WRAPPING UP 2013

We had two busy weeks working at Springville Camp and Conference Center north of Birmingham.  There were two other couples at the camp that we had worked with previously.  We installed a roof on the 45 foot zip-line tower, a roof on the floating dock and repaired a roof on a double-wide modular home.  Additional tasks included moving furniture and preparing the lodge rooms for painting and setting up rooms for people coming in to conferences. 

From 2013-12-04

We had a lot of rain during this time.  Allan took a picture of the waterfalls. 

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We had a beautiful sunset.

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At the end of the two weeks we made a long move back to our daughter's house.  (6 miles)  Katie was happy.  Allan cleaned the gutters, installed  exterior and storm doors, built another dog ramp coming from a 9 foot deck, along with a long list of many other miscellaneous projects.

We celebrated Christmas with our three daughters and grandson.  Santa brought Katie a new scratching mat which she was very happy with.

From 2013-12-27

We finished up with doctors and dentist appointments and visited with several local friends.  We were able to share stories of adventures of the year with Joe and Carolyn Segler.  They visited Michigan and Wisconsin this year.  We have plans to be in that area in the summer of 2014 so we were very interested in comments of their travels and places they visited.

Here is an updated picture of Allan's hair.  It is really growing.  He thinks it should be long enough to cut for Locks of Love by the time we return back to Alabama in October, 2014.

From 2013-12-15

Looking back to 2013 we have made many new friends, seen old friends and relatives and fulfilled our purpose in serving the Lord and traveling the county.  We look forward to the new year and the adventures God has in store for us.

THE RETURN HOME

The return home poses a question of which home.  As we are now residents of South Dakota should we call that home or should we call the Birmingham area our home as we have lived here since 1983.  Our 3 daughters and one grandson live here and we have many friends and doctors here.  So we have returned home. 

You have heard of a Man Cave, well, Katie now has a Cat Cave. 

From 2013-11-19

When I brought it home, I wasn't sure if she would like it.  She just eyed it from her bed for a while.  Then she proceeded to walk around it several times and rub it leaving her scent, a good sign she had taken over possession.  It was not long before she bedded down for a long winter's nap.

We have parked at two daughter's houses and Allan has been working on his annual Daddy-Do-Lists.  Here is a picture of a doggy ramp for one elderly grand-dog, Bear.  Both dogs immediately began to enjoy a new path from the deck to their yard.

From 2013-11-19

We have completed most of our doctor and related medical appointments with only a few remaining to finish up later in December.  Jeanne's orthopedic doctor sent her for several weeks of follow up physical therapy.

We have moved to Springville Camp and Conference Center where Allan will be working for about two weeks.  We will post pictures and more information on our next blog post.

SPRINGFIELD, MO.

We spent a week in Springfield, Mo.  Jeanne worked in the office at the US MAPS headquarters while Allan worked at Evangel College installing siding on an existing building.

We had a tour of Maranatha Retirement Village.  Our time in Springfield included a visit to the largest and original Bass Pro Shop which included an NRA museum of firearms. 

From 2013-10-20

From 2013-10-20

Allan visited Wilson's Creek which is where a famous Civil War battle was fought. 

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From 2013-10-20

We also visited with Richard and Barbara DeFord who are fellow RV MAPers.

Before arriving in Birmingham Jeanne visited with relatives and did some genealogy research in Sikeston, Mo., Memphis, Tn,, and northwestern Mississippi.  The trip to Mississippi proved to be a very successful venture as she was able to find proof and date of her paternal grandparents marriage at the courthouse in Tate County.

OKLAHOMA

Sorry we are so far behind in our blog.  We will try to catch you up on our adventures.

We spent several days in Stillwater, Ok. visiting with Allan's cousin, Jim and his wife, Arletta Webster.  They showed us a grand time.   They took us into Oklahoma City to see the site of the bombing of the Federal Building.

