Colorado Springs - Together Again

Roger here...  The picture above was taken from the top of Pike's Peak.  Do we look happy?  It is good to be back with my family in Colorado. 

The first full day after my return was a day of rest.  Rest and reading in a perfect setting.  It was a perfect day for some quality time in the hammock.  The wildlife views from our campsite continue to impress.  

On my second day back we headed for nearby Manitou Springs and Pike's Peak......

Whoa there, Nellie... (Dianne here.)  There are just a couple of things left for me to talk about before Roger's return to Colorado:

  I ventured out a few times on my own.  Each time I ended up getting lost, which will come as no surprise to our long-time friends.  It's scary to think that I'm Roger's navigator when we travel, because I have absolutely no sense of direction.

My first adventure was to attempt a 4-mile hike in the nearby Aiken Canyon Preserve.   I was all suited up with my boots, hiking belt, bird book, bear spray and snacks.  No dogs allowed, so I was all alone, and there was not a soul around.  

The trail crosses and follows in and out of a dry wash.  Unfortunately for me, this really cool cairn marking a turn onto the dry wash was set in the middle of two branches of it.  I was not smart enough to figure out that the rocks across the left side meant don't go that way.  I assumed since the trail was a loop, that it didn't matter which way I went.  So, being directionally challenged, of course I went left.  I followed the dry wash for a mile and a half and, after having to crawl on hands and knees under downed tree branches and overgrown sticky shrubs, finally decided I indeed was not on the trail and backtracked to the cairn.  

At about this time, Roger called from Indiana and I assured him I was fine and on my way back to the car.  I told him I'd call him when I reached the car.  Well...I made another wrong turn and it took me so long to make my way back to the car that Roger called again, alarmed that he hadn't heard from me.  By then my pedometer registered 5 miles, and so I gave up on my big solo hiking adventure and went home.

Concord Stagecoach

My other misadventure was using our old auto GPS ("Sacajawea," a/k/a "Sack of @%#!") to try to find the Ghost Town Museum in Colorado Springs.  Had I simply followed Mapquest I would have been there in about 30-40 minutes.  By using the GPS, I spent an extra hour driving aimlessly around Colorado Springs in heavy, aggressive traffic before finding the museum.   I finally did make it, and here are just a couple of the displays that caught my eye, with captions.  I know I would have enjoyed the museum more had I been in a better mood when I finally got there!

Display of Antique Toys

Cutter One-Horse Open Sleigh

1903 First Cadillac Model

Okay, back to Roger....

OK, back to the Pike's Peak story.  Dianne and I had seen Pike's Peak on other visits to the area, but we had never made the trip to the top, at least not together.  (I once sat in the backseat of our car while my dad drove our family to the top when I was a kid.  I am pretty sure that all dad saw was the roadway on which thankfully he successfully maneuvered the car.)  This time we opted to take the cog railway to the summit.   I know, the cog railway is a pretty touristy thing to do.  However, unlike the cheesy night trip on the Colorado River near Moab, this excursion was very well done -- worth the $36 per person for the three-plus-hour trip.  

We intended to eat lunch before the trip in Manitou Springs (by the way... no wildfire damage);  however, we were not able to find a place to park.  We ended up in the cog railway parking lot well before our intended arrival time.  (Dianne here:  This will come as no surprise to Roger's friends...)  We used that time to eat an overpriced lunch at the depot and to watch one of the trains depart.

These trains have been running since 1891!  The railway cost a million and a half dollars and took years to complete.  The railway cars were made in Switzerland.  Is something that old, safe?  We took a picture of the "teeth" that enable the cars to ascend and descend at a 25% grade.  They looked pretty sturdy to me.  As the trip began, the perky young conductor announced that in all the years of operation, there has not been a single, unintended, fatality, insinuating that fatalities could be arranged for those ignoring the safety rules.  She then went into an explanation of those safety rules. 

