AZ Thanksgiving 2009

We had perfect weather this Thanksgiving in Casa Grande. It was about 80 deg. and our group of friends joined together for a potluck outside. I think there were 18 or 20 of us. Max Anderson cooked the turkey and the rest of us brought the side dishes. Roger did his wonderful fresh cranberry/pear/apple sauce and the mashed potatoes. It took some organizing (see photo) to get us lined up, but we managed group photos too! I have to include one guest who came late.... Max's cat, Lucky. What a beauty! I am also including a photo of the painting of the Grand Tetons I did on a cedar chest panel for my friend Kay. The piece is about 3-1/2 ft x 2 ft and done in acrylics. We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be grateful for. Happy Trails......

Ajax Mine trip Nov. 09

On November 20th two Jeeps took off for 'wild' AZ offroad. We were headed to the Ajax mine and "Lulu's Cabin". Bob and Betty Green had Al and Dianne with them; Roger and I were in the 'green convertible"... The weather was perfect. Our first stop was the mine. All the folks in Green's car are rock hounds and marched up the hillside quick time, sledge hammer and pick in hand. Roger and hiked the side of the hill, found another covered shaft. Those miners must have been part mountain goat and mole. Those shafts are straight down in very rough areas!

One photo is of Roger standing by the covered mine shaft. Another is of the ore crusher complex across the riverbed from where we were. We could imagine the horses/mules? pulling the loaded wagons on those narrow, rocky "roads". The photo of the white Jeep is the Green's ahead of us, on one of the 'better' stretches of the road.

Our next stop was "Lulu's Cabin", a tiny cabin built into the side of the hill, which has a mine claim nailed to the door. The 'refrigerator' is built into the side wall of the cabin. It has a tiny porch which faces on to the cliff it sits on, looking across the riverbed below, and into the hills that surrounds it. In the distance there is an old mine shaft. We had lunch here, sitting on rocks, a lawn chair, and ice chest. The rock hounds brought back bags of beautiful stone and Roger and I brought back a great day of memories.

Happy trails......

Snow Bound

10/29/09
Whooeeee, lots of snow here in Trinidad. Trucks line the frontage roads along the freeway and fill up the large gas station parking lots. Originally we thought we would leave today as weather was 'supposed' to clear by noon. HA! Now they say it will be about 50 deg. on Sat, with a little sunshine tomorrow when it is supposed to be in the 40's. Meanwhile we are living in a Christmas card.

We did make it to Walmart, which is just across the highway overpass. Sheriff's car was blocking the onramp to the freeway. Word in Walmart was that they were about to close it down (I-25). So we picked up supplies and I got a haircut. Now I'm making baked oatmeal (cinn., apples, raisins, walnuts and oats) and we'll have hot taco soup for dinner. Fortunately we have big fat books to read and cable tv .... This town is prepared for this kind of weather though... big snowplows out on the road and everyone has some kind of
snow plow to clear their parking lots. However, nothing much can help at the 7800 ft Raton pass. TV has lots of crashes and overturned trucks to show us... so we are staying put for the time being. Thank goodness the Jeep can get us where we need to go.
Stay warm and dry out there..
happy trails.....

Snow Bound

10/29/09
Whooeeee, lots of snow here in Trinidad. Trucks line the frontage roads along the freeway and fill up the large gas station parking lots. Originally we thought we would leave today as weather was 'supposed' to clear by noon. HA! Now they say it will be about 50 deg. on Sat, with a little sunshine tomorrow when it is supposed to be in the 40's. Meanwhile we are living in a Christmas card.

We did make it to Walmart, which is just across the highway overpass. Sheriff's car was blocking the onramp to the freeway. Word in Walmart was that they were about to close it down (I-25). So we picked up supplies and I got a haircut. Now I'm making baked oatmeal (cinn., apples, raisins, walnuts and oats) and we'll have hot taco soup for dinner. Fortunately we have big fat books to read and cable tv .... This town is prepared for this kind of weather though... big snowplows out on the road and everyone has some kind of
snow plow to clear their parking lots. However, nothing much can help at the 7800 ft Raton pass. TV has lots of crashes and overturned trucks to show us... so we are staying put for the time being. Thank goodness the Jeep can get us where we need to go.
Stay warm and dry out there..
happy trails.....

Snow time in CO 10/24/09

What a difference 24 hours can make! Went from 76 to 36 deg. in 24 hours. Here are some photos of what Trinidad CO looks like in snow, very different from previous photos! The photo of Roger was taken through the window of the jeep, as he brushed snow off. We hand icicles (?) hanging off the coach. However, snow now is almost gone. But what a Christmas card view we had.

We had a little adventure yesterday, Friday. Coming back from town, we were stopped at the last stop light before the park. We heard a big screech, and were rammed from the rear. No one was hurt, and the Jeep seems ok... but the kid who hit us sure made a mess of his car. We were very close to a gas station so pulled over to exchange insurance info. When we were ready to pull away, Jeep wouldn't start! So we called AAA, I walked back to coach, and Lance and Roger waited for the tow truck. They got a "jump", crossed the overpass and bought a new battery. Roger doubts the rearender had anything to do with it, but it sure made for a crummy couple of hours. BUT, the kid's dad walked over later (seems they all worked at the resturant/gas business) and said it WAS a bad day for his kid. Police were on their way to pick him up for some other charge. Guys didn't stick around to hear the details. We celebrated surviving the whole mess later that evening by going to an Italian resturant in Trinidad, Rhino's. If you ever get to this town, be sure! to eat there, wonderful food and singing waiter/waitresses! We had a great two hour meal and entertainment. Who would have thought it in this littlel place. See, we are having life experieces on the road!

happy trails....

Trinidad, Co

Here we are Oct. 16, 2009 in Trinidad, CO. Beautiful weather, a little windy, very warm afternoons. Lance and Roger took a drive to Simpson's Rest, where the big Trinidad sign is atop a high mesa. They also visited the Kit Carson memorial in town. Unfortunately, all of the museums in town were closed for the "season"... guess we missed the season! But the old town has brick streets, and many old buildings. The heart of downtown is in the process of revitalization, with lots of empty store fronts, but great architecture. We are at about 6500 ft and the cottonwoods and aspen are gorgeous! Don't know how much longer they will last, but what a sight.

happy trails.....

Maxwell Nat'l Wildlife Perserve NM

These photos hardly do justice to the wildlife perserve at Maxwell, NM. We saw thousands of birds, cranes, ducks, geese, etc on this body of water, one of three on the perserve. The Sandhill cranes circled in large groups in the air, then would settle down again on the water on a nearby field. The honking and calling of the various groups was just awesome! We also saw deer and a coyote during our drive around the perserve. The visitors center was the least impressive of the 3 we have visited, very small and not well marked. However, this one did have a bat flying in the small rooms, much to their dismay. We drove a back road back to Raton, NM and saw deer and pronghorns along the way. Went to the local restuarant for lunch... and the food was really good! Roger's 5" high hamburger had to be 7" across; he was in heaven.

The cottonwood trees are turning the most amazing golds, green/gold and bronze. The air is so clear here you can see for miles, and the colors against the volcanic bluffs is wonderful.

well, I wish we had close ups of the wonderful views of birds in the air that we saw today. However, I can't manage to shoot through the binoculars! On to Trinidad, CO tomorrow.

happy trails....