Agate in NE

Lowered my handlebars and drove thru a chunk of Wyoming before hitting Nebraska.  Just when I didn't think I'd have anything nice to say about about the state, I found these beautiful outcroppings of stone.  I'm amazed at how quickly scenery changes and there are beautiful things to see no matter where you are.  Took a walk thru 4 million years 22 - 18,000,000 at the Agate Fossil Beds National Monument  Very stark but lovely formations.  They think the prehistoric animals (a 2 tusked rhinoceros plus others) ate all the vegetation around the  lake and then died in the lake when they came back for water.

Pat at 12,000'

I'm running out of adjectives to describe the beauty I found in the Colorado mountains so will compact it into this account.  Went from 6,000 to 11, 000 to 8,000 to 12,000 along beautiful and scary roads.  At times my tummy exchanged places with my heart and thought I should get out and crawl up on all fours - the Wild Mouse ride but at 12,000 feet.  The the road ranged from lovely drives thru canyons to narrow ones along a  sheer wall with no center line and no guard rail, looking down 2,000 ft. into a valley. Took the Peak to Peak, Top of the Rockies, Independence Creek, Clear Creek Canyon and many more.  Patience is so quiet - it's  a very serene feeling, especially when coasting down. The roads tack up the mountainside like a ribbon of 10, 15 & 20 mph turns.  Once I congratulated myself for making it thru a twisty-turny high run and damned if I didn't turn around an do it again.  Sure glad I got that height-fright taken care of earlier. Most of my exercise came from getting in and out of the car looking at scenic overlooks.  Got a bit winded on one of the treks but blamed it on the altitude.  Passed my first truck - he was going 20, I was going 36.  Kept thinking how you would drive this in winter and then got my answer - you don't.  Big ROAD CLOSED gates at lots of entrances.  Wish there was a video camera on Patience to record all of it.

Stayed in a UU network B & B in Lewisville (outside of Boulder) for 4 days.  My host, Vicki,  was a delightful woman and a global hiker.  Quite an inspiration!  Within a few minutes, she made me feel right at home.  Went to  church with her on Sunday morning for an outdoor service and everyone got an over-the-sink-eatin' peach. Didn't know Colorado was famous for peaches too. On Monday, a friend of MK's I'd met at Ebertfest, treated me to lunch and we took a tour of Celestial Seasonings.  A healthy eating, hippie-begun project in the late 60's that blossomed into a global operation.

Coming down from Rocky Mt. Nat. Park, I stopped at Granby and talked (over a 3-meal pulled pork sandwich) with a fellow who worked on exposing the Rocky Mt Flats plutonium fiasco.  He's insistent there's still contamination there.  He's also trying to convince the local politicians (with some success) to approve growing hemp.  Says it's fast growing, replaces nutrients depleted by our current crops, a great air cleaner and an excellent source for fabric.  One teeny-tiny drawback.  He also explores ghost towns that dot the Colorado area when the silver mining stopped.

Clear Creek Canyon was one of my favorites so took it again on my way to Leadville.  Had to take the interstate for a bit and couldn't help but marvel at the engineering it took to build it.  Ramps, bridges, tunnels, river on one side, rock wall on the other - it's all there, carved thru the mountain.  Stopped along the way at Georgetown and took a Thomas the Train ride on the old (restored) mining tracks to Silver Plume and back.  Was in an open car on a 200' high trestle before looping down to the station.  A grandpa was having trouble cheering up his young granddaughter who was probably tired and hungry - and pouty.  Figured I'd have a crack at her.  When the conversation was having limited success, I found some mints in my purse and soon we were good buddies - she talked all the way up and back.  We looked for animals and fish in the stream but she was especially interested in the huge boulders with lichen and what the pine beetles had done to the trees.  We decided we needed more woodpeckers.

Stayed at another lovely B & B for a couple of days in Leadville. My hosts were very kind and also the parents of a Patriot football player so I watched some of the pre-season game with the Giants.  Not a good outcome for the Pats. Although I'm not usually an early breakfast person, it was lovely to sit around the table with other travelers.  One couple is biking the Colorado Trail from Denver to Silverton -only packed 20 lbs. of belongings. Another, was from Kansas and regular attendees of the Vail jazz festival. And, an older couple moved from the Yosemite area to New Mexico to be near the NRA headquarters. (Best behavior time for Pat)

It's the home of several boom and bust silver miners, including the Unsinkable Molly Brown.  Turns out she was quiet a force for social services and even ran for the Senate twice (before women were allowed to vote).  Stopped by the museum, toured a lovely home and the opera house.  It was quite the social center of CO and was even in the running for capital. Lots of famous performers came thru. Found out that when morale was waning, someone had the grand idea to build a Normandy-style ice castle on 5 acres of land.   It was completed in January but I think you can guess what happened in March.  Lots of these older towns are restoring their historic buildings and painting their homes in beautiful colors that accentuate the detailing.

Stopped in Glendale Springs on my way to Grand Junction.  Went to the visitor center and spoke with the woman who usually leads the tours of the Colorado Hotel.  Seems there's a Chicago connection; Al Capone was a regular visitor to the hotel and hot springs.  Although it was his intention to remain undercover, when you show up in 3 Lincoln convertibles, it didn't take a genius to figure out he was in town.  The hotel has been beautifully restored and one wall was lined with pictures of their famous guests - it was particular favorite of  Teddy Roosevelt and there's a lovely display commemorating the first "Teddy Bear".  Dropped by the local museum and spoke with the volunteer about area and she gave me some great advice on which roads to take on my southerly route to Cortez and Mesa Verde.  Was going to stop by Doc Holiday's resting place but took one look at the hike up the hill to the cemetery and made a U-turn.

Patience in Uncompahgre Nat.Forest

Colorado Monument

Well, the scenery (and temperature) has changed.  Went from 55 degrees in Leadville to mid-90's yesterday.  Went thru the Colorado National Monument park yesterday outside Grand Junction.  We've now moved from pine forested mountains to what I imagine is Grand Canyon style topography.  Still driving along elevated roads, just different views when you look down into the canyons.  Met some people at an abandoned stone home on the way to Montrose.  The couple were from Indiana and were taking the Amtrak tour around the country.  You can get off and on anywhere, and they'd rented a car to see this part of the state.  The fellow was touring the area by motorcycle.  I stopped at the ONLY restaurant within 50 miles and as I was eating my BLT, he came in and we had lunch together.  He's from AZ and travels the country in an RV.  Parks it and then explores on the motorcycle. He'd crawled into the house we were observing from the road and had taken some interesting interior pictures. He'd also been to Canada so we had lots to talk about.

Am leaving today for Cortez and Mesa Verde.  Plan to stay in that area for a few days.  Talked to a couple at the restaurant I stopped by last nite and they insisted I see nearby Black Canyon before I go, so that's where I'm headed.  See you later.