The thirteen-mile ascent in the comfortable train car lasted about an hour and twenty minutes.  During the trip, the scenery changed from pine trees surrounded by boulders, to tundra, to stark rocky surfaces with little visible plant life.  While the temperature dropped from 85 degrees to 42 degrees.

The conductor asked if anyone in the car was from Texas.  There were a few raised hands.  She then said, "Everything in Texas is big, right?"  She went on to say, "In Colorado, we refer to this as sand."

Nice panoramic views as we neared the summit.

A good perspective of one of the cars going up a 25% grade near the top.

We were only allowed a half hour at the summit before the return trip.  Supposedly, people would be more likely to experience altitude sickness if they stayed longer.  I was skeptical of this until I stood up to get off the train.  Whoa!!!  It felt like I had consumed a couple bottles of wine.  Breathing was forced.  It was difficult not to stagger when walking --- a constant state of dizziness.   Dianne and I put up a brave front as our pictures were taken, but it was an effort.

Notice that I was clutching the rock wall in this picture.

One more look at the amazing view before heading back to the train and taking a look at the track that we would be taking over the edge.

Here is a shot of one of the trains heading up as we were heading down.  Since there is only one track, there were special places to pull over in order to wait for oncoming trains.

Yesterday, it was back to the weight-loss and exercise program.  I have been carefully watching every calorie since returning to Colorado, and have already lost a few pounds.  (Dianne again:  At the RV Dreams rally last May I learned from another attendee about a really cool iPhone app to help monitor food intake and weight loss.  It's a free app, and is called "Lose It!" if any of you want to check it out.  Roger just started using it when he returned from Indiana.  I've been using it since the first week of May, and so far I've lost 7 pounds, just by keeping track of what I eat.  Back to Roger:  

 As everyone knows, exercise is essential to any weight loss program.  So, we did a four-mile hike at nearby Cheyenne Mountain State Park.

The hiking trail at Colorado's newest state park was immaculate.  The excellent trail blazes along the way actually included the GPS coordinates.  The hike through the pine trees and boulders held three highlights.

I was able to convince Dianne to climb onto one of the boulders to pose for a picture.


Nancy R. alert:  You know what's ahead....




 

The bull snake that Dianne spotted sunning itself on one of the rocks next to the trail --- scared the crap out of me.  I had to swear a little bit to keep Dianne from chasing it.  

The thriving ponderosa pine tree that was growing out of one of the boulders.  Really cool. 

We leave Colorado Springs tomorrow, heading for Creede, Colorado.  I have heard nothing but great things about our new destination.

The pet picture of the day shows Charlie as he makes sure that Bandido does not get too frisky.

Indiana - food, friends, fun, work

Roger here...  After spending three weeks in Indiana, thanks to Frontier Airlines and a Kia Soul rental car, I am back home with Dianne and the menagerie near Colorado Springs.  While Dianne was enjoying all the wildlife here (wildlife meaning bears and deer), I was doing human resources presentations for the employees of my former employer.  I actually enjoy speaking in front of large groups of people, so my very part-time working stint was fun.  

This is very hard for me.  I am going to tell you about my time in Indiana in categories rather than chronological order.  Not using chronology is difficult, so bear with me.  

FOOD.....   I am now on a diet.  I have never weighed this much and I don't like it.  I used to drink a high calorie supplement in college because I was so skinny.  Just look at the opening picture featuring the delicious blueberry cheesecake that my sister-in-law, Pam, prepared and you will understand why I added pounds that I did not need in Indiana.

During a camping trip at Turkey Run State Park we ate non-stop.  In addition to the delicious meals that our group prepared, our friend Cindy fixed eggs (infused with leftovers) every morning.  Chuck kept my glass filled with breakfast juice.  (Ignore the IU symbol on the glass --- I forced myself to drink it anyway).

I stayed with our dear friends, Jay and Nancy.  Nancy made every effort to serve healthy, delicious food, but it was so good that I ate too much of it.

During a weekend visit to see my brother and sister-in-law, I could not be rude and leave scraps behind on my plate.  It was really out of kindness that I ate everything on my plate - including the cheesecake.