From 2013-10-12

We drove by the capitol and then visited the Cowboy Museum where we spent several hours seeing all the amazing displays and paintings from early settlers and  cowboy life on the range to TV and movie cowboy history.

From 2013-10-12

From 2013-10-12

From 2013-10-12

The town of Claremore dealt us lemons. As we drove into town policemen stopped us from turning down roads we needed to be able to get to our campground.  We finally learned the reason behind these detours.  They were having a parade.  We took their lemons and made lemonade.  We found a large parking lot, pulled over and joined the towns people and watch the parade.  We were impressed by their hometown spirit and they were thrilled to share their town with people from a distant state.  They invited us to move there.

From 2013-10-12

After setting up the MH for an overnight stay, we visited the Will Rogers Memorial.  Jeanne had been there when she was very young. 

From 2013-10-12

From 2013-10-12

 

BALLOON FEST AND SANTA FE

We parked the MH and Katie near Santa Fe and drove to the center of the city.  We saw the open markets, the historical sites and unique architecture.  Parking can be a problem, but we found a shady parking spot and walked the town.  Our tour included the open markets and shops. 

Allan arose early on Saturday and drove to Albuquerque to watch the mass ascension of the colorful hot air balloons on opening day. He had to wait an hour on the interstate to get off because of so much traffic, all heading for the balloon fest.  It is truly an amazing spectacular event that he was fortunate to witness.  He walked among the many balloons still on the ground as they awaited their turn to lift off into the wild blue yonder.  It was truly a group activity with many people involved it the ground crews and everyone was excited at each lift off.

CREEDE, COLORADO

We drove to Creede twice while we parked in Del Norte.  Our first visit was to spend the afternoon with one of Allan's high school classmates and his wife.  Allan had not seen them in many years and we had a lot of catching up to do.  They live outside of Creede in a beautiful area surrounded by mountains, trees and the Rio Grande River. 

The aspens were in full color and we were in awe of the magnificent scenery.  The drive to the continental divide was full of surprises as we rounded each curve.  We saw a heard of elk grazing on the rocky slopes and we stopped to take pictures of  Clear Creek Falls. 

There were vault toilets along the road which we stopped to take advantage of the opportunity. We found cows around the toilet and picnic tables. That was a funny sight. We walked the streets of Creede looking for a restaurant that was still open, most of them had just closed for the season, but we succeeded in finding a good meal.  One end of Creede holds a canyon where mining used to be done.  Many of the structures remain including a few old houses.  This was the location for the filming of the current Lone Ranger movie. 

On one of many stops for picture taking we met a couple in a rental RV.  They were from Holland and vacationing here in the United States. Our chat was short but we enjoyed  meeting them. On our way back to the RV park we stopped off for Allan's pie fix of cherry rhubarb.  An older couple (older than us) entered the restaurant asking for a table with a view but there were no more available so we invited them to sit with us.  They had never done that before, but took us up on the offer.  We had a nice chat and left them with the table with a view.

PAGOSA SPRINGS, COLORADO

Jeanne wanted a stay at home day so Allan wanted to take a trip over Wolf Creek Pass to Pagosa Springs.  I had never been there before, but had heard from other sources it was scenic and a nice place to visit.  It was easier taking the Jeep rather than the motorhome especially since when we leave Del Norte we will be going to Santa Fe.  Wolf Creek Pass is well known for its long steep grades up one side and down the other.  Three days before my trip, Wolf Creek Pass had received its first snow of the year.  The highway was cleared and the snow had been melting.  There were some beautiful views from the summit and from multiple viewing areas.  I also took a trip up a snow covered dirt road and was able to look down on the ski resort.  On the Pagosa Springs side I stopped at a waterfall named Treasure Falls.  Pagosa Springs is famous for its hot mineral springs.  I passed on those.  It is a big tourist town and there were many people shopping and on their way to view the scenery.  At the Visitor's Center they directed me to some nice scenic drives.  I decided on the East Fork Road that took me 8 miles on an unpaved, very rough road, for high clearance vehicles only. (Jeanne was really glad she didn't go)  I had to continually dodge big rocks, potholes and rocks that had come down off the mountain.  I also had to ford a few streams.  I am glad the Jeep has four wheel drive.  I parked the car and hiked to the base of Silver Falls which was listed as 1/8 mile trail, but it seemed much longer especially because of its steep ascent.  It was worth the effort and I got some nice pictures, but was winded by the time I got back to the car.  Hope you enjoy the slide show.

