Just checking in from Durango. Flew in yesterday via Phoenix with my wife Leslie and her boss and wife, Ashby & Mary Cook. The desert was awesome from the air! Doing some hiking and moderate wheeling. Ashby & Mary have a condo here in Durango. He has a Pathfinder and a friend with a 07 Wrangler 4 door. We won't be riding the hard stuff but some easy trails and passes. Hitting the Silverton/Montrose area, going to Moab for one day and night and down to Farmington NM one day. Will try to get a few pics up, this place is AWESOME!
Link to all 7-5-07 pics:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559892197VtckJU
7-6-07
The colors out here are amazing. This is a hot springs that has been bubbling for hundreds of years, the colors come from mineral deposits in the water. Did a 6 mile hike yesterday, Goulding Trail, http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/sanjuan/recreation/trails/coltrails/animas/517.pdf Saw one large bear and 4 elk. Taking the D&S narrow gauge railroad to Silverton this morning and then riding Ophir Pass, http://www.narrowgauge.org/4x4/html/ophir.html, in the Pathfinder. Gonna be a great day, 50 this morning with a high of 78, perfect!
Hot Springs
7-7-07
The narrow gauge to Silverton was cool and Silverton is a real old time cowboy town, dirt roads and all. After lunch we rode up toward Ouray and turned left on Ophir Pass trail. It's a 10 mile trail, gets narrow and rocky in a few places, the snow was 4 feet deep beside the road in the actual pass. Saw buffalo and lots of snow, actually used 4Lo on the descent! Today were headed to Mesa Verde, cliff dwellings hundreds of years old and possibly to Farmington NM to check out the desert trails. I need a rest day though, haven't had a nap yet :)
Leslie's .02
We took the train from Durango to Silverton - met Mary & Ashby in Silverton for lunch at "Handlebars".
The train follows the Animas River - yes, it's straight down in some spots, and yes, that's snow in those mountains!!
Most folks spend a couple of hours in Silverton and ride back, or catch the bus back, to Durango - we headed for Ophir Pass instead! One way was great! It's a "must do", one way!!
We were so lucky to have our "personal guides" - locals!!
We squeezed so much into 10 days, we'd never been able to do it all on our own - wouldn't have had a clue!
It was a perfect trip!
Link to all 7-7-07 pics:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559891115uGNCjC
Ophir Pass
7-8-07
Mesa Verde National Park, http://www.nps.gov/meve, is an old cliff dwelling site that was habitated hunderds of years ago. Beautiful scenery, cool archeological digs and lots of history. Made for a longer day than we anticipated so that was all we were able to do. Heading up to Silverton/Telluride today to ride a couple of passes, do a couple of hikes and spend the night then on to Moab Monday.
Leslie's .02
Saturday took us to Mesa Verde - about a 45 minute drive (?) from "home".
John & I dropped Mary & Ashby off downtown Durango and they walked the streets while we went to the Indian ruins.
Another "must see". And then back home for another wonderful dinner - we DID NOT go hungry!!
Another great adventure!
Link to all 7-8-07 pics:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559892484CriqQb
Mesa Verde
Cliff Dwellings At Mesa Verde
7-9-07
Sunday, 7-8-07, rode Engineer Pass out of Ouray, CO, the second highest pass in CO. Beautiful views and some tight places with severe drop offs! Lots of snow, views, and fun. The Pathfinder is doing pretty good but sure could use at least one locker, having to bump it up at little too often in some of the tight places :) Came back down the pass to ride Animas Forks, Cinnamon Pass and back out to Silverton and over to Telluride, via Lost Dollar Road, where we spent the night.
Leslie's .02
Sunday brought an early hike to Heflin Trail - close by "home" and at 10am we were packed for a 3 day, 2-night adventure.
To Silverton and on to Ouray, caught Engineer Pass (a part of the Alpine Loop) across to Animas Fork (old mining community) down Cinnamon Pass trail back to Silverton. On to Ouray (more Million Dollar Highway) passing Ralph Lauren's massive ranch and turned on Lost Dollar Road which took us to Telluride. Beautiful aspen trees, elk, deer, beaver, marmots, and a bear family of 4.
Engineer Pass was literally like being on top of the world - it was a little scary (whoops, very scary) and unbelievable that we had come across some of those roads!!! Another WOW!
