Colorado’s beauty is in its natural landscape. Between the mountains, open landscapes, creeks and rivers, all often bordered with sweet yellow clover, there is a calm. Enter a small or larger town and the frenetic pace of life kicks in with one wishing for the quiet space once again. This is how I felt driving from Walsenburg to Cortez.
Thankfully Wolf Creek Pass and miles between towns were calm as was where I spent last night outside of Pagosa Springs. As I mentioned in the previous post, I appreciated this Harvest Host location at 84 Ranch. Only the wind. Even the cows in the field were silent! It’s wonderful to escape life’s noises every so often. I wish I could bottle this silence. Plus there is no cell service so I can completely unplug from the world events. Time to think, meditate, read, write, sketch and simply be! The sun did go down and the stars were huge!I wish everyone could have this experience. It’s a shame they cannot.
A view!
My sketch
Next morning I visited Chimney Rock National Monument, located between Pagosa Springs and Durango. It was designated a national monument in 2012 and is one of only 14 managed by the US Forest Service. I took the Great House Trail tour and learned the ancestral Puebloans were most aware of the moon’s location between Chimney and Companion Rock every 18.5 years. Sites like this continue to be spiritually significant to Native Americans. Please always treat these sites with respect. Always.
Moon aligns between the rocks every 18.5 years!
The next day, while in Cortez area, I visited Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. My first early morning stop was at Lowry Pueblo and guaranteed to have the place to yourself. Canyon of the Ancients was designated a national monument in 2000 and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. During the month of September, the Bureau of Land Management provides special recreation permits for the public to also use the land. This is very different than land managed by the US Forest Service which does not provide that option.
Canyon of the Ancients National Monument encompasses 176,000 acres and so far there are 8300 documented sites with ancestral Pueblo artifacts. Archeologists think another 10,000 sites are possible on this land. Be sure to stop at the visitor center and view the couple of films, the museum and the Escalante Pueblo, a short walk up a paved trail. I cannot help but notice what great locations these pueblos are at with 360 degree view. No doubt it was for defensive positioning. Looking across the sage plain and to the far away mountains also provided a place of beauty.
Amazing rock wall building of a side wall!
Escalante Pueblo by the Canyon of the Ancients visitor center, another place to visit!
Colorado is the state I chose to, once again, drive through as I return to Arizona. This time to explore areas outside of Colorado Springs, Salida, Durango and Cortez.
For starters, I had a Harvest Host night at a brewery in downtown Colorado Springs! Great beer, easy walking the downtown area and time spent chatting with a couple from State College, PA. They left early the next morning to complete the Manitou Incline. I wish I was in shape to even think of accomplishing that!
A great day for bicycling in Colorado Springs: started on the New Santa Fe Trail from the E. Woodmen/Edmondson Trailhead. Wow, the altitude and heat made for a shortened bike ride. Another day, I visited the Fountain Creek Nature Center and took a bicycle ride at the Fountain Creek Regional Park. Very nice trail and a well – done nature center … worth a visit. (I saw a red-headed, 2.5 foot long snake… still not sure what it was!)
Fountain Creek Nature Center
Remember: we need bees in our lives!
Red rocks of the Garden of the Gods!
Drove along the Arkansas River and watched people rafting. If I had one more day here, I would have signed up for a rafting trip. Two of my Salida friends were not available, but I did catch up with my friend in Poncha Springs! Great fun for a couple of days. Bicycled on a trail in Salida, cycled right in for lunch, and watched surfers on the “standing wave” downtown. Amazing balance to ride that wave!
Rafting looked like great fun!
Surfing on the “standing wave” in the river is a challenge!
My ride from Poncha Springs to Colorado City was through the San Isabel National Forest. It rained and hailed!! The few vehicles on the road were driving half the normal speed limit. Thank you! Crazy weather! Next day, beautiful!
I stayed at a KOA, Kampgrounds of America, for 2 nights and the day in-between was a “No Drive” day. I got distracted doing too many things in the morning, so by the time I got on my bicycle it was hot. Throwing in a lunch stop was enough motivation to at least do a few miles in this altitude. I’m getting better but the heat does not help me.
Couple of Harvest Host nights … Pagosa Springs area and then Cortez … with a drive through Durango. Interesting to see how this area has changed! We had a bicycle tour across southern Colorado decades ago. We cycled from Cortez to Alamosa. Beautiful country in Colorado and it still is. But the crowds of people, developed land, and overall congestion made me wonder where it was we cycled years ago!
