Boise & Lucky Peak Reconnections

Cale and Kimmy

Boise seems to be out in Idaho's high desert, but when you come over the bluff from the East on I-84, you can tell it is the "City of the Trees." Here is where we made wonderful reconnections: First, after a liesurely coffee run with my son Cale, Layli and I dined with he and his girlfriend Kim, and then we wandered around Boise's old train depot park.

 Cale is now expediting blood processing and testing in St. Al's lab running a bunch of multi-level computer tracking programs to keep it under control while Kim's passion for the care of animals continues, working at a Cat Vet clinic. She's keeping her ears tuned for later animal science opportunities at a progressive animal park.

We stayed at the wonderful, spacious home of Sue and Steve, who are thriving in a mature and well-kept neighborhood suburb of west Boise. They've done some skillful remodeling already with flooring and even floor plan modifications, and have progressed far in setting up landscaping to achieve a comforting patio and back yard evening "hang out" space.

The big smiles came when Steve hooked up their smooth and powerful boat behind his Ford diesel, and moved it effortlessly up to Lucky Peak Reservoir. As pictures there show, we explored the nooks & crannies under the bright blue Idaho skies, occasionally taking "cool down dips" into the waters. We quietly "thrummed" into alcoves, pushed fast and smoothly across open waters, then didn't hesitate to drop anchor and laze a bit.

 Steve's 351 Ford-powered boat was set up perfectly for the job, (though we decided to keep the water skis dry that day). Pizza & Steve's custom smoothies in the patio (joined by Cale and Kim) again made this "boating Sunday" wind down perfectly. Thank you, Sue and Steve, you guys were easy to be with, and the conversations great. Sue, thanks for the hundreds of laughs, hikes and memories as our kids Cale, Nic and Stacy grew up exploring the mountains and hot springs of Blaine County during the Wood River Valley boom days of the 1990s.

Love ya Sue and Steve! Catchya back through the lower 48.

Mesa Verde, Canyonlands and the life of Riley

Mesa Verde was our destination, and we became absorbed in imagining what life was like around 1120 AD, living in a Native American agrarian-based village of hand-built multi-level apartment-like structures that were mounted under the ledge of a massive cliff. These dwellings were positioned under ledges of arroyos and river beds in the area near Cortez in SW Colorado.

 We hiked right down close to the habitation sites and photographed them, as stabilized by archeologists under the National Park Service. The late afternoon lighting created great textures and lines.

The following day, we explored the Canyonlands of Utah, starting in the "Needles" region and "NEWSPAPER ROCK"(see first video at end of post.) This is a full wall of petroglyphs filled by the multitudes of ancient travelers passing by.

 After a KOA cabin night, we meandered into the deep red rock walls leading us deeper into the amazing Arches National Park. (See photographs of the "Windows" section of the park). The German tourists love this area and they were out in droves, just as in the late 80s and early 90s when I first explored this area with my archeologist friend Keith. If you go to get absorbed in Utah's canyonlands and arches, you will hear the German language. With paid vacations of over a month, and an exchange rate heavily in their favor, they have plenty of time to explore landforms unlike anything they typically have access to at home.

And speaking of tourists, we got to thinking about Riley over the last few days. It seems like he truly "has the life". He sleeps in his comfortable and familiar berth (crate) which moves him (while we drive) to new parks, ecosystems and climates. He is introduced to new places to mark his territory, including fresh, intriguing new terra firma areas upon which to run and sniff.

 He gets his expected meal every evening, without as much as a credit card swipe, followed by steady admiration from other bi-ped travelers, and snuzzles and yips from other dogs criss-crossing our path. Later in the evening, he retires to his familiar blankets, arising to a morning bladder release, walk, with all droppings buried or disposed by us. After we pack the car, he gets hand-placed placed back into his mobile crate in order to be escorted to yet another destination, in air-conditioned comfort.

Mesa Verde: zoom in on the image, and examine a settlement, circa 1100 AD A.D...

Below: images of Arches and Canyonlands....

The petroglyphs of Newspaper Rock, and this is only a small portion....

