I-DA-HO!

 

We were looking forward to cooler weather.

After spending two weeks in Utah with my cousin and his family we headed north to Idaho. Utah was starting to get a little too warm for our taste.

Our first stop was Lava Hot Springs. Lava Hot Springs is a little town built around natural hot springs. They have a water park, and community pools built on the springs.

 

Floating away in the hot springs!

We camped in an RV park in a little town called McCammon, Idaho about 12 miles from the hot springs. The RV park was nice, quiet, and shaded. There were only two other RVs in the whole park. I don’t know why, it was a nice park, pet friendly, and had a good location. No Wi-Fi or cable, but there were full hook ups with a picnic table. The price was decent so unless everyone else knows something we don’t, the park was great.

While getting set up we met a couple who were also camping in the park. After talking with this couple for a few seconds I was immediately reminded of the character Walter from Jeff Dunham’s standup routine with the puppets. Nothing suited this gentleman, he was sour, and life had just given him more lemons than he could use.

 

We couldn’t get away from this couple fast enough.

He was angry their kids didn’t visit. He was angry that they owned a motorhome. He was angry that the sun was shining. He was angry that Tracy and I were young. He was just angry. Tracy has a knack for just walking away from people. For me, it just seems rude to walk away from someone when they are talking to you. I eventually had to gather the strength to walk away. He was probably angry at me.

 

Once we crossed the state line into Idaho we had stopped at the Visitor Information Center and picked up a couple of brochures and maps. We learned that the Lava Hot Springs community pools closed at 11, and that after 8 they were half priced. So we decided we would go in the evening and enjoy the hot springs after dark. We arrived at the hot springs just after eight. The temperature was still a little warm and the sun did not set until almost ten that evening, but the hot springs were nice.

The Lava Hot Springs Community Pool consisted of five different pools. Each pool is a different temperature. They hottest and least used pool was 112 degrees, and the coolest most used pool was 104 degrees. Naturally, Tracy wanted to jump right in the hottest pool. I enjoyed the next warmest pool that was 108 degrees. The pools are spring feed with mineral water. No chlorine is used in the pools. We enjoyed the evening and floated around in each one. We felt very relaxed and slept like babies that night.

Lava Hot Springs, Idaho: Tracy's favorite, the hottest pool available.

We spent some time shopping in Pocatello on our way to Arco, Idaho.

My father went to high school in Arco about a million years ago. My grandfather was a contractor for the ERB-1 Nuclear Reactor. Tracy, Doug, and I got to tour the old EBR-1 National Historic Site. It was quite cool to get to see this, not only because my grandfather worked there, but because this was quite an engineering feat back in its time, but Homer Simpson was the only thing I could think about while touring the site. Just a note:  EBR stands for Experimental Breeder Reactor.

EBR-1, Atomic City, Idaho



EBR-1, Atomic City, Idaho

EBR-1, Atomic City, Idaho

Tracy, AKA Homer Simpson
playing in the  museum

The ancient controls fascinated me.

The ancient robotics fascinated Tracy.

The cold floor fascinated Doug!

Homer and Doug hard at work.

WOW! Technology of the 1940's and 1950's is scary by todays standards.

Sadly, there were only a few pictures of the construction phase displayed at the museum.

I had hoped to find pictures of my grandfather in the room designated to the construction of the unit. The curator told me I would have to go back to the county museum in Pocatello to look through their archives. I opted not to travel back.

I felt a little uneasy seeing this sign.

 

The Good Ole Days! I had a good laugh at this sign.
Its from the same era when cigs were good for you, and four out of five doctors
recommended Pall Mall or some other brand.

After touring the EBR we decided to find a camp site.

I had read about a gentleman who let Campers stay on his land for free and we decided we would give it a try. We meet all kinds of people and if it did not feel right we would leave.  

Our camp site in Arco, at Honey's Park.

 Our host, Scar, turned out to be great!

 Scar is a retired electrical engineer who is just lonely and enjoys the company of people stopping by, and we enjoyed his hospitality. He enjoys hunting and will take you out to his favorite shooting ranges if that is your thing. Otherwise, he just likes the companionship and meeting new people.  

