Day Trippin'

After spending May through July with friends at Mogote Meadow,  in the Conejos River valley of southern Colorado, the Leos decided it was time to use our travel trailer for its intended  purpose. We hooked up, headed north and west to new scenery in South Fork, Colorado. We're staying at the newly opened Peacock Meadow Riverside RV Park.  We arrived on August 1.

The park is well situated on the banks of the Rio Grand River and within easy driving distance of Monte Vista, Del Norte and Creede and is 17 miles from Wolfe Creek Ski area (not that we will be here when the snow falls). Due to the newness of the park, it lacks the "community" feel of Mogote Meadows (no weekly potluck dinner). This is offset by the variety of events occurring during the summer. The first weekend we were here, a three day music festival, Rhythms on The Rio, was held about a mile away. Unfortunately it was challenged with frequent thunder storms. The same weekend Covered Wagon Days were held in Del Norte.

Beginning our second week here, The Trusty Companion was attacked by a vicious foxtail awn between the toes of his front paw. Foxtails are grasses with seed awns that are extremely dangerous to dogs. Foxtail awns are barbed, razor-sharp needles, designed to burrow into the ground with the seed.

This caused Leo to begin constantly licking his paw, limping and the toe began to swell and become inflamed. I took him to the Creede Veterinary Clinic, where Dr. Howard diagnosed the issue, explained its serious nature and began his treatment. Over the last week we have been back to the Vet for three visits and I'm pleased that yesterday Dr. Howard determined the awn had worked its way out into the wrapping on Leo's paw and he is now on back on all four.

To celebrate having The Trusty Companion on the mend, I decided to continue on the Silver Thread Scenic Byway for a day trip. The Silver Thread runs between  South Fork, Creede, Lake City and Gunnison Colorado. Since we were already on the corner of Zen and Nirvana in Creede with a full tank of fuel, turning left instead of right seemed like a good idea.

In Creede Colorado all is well.

We took a few side runs off the Scenic Byway route to see where some of the unpaved road took us.

Clear Creek Road outside Creede

Trailhead at the end of Miner's Creek Road outside Creede

Wagon Wheel Gap

From Creede to Lake City is 54 miles. With stops for pictures and exploration it took us a little over two hours to make this leg of the Silver Thread. The scenery lives up to its designation as a Scenic Byway.  Here are samples:

Overlook view toward the Weminuche Wilderness. The Weminuche Wilderness is a 499,771-acre wilderness area established by Congress in 1975. It is Colorado's largest wilderness.

In the video above, notice the two people walking across the plateau in the top left of the scene. This will give an idea of the size of the falls.

After crossing the Continental Divide, I expected to be headed downhill. I was wrong.

More climb awaited.

But from here on it was downhill all the way.

Overlook view from Windy Point

We rolled into Lake City a little before 2:00 pm and dropped in at the first eating establishment I saw. It was Poker Alice Pizza and I shared an excellent calzone with The Trusty Companion. But he didn't get any of my beer. By the time we finished lunch it was raining and getting close to 3:00 pm, so I decided to head back to South Fork. Next time we'll start earlier so we can make the run all the way to Gunnison. I'm thinking in about a month this trip should be spectacular when the leaves are turning.

Headed back toward Creede, Colorado

Now for a couple of days at base camp to finish a painting.

Back to the Mountains

Spring at Mogote Meadow

After a beautiful winter season on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country of Texas, the Leos are back in the mountains of southern Colorado. Our base camp is Mogote Meadow RV Park on Colorado State Highway 17, which runs between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico. Antonito is the eastern terminus of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. Mogote Meadow is one of the closest RV parks to Antonito, which makes it a popular base of Friends of the Railroad. At this time of the year the park is nearly full of Friends as the railroad prepares for its opening for the summer on Memorial Day weekend. The Friends are all volunteers from all over the United States. As a group, the Friends donate over 10,000 hours annually to the preservation of the C&TS railroad's historic assets.



Snow on Blanca Peak as seen from Mogote, May 22, 2016

We were fortunate to get out of Texas before the summer temperatures really heated up. The past winter was one of the best we have had in years on the Guadalupe. I think we only had two nights when the temperature dropped below freezing and most days were sunny with highs in the 70s. But I still prefer spring in the Rockies. Since we arrived, I have cranked the nighttime thermostat down to 55 degrees, piled on the blankets and slept like a log.

Since it has been some time since I've added a post to the Wanderings, here is an update on my progress in painting class. It was an eventful season which included participating in my first art show, having a print made of one of my paintings and completing my first commissioned project.

December Dunes #2 11X14 acrylic on canvas

I painted December Dunes #2 for my 10 year old granddaughter, Ava Rose Waters. (Ava Rose...isn't that a perfect Texas name?). She said see wanted me to paint a beach scene for her and selected a photo from my photo library as the basis for the painting. It is from Port Aransas, on the Texas Gulf Coast.