Before arriving in the congestion and construction traffic of Pagosa Springs, I enjoyed a short hike to Treasure Falls.
Treasure Falls, CO
My Harvest Host location was outside of Pagosa Springs at a ranch. I am parked in their pasture with the cows just over there, goats walking toward me, and a couple of killdeer squawking as if I am to close to their nest. A deer is running across the nearby hill. It is silent here, except for the wind that continues to blow and I see a distant plane. Will check out the stars in a few hours as this is the best open sky! Good night!
In my quest to drive roads I have not been on before, here I am in Missouri and then Kansas.
Missouri:
Oak Grove, Missouri: my Harvest Host was in this town, yet the best part was her delicious sourdough bread she made for me that evening! Lovely quiet night to sleep and visited a local cafe in the morning to catch up on my emails and blog writing. Mocha and blueberry muffin to enjoy! Then, on with my day!
Independence, Missouri: stopped at the Presidential Museum for our 33rd President Truman. I am not typically a museum or history buff, but I did find the exhibits very interesting. So much to learn from history and they bring much of it to life with the museum exhibits and movies. This place is worth a visit.
Truman: “The buck stops here.”
Kansas:
Wilson, Kansas: my Harvest Host was here and specifically at a Cold War Atlas F missile base. The owner provides a tour, for a $25 fee, to explain the engineering and construction where the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile was housed in the 176 feet deep silo. You walk own into the historic missile base and see the work being done to convert some levels into Air B’n B’s! One is done and people have stayed there. I camped at ground level with other campers, but in time the owner hopes to have more sites.
If you are in the area, stop in for a tour. I know I will return in a couple of years as I truly want to see the work the owner has completed by then as this is a huge undertaking!
Looking down into the silo where missile sat.
You can stay overnight!
Wilson, Kansas: Largest Czech egg is here! The traditional design is on this 20 foot high egg. A sign nearby explains what the different colors and symbols represent.
Czech egg
Colby, Kansas: Prairie Museum – Art & History. Wow, a variety of things to see here! Displays of the local history and a room with regional art work. I started with the Kuska Collection. This couple collected everything! And when I thought I saw it all, the staff told me there are more things in storage as they cannot display all 28,000 items at a time.
Then there was his plains information and equipment, but I found the buildings on the site most interesting. They had a sod house, a barn, a school building, a church and most impressive is the Cooper Barn This is the largest barn in Kansas and in 2008 voted one of the Eight Wonders of Kansas Architecture. Now I really need to check the others out! Plus, the barn is one of the 70 don’t miss Kansas Bucket List experiences. Who knew so much was happening in Kansas? I only remember coming through Kansas, when I was young and with my family 55 years ago, and experiencing non-stop wind! It is still blowing to this day!
Canadian wildfire smoke is blowing on the northern Minnesota towns I have been trying to visit once again. In 2023, I was smoked out due to Canadian wildfire smoke. At that time I was literally in the smoky area and drove out of it. My weather app indicated the air quality index for each town I was interested in visiting along with weather alerts. I simply chose to drive south away from the smoke. Traveling away from the wildfire smoke also meant I did not visit the western part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as I hoped. Maybe another time I will return to the area.
Once across the state line into Wisconsin, I stopped at a cheese shop for cheese curds! Now I need to portion out my snacks so I don’t eat it all too quickly! If you are in the Green Bay area, do stop at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary. They have an incredible nature center with so many exhibits. There are trails to hike around fenced areas where some animals are being rehabbed or now provided homes. Some animals had been pets and now cannot be returned to the wild, thus the sanctuary is now their home. I noticed a couple of groups of young children on an adventure with a teacher/leader and also a teenage group with cameras photographing wildflowers. I loved hiking here and seeing what this place offers; fantastic place!
A part of the Nature Center.
Have you been to Door County? I have arrived and am camping in Door County! Often when I mentioned Wisconsin in the past, someone would ask me if I have been to Door County? Wow, 19 communities have truly united in providing a variety of activities: art, theater, a drive-in theater, orchards, wineries, breweries, state park, local parks, open spaces, land trusts, marinas, antique shops, boating, hiking, bicycling, museums, restaurants, dog parks, and you name it, they have it! I think I spent an hour just flipping through their “official destination guide” to map out a plan for my next day visit. (So much to do, so little time. I see they recommend 4 days to visit this county.) I’ll do my best to see the 300 miles of shoreline, lighthouses, marinas and various places in a day.