THE GREAT SAND DUNES

Sunday after church we took a day trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. 

From 2013-09-29

No we are not at the ocean.  We are in Colorado near the Sangre de Cristos mountain range.  We were blessed as we made it to the National Park before the government shut down.  It is very deceiving how close the Sand Dunes appear as we could see them at least 40 miles away.  The dunes are such a contrast from the surrounding landscape. 

From 2013-09-29

These huge dunes (North America's tallest) are about 11 percent of a 330 square mile deposit of sand. (Information from the brochure).  It seems like you

From 2013-09-29

From 2013-09-29

From 2013-09-29

drive and drive and drive before you get to the park.  Then you drive a ways until you get to the Visitor's Center where they provide a film about seasonal cycles and how it affects the flora and wildlife.  Next comes a drive to a parking lot at the edge of the dunes where you have to walk a distance to the Medano Creek that runs along side the dune area. 

From 2013-09-29

There is no bridge crossing the creek.  Today it was puddle jumping.  Apparently in the spring the creek is much higher, but still crossable.  We happen to choose a day that was not too hot and very little wind which made a very pleasant day.  Hopefully, the pictures will give you some concept of the distance to arrive just at the first hill.  

From 2013-09-29

From 2013-09-29

From 2013-09-29

The small dots are people who made it much farther that us.  One couple looked like they were going to make it to the top.  I used my walking sticks which really made a difference.  We made it to the top of the first hill and watched youngster slide down the sand dunes using cardboard and many other devices.  They were having fun!! 

From 2013-09-29

This is a view of snow capped mountains we saw on our trip that day.

From 2013-09-29

TRIP TO LEADVILLE, COLORADO

Leadville was a mining camp which later became a town.  It is know, particularly, for the Tabor family who struck it rich and built many of the buildings during the "boom".   He was a very influential person of the area, but he was know for his trophy wife, Baby Doe.  His fortune disappeared due to free silver devaluation and poor business investments.  His dying wish was for Baby Doe to hold onto the "Matchless Mine" where she lived in a shack and died penniless and frozen.  There are countless mines in the area and are tourist attractions.  There is one mine that has reopened recently.  The countryside was very beautiful with the aspens turning color and the distance mountains showed early snow on their peaks.

Many of the buildings in Leadville were constructed in the late 1880's during the mining boom years.  The Tabor Opera House was the grandest theater between St. Louis and San Francisco.  Next door was the "Hyman's Place" which was a saloon where Doc Holliday worked as a gambler and bartender.  He was known as a gun fighter.

ASPEN AND MAROON BELLS

On Tuesday we decided to do a trip to Aspen to see the fall colors.  It was projected to be the warmest day of the week with no rain and Independence Pass was open after the snow that we had Sunday night. 

The trip up to the pass was very interesting with beautiful views and cool temperatures.  There was still plenty of snow on top of the mountains. 

We drove through Aspen on our way to Maroon Bells which is a national forest area with peaks at over 14,100 feet.  They remind me of the Tetons.  Cost to get in is $10 per car.  Cost to us 0 as we have an America the Beautiful Senior Pass.  The pass costs $10, but it has saved us so much money.  Although it was not peak season, the aspens were in full color in many sections.  Hope you enjoy the slide show.

