The San Juans

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

South of Silverton, Colorado in the San Juan Mountain range

Caroline will be busy all day with her workshop, leaving me to do the proverbial “whatever.” Whatever for me is to go out and laze about in the verdure. I couldn’t ask for better weather, bluer skies, or more dramatic scenery. I love the San Juan Mountain range. There is something about these mountains that speaks to me more than almost any other I have traveled through and over here in the lower 48 states. The San Juans feel more accessible and more intimate compared to, say, the sub-range of the Rocky Mountains that make up Glacier National Park. Don’t get me wrong, Glacier is beautiful, but there seems to be more to be seen here in the San Juans for the casual passerby who may not have the time to really get out and explore the mountains.

The old mining town of Silverton, Colorado seen from a road high above the valley.

Those tiny specks down in the valley make up the old mining town of Silverton, Colorado. It was a mere 48 miles (77km) from Durango up to Silverton, and still, I required more than 2 1/2 hours to make my way this far. There are meadows along the way that beg those susceptible to such messaging to stop, get out of the car, and check out the lilypads covering the surface of small ponds or the wildflowers punctuating the landscape. There are two other popular methods that allow one to travel slower from Durango to Silverton; the first is the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad – it takes 3 1/2 hours to chug up the hill. The other method is to use a bicycle. I have no idea how long that takes, but passing some of them while I was doing only 20mph, my guess is they were lucky to be making a mile an hour up some of the steep mountain grades.

Wildflowers along a dirt road north east of Silverton heading to Eureka, Colorado

Not really knowing where I would ultimately end up, I was just following the road. At a fork where to the left I would be on my way to Ouray, I veered right to visit Silverton. At the end of town, I noticed that the road kept on going. Caroline and I had never ventured this far northeast of the downtown area. Quickly, the road loses the pavement and becomes a very well-maintained dirt road. To the left of the road is the Animas River; melting snowfields and waterfalls running out of the mountains bordering this trail are feeding the river – I need to take note to return and spend some days camping out here.

The wreckage of a former mine works northeast of Silverton, Colorado

And now you know why this old dirt road is out here: I am in mining country. As far as I can tell, there is no more mining out here, and certainly not at this wreckage of a former mining site. Off the beaten path, away from the popular National Historic District of Silverton, which is already far removed from America’s big cities, it’s a difficult picture to draw in one’s mind how busy these trails were 140 years ago as men became rich hauling ore out of these mountains. Towns would spring up for a few moments, becoming home to thousands before they would disappear back into the scenery with few remnants to remind us of a way of life long gone.

An old mine works in the ghost town of Eureka, Colorado

Eureka, I found it. I didn’t actually find anything much, but I did arrive in the ghost town of Eureka – and the end of the road for me. A steep, narrow road is only recommended for those with 4-wheel drives or all-terrain vehicles that continue out of town. That road heads up to Animas Forks, another old mining ghost town, but one with a claim to fame. Animas Forks features the ruins of a three-story home once owned by Thomas Walsh, who bought and gifted the famous Hope Diamond to his daughter for a wedding present. It’s but a short drive up that trail at only 4.6 miles, but I play it safe, not wanting to push my little Kia too far.

The road to Ouray, Colorado

Back on the pavement, I shift speed, going from 5mph to the blazing 20mph I was traveling before my Silverton detour. Caroline won’t be finished before 5:00 p.m., so I have time to lounge about. This corner in the road looks as good as any to stop for a moment to enjoy the landscape. Somebody will make millions someday when they figure out that roadside hammocks for rent would be a goldmine in places like this.

A cascade that flows under the road through a natural hole in the rock is seen here where it emerged just a few feet above this photo

If you don’t pay attention when traveling north, you just might miss this. This is a cascade flowing out of the mountains next to a small, rough road. The water flows right through a natural hole bored into rock and emerges 40 feet away from its cave. The highway department went ahead and built the road right over the rock bridge. The pullout is often very busy with travelers moving south, vying to get a good shot of the cascade from the road as they approach this bend in the road. As I stood there trying to get a photo, some stranger walking by told me how his friend found a gold nugget here last year. Not too far a stretch, really, as this area had some of America’s richest gold mines at one time.