He calls his land Honey’s Park, named after a beloved dog. He currently has two dogs which are just beautiful. The female is a red hound named Ruby. She is a rescued bear dog. Ruby is trained to hunt and track bears. What I did not know is that dogs used to hunt bears are trained with cats. Poor Boss Lady had to be kept under lock and key. Boss Lady did not recognize this as a favor, or as a necessity to keep her safe. Boss Lady was mad!

The male is a Visila, named Stig. He was stray that just wondered up one day and stayed. He could care less about Boss Lady or Doug.
 

Ruby.

 

Stig, and our host Scar.

 

In 1955, Arco, Idaho became the world’s first nuclear powered city. What a claim to fame! The town is rather remote and sparsely populated so it is no wonder why it was chosen to be the site of the world’s first nuclear power plant. 

 

Our sunset in Arco.

 

Have you ever gone someplace and instantly felt at home?

The people are just the kindest souls we have met on the road. They were so kind and hospitable that I had to wonder if it was the heat or the radiation that baked their brains. It’s not every day you meet a town full of people that are ready to just open their lives and homes up to strangers. They were all very helpful in locating an old high school friend of my fathers. I guess in a town of 995 people you get to know each other quite well.

 

The main drag in Arco, Idaho.

 

The main drag in Arco, Idaho.

 

The main drag in Arco, Idaho.

The Suicide Count. 

 

 The Hill of Numbers is where each graduating class in Arco has painted the last two numbers of their graduation year on top of the mountain. This has been going on for almost 100 years. There is no rhyme or reason on the placement of the numbers, they appear to be randomly placed in most cases. The favorite local story is that the numbers represent the number of suicides each year. I guess Scar seemed pretty convincing when he told the story because Tracy had to clarify with me that the numbers really were graduation years. I had a good chuckle, because Tracy is not normally that gullible.

 

The Hill of  Numbers

 

Why in the world is that the United States has more than one national park full of old lava flows? Is one just not enough?

To the South of Arco is another National Park that consists of lava scorched earth. Craters of the Moon National Park is 30 miles to the south of Arco and we decided to check it out. As we drove through the paths and bitched about the heat, I flashed back to our time in New Mexico at Valley of Fires National Park.

Our experience at Valley of Fires in New Mexico was bad enough. Our stay at Valley of Fires was so bad we found pebbles embedded in the side of the Big Lebowski. We had heard pebbles pelting the side, but did not think they were getting stuck in the side. We did not stay very long at Craters of the Moon. It was so hot I was worried abut melting the car tires.

I always make sure WACO is represented.

 

Craters of the Moon. It was blazing hot!

 

Craters of the Moon. It was blazing hot!

  

Craters of the Moon. It was blazing hot!

 

There was a heat wave predicted for the North West and we wanted to beat it.

 

The temperatures were starting to heat up and Arco, Idaho was not spared this summer. We decided to leave Idaho and head over to Oregon and Washington to find cooler weather. We got up early the next morning and headed towards Oregon.

 

We decided to camp on the Oregon side of the Snake River. I was so excited to get to spend a few days floating in the river. We go up and headed out of Arco around 6 am, before the temperatures started to rise.

 

Our escape was slowed by a mowing truck through the mountain pass.

I was ready to get out and walk.

 

Imagine my irritation when we slowed to three miles an hour behind a mower, while trying to get through the mountain pass between Arco and Boise, Idaho. Naturally, we were in a no passing zone with a steady stream of traffic from the opposite direction when we got to  passing zone. We eventually made it to Oregon that afternoon.

 

 

We are no longer chasing Big Foot in the Hoh Rainforest (future post).

 

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with us. We are now back in a populated region with cell and Wi-Fi reception. That means we can start posting on a more regular basis again. The next post will be about our time through Oregon and into Washington.

 

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Tall Mountains and the Real Rolling Turd



 

The last couple of weeks have been challenging and a little scary.

We left Roswell, New Mexico feeling rested and excited to get back on the road. Before we could head out we had to take care of the important tasks of dumping our waste tank and washing off the weeks’ worth of sand that had built up on the Big Lebowski.

We were lucky enough to find a carwash with a large truck bay near the free dump station. After washing the Big Lebowski we kept smelling pooh. We had already emptied and cleaned the waste tanks at the RV dump station. Our tanks were closed and we were not leaking anything. We checked our feet, we checked Doug, and still could not find the source of the smell. While pulling out we noticed that someone had cleaned a horse trailer. Great, the car wash recycled their water, but evidently did not filter it very well.