DRIVE ALONG THE ARKANSAS RIVER

US Hwy 24 passes through Buena Vista on its way to Leadville running parallel to the Arkansas River at times.  On the other side of the Arkansas River runs a dirt road on the old train route.  As we traveled down this route we drove through 4 consecutive tunnels that still bear the smoke stains from the old steam engines.  This river is very popular in the summer time for water sports such rafting, canoeing and kayaking and there are many outfitters in the area.  After Labor Day the rafting business dies off, but there are still hardy kayakers that thread the rapids.  Another popular outdoor sport is rock climbing.  We had the opportunity to watch a man scaling a rock wall.  He looked like an ant crawling up the huge boulder.  A famous landmark along this road is called "Elephant Rock".  You can see the resemblance.  Many of the trees along the river were showing their fall colors. On Saturday we drove about 25 miles to Salida to visit Wal-Mart as it started raining. It was a very cool day with no sun peeking out. On our way back home we saw this in the distance.

From 2013-09-23

By the time we had arrived in Buena Vista we could not see the mountains because of the clouds and storms. The next morning we woke up to this. What a beautiful sight.

From 2013-09-23

From 2013-09-23

ASPEN RIDGE

We wanted to see the scenery of the area and the aspens as they start to change color.  Jeanne spotted an interesting dirt road on our way in to Buena Vista.  Later we learned that this was a good area to investigate.  We are glad we have four wheel drive and high clearance or we would not have been able to take this trip.  The road took us to Aspen Ridge.  Words and pictures can not convey the vastness nor the beauty that we experienced.  Wish you could have been here with us.  Most of the trees had not turned their autumn color yet.  We saw an animal from a distance that was either a fox or coyote.  This area is open range and we found ourselves driving through a herd of cattle.  We did see a few people camping.  We discussed pulling the Jeep over and spending the night, but the night time temperature would have been in the upper 30's and we weren't prepared so we opted out.  Boy! that would have been fun.  From the mountain ridge we were able to view the mountain range on the other side of the valley.  

GHOST TOWN

Our first outing while in Buena Vista was to visit St. Elmo, Co.  It is a ghost town and way up in the mountains at over 9,000 feet,  By the way, we did not see any ghosts.  St. Elmo is an old mining town.  In 1880 it was named Forest City, but the post office would not let them keep that name as there was a Forest City in California.  The name was changed to St. Elmo.  As the mining industry there dried up so did the town.  People are in the process of rebuilding the town as it was back in the booming days.  There are quite a few modern houses that have been built just across the Chalk Creek.  The town is coming alive again with the general store renting ATV's and rooms to rent at the hotel. 

This is the Chalk Mountains probably named because they look like chalk.

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

If you take in account the whole population of aspen trees in the area, very few are changing to their fall colors.  The locals are saying they won't be as pretty this year due to more than usual amounts of rain.  We hope they are wrong.  Driving up the road we did see some trees that were changing to their autumn clothes though. 

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

One of the big attractions is the feeding of the chipmunks.  I could never get an accurate count as they were scurrying around so fast.  You can bring your own seeds or buy some at the General Store.  The little munks will climb all over the visitors.  While I was taking pictures, I had one crawl up my leg.  I heard a man say "you have a big chipmunk behind you"  To my surprise it was a huge dog and very friendly.  He was keeping an eye on the little rodents.

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

This wagon was for sale.  It was an idea, but we are already 50 feet towing the Jeep.

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Here are some of the buildings in the town along with some beautiful scenery.

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From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

From 2013-09-20

Allan found another buddy.  It was a butterfly.  The butterfly was insistent on staying on his hand or his back.  We thought we would have to take him home.  Katie would have a buddy.

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We walked across the Chalk Creek by way of a bridge to see the school house.

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From 2013-09-20

This is a flash flood area where water from higher levels cross the road.  There was a sign that warned people not to cross during heavy rains.

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Several miles down the road is a Hot Springs Resort that seems very popular.  They have a hotel, cabins, several pools, event facilities and of course hot springs. 

From 2013-09-20

Four wheeling is one of the most popular activities in this area.  There are miles and miles of trails for ATV's and Jeeps.