No more posts until next March

We have been back in and out of town since the end of June. We officially started work on July 20th. We worked 9 days straight and yippee today is a day off.

We have been "working" though to get ready and to start our season. With the economy in it's current state, Bob and I are starting with just the 2 of us. Last year we had 2 other workers so we have been working to split and put away wood and we even cut some Lodgepole Pine up at Weber River Corporation. This was my first experience as a timber faller or rather timber faller sidekick.

We are still living in our trailer and currently we are parked at Jordanelle State Park. We move into a condo at Foxbay over looking Jordanelle Reservoir next Tuesday.

Once we are back on the road this next March, the website will be "fun" again.

Best wishes for a prosperous and fun Winter.

Much Love,

Lori & Bob

Back in Town

Well we made it back in town for Father's Day. We had a BBQ with the family which was great.

My dad and me.

Captain Steph called and invited us to go sailing. YES!!! We love the water! After so many days of rain and bad weather, she couldn't wait until race day the following day and had to get on the water. It works for us!!

Here's our captain. It is so calming to be on her boat.

My dad had been wanting to get on her boat for some time and he got his lucky break. Unfortunately mom had a conflict and couldn't make it.

The wind was perfect, which allowed the crew some down time. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to wear my Jimmy Buffet T-shirt.



Steph's husband Dave is a great 1st mate and a bartender too. It was so great to see him.



What goes up must come down. It's sad when it is time to go in.


More Good Fortune

I called my old office to get some information that I needed only to find out that the Christmas Party was the next day. You heard me correctly. They were having their Christmas party in June.

Bob and I arrived in shorts and short sleeves to hear Christmas Music. It took me about 30 seconds to "get it".

The party was at Tina's house. It was a catered BBQ. My steak was so delicious and tender that it makes my mouth water just thinking of it. We had such a GREAT time catching up with everyone. Everyone looks so good. I miss them all but love my life and can't think of having to work everyday.

Cowboy'in it up

Here we are in Orangeville, Utah at Kelli & Gary's house. The live in the canyon going up to Joe's Valley Reservoir.

This is the weekend that their cows will be moved up to the mountain. Unfortunately we are leaving in the morning and won't be able to help with that.

However there was alot of prep happening today and Bob is so happy to be a cowboy. Here's Bob and Gary saddling up the horses to go look for three missing cows.

A cowboy's work is never done.

The New Age Cowboy's wear spurs on their Merrills.

They had to move the cows to different corrals so that the Forest Service guy could paint and count them as they moved through the shoots. Black cows got a white stripe and the others got a black stripe. This is because only so many are allowed on the mountain and I guess this is the Forest Services way of keeping track. Here's a black cow with a white stripe. It doesn't seem like the paint would last very long.

Come on gals, that's not very lady like behavior. Here are two nursing mothers butting heads.

Bob herding cows into be pin-striped.

Now that is one GOOD LOOKING COWBOY. I think I'll take him home with me.

This is what they did before lunch.

Someone had to test the beer to make sure it was cold for when the Cowboys came home!

I got my paddles!

I'm assuming that getting your paddles is like getting your wings. I survived my first solo kayak trip with rapids.

On our drive to the put-in we passed about a dozen Desert Big Horn Sheep. I'm not sure if this one is posing or hiding.

The put-in is called Nefertiti. I shouldn't have to explain why. I thought this was a good place to say a little prayer to Nefertiti as she stands watching over the rapids for safety.

We had forgotten how the winds pick up in the afternoon. Woops! We did not put in until 12:45. It was overcast and turned into scattered showers which ranged from light to heavy. Fortunately the heavy shower only seemed to last the length of one of the bigger rapids. We had a great time in spite of the weather. The water was moving FAST. We had planned on a 4 hour river trip, however we were down the river in 2 hours. We took out at Swasey Rapid where we had camped.

We did not notice how cold we were until we got back to the trailer.