The town of Ouray, Colorado

End of the road for my day trip – Ouray, Colorado. It took me 6 hours to travel 67 miles (108km), and you thought I was joking about my speed. Caroline and I have meant to return to Ouray for many a year. Down in that village, you are in one of the most idyllic hamlets in America. If I had one complaint, it would actually be two complaints: no McDonald’s and no Starbucks. Perfection is just a latte and a set of golden arches away. Just kidding, seriously. Do you think the guy who will eat Burmese pig ear salad and loves kimchee needs Mickey D’s? The coffee, on the other hand…

Intermountain Weavers Conference in Durango, Colorado

The drive back to Durango took less than two hours. Caroline’s class was winding down. She is taking a class with John Marshall, a noted textile artist from California, to learn about Katazome, a Japanese textile dyeing technique that involves applying rice resist paste to a piece of fabric with stencils. Once the paste has dried, pigments or dyes can be painted onto the fabric.

John Marshall at Intermountain Weavers Conference in Durango, Colorado

Here is John Marshall preparing more rice-resist paste in a Japanese mortar and pestle bowl.

Intermountain Weavers Conference in Durango, Colorado

Dinner tonight was eaten in the college cafeteria (the Intermountain Weavers Conference took place in Fort Lewis College, Durango). No wonder college students from the Midwest have such boring tastes when it comes to diet. We were sticking around to listen to a keynote address in the hottest auditorium I have ever sweat in (the building had no air conditioning and huge fans were brought in because of the heat wave we are currently experiencing). The speaker was noted Shibori expert and educator Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada. Her talk was fascinating as she walked us through the foremost icons in Japanese fiber design working today and the ancient techniques they are trying to keep alive in these days of mass production. Afterward, we had a little more time to dive into the art exhibits hosted by the conference. The basket sculpture in the photo above was created by our friend Sharie Monsam of the Telarana Fiber Arts Guild.

Intermountain Weavers Conference in Durango, Colorado

Vegetarian trophy heads. I didn’t see this one coming. For those who enjoy a little stuffed head taxidermy of a trophy kill but would like to be animal cruelty-free while admiring the beast mounted on the wall, try knitting your own. That’s just what this young 22-year-old woman, Syndi Roberts, did. I wonder if I found a dead bear someday out on the trail that died of natural causes, and I shorn that old bear to bring the fiber home to Caroline. Could she spin my bear fur into yarn and knit me up a bear head? I’d imagine that I would be the envy of all my tree-hugging buddies.

Intermountain Weavers Conference in Durango, Colorado

We enjoyed lingering in the exhibit, which was staffed by volunteers who were probably happy to see us finally leave. Finally, we were on our way back to Vallecito.

Vallecito Reservoir at night in Bayfield, Colorado

This last photo was our view upon getting back to our cabin; guess there won’t be any kayaking today, either.

A Moment To Explore

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

A dandelion gone to seed, also known as a wish.

Fresh homefries and eggs were enjoyed sitting at the window of our cabin overlooking the lake as the sun rose over the San Juan Mountains. We may have sat lakeside on the deck had it been about 15 degrees warmer. It’s not always easy going from 110-degree days with 90-degree nights to 55-degree mornings – especially when you are dressed for summer in the desert. We woke late, moved slowly, and when it was time to leave the lake, we drove slowly on the way to Durango. Caroline had to register in the early day at Fort Lewis College so she could get checked in for her class.

Wildflowers roadside north of Durango, Colorado

Last year, Caroline volunteered to set up the Intermountain Weavers Conference website with online registration and payment for their bi-annual fiber conference. For her efforts, she was gifted a workshop. I’ll tell you which workshop in an upcoming blog post when I can show you what she was doing. Today, though, was simply registration. Vendors of various weaving and fiber art supplies were already set up and selling their goods when we arrived upstairs to see what temptations might exist for Caroline to spend her puny budget. Funny how “puny” never really stays that way but has this mutability where budget becomes bonanza, which is what she ultimately walks away with.

A chipmunk hiding in the brush in the mountains north of Durango, Colorado

Seeing this would be the only day for my wife to do some sightseeing in the area, after registration and lunch, we headed up the road in the direction of Ouray, Colorado. We didn’t get far: the sign said Ouray was 67 miles away, and we knew that our cabin was 30 miles in the other direction, requiring at least 45 minutes to get there from the college. Having an appointment with our barbecue and a lakeside sunset, our meandering through the mountains would be limited. At one of our stops with a fair amount of wildflowers that were demanding our attention, we spotted this little chipmunk. Our first wildlife encounter.

