....you guessed it...due to the pandemic a guided tour was not in the cards.

On our way south we made a stop at the Battle of the Little Bighorn National Monument.  Of course the visitor center was closed, but the driving tour was open.  If you have ever read anything about the battle, actually being there and seeing the landscape really helps bring it all into focus.

Continuing south into Wyoming we first stopped in Casper where I found a really nice bike trail along the Platte River.  About 8 miles in length, it made for a great ride round trip ride.  I usually like to take a coffee break about halfway but the only place I found was a golf course.  The restaurant was closed, but the staff in the pro shop took pity on me and made me a pot of coffee...on the house I might add.  Further south we stopped in the small town of Wheatland to pay a visit to some of the Oregon Trail sights in the area.  The Trail generally follows the Platte River as it begins across Wyoming.  Near the town of Guernsey is Register Cliff, a sandstone outcropping where pioneers carved their names.  It’s difficult to pick their names out due to the numerous people who have since carved their names in the soft sandstone.  Near by, where the Trail leaves the Platte River you can still see wagon ruts in the trail.  We followed the trail east to Fort Laramie National Monument where surprise, surprise the visitor center was actually open.  All that remain of some of the Fort’s buildings are foundations and partially standing walls, but many have been restored, with period displays inside.

And finally to conclude our visit to Wyoming, Laramie, the home of the University of Wyoming where our grandson McKyle attends.  Cathie could hardly contain herself as she got to spend the next 4 days keeping him from his studies.  Actually in all fairness, our son Gary was here also. so he and Kyle went hunting so that cut in to Grandma’s visit.

KYLE’S DECORATIONS

As I post this, I am a little behind on the blog....but as I have said before, it’s my blog and I’ll post when I want to.