"Blanca Peak" 16x20 acrylic on canvas

Blanca Peak is a dominant landscape feature in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. It is also known as the Sacred Mountain of the East of the Navajo Nation. The traditional homeland of the Navajo Tribe is known to the Navajo as the Dinetah. The original area encompassed a large part of northwestern New Mexico, southwestern Colorado, southeastern Utah, and northeastern Arizona. Today it is confined to a much smaller area that is the Navajo Nation, the largest Indian Reservation in the United States. It is found mostly in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The traditional boundaries of the Dinetah are marked by four sacred peaks. They are Blanca Peak to the east, Mount Taylor to the south, the San Francisco Peaks to the west, and Hesperus Peak to the north.

Blanca Peak or Tsisnaasjini' - Dawn or White Shell Mountain, is the Sacred Mountain of the East. It is east of Alamosa, Colorado in the Blanca Massif.

I have spent so much time in the San Luis Valley over the last few years, I felt obligated to try my hand at painting Blanca Peak. It is a 16X20 of the mountain as I saw it late last summer.



"Monarch of the Plains" 11X14 acrylic on canvas

Framed Print

By the time I finished Blanca Peak, we were back in Texas and in painting class in San Antonio. So, I decided that I should break away for doing only landscapes. I like to try new things while under the guidance of my instructor, Juanita Garza. I found a photo of a bison in Yellowstone and used it as the basis for my first wildlife painting. My interpretation of the Monarch of the Plains is 11X14. It turned out well enough that I decided to a high quality print made from it. The original is now at my daughter Maggie's house and the print is framed and hanging in my trailer.


The one that got away

After the bison, I told Juanita that I wanted to try my hand at painting a portrait. I didn't want to paint someone I know, incase it didn't turn out. Juanita suggested I find a photo of someone in profile. I did an internet search for Native American photos and found a collection of old photographs of American Indians by Edward S Curtis. I picked a photo of Aki-tanni ("Two Guns"). I spent three class sessions working on the painting before Two Guns escaped. As I was returning home after class, I realized that I had placed the nearly finished painting on the bed cover of my truck while loading up after class and I didn't remember to move it into the truck. Two guns was gone.



"Two Guns" 11X14 acrylic on canvas

I spent the next week starting the portrait over so that by the time of my next class it was almost to the same stage of completion as the escapee. After a couple more classes, Two Guns was finished.




Following Two Guns, I took on a painting based on a photo taken by my daughter Kim. It was of a well known landmark in New Mexico known as the Pecos River

"Pecos River Flume" aka "Goliath" 16X20 acrylic on canvas

Flume. Kim's husband, James, is from Carlsbad and on a visit there with her family she took a the photo of the Flume covered with ice and snow. Kim said that they seldom see snow on the Flume and asked me to paint it.

 

The Pecos River Flume is an aqueduct over the Pecos River in Carlsbad, New Mexico. It was originally constructed of wood in 1890 as part of the Southern Main Canal to carry irrigation water to dry areas from Lake Avalon. Pecos River-originated water flows through the flume, which once led "Ripley's Believe It or Not'' to feature it as "the world's only river that crosses itself.''
In 1902, a flood destroyed the original structure, which was 475 feet long by 25 feet wide and carried up to eight feet of water. It was replaced in 1903 with a four-span, closed-spandrel concrete arch. Upon its completion, the new aqueduct ranked briefly as the largest concrete structure in the world.

Since we have been traveling in the Rocky Mountains for the last few years, I have become very aware of the ongoing threat of wildfires. In 2012, we spent a couple of weeks on alert for evacuation during the Waldo Canyon fire that swept into Colorado Springs on June 26th, destroying 346 homes. During the same period, the High Park fire was raging west of Fort Collins, Colorado. I found a photo from that fire and thought it would make a good representation of these events

High Park Fire 2012



The photo, by Brian Emory, captured the spectacular effect of sunset through clouds, smoke and flames. I thought this would make an interesting painting, but found it to be one of my most challenging projects. I found myself repainting the smoke and flames over and over trying to achieve an effect that looked more like fire and smoke instead of a thunderstorm. In order to avoid any confusion, I named the finished project "Fire on the Mountain!".

 

"Fire on the Mountain" 16X20 acrylic on canvas

 

As the travel season approached, I had time for one more painting in class. My neighbor, Jane Golden, asked me to do a painting of their dog, Bandit as a surprise for her husband, Bud. At the time of this writing, I don't know if she has presented it to Bud yet, so don't tell him about it. Bandit is a mixed bread dog slightly smaller than a German Shepard. The photo Jane provided for me to work from was taken of Bandit in Jane's daughter's garden, which hides his legs. So, despite his makings, Bandit is not a Welch Corgi. He's just in the weeds.