The pooh wash. Roswell, NM

 So now we were truly riding in a rolling turd.

We headed North West towards Ruidoso, New Mexico where we planned to stay a couple of days. The ride to Ruidoso was a little mountainous and we had to disconnect the tow car and drive separately for a little ways. I didn’t really mind driving the car, but having to pull the tow dolly is a little nerve wracking. The tow dolly for the car tends to bounce when the roads are less than perfect and make a lot of noise. I drove white knuckled and prayed the whole trip over the mountain. We made good time getting to Ruidoso, NM. We checked the website for the Inn of the Mountain Gods and found that they had an RV park advertised.

How awesome, we could stay on the Indian reservation near the casino.

We were so excited. We tried calling the phone number listed but no one was answering the phone. After about four attempts to reach someone we decided to just find an RV park near the Indian reservation. When we checked into the park we found out that he RV park on the reservation is first come first served. No one ever answers the phone.

We stayed at Twin Spruce RV Park in Ruidoso. Twin Spruce was a nice little park with two tiers. Just like the rest of the town, it too is built on the side of a mountain. We originally requested a site on the top tier, but once we got to the site we quickly realized that we were not ready for mountain camping. The sites were as level as they could be for being on the side of a mountain.

Tracy was in the process of trying to put the jacks down and level the motorhome when the Big Lebowski decided to slip backwards off the jacks. Luckily the jack controls are near the emergency brake and Tracy was able to stop the Big Lebowski from rolling down the mountain side. Tracy tried again. Once he was finished we looked down and realized the jacks were so far up that the tires were six inches off the ground. He felt this was unsafe and drove down to the bottom tier where the slots were more level.

Our RV slot at Twin Spruce RV Park in Ruidoso, NM

 

The owners of the RV park are nice people but we felt like they were pressuring us to book the full week because Memorial Day Weekend was coming up. Park rates jump dramatically on a holiday weekend. We had only planned to spend a couple of days and then head to Valley of Fires National Park. Twin Spruce RV Park is pet friendly, and just like every other RV Park they have a strict leash rule. However, there is no designated pet area where your pets can be off the leash to exercise or play, so Doug was a little miserable. The Wi-Fi at the park was non-existent when the wind blew, which was about 90% of the time during our stay.

Due to the strict pet policy we had to keep boss lady in the motorhome and not let her roam at night like she prefers. So the first night we had to listen to her whine and meow all night. This was fine until another cat sprayed the outside of the bus.

Big Pinon tree that sat above us. So glad it
did not slide on to us. Rudsoio, NM

I was not happy about this new aroma we were sporting.

Now we smelled like horse pooh and cat urine. A real cesspool. Not a great mix. I forgot the rule the second night and let the cat out. At the very least she could keep the other cat away. Luckily it rained the second day we were there.

Boss Lady

Ruidoso is a beautiful little mountain town, but it is also very touristy. It can be expensive if you don’t watch your wallet. The Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort sits on the Mescalero Apache Tribe Reservation. It’s a very nice resort and small casino nestled in the mountains. I had visited the Inn of the Mountain Gods about thirty years ago and had remembered a huge, round, copper fireplace in the center of the lobby. I had looked forward to seeing this again, but the fire place was taken out during a renovation about 20 years ago. I was a little disappointed at this revelation, but things change.  It was replaced by a large water fountain.

Inn of the Mountain Gods on the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation near
Ruidoso, New Mexico

Water fountain inside the resort hotel. Inn of the Mountain Gods.

 

We toured the art displays at the resort and ate breakfast in the casino. Tracy wanted to do the zip line across the lake, but they were closed due to the wind. We returned to the RV park and lounged around for the rest of the day.

 

This was my favorite  sculpture on display.  It is called "Morning Song".

 

Tracy decided he would try the zip line at the Ski Apache Ski Lodge instead.

He called to make reservations, but had to leave a message. The web site says they are open daily, year round. We decided that since our stay was up at the Twin Spruce RV Park, we would drive to the Ski Apache Zip Line after we took the Big Lebowski over to the Valley of Fires National Park and setting up.