Caroline Wise blowing a dandelion, making a wish in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado

Make a wish. What was it? Can’t tell, or it won’t come true. Do you believe that? Don’t know, but it must work to some degree, as so many of my wishes keep coming true. I’m here with you today, ain’t I? It’s a familiar story repeated ad infinitum: we get lost in the green, and our eyes get woozy, taking in the deeply saturated colors of the forest. Do people who live in lush areas know the pleasure we feel when we compare the world of the parched to that of the verdant?

Purple flowers growing from some random roadside plant in a tablespoon of soil on a rock north of Durango, Colorado

And now, our worlds meet: Tan, let me introduce you to Purple and Green. This burst of color appears to be growing in 2 tablespoons of soil. No, I am not feeling nostalgic for what we left behind in Arizona; it was Caroline who asked me to take the photo. As I get older, I slowly learn to be slightly more obliging, and so I stopped, rolled down the window, and took the photo for her. I hope you enjoy “Plant on Rock.”

A roadside cascade north of Durango, Colorado

If you like cascades, you’ll love your drive on Highway 550 north of Durango. Keep a keen eye; they are everywhere. Attention road designers, those of us armed with cameras are a danger to ourselves and others when engineers do not afford us pullouts at convenient locations, i.e., beautiful landscapes. We will stop right in the middle of the road if need be and take pictures – wife yelling at us and all. It has even happened that people encourage me to do so as they drive around me yelling at me to get a good one, combined with hand gestures I interpret as a thumbs-up of “good job, buddy.”

Panorama of a mountain top and its surrounding area in the San Juan Mountains north of Durango, Colorado

By this time, we no longer need to pull over to take photos; we are only driving 1200 feet an hour; who needs miles per hour when you are in nature? I think it’s almost funny when a Kia is driving slower than a 40-foot motorhome towing a Hummer. If you people behind me are in such a hurry, why are you driving through someplace that is astoundingly beautiful? Did it not occur to you that some people don’t enjoy rubber-necking traffic accidents but can’t help themselves when driving on California’s Pacific Coast Highway, anywhere in Yellowstone, or moving through the mountains, desert, forest, or anywhere else that demands one’s appreciation?

A travertine bump on the side of the road with a mysterious bubble of water coming out of the top - north of Durango, Colorado

Is this real? Caroline and I have driven this stretch of road many a time, and we have never seen this before. A travertine bump being created by a flow of water out of the top of what looks suspiciously like a pipe? The travertine looks real enough; the water is not all that hot; why haven’t we seen this before? It turns out that it is real. It is called Pinkerton Hot Springs – suppose I’m now a monkey’s uncle.

Los Pinos River just before entering Vallecito Reservoir in Bayfield, Colorado

Los Pinos River is seen from the bridge into Five Branches Campers Park seconds before it enters Vallecito Reservoir. There’s something about these types of wild rivers, even when they are small, that begs me to get out of the car, abandon everything, and follow them upstream. To all you millionaires out there who are in ownership of your very own private stretch of wild river (think Montana / Wyoming area), I’m available for house watching — summers only!

A sunset created sky flame made of clouds over Vallecito Reservoir in Bayfield, Colorado

Another barbecue, another lakeside dinner, and one more beautiful sunset. We are working on a theme here on my blog this year; I should change its name from Photo of the Day to My Perfect Day. What more can I say that would let you know how wonderful a day Caroline and I just had?

Going Out of Town

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Cow Springs Trading Post with an old Standard Oil Products sign still standing in front of this now disappearing relic on the Navajo Reservation in northeast Arizona

Not much left of the old Cow Springs trading post and gas station here on Highway 160 between Tuba City and Kayenta, Arizona. The condition of things makes one wonder how long they have been closed. Standard Oil was a company founded by John D. Rockefeller in 1870 that was broken up with a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1911. So, it’s possible that this sign has stood there for more than 100 years. Though, I’m probably way off with this summation as Route 66 was still years away from being built, and Ford’s Model-T was just barely a few years into production. Add to this that the breakup of Standard Oil resulted in 34 baby Standards; maybe the sign is only a mere 75-ish years old.

A billboard on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona telling us that uranium workers are eligible for in home nursing at no expense to the person hurt by uranium poisoning

Still on the road out of Arizona, traveling through the Navajo Reservation. Just outside of Kayenta, we passed and then turned around to grab a photo of this billboard. Ya’at’eeh is the Navajo greeting of Hello, but that’s not the most interesting part of the sign. The billboard reads, “Uranium Workers – In-Home Nursing At No Expense To You.” I’d like to say that makes me feel good that people who have dug out the 3.9 million tons of uranium ore and subsequently showed signs of uranium poisoning and increased cancers are now being taken care of. But, it wasn’t until the year 2000 that folks on the Rez were told of the dangers, and then it would be another 11 years before cleanup efforts began. I guess the whole “out of sight, out of mind” thing works great for those who benefited from the nuclear energy and weaponry that gave us convenience and security at the expense of a bunch of Indians who now get some in-home care to deal with their misfortune. But I shouldn’t let this sad story get in the way of enjoying a road trip; time to speed back on down the highway.