My jam-packed day in Door County began at Sturgeon Bay. There is a Maritime Museum and tugboats, but I was delighted watching an artist painting a tugboat while his art students looked on … as did I! But the most delicious stop was at Seaquist Orchards. I ate the most delicious slice of cherry pie. Each cherry burst with flavor in my mouth as I watched and learned, on their outdoor video, that they make 20,000 pies a year. They, now 6th generation originally from Sweden, have 1300 acres of cherry orchards. Their first cherry tree was planted in 1912. Tart cherry trees are shaken and collected by machines, whereas the sweet cherries are hand-picked. Informative signage about the family and a huge store to meet all your cherry shopping needs.
Seaquist cherry pie slice, made from scratch … my mouth is watering!
There are numerous places to pull off the road for views of the lake or to travel away from the main route. Each town has its own vibe and some are very walkable, such as Ephraim with all its shops having a view of the waterfront. An off-the-main-road stop I made was at Garrett’s Bay Park. Here was a boat launch for non-motorized watercraft. An interesting sign also about a wooden schooner, the Fleetwing, missing the Death Door’s passage and crashed onto a rocky beach in Garrett Bay. The crew survived and additional gale force winds have left the schooner in pieces. Divers, snorkelers and kayakers can still explore the remnants of the wreckage on the lake bed’s floor.
On the east side of the peninsula, the temperature dropped about 15 degrees. What was a warm morning became a cold 50 degrees with 30 mph winds. I stopped by Cana Island and also Anclam Beach where even the diving Caspian terns were challenged as they dove straight-down into the water to fish. Loved watching them! But alas, my day must come to an end and I return to the campground an hour away, yet still in Door County. The landscape is beautiful and I understand now why people ask if I have been to Door County. Have you been here?
Michigan made my list as the state I would visit on my return trip to Arizona. How is it I missed this state in my past travels; not to happen now! While driving the green and rolling hills of this state, I was reminded of my geology classes about this state’s glacial history. The glaciers truly carved out a spectacular landscape! Also are historical signs and headstones dated from the 1800’s; reminders of the people who traveled via the underground railway to this state. As I looked on, I noticed the state’s apple blossoms coming; fisherman hoping to catch brook trout; white-tailed deer running across the roadway as I drove … while some did not make it; antique shops, fudge shops, wineries, asparagus and fresh fruit stands are available and for sale with cherries hopefully in July. Plenty of open spaces, marinas and parks along the lake to occasionally stop and stretch my legs and relax my eyeballs.
My original plan was to visit Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing and drive to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. However ever flexible when on the road and with amazing good luck, I tracked down a college friend! I’m off to Kalamazoo! Besides seeing my friend and her husband, their home was a birder’s paradise. So many feeders to attract the wildlife in their forested backyard! Of course, reminiscing about our college days and discovering how we are each enjoying retirement was fun too. These 2 people are each creative and talented in their area of expertise, glass and wood. Beautiful, and award-winning, pieces have been made. I was thrilled to visit them and see their work as they continue to enjoy retirement.
Heading north: Through Ludington, Manistee, a stop at the largest sequoia tree outside of California, drove past the “Largest cherry tree in Michigan”, Arcadia Marsh, then Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, with an alpaca farm Harvest Host location for my night’s stay. If you have a chance, sometime look at the shape of Michigan; a mitten up and down and another mitten side to side. I don’t know the miles of coastline, but I do know there are 129 lighthouses. I stopped at many of them! The most common comment made by locals is just how low the lake’s water happens to be. With the latest major rainstorm and damage done, the interior lakes all seemed high to me.
116 foot tall, biggest Sequoia Outside of California
I stopped at Arcadia Marsh and walked with a woman new to birding. That was fun as we interacted with a group who were observing a short-billed dowitcher. That bird did its best to hide in and out of the cattails, but we all saw it! (I’m always appreciative of fellow birders spotting and sharing a bird’s location!) At Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, I skipped the crowd climbing the large dune. I recalled my African Sahara dune walks where it was hard walking up a dune, but so very easy coming down! Instead, I stopped at another spot on the lakeshore to walk and circle away from a designated nesting piping plover area. Ended my day with a restful sleep at an alpaca farm after speaking with my host!
Along Sleeping Bear Lakeshore
An informative sign for a first-time visitor!
