Cool Colorado

How cool for Scott to watch the Broncos play on the outside television and then look to his left and see the lights from the stadium in downtown Denver. Front row seat!

Dinosaur Ridge –  skip the museum but go on the shuttle bus. The tour guide was so enthusiastic about dinosaurs he made it interesting. They darken the tracks to make it easier to see.

Colorado Springs

 Garden of the Gods

You can see most of the rock formations from the road. The trails were paved, easily accessible by wheelchair, and partially shaded. Don’t miss this free natural landmark if you are in the area.

Three Graces -  Faith, Hope, & Love

Balance Rock

Kissing Camels

You need to look at the top by the hole. 

We stayed so close to Fort Carson we heard “Taps” being played on a bugle at 10:00 p.m.

Leaving Colorado Springs down the winding highway 115, led us through breathtaking canyon views with flowing mountain streams.

Then west on 50 through Canon City where we found an interesting winery. 

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey.  Notice the vineyard in the foreground.

Do you know where the tallest sand dunes in North America are located? 

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. It is located on the west side of The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Blood of Christ).  We did get a short hike in before the afternoon storm. Hey Joel, do you remember hiking the dunes?

San Luis State Park is where we are staying for five days. 

 No television but you can’t beat the 360-degree view of the mountains!

Afternoon rains are very common.

Prairie Sunflowers

 Colorado Mountain Blue Birds

We picked up our mail in Alamosa on Friday and saw lots of cool cars. Since it is Labor Day weekend we figured they were having a car show. Alamosa is about 15 miles away so Saturday morning we headed into town to see at least 350 classic cars.  

Scott reminisced about some of the cars he has owned.

Scott’s 64 Impala was dark blue. 

The coolest view we have seen, was the vast Milky Way from one end of the sky to the other and the countless stars in the night sky.

"The mountains are calling and I must go." John Muir

Lows - Highs - Lows - Highs

It has been a rainbow week - tears and sunshine. Thank you, dear friends, for your prayers.

We left Lubbock, Texas and are heading north to Colorado. In our “National Geographic Guide To Scenic Highways and Byways” book we read about a scenic road in the Texas Panhandle. From Silverton we took Route 207 north and after several miles of flat land you drop into Tule Canyon.  

After several miles of agricultural land where milo and wheat is grown, out of nowhere appears Palo Duro Canyon which is 9 miles wide and 120 miles long. 

Capulin, New Mexico was our overnight stop. It is one of those small towns that if you blinked you would miss it. The cool thing about this area is Capulin Volcano National Monument. 

You drive up to the top on a road that is scary, with hairpin turns and few guardrails. As you hike the steep ascents around the rim to the highest peak at 8,182 feet the views are amazing. 

Ladybugs swarm around the plants. 

A Horned toad greeted us along the path. 

Hiking around a volcano was a unique way to start our day. Once we were back on the road it rained most of the way to Colorado Springs.

Ron & Karen suggested we take the Glen Eyre Castle tour. The history, innovations, family tragedy and influence in the community was very interesting.  It was so peaceful there that we had lunch outside on the patio overlooking the carriage house. It is a great feeling not to have to rush.   Seeing the beautiful mountains and soaking in the sunshine has been refreshing. Glen Eyrie Castle

 Since school is now back in session, and we are still traveling, I think it is sinking in that I am retired. We feel so blessed every day. Follow your dreams. Thanks Wanda! 

 “Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story.” Josh Shipp. 

Have a great year teachers and staff! Good luck to the young adults who are going to college. I am proud of you and would love to hear how you are doing!

 Bear Creek State Park in Lakewood, Colorado is where we are staying for a week. It is about two miles from Red Rocks Amphitheater and 15 minutes away from Golden. It has large lots, we can see the mountains and Denver. We saw 1964 which is a Beatles tribute band at Red Rocks Amphitheater and had a great time singing along. An amazing natural venue you need to experience.  We really enjoyed lunch at The Cheesecake Factory before the concert. Thanks Katie & Reagan!

The Farmer’s Market in Golden, Colorado has been a family favorite for years. 

 All this for $10.00! 

I couldn’t pass up the peaches from Palisade, Colorado for $8.00. 

Scott has been waiting for months to get his favorite buffalo, elk and beef jerky from Climax Jerky out of Dillion, Colorado. Colorado is one of our favorite states so far.

     “Memories take us back, dreams take us forward“    

                                                               

BBQ, Friends & Sad News

Luling was once know as "the toughest town in Texas".  You can tell that it is an oil town by the smell and seeing all the decorated pump jacks around town.  Luling Pump Jack Art

Black's - Lockhart

City Market - Luling

Luling and Lockhart are two towns where we devoured some delicious barbecue meat. Of course we had to try out the restaurants that consistently hit the top of the lists or are in the book, "500 Things To Eat Before It's Too Late" by Jane & Michael Stern. Thanks Bill & Carol! It would be cruel to show you the pictures of the sausage links, brisket and ribs. Yummy! We have eaten at Luling BBQ, Kreuz and Smitty's before and it is difficult to pick a favorite. 

On one of the rainy days we went to the Zedler Mill Museum & Park. It was established in 1874 as the Luling community's grist mill. If you like history click on this link to read more. Zedler Mill

 

One row cotton picker.

San Marcos River 

Lake Pointe RV Resort in Canyon Lake, TX was our home for four days. The adult pool was about 50 yards away and when the rain stopped we were there. The exercise was needed because we went out to eat with Vernon & Terri at the Grist Mill, Clay & Vicky at Garcia's and Bump & Kathy at Clear Springs. Catching up with long time friends was so fun!

As we made our way west through the rolling hills and craggy canyons in the Texas Hill Country we stopped at Medina. Why Medina? To see Joel & Sally who are the son and daughter-in-law of long time friends from Des Moines, Iowa. John & Jeannine came down to see their new grandson and their daughter Amanda flew in from Florida so we were able to see the whole family. We stayed at Arms of Hope a christian organization that helps disadvantaged youth along with single moms. Joel and Sally have worked at Arms of Hope for several years. Check out the success stories and programs that are making a difference in Texas. Arms of Hope

Our spot was next to a creek and a grove of pecan trees. Everywhere you go you see deer. It is a very peaceful area and we went on a few walks around the beautiful grounds.

Our hearts are broken. We found out on Monday that Brett Neal was killed in a car accident on Saturday 8-20-16. Brett was one of the kids I watched for many years and was the same age as our son Joel. He graduated from Valley High School and played the drums. We have many great memories and will never forget his smile. Please pray for his parents, brother, family and friends.

Those we have held in our arms for a little while, we hold in our hearts forever.