Complex & beautiful arches appear nearly every mile or so:

In the photo above, you are looking at Flaming Gorge. Riley seemed too tired to emerge from his crate at this overlook. (He snoozes to the drone of the turning wheels, and he'd rather not be bothered at every stop.)

So, of the three of us,  just who has the best life on this trip? We suddenly felt like hard-working unpaid tour guides working on his behalf, navigating as he dreams of squirrel chases and meaty bones, and a smorgasbord of new smells in every new state. Yes, Riley seems to have the appropriate name. He is really living "the life of Riley." We have not retired, but Riley, at 63 in dog years, has got his retirement dialed in. I wouldn't be surprised if he even has a paw in the stock market.

To finish up the Canyonlands area, check out the video below of the amazing NEWSPAPER ROCK:
This newspaper was a long-term group effort, but no trees were killed to make this issue ! (See below)

Layli pops out of our car, I pop up our tent, we pop into a fruit stand

At the top of Monarch pass, Layli just had to pop up through the hatch to check the mountains. It kinda reminded me of that old game you often saw in some KOA's: donkey kong. No, actually, Layli was just thrilled be a mountain girl once again.

Below: Here was our first tent campsite of the road trip:

We teamed up to pop up our tent at Ridgeway campsite, not far south of Montrose, CO, en-route to Durango. It was a first attempt and we finally figured out "how the pole thingies go". <--- not my usual terminology, but heh, we were tired and wanted to "git er done" without reading "the destructions". We know that we can whip that tent up in less then 20 minutes from here on out....

Our view, just steps from our campsite:

We loved the view out of the tent door, plus the views within an 8 min. stroll away from our campsite.  Campfire? Definitely. Marshmallows? (next time).

Above: The sunset view near our campsite.

The following morning, we pulled our dusty tail over to a fruit stand to buy Colorado cherries. Not as good as Mt. Rainier cherries.

Below: Colorado Farmer's Market.

Below: Layli on the rocky hike to a tumbling waterfall....

And below, was our hike's reward:

Riley's Rockin Lemonade, Red Rocks, and burning wings

Above, you'll see Layli and I, happy as bumps on a log, 'cause we're in Colorado.

This is Red Rocks Ampitheater near Morrison, Colorado, the grooviest place to see a live concert, bar-none. Below: Ann, (Dad's wife), with Layli.

 

We have Layli, "the fuzzy pink cowgirl" standing beside "Thor of the Fjords", (Dad). What possessed them to grab hats they have no intent on purchasing is a mystery to me.

BELOW: This video shows a great pan of Denver and Golden, CO from atop Lookout Mountain, where Layli and Dad were trying out the merchandise...... 

The next image below, we have a dining table view of young Tanner (grandson of Ann's) and dear Dad (who is mustering a partial wave), as we await lunch to arrive at a Keystone Lake cafe table. Almost all liked what we ordered, but they served Tanner spicy wings that nearly burned his tongue off. Tanner learned that there is one item never to risk ordering again IN HIS LIFE. We all tasted them, and confirmed that it wasn't the intent of the establishment to make wings so spicy and vinager-y that one could  literally die FROM them, not FOR them. Obviously, this photo was taken BEFORE they arrived in front of unsuspecting Tanner, in the cool blue shirt. He survived to tell the tale.

On the left,  take note of Riley's lemonade franchise. He's apparently hired a father and daughter team to market his stuff. Apparently this is his Colorado operation. Riley promises us 2% of his business volume which he recommends that we reinvest in IAMS.





Below is our beautiful 360 degree video taken at the top of Loveland Pass, Colorado:

"Then & Now" (a side bar to the "ABQ lights" post

Cahoon Park, Roswell, New Mexico.

I am on a small bridge in Roswell's Cahoon park (near the pool where my childhood swim team practices occurred), and where I had many pre-teen birthday parties. Now, as you look at the black and white photo (2nd picture) you'll flash back in time to the exact same spot.

In the BW archive photo, I am at the exact same bridge buddies Mark and Gary, and below the bridge is my sister Julie with her pal Marcy. My favorite birthday present that day was an AMT model kit of a 1967 Mustang GT. Would I love to own that car now!

