Saturday, June 20, 2015

Another Out West Trip - Day ONE and TWO

Honestly I can't tell you where the last 6 months got to - can't believe I haven't had ANYthing to say for 6 months?? Something is wrong here.  Anyhoo, we've done it again and have taken another trip out west.  So we'll start with day one again...

June 1 Monday


Our first picnic lunch

We had unexpected company

They politely declined our food in favor of their own

Such brilliant green almost blinded us

What a cute house!

So we took a quick side trip to Paris

Paris, Tennessee, that is.

Our first campsite was on Reelfoot Lake

It was very windy and cool but not cold
 Day 2 Tuesday, June 2


Hmmm, who are these intrepid travelers?  Seems like they need to get their itinerary straightened out if they're going to travel together!

Somehow (due to the weather), we crossed paths with our previous travels and since this road was open this time, we drove right down to the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi.  S is standing here on the point.  Also a landing spot for Lewis and Clark several decades ago...

Two happy cows

Huh?


Yah! Especially the last one... (We almost left the kids behind once but that's another story)

Night 2 was at a KOA

Although cool, the girls couldn't pass up a good swim

Or some hair dyeing

Open air salon

2nd campsite (pool in background)


West or Bust day 3 and 4

Combining days in the midwest (sorry to anyone who happens to live there...)

June 3 Wednesday


Visited a Bass Pro shop nearby in Springfield, Missouri

Looks like he's gonna get you, girls!

Scott something?

Ah, ice-cream for a hot day

Fort Scott

Hmmm, nobody can complain about prisons today...

A big black rat snake

The fishing lake we camped by in the Kansas grasslands

Our free campsite

We climbed a nearby hill - what a view!
 June 4 Thursday


Completely by coincidence we followed this Santa Fe trail for several hundred kms

This is one of many names and dates carved in the rock at this point on the trail

A look-out point - something rock - where the above carvings are

Picnic lunch spot on Day 4 at Fort Larned

Fort Larned entrance

Getting edumacated

Old Bent's fort

We love going into teepees (and acting silly...)

Covered wagon.  Love these.  Thank you brothers for building me one on a wagon, as a kid - I think it lasted more than a day, too. Playing settlers and indians became so vividly real during that time...

Inside the fort

Seems almost cosy

Approaching Pueblo Lake State Park, CO at sunset.  I took this picture especially for the little clouds highlighted against the dark ones. We decided to drive on to Pueblo after not finding an appropriate spot to camp in La Junta or surrounding reservation.


The campsite at Pueblo Lake.  The drama here was when we were told a young (autistic?) boy was lost that evening.  We watched them search the mountain nearby with searchlights and eventually he was found around 10pm.  Praise the Lord.

West or Bust Day 5

June 5, Friday

FINALLY we've made it to the real west.


Heading into the mountains of Colorado

Royal gorge

It's really deep

A kind man offered to take our picture

Then someone else showed up and now we're 4

The Arkansas river is a long way from home

White water farther up

Ah...

A calm section

Everything is so green deep in the mountains






The continental divide at this pass, the highest so far at 11 312 ft

Chilly

Still quite a bit of snow here







Looking straight down the dam wall


Up the canyon farther


The rain really started around Montrose

Coming into Ouray (U-ray)

Yes, we ARE interested, actually - perfect day for hot springs

The public outdoor hot springs - there were several pools of different temperatures

This is the hottest pool - 104'.


We stayed in the Twin Peaks lodge (not in this picture)




Can you see Ouray?

The breakfast room at the lodge