Onward. Traverse City struck me like many other places, yet I was surprised within the city limits everyone had a sidewalk! I stopped at another lighthouse: Mission Point Lighthouse and drove north to Charlevoix. While trying to locate the “mushroom houses”, I dead-ended at a great place for lunch. Near a gigantic cement place, birds congregated. I walked that lakeshore looking at mute swans and mergansers. I did eventually locate the historic district where Earl Young’s architecture is standing. In the Charlevoix area, there are 26, of the once 31, homes built by Earl Young from stones and boulders lining the shoreline of northern Michigan. Tours are provided to learn more about this man’s work, but all homes are private with no opportunity to step inside. The “mushroom house”, “Hobbit house” or “gnome house” is a term for the low ceilings, circular floor plan with rooms around a big fireplace and chimney, and curved roofs altogether resembling mushroom caps. I located 4 of the homes on my own.
Finally arrived at Mackinac (pronounced as MACK-in-awe) Island which sits in Lake Huron, another one of the Great Lakes. Taking advantage of a sunny afternoon, a fast ferry ride took me to this island where no cars are allowed. There are residents on this island, within 5 small hamlets on the island, and tons of tourists! An 8 mile road for walking or bicycling circles the island along with numerous hiking trails across the island. Horse-drawn carriages are available too. The majority of people are day visitors with the last ferry leaving at 9PM … and probably a great time to see the sun set at 9:15PM during the 16 minute ferry ride back to the mainland. There’s plenty of history on this island as people visit and learn about the 1780 Fort Mackinac, the various art museums or stay at the 1887 National Historic Landmark, the Grand Hotel. Plenty of bed and breakfasts and other lodging are available too. The easiest part of my visit: eating expensive ice cream. The most challenging: climbing the 207 steps up the Spring Trail to see Arch Rock after hiking miles to get to the trailhead!
Arch Rock on Mackinac Island
The weather remained beautiful for another “no drive” day, so out came my bicycle. I rode portions of the North Western State Trail, North Central State Trail and took a ride into downtown Mackinaw City. The two trails were gravelly for the majority of my riding time and downtown was paved roads. The town as the island welcomes tourists to spend money on all kinds of things! It was a great way to spend my day on this “lower mitten” of Michigan. Next is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
My dad shared stories of adventures he and his college buddies had and his desire to do something different after teaching for decades. Dad was to retire at age 55 … I think even on his birthday! He told me the way to accomplish adventures, complete a career, and look forward to new happenings was to retire at age 55. Whoa! This required a major calculation on how to be fiscally ready at that age, and for years beyond, especially since I told my insurance guy I expected to live till age 94.
Every detail did not pan out as I planned and hoped. Life happens! And that’s been okay! I have been fortunate to share a life with a good person, travel the world, enjoy my family and friends and remain healthy. My wants are simple so I can live within my budget. Life is about living, and I intend to do just that!
Dad was right. And new happenings are each day. I have the opportunity to choose a journey on the road or enjoy my own backyard. Thanks Dad for the advice! I am forever grateful and glad I listened!
Rest areas can be wonderful places to stop and rest while traveling long miles. Of course each rest area across the country often reflects the geologic, architectural and/or geographic look of the the area. Or some are boring cell-like places with pit toilets. My wish at a minimum is that they all be clean! Beyond that, I appreciate rest areas including travel information, vending machines, pet exercise areas, picnic tables with shelter and historical information about the area.
As a traveler, I have driven thousands of miles. The last few years it has included miles back and forth across the USA via different routes. Therefore, I decided to shout out and choose the best rest area in the USA. It is on Interstate 86 east in New York State, the Chautauqua rest area! I have no physical certificate for this pronouncement; however, I did thank the employee who was on the grounds. I think I made his day with the simple recognition of the good work all were doing at this rest area. And that he was being personally thanked.
The rest area was so nice I decided to have my breakfast there. Earlier in the morning I left my Harvest Host location, a brewery where I could not make my breakfast …. you may recall my van has no cooking, plumbing or electrical appliances. Out came my backpacker stove, etc and I enjoyed breakfast with a scenic view at this rest area. Plus the restroom was so clean!
Thank you to the employees at the Chautauqua rest area in New York State! You are chosen as my BEST REST AREA!
Breakfast at my award-winning rest stop in Chautauqua!
Colorado landscape varies as you travel south to north in this state. I had snow in the Pueblo area, brisk weather in Fountain and Lakewood, and finally conditions good enough for bicycle rides three days in a row!
Pueblo, Colorado did have some snow. While I was sleeping in my winter sleeping bag in my van, I chose to let solar energy melt away enough of the snow and ice from the windshield before I took off from the campground that morning. I had my newly purchased ice scraper but did not use it.
Fountain Creek Regional Park and Fountain Creek Nature Center were on my “to visit” list. While the nature center was not open, the numerous trails at the regional park were great! I need to remember this place for future “to stretch my legs” stop and hopefully visit the nature center some day.
