Colorado Trip 2012 - Part 2

by Gayle via Dianne

It is 1:00 PM mountain time on Saturday, August 04, 2012. We have just finished a 2 mile hike and enjoyed a tossed salad with left over grilled pork chops for lunch. Where in the world did the last month go? There were so many wonderful visits with friends and so many beautiful new places explored.

There are always funny things that happen to us that will bring a smile to our faces for years to come. We always have a great time together and it is a joy to share some of our laughs with friends.

Our first meal in Lake City was hot dogs. Jim was the first to put ketchup on his. When he opened the plastic bottle top ketchup sprayed everywhere. I thought that was the funniest thing until I opened the bottle of mustard and the same thing happened to me. After we stopped laughing and a clean up with dawn dish liquid was done Jim explained the reason for the comedy act. We are at 9240 feet elevation. That builds up pressure in plastic bottles and they blow when opened. I always carry condiments in plastic bottles rather than glass because we travel roads that have rocks as big as footballs or bigger. Guess what! In my storage locker under the sofa there are 3 bottles of chocolate syrup, 2 bottles of mayonnaise, 1 bottle of mustard and 4 bottles of Ranch Dressing. Will they blow too? Lucky for me the bottle of dressing that I opened for our salad today DID NOT BLOW.

Ear muffs here we come!

Have any of you seen the TV show Swamp People? I have never seen as many rednecks making so much money killing alligators in the swamps of Louisiana. There are 2 guys that Jim relates to real well. They are Troy, the boat handler and his partner that shoots the gator. Troy is always telling his partner to “Choot-em”. Well the morning after Jim cleaned 5 traps of 5 mice and laid them all out on a log he went into the camper and returned with his pistol hollering “Choot-em”.  I still laugh when ever I think about it. I am enclosing a picture!

I wish that all of you who are dealing with 90 and 100 degree temps could have been with us yesterday. We were riding in the back country with another couple from our campground. The elevation was 9700 feet. The scenery was spectacular with canyons, green meadows, streams and water falls. The rocks on the canyon walls looked like tinker toys that someone had placed there. They looked like a puff of wind could easily blow them over any time. In some areas rock slides had occurred and it really made you think about what could happen. Later in the afternoon we had our regular afternoon rain. Only this time because we were so high the rain turned to snow. What a sight. Our weather continues to be in the 40’s at night and low 70’s during the day.

On Tuesday night we went to the Lake City Fine Arts Theater where I was hoping to find a little culture for my “trapper Jim”. I am afraid to say that not much rubbed off on him. We did have a wonderful evening being entertained by a very talented couple singing Cowboy songs. A lot of the songs were ones that she wrote. I think she is one of the most talented people I have ever seen. She played the guitar, mandolin, steel guitar, and a concertina.

We will be going there again in 2 weeks to see a Bluegrass show, but I am afraid there will be no culture that night. Tomorrow afternoon the Lake City Community Band is presenting a concert “Baroque to Broadway”. What do you think? Is it possible Jim will come away more refined? After 50 years I don’t think there is a chance.

Next Tuesday will be an exciting day. We have rented a jeep for the day with the other couple that I mentioned. We will take a scenic road called the Alpine Loop over 2 passes which are at 13,000 feet. There we will see sheep herders with huge herds of sheep who spent their summers there grazing before returning to the low country in the fall before the snow begins. A ranger will be there to give a talk about their livelihood and also to tell about the big white dog that lives with the sheep call a Great Perinea’s. This is a beautiful animal. As soon as the pup is taken away from his mother he is placed with the sheep and becomes one of them. His job is to protect his sheep from predators and he will give up his life for them. From there we plan to visit several old mining towns.

Some of you have wondered just how close we are parked to the edge of the cliff. Enclosed is a picture taken from inside looking out the door. Notice the boat just past the top of the tree. Yes, lots of fun things coming up and I am sure there will certainly be another story to tell.

Take care and God Bless, Gayle

Maybe too close for some campers

Terrific view. Note the little boat at the tree top