Link to all 7-9-07 pics:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559891427mQnZTh
Engineer Pass Trail
Engineer Pass - 12,750' - Trail In The Background
7-10-07
Monday, 7-8-07, rode part way up Black Bear Pass to the top of Bridal Veil Falls. Black Bear Pass trail is one way down past this point and the switchbacks are extremely steep and short! Highest falls in Colorado with beautiful views of Telluride valley.After lunch, on to Moab UT.
Leslie's .02
Telluride - we spent Sunday night here, in the Victorian Inn - that's John standing across the street on the corner.
Telluride is a quaint little town - cool, crisp, and quiet! Lots of fun dogs out with their people!
There is a gondola (free!) that goes up to the ski resort - Telluride Mountain Village - a separate "village" from Telluride. The ski lodge, etc are all up there - and very expensive!! We rode the gondola to the top (in the dark!!) and back down - then stopped for ice cream before calling it a day.
Monday am - cinnamon buns and fruit at the hotel - walked the streets for a short time and headed just out of town to Bridal Veil Falls (Black Bear Pass). Monday morning took us up the back side of Black Bear Pass to Bridal Veil Falls - this was amazing! Telluride is just at the bottom of the mountain - in the last picture. We drove up to the base of the falls and hiked up past the house.
The road is actually one way (the other way) past that point. All books and everything we read pretty much told us to stay off of that side - we even heard that it had been closed ~ needless to say, we didn't go there!
The switchbacks going up were pretty steep turns! On a map, it didn't look like something we'd even attempt (the part we did!!). Tallest waterfall in Colorado. And can you believe people ice climb it in the winter when it is frozen? (not me!) Another WOW!!
Link to all 7-10-07 pics:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559892034cyGXFH
Black Bear Pass
Bridal Veil Falls, Telluride, CO
7-11-07
Moab, UT, MUCH larger and more commercial than I was expecting! And hot! Temp hit 117 while we were riding Hell's Revenge. Built rigs have NO problems here, in fact any rig with lockers is going to be able to do most anything Moab has to offer from my short visit. We checked out Hell's Revenge, Fins & Things and Baby Lion's Back on Monday and hit Arches National park on Tuesday before heading back to Durango.
Leslie's .02
OK, so now John's thinking he's died and gone to heaven!!
We arrived in Moab Monday afternoon - checked into the Red Stone Inn, and headed for the rocks!
4-wheeling heaven! Hot and dangerous! It hit 119 degrees while we were there.
Between John wanting to go OVER all the rocks in the Pathfinder and Ashby wanting to CLIMB all the rocks, Mary & I were wide-eyed - we got out and took pictures! Yes, in the HEAT!! It was DRY heat!
I've now been to the desert! Another WOW! They just keep coming!
Our accomodations were great - they extended our check out time to noon and we found a GREAT place to eat - coming up! Monday night dinner took us to the Moab Diner - the "coupon girls" had a buy 1 get one free for dinner.
Servings were huge and then Ashby saw it..... a young lady sitting not too far from us was served 2 scoops of cookie dough ice cream. He used that "I'll have what she's having" line and believe me.... it was more like 6 scoops!
He didn't have any trouble with it, though. The picture is deceiving - Mary has a spoon, but really did not help him much!
Tuesday - early morning! We knew it would get hot soon, so we started first thing with our 3 mile hike to the Delicate Arch in the National Park - oh my gosh!
It was over the rock and around the rock.... you get the idea! Ashby asked "was it worth it?" well.... I'd say so!!
Another wow!! We took WAY lots of pictures that day! Incredible from every angle!
We had extended our check out to noon - so we checked out and hit the Moab Diner for breakfast! More large servings - pancakes and eggs - and off to Durango! Our 3 day adventure was coming to an end. We had about a 3 hour drive back to Durango - listening to good music and seeing more beautiful countryside!
Link to all 7-11-07 pics:
http://community.webshots.com/album/559893581dknsPb
Entrance To Hell's Revenge
Temperature On Hell's Revenge
Baby Lion's Back
Best Place to Eat In MOAB
At Arches National Park - The Delicate Arch
7-12-07
Made some time for rest on Wednesday. Just did a short, 4 mile, hike at Elbert Creek, one of the many trails in the area that connect to the Colorado Trail, a 500 mile hiking trail that runs from Durango to Denver. Probably one of the best wildflower veiwing days we've had, nice cool weather and no one on the trail. Hung out in downtown Durango and watched the sights. Nice relaxing, fun day.