Lakewood is where some friends live, but since they were elsewhere I stayed at a Harvest Host location. (If you camp with an RV or camper, more info about Harvest Host is a click away right here.) There I enjoyed conversation with a science teacher and natural/wildlife resource person along with a meal and beer before hitting the sack.
Fort Collins area is my favorite place to bicycle ride from a campground onto the Poudre River Trail. For 3 days I bicycled various parts of the trail plus some trails off the main trail. Temperature was 55 – 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so I kept moving! The wind was more of an issue at times, but as they say … wind at your back is great … did someone say that? Not sure.
Then drove through Nebraska and Iowa to Wisconsin to visit with friends. Here are photos from my Colorado days:
Sunrise in Colorado
Hairy Woodpecker
Bicycling on boardwalk section on the Poudre River Trail
Eastern Fox Squirrel
Favorite place for my meals
Bird watched me while I was eating my entire meal!
Travel continued; my upcoming days uneventful, thankfully. I enjoyed a night at a Harvest Host location. Alpacas are the most calming animals, so I spent time chatting with them upon my arrival. Then had a good night sleep at this location.
Informative sign.
Weather reports were for snow where I would travel through a mountain pass in a few hours in New Mexico into Colorado. I hadn’t packed my ice scraper on this trip since I was leaving weeks later than past years. Off to an auto store and luckily they had one long-handled scraper and brush. Better to have one and not need it, then to think a credit card could scrape my huge van windshield!
I drove through snow. Despite reports of low visibility, I got through the mountain pass fine. About 5 inches of snow had fallen as I drove through. The next morning I did have ice on my windshield. Fortunately I parked my van so solar energy could melt the ice by the time I ate breakfast, took a walk at the campground … observed killdeer and other birds, like a beautiful western meadowlark, at this site!
I love mountains. Seeing snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains was wonderful! So fitting also as I was listening to an audiobook: Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman, MD. It brought back my memories of travel in Tibet, China and trekking in Nepal to Everest Base Camp so many decades ago. (If you follow mountaineering expeditions, this is a good book to read.)
Snow… but it is melting, yeah!
I stopped at Fountain Creek Regional Park to take a driving break. I walked some of the trails; no snow here! This park and nearby nature center needs to be a future stop. There are plenty of trails and a nature center to visit. Another Harvest Host location for the night. Enjoyed dinner with a beer and talking with fellow travelers from Wisconsin. Great conversation! Now to enjoy 3 days and hopefully bicycle ride. If not, then to at least hike and take a break from driving!
Trail by playground and Ramadas.
Trail by creek and many trails from here. A beaver came up here from the creek?
Wind blowing. Sand blowing. My high-profile van is rocking and swaying as I drive the interstate into New Mexico. The last 20 years I have seen the signs about low visibility possible when the wind and sand are blowing across the road. I’ve read the signs posted at various intervals along the hundreds of interstate miles here in New Mexico.
Don’t stop in travel lane. Pull over, get off the road. Turn off your vehicle. Turn off vehicle’s lights. Keep your seat belt on. Do not put your feet on the brakes. Signs posted in areas that during this trip did not even have wind and sand blowing. I was ready, if need be.
And then it happened. Traffic slowed as the wind-blown sand created low visibility. I thought, let’s be careful folks, no multi-vehicular accident today please. We crept along … so very slow … and we were going okay keeping a distance between vehicles. Then … there was no vehicle in front of me. Sand filled the air! With my van moving slowly, still in a driving lane, the next moment I saw the vehicle in front of me. It had stopped. So did I, and thankfully so did the vehicle behind me. We all sat … for numerous minutes. Here was a parking lot on the interstate!
I never saw the police car till it passed me on the shoulder.
Any minutes when the air cleared, traffic slowly moved forward, then stopped for minutes at a time on the road. I was so thankful to be surrounded by patient drivers as this would have been awful if we did not all cooperate in our stopping. We were at this for a long period of time to only travel a few miles. Emergency messages were numerous on my phone. Here is one still after I had stopped for the night … road may have still been closed.
My destination was Hatch, New Mexico. However, the direct road to Hatch and the round-about longer drive on the interstate to Hatch were both closed to traffic. The sandstorm prompted the officials to close the roads. We all descended upon Deming, New Mexico. We could go no further. My travel plan changed and I slept in my van at a Walmart parking lot along with many others who could travel no further. I don’t know what time the roads eventually opened. My van rocked in the wind till at least 9:30pm despite the weather predictions of less wind at 7pm.
