Friday finds us at the Anchor Inn in Walsenburg CO (with a Population of 4,182 in 2.3 Square Miles), can we find them or what! The trip from Santa Fe to CO could be completed by either the High Road or the Low Road. Although the projected time for either route is the same, the High Road is considered to be the 'Scenic Route'. From my point of view, Scenic Route translates to slower speeds and more opportunities to stop to take pictures. Both of my views were validated by taking the High Road! The following pictures were taken on a short section of the trip – traveling over about 200 feet of roadway provided the opportunity to get these shots. Note to self...Get video camera for the next trip.
At another location a DOT sign stated: 'No Dividing Line Next 1.2 Miles'. This led me to expect a construction project. WRONG! As we rounded the next curve in the road, we entered a town / village with the road narrowing to the width of about 15 feet. If a dividing line were present, the road would have been restricted to motorcycles! But they did reduce the speed limit to 15MPH. The only thing missing was a LEO with a radar gun!
Saturday we spent the day in Colorado Springs CO and visited the Cliff Dwellings, The Garden of the Gods, and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. The Cliff Dwellings were built by NA's between 1100 and 1300 AD. It was very interesting to see what could be accomplished with no architectural drawings, no knowledge of engineering principles, and no mechanical lifting devices. And their dwellings survived to today. With today's knowledge and superior products, we're replacing bridges and tearing down building due to poor construction after 50 years. So much for progress!
The Garden of the Gods is a park which is free to the public. I'm don't know if funding is through taxes or a foundation. This place is like a mini NP, but not all that mini. It is situated on the outskirts of Colorado Springs and contains numerous trails among the red rock formations for hiking, biking and horseback riding.
Our third stop was the unexpected bonus for the day, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. We were awed by the displays honoring the heroes of the Rodeo profession. The displays were outstanding! The display cabinets contained heavily tooled saddles, silver belt buckles, boots, chaps, and biographies of each individual member elected to the Hall of Fame. There was even a case honoring the Bucking Bulls! Fact: One owner offered a silver bowl to the first person who could ride this particular bull for 2 minutes. The bull had already been ridden over 200 times without anyone lasting 2 minutes. The bull was ridden another 78 times before the silver cup was won! The bull was ridden over 1,000 times in it's career. No Bull! In addition to all of the rodeo memorabilia the interior and exterior grounds were heavily decorated with beautiful bronze sculptures of life-sized, and larger, horses, bulls and cowboys.
Sunday was spent traveling from CO to Kansas. No we haven't seen Toto! This place is flat, with many ranches or farms. We're still not sure of the difference!
We visited the Santa Fe Trail Museum and got the bonus of attending the “Tired Iron” annual fair. The Tired Iron was a display of old farm equipment, both static and working, a car show, and food! What a novel combination! These was a demo of log cabin construction, wheat threshing, and, most interesting – milling planks from tree trunks with a John Deere-powered portable sawmill. Lot's of machinery and manpower were needed on the farm/ranch! It all most made Home Depot look appealing, but not as much fun.
Nancy and George - Still looking for Toto!
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