FRIENDS... I do not have pictures of everyone I saw.  I was not in blog mode, so I did not think about it.  All the photos were taken with my iPhone.   I had great meals with lots of friends, many of whom I used to work with, including:  Brian, Mike, Mike, Jim, Lois, Beth, and Dan.  I had a great visit and dinner with former neighbors Sam and Pam (more food).  

I did think to take a few pictures.  This is my only sibling, Dick, and his wife -- the cheesecake maker, Pam.  

This is Jay and Nancy.  I spent most of my time during this visit to Indiana in their home.  They actually introduced me to Dianne many years ago.  We were in each other's weddings.  It is great to have such great friends.

This is Jay and Nancy's (and our) friend, Gayla.  She spent the weekend with us at Lake Cordry in southern Indiana and had a great dinner with us at Bonge's Tavern.

I spent a weekend at Turkey Run State Park in the new fifth wheel belonging to our friends, Chuck and Cindy.  I can't believe that I do not have pictures of them.      Nor, do I have pictures of the other friends who were there:  Pat, Audrey, Jessica, Linda, Linda, Linda (yes, three Lindas), Kathy and Kris.  I do have a picture of the new fifth wheel.



FUN...  I spent a weekend at Jay and Nancy's lake cottage.  I saw The Campaign with Dick and Pam -- very funny!  I read a lot.  I had dinner with Sam and Pam at Harry and Izzy's, I reminisced with my old high school buddy, Dan.  I caught up on all the great things that are happening with my former employer - Hamilton Southeastern Schools.

I joined Dick, Pam, and Pam's mom in a game of Aggravation.  Dick was my partner and we won.  Dick always wins at any game or athletic contest, so it is important to have him as a partner.

I had a great time camping with Chuck, Cindy, et al. at Turkey Run State Park.  This is an annual gathering highlighted by a kayaking trip down Sugar Creek.  This is what Sugar Creek looked like.  Note the large sand bars on both sides of the creek and the lack of moving water.  The extended drought in the midwest (among other places) did a number on our annual kayaking trip.  Somehow, it did not seem like fun to hike down the middle of the creek while towing the kayaks behind us.  So..... the kayaking was replaced by board games, corn hole, and of course breakfast juice.

I had to take this picture of the "no swimming" sign laying in the middle of what usually is a deep area of the creek.  I don't think anyone will be drowning in the remaining trickle of water in the near future.

One of the highlights was a dinner with Jay, Nancy and Gayla at Bonge's.  Bonge's is an iconic eating establishment in Central Indiana.  It is located in a ramshackle building in the town of Perkinsville --- population, about 18.  Despite the description, this place is legendary.  It does not take reservations.  People wait in the gravel parking lot for crazy amounts of time for a table.  The food prepared by a gourmet chef is amazing (more food).  I tried something new, duck.  It was delicious.

WORK....  I already told you about that.

THE PET PICTURES OF THE DAY....   While Dianne was fending off bears, I spent quality time with a more domestic lot.

Jay and Nancy's son, Quinn, owns my favorite Pendleton, Indiana dog, Bonzi.  Enjoying couch time with Bonzi is the neighborhood cat, Bruiser.

Pat and Audrey's new puppy, Ranger.

Chuck and Cindy's Sophie (the luckiest dog in Fishers, Indiana).

Dick and Pam's, Sammie.















We will return to our Colorado adventures in the next post.   Check back soon!

Colorado Bear Country!

Check out that claw!!

Hi all, Dianne here.  Well, there has been some excitement here at Mountaindale RV Resort, so I thought I'd give an update.  


Day before yesterday while I was outside dumping our tanks I heard Bandido barking and barking from inside.  I walked over to his window and told him to stop barking in no uncertain terms.  Usually he minds (or at least pauses), but this time it sounded urgent.  Just then my neighbor behind me (Ed and Marilyn from The Happy Wanderers) whispered loud enough for me to hear, "Dianne, there's a bear."   Sure enough, there was a young brown bear on the road behind our site and right next to their RV. 