The drive from Ruidoso, NM to the Valley of Fires National Park is a little mountainous. Ok, a lot mountainous. We had to drive separately, Tracy in the Big Lebowski, and me in the car with the tow dolly. We made pretty good time considering the drive is a steep winding path up one side of the mountain and then down the other side. After getting set up at the Valley of Fires we made the 30 mile drive back to Ruidoso to go to the Ski Apache Lodge on  top of El Capitan Mountain.

The drive back to Ruidoso went quickly in the little car, but the ride up to the Ski Apache Lodge took a while. It’s only a twelve mile drive up a winding, narrow, mountain trail. The road consist of nothing but blind switch back, hair pin curves up to the top of a mountain. This was the longest ride of my life. I am afraid of heights. I have known this about myself for a very long time. We made our way up the mountain with me clawing at the dash, gripping the car door, and Tracy laughing at me the whole way. It did not help matters that when I did open my eyes and dare look out the window all I could see was the edge of a cliff going straight down. I suddenly developed an irrational fear of just flying off the road. I was scared and way out of my comfort zone. Doug didn’t seem to mind the drive. He just hung his head out the window sniffing the air.

This is a picture of the road taken from a look out about 9 miles up the Mountain

This is a picture of the road taken from a look out about 9 miles up the Mountain

This is a picture of the road taken from a look out about 9 miles up the Mountain

This was the elevation at the look out. There is still more to go!

 

It took us almost an hour to drive the twelve miles up the mountain.

The Ski Apache Lodge looked a little deserted when we arrived. There were only a few vehicles in the parking lot. We did find a grounds keeper who informed us that the lodge was only open Thursday thru Sunday. This was Wednesday. Tracy was a little upset at this discovery. The website said “Open Daily”. The guys attitude was “Hey, you can come back tomorrow.”

We spent some time walking around and viewed the valley from the top of the mountain. It was pretty, but also very chilly since there was still snow on the ground. I wished I had remembered my sweater. Then it dawned on me that we would have to drive back down the mountain. Knowing what to expect made the drive down seem a little better, but for some reason the cliff was still on my side of the vehicle. How is this possible?

We visited the Lincoln National Forest at the base of the  mountain. It is a very beautiful place. This is also the final resting place of Smokey the Bear.

Tracy at Lincoln National Forest near Ruidoso, NM.

Lincoln National Forest

Lincoln National Forest

Lincoln National Forest

 

We made it back to the Valley of Fires National Park before sunset.

Valley of Fires National Park, NM

Valley of Fires National Park, NM

 

We enjoyed watching the sun go down and ate dinner and planned to go hike the trails the next day. Just as we finished cleaning up from dinner the wind started blowing a little hard so we decided to get out the weather radio.

There were no wind or storm advisories for the area so we figured it would just pass.

After about an hour the wind got even stronger. The sustained wind speed had to be at least 40 mph and it was hitting us broad side. The big Lebowski was rocking. The pilot light on the refrigerator would not stay lit so we had to move everything to the ice chest. Luckily I had gotten ice on our way back to the park.

We were both getting scared.

When I am scared it’s ok, Tracy calms me. BUT when we are both scared, I know it is time to really worry. The wind was sustained with huge gusts that made us feel like we were going to get blown over. We tried to sleep that night, but it was really hard. Sometime around 3:30 in the morning I finally gave in and fell asleep for a couple of hours. I figured we had survived that long, and it wasn’t going to matter if I was awake or not, there was nothing I could do.

I woke up at 6:30 am to find Tracy sitting and starring out the window. We sat there most of the day watching the clouds hang over the mountain range. Finally, sometime around 5 pm we decided to move the Big Lebowski to a more aerodynamic position because the winds had not let up for 24 hours.

Valley of Fires National Park, NM

Valley of Fires National Park, NM

 

It was not feasible to change the Big Lebowski’s position in the slot we were camped in, so we had to take the car and drive around to find a new location. We found one spot at the top of the hill that would allow us to position the Big Lebowski into the wind, rather than against it. The new position did give some relief from the wind shaking the motorhome, and we were able to get a little sleep.

 

We decided that as soon as the wind let up we were leaving.

I thought about our ride from Texas to New Mexico with the wind blowing us all over the road and how it just stopped once we crossed the state line. I figured out that the wind stopped at the state line because New Mexico was saving up all their wind for this one location, they were holding it up. Saving it for this one occasion.

We woke up early the next morning and left.