It was 73 degrees outside and 77 degrees in the trailer. We put on fleece bottoms and tops. We were still chilly so we got under the covers and fell asleep. It was perfect.

We saw 6 Blue Herons. One was eating a fish. It was fun to watch.

Our trailer is parked just across the river from Gunnison Butte. Here's my view for dinner. It just doesn't get any better than this.

After leaving Salida and US50, we decided to take SR92 toward Gunnison. This was a beautiful drive. We drove alongside Curecanti National Recreation Area and the Lake.

We had a great bike ride out Black Canyon Road which goes to the rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. As we were starting on our bike ride, all the real cycler's from Ride the Rockies were passing on SR92. These folks were riding 360 or 380 miles in 6 days on killer hills. This day they were riding from Hotchkiss to Gunnison 80 miles.

We arrived in Delta to visit Terri & Matt Clark. Their house is really nice. Just like they are. Their daughter Mariah just happened to be spending the week. Terri and Mariah had run the 10k and the half marathon in Bear lake the previous weekend.

They took us out to dinner at a really yummy Mexican Restaurant and then gave us a tour of Delta Colorado. It is a really cute small town.

Bob, Mariah, And Lori at the Ute Council Tree. It is the largest tree I have seen.

On the way out of town we stopped at a Mennonite Bakery and bought a carrot cake. We ate almost half of it the next day. I'm glad it is just a small one.

Salida Colorado

It is with some sadness that we are leaving Salida this morning. We have been here visiting our friends Jim & Elke. We had planned to leave yesterday but Elke knew our weak spot and tempted us with her delicious Pork Roast with Leeks. We have eaten very well while we have been here. It is just like going home to your parents. They take such good care of us.

They have a fox that frequents their yard. This picture was taken just outside the window of our trailer. We spent about 45 minutes just watching it the other night. What a treat.

We had wanted to climb one of the 14ers while in town but they still have too much snow on them. We found some other trails at the East end of town. They were fun. All the trails connected at different points so we were able to loop into all the different trails. We have seen so many cactus flowers while out on our journey but this one on a barrel cactus gets all the awards.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

These Dunes are the tallest in North America. They cover 30 square miles. When the snow thaws, there are two creeks that run along the outside borders of the dunes. The level of the creek did not go above our ankles for the most part. There is an amazing phenomenon that goes on here. It is one of only several places in the world where there is "surge flow". This is waves without there being an ocean. There is a pulsing of the waves that is like a heart beat. These dunes sit up next to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains which are rocky and currently have snow on top. It is a very strange sight to behold.





This is the surge flow. You have to see it to understand how amazing it is. Bob is crossing in the deepest part that we found. Most of it is only a couple inches deep.

We climbed 650 feet to the top. It was a climb. At times you had to go down the back side of a dune in order to climb the next one. If you want a pedicure this may be the way. We walked for about an hour up barefoot and at times the grade was 60% or better. I was only a little whiny. You know how when you get to the top only to find that it isn't really the top? Well that kind of whiny. It was so beautiful.

Wild Rivers Recreational Area

Wild Rivers is in New Mexico. It is an area controlled by the BLM. It is where the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Red Rivers are. We initially pulled into a campsite that overlooked the Rio Grande. We were up on the rim. The campsite was not level and seemed as though the trailer could easily just roll on down the cliff to the water 600 feet below. I'm telling you there was NO backstop and the cliff ledge was NO more than 10 feet below the back end of the trailer. We had lunch there in the trailer. I was looking out with one foot under the table and one ready to sprint to the door. Needless to say, we did not stay there. Seriously Scary.

On the hike down to the confluence. It is an 800 foot drop over 1.2 miles. The Rio Grande River is on the right and the Red River on the left.

Big Horn Sheep Close Up. She is the only one in the Wild Rivers. The camp host has named her Lonely. I want her to have a boyfriend.

This is The Red River at the confluence just feet before it meets the muddy Rio Grande River. Bob is on a huge fallen tree that is just over the River. What is he thinking? He doesn't even have life insurance and he has the truck keys in his pocket.