Leslie's .02
Wednesday was a great wildflower hike at Elbert Creek Trail - not too far up the Million Dollar Highway - toward Silverton (north of Durango).
Beautiful!!!! more WOW! Every color imaginable! Fields of flowers!
This is where we spotted the birds nest and were able to get some incredible pics!
We did run into a couple of hikers and their dogs! For the most part, we rarely saw other people on the trails we took - but those we did see, had dogs!
Wednesday afternoon - a stop by the store and dinner for the neighbors - 12 for dinner.
Grilled chicken, salad, corn, green beans, bread. Fruit (berries) and ginger ice cream for dessert. Delicious!
And great folks - neighbors and friends from Durango!
Link to all 7-12-07 pics:
http://community.webshots.com/album/559893586QIKkiw
7-13-07
The Proving Grounds at Chokecherry Canyon, Farmington, NM is THE BOMB! This was the last stop on our whirlwind July 2007 Colorado trip and is by far the best wheeling site I saw. Much like Moab but the rocks are a little sandier and there are more and varied lines in the rocks. Basically just a thousand acre playground of sandy trails with small to huge rock lines everywhere. Pick your line, make it as hard or easy as you want to. An easy, flat, 55 minute drive from Durango, 4 miles off NM 170 just outside Farmington. This is a must ride venue if you are in the Four Corners area, easy to get to, no fees, great trails and obsticles! I'll definately be back!
Leslie's .02
Thursday morning took John and me to Farmington to check out Chokecherry Canyon - a 4-wheeling adventure he knew about and wanted to see. It was awesome! About an hour southeast of Durango - in New Mexico.
Trails everywhere - lots of sand. Not as dangerous as what we saw in Moab - fewer rollovers, I would imagine!
John was pretty pumped up about the area! We walked the streets of downtown Durango on Thursday afternoon - going in a few shops - actually met a couple who were moving to Charlotte to live in the Dilworth area (where Mary and Ashby's daughter, Jessica lives). The world is smaller than we think - in spite of all this enormous vastness we've just experienced!!
A drive up the hill (mountain!) to Fort Lewis - the college that young Ashby attended for a brief stint (note West Hall was his dorm), with a view of the city. The chapel is right on the side of the hill and the door was opened ...... so was the Bible! It was opened to Psalm 18 and we read, "as for God, his way is perfect" - ah! sort of the theme of our lives, huh? Let go and let God! Sometimes easier said than done - but when you're up on that mountain, looking out at his creation - it really makes sense! (by the way, did you see Forrest Gump and his friend sitting on that bench? haha)
So, down the mountain we headed, for some awesome Asian food - Mary & I had Tempura Fried Squash Blossom and Starburst Shrimp (John's recommendation) and we were doing that "WOW" thing again!!!! John & Ashby did the Sushi thing and towards the end, I decided to order whitefish because our waitress said it was covered in lime and cilantro (and I love both) and it was not cooked! And Mary even tried it. You GO girl!! It was delicious!!
Another WOW day in Colorado!
Link To All 7-13-07:
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/559862935lkXIcc?vhost=good-times&start=48
7-14-07
Last day of the trip :( It'll be good to get home but it's been a wonderful adventure! Today we rode Kennebec Pass just outside of Durango. The pass is at 12,000 feet and the wildflowers were beautiful. We hiked the Taylor Lake Trail from the summit, saw lots of Marmots and lots of great views. Also saw a herd of 30 to 40 wild Elk with everything from little ones to big daddys. They are large animals! Another fun day in Colorado and a great end to our excellent adventure!
Leslie's .02
Friday morning took us to Kennebec Pass - south of Durango - just outside of Hesperus. On the way, just a couple of miles from our "home" we spotted a large Elk herd on US 550 (Million Dollar Highway)! Awesome - there were lots of babies as well. They are huge, beautiful animals!
Kennebec Pass was really neat - a huge waterfall hiding just to the right of the road and LOTS of flowers. We drove to the top and hiked the Taylor Lake Trail around the mountain - saw LOTS of footprints - deer and elk - just expecting a bear to appear at any moment! We'd seen 5 already during the week! The views of "the world" were again, "WOW"!