Valley of Fires National Park, NM. It is hard to believe that such delicate life
exist in such a hellish place.

The wind was still blowing, but not like it had been. At least now we could safely escape the Valley of Fires National Park prison. That place should be renamed to the Valley of Howling Winds.

We headed west to Socorro, New Mexico, Home of New Mexico Tech.

"M" (Magdalina) Mountain, Socorro, NM

New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM

Doug took a swim in the water fountain.

I attended college there right out of high school. I got to tour the grounds and see the changes that have been made in the last 25 years. I enjoyed the walk, and Doug enjoyed a dip in the fountain. We ate at a restaurant that was my favorite back in the day. The El Sombrero Restaurant is still good after all these years.

El Sombrero, Socorro, NM

We stayed at the Walmart parking lot since we were planning on heading out the next morning. The Socorro, NM Walmart must be a popular stop because we woke up the next morning to find a parking lot full of RVs.

I have to add that we both slept like the dead that night. Until I woke both of us up laughing at a dream I had about my nephew. In my dream he was insisting he was a leprechaun and had to hide his treasure. His treasure was a bunch of broken stuff and he had to hide it before his mom threw it away.

We headed north and took a short cut around Albuquerque, NM.

We were headed to Gallup, NM. I wanted to visit some of the Indian ruins in Western New Mexico. We stayed at the USA RV Park. The facility is very nice, well maintained, and active. They had a designated dog park and great WiFi, even with the wind. My only gripe was that the park is all gravel and the sap from the Pinon trees makes the gravel stick to your shoes, Doug’s paws, and the cat’s fur. We spent our time there mostly picking pebbles out of Doug’s paws.

We ate at the World Famous El Rancho Hotel in Gallup. This is a little hotel where movie stars used to stay while filming western movies.  If you’re a fan of old westerns you would recognize the names of Jane Wyman, Allan Ladd, and Ronald Regan. The menu list a whole host of choices, all named after a famous person who stayed at the hotel.

The next morning we decided to head north to get closer to the Indian ruins we wanted to visit.

We stopped in Shiprock, NM. Shiprock is a town located on the Navajo Indian Reservation. It’s a good size town and we thought we might stay there. We pulled into a parking lot next to the McDonald’s and noticed a really nice laundry mat next door. We needed to wash a few blankets that will not fit in our little washer, and decided to do them there.

Shiprock, NM

 

While we were waiting on our laundry we were approached by little girls selling homemade cupcakes for $1.00. I bought one so they would go away. I gave the cupcake to another set of kids that arrived later. I hope it wasn’t poisoned.

Then we were approached by a drunk Indian asking for change. Tracy pulled the change out from his pocket. There was two dollars in quarters so he gave the guy a dollar. They guy had the nerve to ask for the rest of it, but we told him no we still had to dry our clothes and that was all we had. He went on.

Then while Tracy was outside another drunk Indian approached him and demanded Tracy give him his change. Tracy told him no and went back inside the laundry mat. We decided we would leave Shiprock as soon as our laundry was finished, and head towards Farmington, NM. I was a little bummed because I really wanted to see the Zuni Indian Ruins, but we could still see the Aztec Indian Ruins outside of Farmington, NM. Better safe than sorry. I am sure that there is more to Shiprock than what we experienced but I did not want to stick around to find out.

It’s unfortunate but all I could think of while we were in Shiprock was the stereotype of the drunk Indian. I really don’t like to perpetuate that stereotype, but that was our experience while driving thru the Navajo reservation in Western New Mexico.

We made our way east to Farmington, NM.

We over nighted at the Walmart. Not too bad, the parking lot was clean and quiet. Again, we woke up surrounded by RVs.

Doug and Boss Lady catch a nap
in Farmington, NM

It was shortly after I snapped this
photo that I realized I am a Cat Lady

The next morning we headed to the Aztec Indian Ruins National Monument.

Aztec Indian Ruins National Monument, Farmington, NM

 
The Aztec Indian Ruins National Monument is small. The walking path is less than a mile long, but does get steep in some areas. During our visit a storm blew in and we had to sit in one of the kivas. I was entertained by Tracy dancing around and singing made up Indian chants. Some of the other visitors were annoyed, but watching Tracy being silly made the time pass. The rain did not last too long, but it was cold.
 