Cimarron State Park

These are moths. On one of our hikes, we stepped over a log and they scattered. They were so pretty. There were about 30 of them.

This is on Clear Creek Trail. After I shimmied out on the bridge for the picture, Bob had to come give me a hand back up. I really did not want to fall in. I did think about the gymnasts doing back flips on that 4 inch beam though. This was a beautiful hike with 5 beautiful waterfalls.

Not only did Bob catch our dinner (caught his limit in 40 minutes) but he is also cooking dinner. Life is Good!

Having lunch at Maverick Peak. We hiked up 2002 feet in 2.5 miles before we lost the trail . It was STRAIGHT up the mountain through the pines. Bummer! We still had about 300-400 ft. to reach the Peak. I stayed at the last cairn while Bob searched in every direction. If we lost the trail and bushwhacked, we would not have been able to find our way back.

June 6th was National Trails Day so Bob and I volunteered to clean the trail. This trail was Clear Water Trail in The Cimarron State Park. It was just off the loop we were doing in

the Enchanted Circle. We only had 4 people in our group but what a difference we made. There were so many trees that had fallen into the trail. Bob and Jake moved most of them. The road to the trail and level ground belongs to State Park but then as the trail moves away from the road it belongs to the Fish and Wildlife Division who has not maintained the trail. They won't allow the State park Service to bring in chainsaws or cutting tools. At first I thought, "great, how much can we do without big tools". Boy was I surprised. This was a very rewarding day.

Taos, New Mexico

Today we visited the world headquarters of Earthship. They are sustainable housing.

I really want one!!

The building is done with natural and recycled materials. See all the little circles behind Bob? They are bottles.

The houses are set up to harvest their own water and all the water is used 4 times before it goes into their individual septic systems.

There is an entire community of them here in Taos.

They are solar and wind powered.

They grow plants both inside and out. The one we went into had bananas growing inside. Basically they are able to grow alot of their food in the house.

We were able to see one being built. They use lots of tires and pack dirt into the tires. Then the tires are stacked to make exterior and some interior walls. Lots of used bottles and aluminum cans are used in the construction. A mud is used to cover the tires and other building materials.

I have not yet looked at the website but I understand that there is a virtual tour. You should check this out. http://www.earthship.com/.

Dennis Weaver had one built that is 10,000 sq. feet. Most of them are smaller ranging from 600-2400 sq. ft.

This sign is pretty funny, right? Bob thought maybe it is Navajo for a quickie.

We also visited the Rio Grande Bridge. It is 650 feet above the water. We did walk across it but I can't say that I loved it. Bob didn't mind the height or vibration a bit. When a semi drove over it, the bridge just kept on vibrating.

We went to San Francisco de Asis Church. It is one of the oldest churches in America. Every year the members of the church re-mud it. They were doing it today. It is a process that takes about 2 weeks. They have about 35 members working on it every day during this time period. We were also able to see a painting called the Mystery Painting. It was donated to the church by a local member in the 1840's. It is over 6 feet high and is a painting of Jesus. His eyes follow you wherever you go just like those of Mona Lisa. When the lights are turned out he is carrying a cross over his shoulder. A video that we watched tells how they have tested the paint and cannot find a reason as to how this can be. It was very interesting.

Tomorrow we are headed for the Enchanted Circle. We have had rainy weather every day for the last two weeks and it looks like it will continue until the middle of next week.

Yikes it's June 1st. How did this happen?

We arrived in Taos, New Mexico today. We tried to get here last Monday the 22nd but didn't quite make it. Last Monday we were traveling a little later in the day than we had planned so we decided to spend a night in the Carson National Forest. Well it was just too beautiful to leave. We were camped right next to a river. It was so calm and the hiking trails were plentiful.

The campgrounds in this area don't open June 1st so we were a little early and we were the only ones in our campground. It was cooler than we wanted but perfect temps for hiking.