 I didn't have my camera, and by the time I went inside to get it, a park employee had shoo'd the bear back up the hill behind our sites.  Ed and Marilyn graciously said I could copy a photo from their blog, so the above excellent photo was taken by them.

Fast-forward to today:  I was getting ready to leave for the grocery store when Bandido again went nuts barking from inside.  I looked up and a bear was right next door, batting at their bird seed feeder that was hanging in their tree.  He quickly knocked the feeder down to the ground, then settled in munching on the seed.  He stayed there for a half hour, during which time folks came out of the woodwork to get a photo of him.  It kinda reminded me of Retama Village when the border patrol helicopter hovers over our neighborhood....
The bear was totally unfazed by the crowd and cars.  

Batting at the Hummingbird Feeder

Anyway, I had a great view of him from right at my site, so I pulled up a lawn chair and settled in to watch the show.   My photos aren't great because he was in the shadow of the tree, but if you look closely you can see him trying to reach their hummingbird feeder.

Trying to reach the petunia basket

He gave up on that after a few tries.  Then he went over to check out their hanging petunia baskets.  He ended up knocking the chair over that he had his paw on. 

Trying to reach the other petunia basket

 Next he went to the closer petunia basket.  He couldn't quite reach it, so he decided to climb onto their chairs!

Trying to climb on the chairs to reach the petunia basket

But, like Goldilock's bear, he decided the chair was too small (wobbly) and gave up on it.

He went back to his seed stash and laid back down, munching away.  The crowd eventually dispersed, but I had my chair and decided to wait for him to leave (the grocery store can wait for another day). Another woman from the RV park asked if she could take photos from my site, so she and I were chatting about the bear. 

Looking at me!

 About that time her husband came to shoo the bear away.  

At first he started to go behind our site to make his getaway (that's our Matrix's tail light in the photo).  

Then he changed his mind and...

Heading my way!

...headed right for me!  This is the same photo as the opening shot.  If it's a little blurry it's because I was getting ready to make my getaway!   I let out one of what my husband refers to as a Clara "Whoo!!" (got that from my grandmother) and ran to the top step of our motor home.  I looked back to see that the bear was within five feet of the woman who had been standing next to my chair chatting with me.  She stayed perfectly still, like you're supposed to do. 

Trying to climb our little tree

The bear walked past her and tried to climb our little patio tree, about ten feet from where I stood, pinned to the side of our motor home on the top step.  I would have had to go back down the steps to open the door, but at that point I was like a deer in the headlights and stood still.  

Lucky for me, he went behind our picnic table and ran off between the two motor homes you can see in the photo.  This bear looked pretty young.  Ed and Marilyn told me there's another, larger bear (possibly the mother?) who also comes around.  


For those of you feeling sorry for me thinking I'm probably bored out of my mind being here all by myself, let me put your mind at ease!!!!

Here are three of the four beautiful bucks that wandered near my site this morning around 6:30.  

Before the bear excitement, as I was readying to leave in the car, I heard loud chattering from the tree (the same tree the bear tried to climb about an hour later).  I looked up and realized that Charlie the cat had a squirrel trapped up there.  It was time for Charlie to go inside anyway, so the squirrel was able to make a safe exit.


I'm reluctantly going to stop feeding the birds (and foxes), because I don't want the young bear to be enticed and become a nuisance and have to be moved (or worse).  Just bringing the feeders in at night isn't enough, because the bears come during the day.  


Here are a few wildlife cams from the last few nights:

Somebody's dog stopped by for a drink around 12:33 a.m.

This doe came for a snack around 12:16 a.m. night before last.

And the foxes are nightly visitors.  They will be sad to come and find no bird seed from now on.

But the cutest thing I've seen are the twin fawns that visit from time to time.  The first evening I saw them, they were hopping around playfully in front of the RV site two doors down.

I figured mom had to be nearby, and sure enough, she soon made an appearance.

Then she led her little ones home.

The pet photo of the day is Charlie the cat during his morning patio bird-watching time.