Welcome To Colorado

Sunday, November 2, 2008

I know it's been a few days since you've heard from me, so let's get caught up.

I left Connie, Frank, and Bakersfield on Wednesday.

Drove to Needles. You saw those pics.

Left Needles headed for Flagstaff, Arizona where I had to make a decision....take the northern route through a huge Indian Rervation or stick on I-40. I really wanted to take the scenic route. But I was sick of driving that day and if I went north I wouldn't find a place to stop for the night for about 3 hours. I wasn't prepared to commit to that.

So, unfortunately I stuck on the rather boring I-40 and ended up staying over in Holbrook, Arizona. No pictures and no comments. It was just a drive through the desert and an overnight in nice, clean, but stark and boring RV Park.

That was Thursday.

Friday I set out early for Chromo, Colorado. East to Gallup then North/Northeast to Chromo.

The most interesting thing I found on the road for Thursday and Friday was....and I admit I didn't know this before...but apparently my Grandson, Blake, has opened a restaurant chain.

Blake's

You might also notice there is some "color" in the trees in the background. I was a little late for the full color treatment and most trees have lost their leaves and are just standing there stark naked.

Arrived at my digs for a while....Standing Stone Ranch....owned and operated by my oldest friends, Jim and Debbie. (Lots more on them later and the Ranch later.)

Jim was chinking a door as I arrived. That's a term of art for "caulking" used in the construction and maintainance of log homes. Standing Stone is a log home designed and built virtually by hand by Jim and Debbie.

Don't be decivied by "log home." This does not much resemple what the settlers were living in in the 1800's.

For example, here's my room - shots from each corner:

My Room

This isn't exactly roughing it.

In fact, the only thing rough about it is that the cell service isn't quite as good as it is in Newport Beach.

I'll give you a complete tour later on.

When I arrived Debbie was "in town." From here in Chromo, which is in the Southwestern part of Colorado, only about 7 miles north of New Mexico, there are 3 places you can go.

Closest - about 5 minutes away - is "The Merc." That's the Chromo Mercantile Exchange and RV Park. It is, literally, the town of Chromo. 1 building. Grocery, hardware, post office, trading post, feed store, etc. It is a good old fashioned General Store. And that's it. The whole town.

Second closest is about 20 minutes away. If you are going there you are going "To Town" or if you are there you are "In Town." It's Pagosa Springs. It is home to the world's largest natural hot springs and a jumping off point for vactioners looking for Colorado Mountain activities from Sking at Wolf Creek in the winter to white water rafting in the summer.

Farthest is a couple of hours away. Durango, Colorado. A real city.

Yesterday (Saturday) in between working on the installation of a new bathroom (the 5th in the house) down in the stable/garage/storeage area/soon to be bunkhouse for Jim and Debbie's grandkids and other youthful visitors, they asked if I wanted to go for a ride.

They have 6 horses, so, naturally, I figured I was going to get to go on a horseback ride up into the mountains to enjoy the quiet country and spectacular views.

Wrong.

Here are the "horses" we road.

Mechanical Horses

Note the gun rack on the on the camouflaged ATV. That's mine. Jim and Debbie and Maddy, the wonder dog, road the other. Not to be left out, though, they were dog sitting a neighbor's dog, Shadow, and Shadow road shot gun with me.

Saddling Up

It was really a lot of fun and I got a grand tour including a history lesson of the surrounding area.

Debbie

That's one of the original cabins in the backgbround behind her. Last year it was more erect, but they had 40 feet of snow last winter and the weight of the snow collapsed the roof and some of the frame.

Jim and Me

More to come.