Ouray, Colorado

June 12, 2010

 Colorado Mountains

The trip north from Durango provided extraordinary views of snow-capped mountains and cool fresh mountain air.  It was a delight after sweating in Arizona's heat.

Aspen trees flourish along the higher mountain roads and thrive in the cold mountain winters.

Ouray is a beautiful mountain town rich in mining history.   Joan soaked for a while in the hot springs and felt fantastic.  The motel in which we stayed has a variety of carvings.

The path behind the motel seemed to extend along the river between it and private properties.  It was refreshing and inspirational to walk with Zach and hear the rushing water as it surged past rocks.

An old hound across the river looked at us and went back through the bushes.  The strong current would have carried an animal or child mercilessly downstream.

The Duckett Connection

Ouray is a beautiful old mountain town with a good share of tee shirt and gift shops, restaurants and motels.

Joan's mother's father was a Duckett from a large family in Kansas.  The family moved from Sprawn when the a dam was built for a reservoir and the town was eliminated.  Some of them moved to Colorado and it was quite a surprise to see this sign over the town market.

The clerk told us that the present owner of the market is a daughter of the founder of the business.  A visit to the town library resulted in a telephone number for the Ducketts and Joan called and left a message.  Hopefully, a followup will shed more information on this discovery.

Durango, Colorado

June 12, 2010

Festivities in Durango

Durango hosts festivals and events just about every weekend during the summer months.  The street was roped off for a multi-grill barbecue.  The photo at the right shows the front of a smoker grill and smoke came out of the mouth.

The back end shows the cooking area.  The cook in the bowler hat below was working another booth.

This cat may have been a remainder of street art that had ponies, cows and pigs as themes.

The patriotic jackass was in front of the Durango Democratic Club.

Athletic and creative young people are attracted to Durango and this truck is an example of their industriousness and independence.This home-made cap was equipped for travel and camping.

This gem of a 60's VW Thing is a rare sight.  The owner spent several years rebuilding it and giving it a new coat of paint.

The VW Thing is a flat-bed vehicle that seemed to have limited production.

Note the clever canvas cap that was added to the back.

 The interior was in like-new condition.

Four Corners

June 11, 2010

Strolling Through 4 States in 10 Minutes!

The map shows the unique spot where 4 states come together.  The site is on a Navajo reservation and serves as a special location for display and sale of Indian crafts.

There was a time before the present renovation when we stood in the four states at one time.  The attraction is being improved as can be seen in these two photos.

 

American Indian jewelry and handicrafts are sold from the booths that ring the perimeter.  The vendors are helpful and proud of the creations that they are selling.

Joan enjoyed looking at the work in all of the booths

This vulture was secured to the back of a motorcycle in the parking lot.

Frybread is a delicious corn-flour thin bread that is ck selling frybread, this was fried in a pan.  While there is another shack, this one was interesting because of the trailer that's built against it.

This colorful van was in the parking lot and Bob took several photos of it.

It was reminiscent of the 60's and reminded Bob of the  '63 VW bus that he and Joan traveled i n.

The hand-painted work was done by three graduating students in anticipation of the road trip after school was over.

Henry and Connor (in the driver's seat) are from Illinois and planned this trip with their parents' blessings.

Bob encouraged them to see as much of this beautiful country as they could.  He gave them some tips on travel based on his 11 years of retirement travel through 49 of the 50 United States.

Fishing in Lake Powell, Arizona

June 4, 2010

Joan Misses the Big One and the small one too!

Joan spent several hours fishing from a dock on Lake Powell.  The hot weather didn't bother her but Bob sat nearby in a shade chair.

A few fish nibbled on the worms but didn't bite down hard enough to be reeled in.

The bumper sticker that says, "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day of work", came to mind.

Grand Canyon - North Rim

June 8, 2010

 We set off on a day trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The 154 mile trip (one way) took us over the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River and passed the Vermilion Cliffs.

 Navajo Bridge

The Navajo Bridge spans the Colorado River.

The bridge is anchored on cut ledges in the rock wall of the Canyon.

 

Those small dots in the river as seen through the bride trusses are rafts on the Colorado River.

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High cliffs make access to the Colorado River impossible at some points.













Vermilion Cliffs

View of the cliffs with its brilliant red against a cloudless blue sky.

Joan and Bob stopped at a pull-off overlooking the Vermilion Cliffs and met two Navajo women selling crafts.  Blanche Hasken is shown with Joan.










Betty Many Mules displayed her jewelry and crafts and Joan looked and Bob bought a few beautiful pieces of pottery.











Grand Canyon, North Rim

Forest surrounded the road and there were a few patches of snow on the ground under the trees.

The spectacular view of the rugged cliffs and the trees growing on top of pyramid-shaped eroded peaks was awesome.

Platforms jutting over the cliffs provided a broad view of the canyon.  The viewing area is different from the South Rim with more tall trees but the Colorado River cannot be seen from the North Rim.