 

"Bandit" 11X14 acrylic on canvas

So, now that my paint brush and I are back in the mountains, I'm looking for projects to work on over the summer. I've got a Oregon beach scene started for Kim and Maggie has requested bluebonnets. No matter what the project turns out to be, there's no place like the Rockies for inspiration. 

Base Camp

Mountain Time

Summer has come and the Leos are are enjoying to comforts of the 7,800 foot elevation in the Conejos River Valley in southern Colorado. We hit the road during the first week in May to avoid the Texas summer heat. As it happened, we also avoided the Texas flood.

I'm glad to back in Colorado and expect to spend the summer in this location, rather than rambling around like we did last year. After hitting 13 states and traveling over 12,000 miles last year we're going to be lazy this summer. I've got all the supplies I need to complete several paintings and all the flies I need to keep the fish entertained, so I plan to limit my travels to day-trips this season.

I really enjoyed the acrylic painting class I took in San Antonio over the past winter. I'm now looking for subjects to work on while we are here. I've completed one painting so far. The subject is a longhorn catching some Zs in a field of bluebonnets. I've titled it Nap Time in Texas.

Nap Time in Texas 11"X14" Acrylic on Canvas

  I shipped it to Doug and he received it just as he and his family were moving into a new house in Midlothian, Texas. He said it is going into his new home office. Since I have no room in my RV to hang anything, I'm glad it has a place.

Before leaving Texas, I completed paintings that are now in Kim and Maggie's homes.

Maggie was the first to stake a claim on my efforts. She now has three of my paintings and has started what she has named her "Pappy Wall" in her home to display them.

Conejos River Valley, 16"X20" Acrylic on Canvas

 Conejos River Valley is my first painting and is based on a view of the valley from a scenic overlook on the road to Chama, New Mexico.

December Dunes, 20"X16" Acrylic on Canvas

December Dunes is a scene from the beach at Port Aransas, Texas. The Leos have spent time there until we learned how rapidly the salt air can take a toll on our RV.

Ozier Road Aspens, 20"X16" Acrylic on Canvas

  Ozier Road Aspens is a site about two miles from the location the Leos are spending the summer this year. It is a National Forest Service road that runs to the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad station at Ozier, Colorado.

After Maggie snagged my first three works, Kim "commissioned" a work that is required of any Texas artist (not that I claim to be an artist at this stage). To paint in Texas you must do bluebonnets.

Hill Country Spring no. 1, 11"X14" Acrylic on Canvas

Hill Country Spring No. 1 is a scene depicting a site along the Willow City Loop, which is considered one of the must-see wildflower viewing areas just north of Johnson City, Texas. Since Kim's house is filled with original art by real artists, I was pleased that she found a place for this as well.

Giving credit where due, Juanita Graza, my instructor in the class in San Antonio patiently guided me in these first efforts. Her coaching is responsible for me achieving results that my kids like enough to hang indoors (so far).




While I have been spending a good bit of my time on this new hobby, it hasn't been my exclusive activity. Leo and I have been diligent in getting in a couple of miles walking each day, rain or shine. Also, since arriving here in early May, I've read six books. I'm working my way through the Luis Davenport detective novels by John Sandford (the Prey Series), with occasional sidetracks to Zane Grey westerns. For variety, I have also started a series by Lawrence Block (Matthew Scudder Mysteries).

The Conejos river is still swollen with spring runoff so we haven't been fishing yet, but I expect the river to drop and clear up in the next week or two. Then it will be time to wet a fly.

Till then I've been getting some day trips in. Leo and I joined Richard, my neighbor in the RV park and his dog for a trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Zapata Falls just outside Alamosa, Colorado.

Great Sand Dunes as seen from the parking lot at Zapata Falls

This early in the year, Medano Creek, which flows at the base of the dunes is running full from spring snow melt. This makes a great beach spot for families, kids and dogs to play on.

Medano Creek at the Great Sand Dunes

Medano Creek exhibits a unique phenomenon, in that it flows in periodic surges like ocean waves coming onto the beach. Leo and Richard's dog, Niki, had a blast.

It's hard to capture the size of the dunes in a photo. But this picture may help. The tiny specks on the dunes in the background are people climbing the dunes to sand surf down!

While the creek and dunes were relaxing, we had to get our exercise in. The hike up to Zapata Falls provided all I needed. At an elevation of 9,400 feet above sea level, the thin air put me to huffing like a steam engine.

Richard and Niki lead the way to the Falls

It's only about a half mile from the parking lot to the falls, but it's a steady uphill climb with a trail full of ankle-busters. But at the top it is cool and worth the climb.