The flowers were incredible - and then my battery died on my camera. Fortunately, I was able to grab Ashby's camera and I won't have those pics until Monday - his cord is at the office! (more to come... I know you can't wait!)
Link to all 7-14-07 pics:
http://community.webshots.com/album/559893425FMraea
7-15-07
Whew! Back in Greensboro after flying from Durango to Denver and then direct to Charlotte. Got bumped up to 1st class, SWEET! What a great trip! If you have never been to Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona or Utah, do it! If I knew what I know now I'd have been a long time ago. Definately worth the trip. The scale of things is HUGE, you just can't imagine and it's impossible to capture the real thing on camera. The mountains are so much more than what you have in NC, the desert is VAST, so big it's hard to take in, and the wheeling is some of the best I've ever seen! In the words of the honorable govenor of California, "I'll be back!"
Leslie's .02
I had to grab a few photos off the back deck Sat. morning before our trip to the airport - carp in the creek and the hummingbirds! Such fun to watch! Many different kinds of hummingbirds.
A perfect ending to a perfect trip - WOW! Catch this story-
We arrived at the Durango airport for our 11:55 flight only to find that it had been "delayed". Earliest possible departure would be 1:00, which would mean we would miss our connection in Phoenix to Charlotte and the next flight would get us to Charlotte sometime in the middle of the night - like 2 am. Well Ashby went to work with our friend Susan (the US Air ticket agent). The United agent was right beside her (and I do mean RIGHT beside - there were only the two airlines in this small airport). As our 1:00 flight was boarding (with our luggage on it!) they were trying to determine if the 4 of us could get on the United flight. We had the last 4 seats and we could only get on if weight was not an issue. They determined that 7 of the passengers were children and because we had no luggage (it went with US Air) that we could board.
I heard the United agent say there were 61 bags - so we were really down to the wire here (counting bags!) - and by now, it had boarded and I think the USAir flight had actually left! So John, Mary, and I go down to Security to see if we can get half way there - with the US Air boarding passes and we couldn't go through because that flight had left and Ashby was waiting for the computer to transfer us from the US Air flight to the United flight - the two agents were side by side, but the computer wasn't moving the information. Gasp. (haha) Later I find that Ashby is playing with a Pit Bull puppy that a kid is holding out in the ticket area! Security has actually closed up - they open everything back up when we turned the corner and they asked, are you on that flight? (with some tone of surprise in their voices)! Then, here comes Ashby with the United boarding passes ~sorta' surprised he didn't keep the puppy! - they'd already checked our id's. So we unload into the tubs and Mary beeps going through the sensor - and goes back to strip of her necklace and watch! John's backpack goes off - contained my jewelry which evidently looked like a Swiss Army knife! They ran it through again and he was cleared. So we walk across the tarmac to board the plane and there was a guy whose suitcase had gotten caught on the stairway - John says - "this is where we need that Swiss Army knife!" We board ~ walking around the caught suitcase (it almost looked as if they were "handling with care" some baggage that looked dangerous or something). Into our seats, the guy with the stuck suitcase finally boards, and we're off ~ to Denver (not Phoenix as planned). Land in Denver ~ have to get seats on the US Air connection to Charlotte - it leaves around 4 - and JOHN GETS UPGRADED TO 1ST CLASS!! Again, the last 4 seats and it was full. We're, at this point, joking with the ticket agent - a guy this time and he indicates it's a $150 upgrade and wants to see how good a salesman John is - Ashby was thinking dinner and drinks! haha We had the ticket agent take our photo in the Denver airport (attached)- he was a lot of fun~ and probably thought we were crazy! And we ended up in Charlotte only about 1 hour later than originally planned - as you can see from the pics, the sunsets are pretty in North Carolina too! Another WOW!!
We were greeted in Charlotte by their son, Ashby III, and on to Statesville to pick up our car - left at Mary's mom's. We arrived home shortly after midnight. Welcome home!
ps - luggage was delivered to our house today at 4pm - we felt no pressure to unpack til today!
A perfect WOW trip!
and did I mention that because we had a delayed flight, we each got $7.00 credit in the "restaurant" at the Durango airport ~ we weren't hungry, but we took advantage of our "freebies"! How many bags of chips will $7.00 buy?!! I think Ashby actually got a sandwich! None of us ever went hungry!
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