Inside the Great Kiva, Aztec Indian Ruins National Monument,
Farmington, NM

Even with the rain storm our visit was over in about two hours.

We then headed north to Durango, Colorado.

It’s a short drive from Farmington, NM. We encountered a few areas with steep grades, but nothing so steep that we had to take the tow car off. The decent down into Durango was quite steep, but since it was downhill we did not worry too much. Once we reached the bottom of the mountain one of the back brakes went out.

Luckily there was a Walmart nearby.

The local O’Rileys had the part we needed in stock and Tracy rebuilt the brake in the Walmart parking lot.

Tracy repairing the brake

We found an RV Park outside of town and spent two days there. The Lightner Creek RV Park is a nice mixture of RV slots and rental cabins along the Lightner Creek. They had decent WiFi, a dog park, and heated pool. But most importantly it was close to the Full Blast Adventure Zip Line Tour!

The first night at the RV park in Durango we thought we had closed the cats door.

I guess we did not close it well enough. Boss Lady proudly bought us a prize in the middle of the night. I could hear her batting something around and made Tracy get up to see what she had. It was a big chipmunk and she was not happy when he took it away from her.

The next day Tracy begged and pleaded with me to go on the zip line with him. I am a spectator, and he is the thrill seeker. Flying thru the air attached to a little safety harness does not appeal to me. The very thought scares the hell out of me. When I even considered the zip line, I had a vision of my large ars plummeting to the ground in a firey crash. I don’t know where the fire came from in my vision. I guess my imagination adds it for dramatic effect. There was no way I could be persuaded, so I reassured him that it was good for us to spend time apart and enjoy separate activities on occasion.

Tracy’s Zip Line Tour started at 2 pm so we went and walked in the Historic Downtown area of Durango. It’s a nice downtown area and is very busy with people from every walk of life. We got a hot dog from a street vendor and ate lunch on a bus bench. I prayed the hot dogs were not tainted and we watched people walk by. The street vendor also offered split pea soup which smelled great, but I am normally not a fan of thick green slime.

Tracy enjoyed the Zip Line, but said it was not as adrenalin pumping as he would have liked. It’s a good thing because he was hyped up and excited when I picked him up. He is still sore more than two days later.

Tracy getting ready for his Zip Line tour in Durango, CO

 The next morning we headed west to Cortez, Colorado.

The drive is a sustained 5 to 6% grade with an 11% grade thrown in going up the mountain and a sustained 5 to 6 % grade down the other side of the mountain. So again we drove separately. We had to stop to let the Big Lebowski cool off just before we reached the top of the mountain, but the view was spectacular. Once we arrived into Cortez we parked the Big Lebowski and drove out to Mesa Verde National Park.

Lake Durango, Durango,CO

Twin Buttes, Durango, CO

 

I don’t know what I was thinking when I said I wanted to go see the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde.

I guess I did not associate the word cliff with the word mountain. The drive to the cliff dwellings is a 45 minute, 23 miles up a mountain with blind, hair pin curves and switch backs. At least this road had a decent barrier and pull offs. I still felt scared and worried about driving over the edge.

We made it half way up the mountain when Tracy realized we needed gas.

So we drove back down to the check in and found out that there is gas available at the camp ground, which is located about a quarter of the way back up the mountain. The drive up was worth the trip (both times). The view is unbelievable and the cliff dwellings are awesome to see. It’s like nothing else. Words and pictures do not do them justice.

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Me & Doug at Mesa Verde National Park,
Cortez, CO

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

 

We visited the museum and watched the educational film. The hike down the trail to the cliff dwellings is only half a mile. What they don’t tell you is that it’s a steep grade down, and then you have to hike back up. The walk down was not so bad, but I had to stop three times to catch my breath on the way back up. Fortunately, I was not the only one who had to stop and rest.

Museum at Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

After visiting the museum and walking down the trail to the dwellings, we drove back down the mountain stopping at some of the pull outs to take pictures. Tracy got several good pictures of deer and other wild life while I held on to the car for dear life. I did not want to fly off the mountain. Tracy still laughs at me about this, and for the life of me, I do not know why I have this irrational fear.

Comfort Station Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Deer at Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Deer at Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

 

We will be heading towards Utah next, but will visit the Four Corners Monument and dip down into Arizona for a couple of days first.

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