El Capitan rock out in the center of the photo. This rock is north of Kayenta on the way to Monument Valley on the Arizona / Utah border

Off in the distance, we spot El Capitan. As one drives north out of Kayenta on the way to Monument Valley, this towering rock is one of the first truly large monuments seen before entering Monument Valley. The small spire on the left of the photo is Owl Rock. We are heading towards Teec Nos Pos, the last town on the way out of Arizona, before passing through Four Corners and entering New Mexico. We’ll only drive 1 mile through New Mexico before the road enters Colorado. After that, we’ll soon be on the Ute Reservation. You know you are in Ute country when you see a mountain range that looks like a face in profile lying on its back – the Sleeping Ute.

Wildflowers north of Vallecito Reservoir about 30 miles northeast of Durango, Colorado

No denying that we have left the desert. We are in the mountain meadows of the Durango, Colorado area. Caroline and I have driven the 478 miles (770km) into the San Juan mountain range for Caroline to attend a workshop over at the Fort Lewis College campus in Durango. We have stayed in Durango plenty of times and taken the train to Silverton our fair share of times, too. For this visit, I decided that we should stay out on a lake, away from the metropolis of the little mountain town down the hill.

The view of Vallecito Reservoir from out cabin on the boat dock at the 5 Branches Camper Park

We are checked in and admiring the view of Vallecito Reservoir from our cabin. The specific location of our small cabin is on the boat dock at Five Branches Camper Park north of Bayfield, Colorado. We’ll be staying five nights, and with any luck, we might find ourselves one of these days out on a kayak exploring the lake. For now, we are thrilled with our location and the tremendous view.

Caroline Wise pulling down our Murphy Bed at Five Branches Camper Park on Vallecito Reservoir in Bayfield, Colorado

A monumental day for Caroline; she is pulling down the Murphy Bed, the first time she has ever slept in one. I would have to characterize her as being “tickled” that she gets to pull our bed out of the wall. Pushing it back up proved funny; she got stuck under the weight of it without the ability to put it back down or push it far enough up – so she yelled for me. The cabin is only $65 a night, but you had better reserve early as this cabin and the park, in general, fill up early for the short season when they are open.

— Update: in 2023, there’s a minimum 1-week stay, and the rate has ballooned to $143 per night.

Dinner on the dock at Five Branches Camper Park on Vallecito Reservoir in Bayfield, Colorado

There is a private corner of the dock that features a BBQ grill and a table with a couple of chairs. The entire dock is closed off after 5:00 p.m. to ensure our privacy. After a lengthy delay in getting some faulty briquettes burning, we finally had a hot grill that let me put Caroline’s veggie burgers on next to my hunk of cow flesh and a couple of ears of corn. After arriving at the cabin, I put some potatoes on to boil for potato salad – no, I do not go the lazy way of buying off-the-grocery-shelf tater salad. Our dinner was all smiles with a gorgeous backdrop to the day. It was yummy, too.

Sunset over Vallecito Reservoir at Five Branches Camper Park in Bayfield, Colorado

The day finished its performance before turning over the lake to evening with a small bit of color floating on the water. We sat on the dock with some of the most polite mosquitoes we have encountered, but only for about 20 minutes before they decided good manners would only be extended so far. Then we were fair game. Sorry guys, but we’ll have to disappoint you and run for the indoors away from your greedy little proboscides.

They Call it a Haboob

JWise Photo of the Day

A dust storm, also known as a Haboob, arrives from the south to blanket Phoenix, Arizona in dust

If it’s a haboob, it must be monsoon season in Phoenix. From out of the south, sand, dust, and dirt are kicked up and dragged north to blanket the desert with sun and lung choking blanket of fine particulates that used to be known as a dust storm. Of late, these storms are being called a haboob, can you guess why? My idea is that it gives weathermen and men in general, the chance to use the word boob without referring to breasts but all the while they get to enjoy having said boob, satisfying a guys need to be thinking of boobs, talking about boobs, and imagining boobs, even if it is under the guise of a haboob.