We stayed in a condo in Sante Fe the night after Albuquerque. Here is a little taste of the charm of the courtyard scene:

Jemez Springs & Albuquerque Lights

By July 7th, the aliens have been left far behind in Roswell (to entertain other curious tourists). We were invited to stay at the home of my high school friend Gary (& Nancy) in NW Albuquerque (locals abbreviate it ABQ). Gary graduated with me in Calgary, Alberta, and among all my Canadian friends in those years, was my only American high school buddy there with the same “landed immigrant” status that we had, (as our fathers were both American geologists employed in Alberta).

Before settling in for the night at Gary’s home, we explored the classic adobe buildings and a Spanish church structure from the 1620s, at the base of the elaborate deep red sandstone cliffs of Jemez. We wanted to give special attention to Riley, so he wouldn’t get dehydrated. The video above is of that amazing church. There's a little jitter on the lower fifth of the video (we think that's due to the desert heat, and you'll also hear Riley's panting), but as you'll see with a click, it's a magical place.

Later, I insisted on venturing about eight miles further up into the cool forests of Camp Shaver, the YMCA summer camp dating back to my “wonder years” of Roswell, when dad worked for Conoco. We had a great lunch of classic veggie chilly at Jemez Stage Stop, on their colorful, dog-friendly dining deck. The appetizer had been a fresh scoop of guacamole with hot, freshly made tortilla chips to dive into it with.

After lunch, and after returning from a very quiet Camp Shaver, which was not in session due to forest fire activity to its north, we came back through Jemez Springs. There's one point where the music was just perfect, and I had to swing the camera slowly across the dashboard to share with you, what we were seeing. Enjoy the video below:

Later in the afternoon, the range fires of Los Alamos were contuing to produce smoky mushroom clouds to our north, so we flipped the car and retraced our route back out  to ABQ, and Gary (and Nancy’s) home for the evening and an overnight. It was a relaxed time visiting with easy-going Gary, his sweet & smart wife Nancy and their enchanting daughter Sarah, (attending college at Colorado Springs).

 As the evening light changed to dusk after dinner, we drove up to the base of the notable tramway that rises up to the Sandia ridge in NW  “ABQ”. We gazed over the lights of the city, and explored a downhill skiing museum centered on the ski area in Ruidoso, where I learned to ski (and Dad ski patrolled). On display were the ground-breaking black metal Head skis like my father owned, and an original gondola from "Sierra Blanca" (now called "Ski Apache" in Ruidoso.

BELOW: Entering the very enchanting  Jemez area, northeast of Albuquerque.

The café owner’s dog seemed to enjoy looking regal, as he posed with Layli at our Jemez lunch stop.

ABOVE: my friend Gary on our Alberta hike, circa 1972... and BELOW today:

Once graduating high school, we never crossed paths again until now.

I later reminisced back at Gary’s about our high school days of Calgary. I jokingly told Gary that I was sorry that I hadn’t called him in decades, as we hadn’t seen each other once since we both departed Canada (post-graduation) at the tender age of 18 years. But, when a friendship was cemented with hikes, ski trips and countless days walking to high school on below 0 winter days, it’s a friendship cemented with strong stuff. I was overwhelmed how great and unexpected this reunion was. I knew again, why Gary was a trusted friend then, and I am thankful our paths crossed again today.

Aliens of Roswell, Riley's Private Swim, Trailer Flat Tire

Did you know that one of us has a soft spot for aliens? I grew up in Roswell (in the years before Roswell knew what exactly to do with it's alien past), but it was Alaska native Layli, who finally brought me around to see the green glow. For those of you who haven't entered Roswell's UFO Museum & Research Center, I'll have you know that it is DOG FRIENDLY. You can bring your animal in, and march him right through the whole museum and gift shop. He will even get biscuits, (but not the alien-shaped ones). The Museum has now taken over the classic 1960s old time downtown theater building, where as a kid, I saw the movie "It's a Mad, Mad World." Who would have thunk?