The trees on the first hike that we did had this fungus looking stuff growing on them. It was something that we had not seen before.

The trees also had a moss growing on them that mad it look like they were covered in snow. It felt as if we had been transported into a scary movie.

This is the river that we were camped on. This is a couple miles up the road were Bob, while cycling found this beautiful little area with a couple of waterfalls.

Bob took this photo from inside our living room window. We have seen so many beautiful birds.

OH FUDGE!

There was a ski lodge three miles up from our campground. It is called Sipapu Ski Lodge. It has one lift. It also has fresh fudge. We went there three times. The first was just to check it out but we did buy fudge. When we went back for more the second time they had dark chocolate so we HAD TO buy more. Then yesterday we did this two trail hike. We went up Gallegos Trail and were able to loop into Flechado Trail. You see one started a half mile above the lodge and the other came out a half mile below the lodge. The lodge was the perfect place to park the truck. The hike was 3 1/2 hours long and Bob said, "we are getting low on fudge maybe we should get a half pound". Well when it was his turn up to the counter he ordered a whole pound of the dark chocolate fudge. My feet were no longer tired.

Bandelier National Monument and Los Alamos

Bob picked me up from the airport on the 22nd and we drove to Bandelier National Monument. Once we hit SR4 the views were breathtaking. It was raining which made all the colors so vivid.

We stopped on the side of the road at Soda Dam. Soda Dam is a rock formation where the hot sulphur water has created a water fall and a cave like structure with a shallow pool of hot water inside.

The following day we woke up to more rain and waited for a break to go to The Visitor Center at Bandelier National Monument where we took a guided tour in the rain. Oh well, we are here.

The ranger said it is the first moisture that they have had since Dec 26th. that is nearly 6 months. They have lost 80% of their Pinyon trees due to the draught over the last 5 years. I can't imagine because there are trees and green all around us.

On the tour we saw a village, Tyonyi (pronounced Qu-weh-nee) it is a round structure in the center of the canyon. It consisted of rooms 3-5 deep, 2-3 stories high. The outer wall housed turkeys, the middle ones held their grain, and the inside ones were the living quarters.

After the tour with the guide, we continued on the Main Loop Trail. This place is amazing. There are so many ruins. In the cliff wall alone there are 1068.

The houses are made of ash from a couple of volcano's sometime around 10 million years ago. One was 600 times more powerful than that of Mt. St. Helen. It spewed ash up to 1000 feet deep here and deeper in other areas. It was 100 cubic miles of ash. This condensed ash is what made the rock walls.

The soft ash made it easy for the ancient Pueblo People to carve out rooms and carve out bricks to make stand alone housing. The rock walls have a look similar to swiss cheese.

We also climbed to Alcove House which is a Kiva that is still standing. He had to climb 4 ladders climbing up 140 feet. There were also 3 stories of structures built into the cave wall. These structures have collapsed but you can still see the holes from the Vega Poles. These were the support beams.

On Sunday we drove into Los Alamos to visit the Bradbury Science Museum. The town was built in 1942 to support the Manhattan Project which was responsible for designing the Atomic Bomb.

The first atomic bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man are on display here. These are the bombs that ended World War II.

We watched a movie called, Los Alamos, the town that never was. Los Alamos was a town that didn't exist. All the best researchers and scientists were brought here to work on the bombs. No one said the name, Los Alamos. It is interesting that the average age of the people working in this town was 25.

The people received their mail to a P.O. Box in Santa Fe. On the birth certificates of babies born at this time in Los Alamos, the box number shows as their place of birth. How strange is that?

Currently there is military security in the center of town as you near the Research Facility. The security is on both sides coming into town. There are 3 lanes of security. It felt like entering another country.

The research facility remains open to keep our nuclear weapons up to date and in working order since we can no longer do weapons testing. They also track any testing throughout the world and can pick up anything that has been released into the atmosphere.