Just below the Falls

            Unfortunately, Leo found the approach to the falls too slippery for his likes, so to enter the cave in which the Falls itself drops I would have had to carry him. So neither of us made it into the cave. No matter. It was still worth the hike.




As a change of pace, I made my first trip on the San Luis and Rio Grand Scenic Railroad on this past Saturday. The event was the annual Rails and Ales Brew-fest held at the concert venue at Fir, Colorado. This venue is accessible only by a two hour train trip from Alamosa, Colorado up into the mountains toward La Veta Pass. When we arrived, we were greated by 41 micro-brewers who offered free samples of their products. The train was a sell-out with about 1,300 passengers aboard. The train car I rode in was primarily occupied by folks in their twenties. Fun group. Each two decked car held about 150 passengers.

Now think about it. On the way home my car had about 75 passengers on the top deck with me. Most were under the age of 30. All had been drinking free beer from 11:30AM till 3:30PM.........Right!

When we got back on the train, someone pulled out a Bluetooth speaker, cranked up the music and the party lasted till we got back to Alamosa. There were a few "old folks" who bailed after about 10 minutes. They missed all the fun. But they probably still had hearing left when they got off the train.

It's Catch-Up Time

It’s a cool, rainy Sunday afternoon here on the Guadalupe River in the Hill Country of Central Texas. Leo is taking a nap and I’ve got The Pizza Tapes with David Grisman, Jerry Garcia and Tony Rice playing.  Such a mellow afternoon seems like a good time to do an update to our Wanderings. I see my last post was way back in September of last year, so I’ve got some catching up to do.

The end of our Long Run, which I reported on last. was my hometown, Du Quoin, Illinois. Here I met up with friends from my high school days for our 50 year class reunion. It was amazing how quickly the years pass and how quickly they seem to drop away when you are with old friends.

From Du Quoin we headed south to Rosine, Kentucky, the birthplace and final resting place of the Father of Bluegrass Music,  Bill Monroe. 

We caught the Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Celebration, a festival on the grounds of Bill Monroe’s grandfather’s farm. On Sunday we also attended a graveside service at the Rosine  Cemetery, with bluegrass gospel music by Bill grave.

Service at Bill Monroe's graveside

 As an avid bluegrass fan, this is a pilgrimage I have looked forward to for several years.

Pappy at the end of the Pilgrimage.

Our next stop was a National Recreation Area campground at the north end of Land Between the Lakes. As the Cumberland River and Tennessee River flow north toward the Ohio River they form Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake respectively.

The Leos' hangout at LBL

Over 170,000 acres of forest, wetlands and open land between these two bodies of water forms the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation area, now managed by the National Forest service.  I really enjoyed the scenic drives and hikes around our camp site.



But, even in October the days in Kentucky and Tennessee were warm and humid. After about 10 days here we decided if we were going to be hot we would rather be so in Texas. So we pushed southwest to arrive at the Texas White House in Midlothian, Texas by mid-October, about a month ahead of schedule. But it was good to be back in the Lone Star and to have time to spend with Doug and his family. My...how those boys have grown!!!

The White Boys...Andy and Austin at Threadgill's in Austin for Gospel Brunch

We made a weekend trip to Austin for Maggie's 25th birthday on October 24. It was a cool surprise party complete with belly dancer.

At the beginning of November, we made the last leg of our 2014 travels to land at our winter base in New Braunfels, Texas on the banks of the Guadalupe River. We've (by "we" I mean the Trusty Companion and I) spent the holidays and several weekends in Austin. While I love our time in the mountains and forest land, it's nice to get back to civilization for awhile and to catch time with family and friends.

Christmas Girls

• I got to see my grandsons Austin and Cole play tennis and wrestle.

  

  Austin on the court

Cole Waters starts his career as a wrestler.

Signing Day! Austin White signs with Hardin Simmons University Tennis Team.

• Maggie and I took a Friday afternoon for lunch at the Texas Chili Parlor, complete with Mad Dog Margaritas and a Bowl of Red, then a tour of the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History

Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History

• Doug's family and I caught a Gospel Brunch at Threadgill's, with Maggie and Jonas.

Winter Texans' Potluck at Rio Raft and Resort RV Park

• Wednesday night is potluck at the campground on the Guadalupe.

• I've been hanging out in San Antonio more this season. I'm taking a class on painting with acrylics (which I'll talk about in another post) and catching concerts there and in New Braunfels.

Sarah McLaughlin in concert at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio.

 Whew.... I've crammed five month into one post. I know I've left some highlights out. But I'll try to do better next time. I confess that the months here in Texas seem to be flying by and soon we'll be on the road again, like a couple of Wandering Leos!