Did we buy stuff there? Yeah we bought stuff there. Layli bought a sand candle (not so alien) and I bought a frisbee that lights up with little flashing LED lights, powered by a button battery mounted in its center (very alien, I would say....) This illuminated frisbee concept was something several of my friends imagined possible decades ago, but somebody actually took the time to create it, (and then I bought it). Since Layli is quite the capable frisbee thrower (seriously!) ... I am looking forward to freaking out random people at dusk time various times as much as possible. But in the end, it is Layli who loves the aliens the most. (If this continues, I will just help her welcome them into our lives, but I might retire to the kitchen when I run out of interstellar conversation.) Heh, sometimes newly discovered things about your wife will wow you.

Next, it would be Riley's new adventure:

Later that day, in north Roswell, while we ate lunch, Riley was invited for a private swim in a very fancy private pool. Our photographic evidence shows what a good time he had. It was Riley's day off from his job as a mobile dog crate manager.

Actually, I was able to meet for lunch with one of my Mom's dear friends from my "Roswell growing up days." She offered us a wonderful lunch, the conversation was great, and her grandchildren loved watching Riley in the pool, as their own two dogs were not water dogs.

Once departed from Roswell, and after exploring the mountains of Ruidoso, our aluminum "bring more stuff" trailer decided to give up it's left tire for good. You see, they spin a lot faster than the car tires, and apparently the left one decided to vaporize in Carrizozzo, New Mexico. I already had a complete new set for this not eagerly anticipated occasion, so we only lost about 50 minutes during the tire-ectomy procedure.

With fresh tires, soon the blue highway was calling us again, and before we knew it, we were bound for Albuquerque, watching the sun set as we rolled into town. It was truly an "otherworldly" day here in the "land of enchantment".

A Round Rock, a Clear Spring, and sniffin' around Austin

Layli's brother Dan and gentle-spirited wife Marie live in Round Rock, TX, where we've been staying. There is an actual original "round rock" from which the town is named. It's a large limestone rock platter connected to what looks like a pedestal, anchored into the ropy limestone beds strung out along the river. This rock feature came to be the guiding marker for the shallowest river crossing on the Chisholm Trail, where the pioneers had the best chance of making it across, especially in spring.

The water level height as measured against "round rock" determined your chances of crossing with all your horses, goods and passengers intact. And visible today, as Dan pointed out, are the permanent ruts pressed into the limestone beds a stones throw from I-35. They were pounded into the rock by the multitudes of the steel-rimmed wagon wheels of our early pioneers.

 So Round Rock, Texas is actually a town named for a river crossing, marked by a round rock... plain as day. Now that's getting down to the nitty gritty of the American experience!

With Dan and Marie, we continued south into the heart of Austin Texas through the scattering of SW neighborhood homes hidden among the expansive rolling hills of forests pitching up and down, topography you'd not associate with "flat" Texas.

As we neared the downtown skyline, we drove forward along Constitution right towards Austin's state capitol building, as it gradually loomed larger in our windshield. There's something special about the detail and massive grandeur of this icon, all saturated in a rich tan color, with a hint of red tint as the sun lowers. The downtown skyline juts forth from the horizons of its well-kept progressive parks.

My memories of Austin's capitol building flicker as the illuminated PBS backdrop skyline behind the skilled musicians appearing on "Austin City Limits" (All I needed was to spot at least one armadillo out in a grassy field, to complete the ambiance).

We were also captivated by the tree-lined Barton Springs, also deeply rooted in Austin's history. These huge and powerful aquifer-sourced clearwater springs feed huge rock-lined aquamarine pools of crystal clear waters that have entertained and cooled generations of water-loving Austin residents since the days of Thomas Edison.

 The Alamo...

And, Dan treated us to San Antonio's riverboat tour....


CONCLUSION?
One can lumber through Texas, seeing it only as one large horizontal obstacle delaying your journey to wherever you thought you wanted to go, (as many do), OR you can set aside a few more days, talk to some locals, and let a little Texas get in your blood. It'll do you some good...maybe get you a little more grounded to your pioneer heritage. Thank you, Dan & Marie! We "GET" Texas now. You were just letting us figure it out for ourselves, right??

Yup, we were able to dig a little deeper into this part of the Lone Star State with the help of our friends, and consequently, this July 4th," we got a little Texas under our fingernails, and it felt good.