Driving though the Sand

Great Sand Dunes NP is one of our newest national parks and is diverse in that it has the tallest sand dunes in North America with mountains right up at the base with a creek running between. The sand has different colors--green, pink, yellow in it. Most unusual!!! So many people walked all the way to the top. I could barely walk in it at all. Could that be because I am so short or is it because I am so out of shape???



We played in the creek with Tex and collected beautiful rocks.




Then we drove the primitive (4 wheel drive) road up into the mts through Medano Pass. The road was thick sand for several miles. We did our first water crossing in the Jeep. Fred was so excited--he is so glad that we got the Jeep because he said that we could do so many more things than we could before. And I was thinking--Yeah, things that I didn't even know that I wanted to do!!!

This water is a foot deep!!!

Snow in the Mountains

Much to our surprise, it snowed in the mountains last night--this is Sept. 13!! Since today was football, we spent lots of time yesterday and today trying to find a spot for Fred to watch the game---had given up when the owner here said that he knew a bartender who was from Texas and had the NFL package in the bar. So we called and the game was on at 11:00. We had hot wings, visited with the locals, and watched the game--hurrah, the Cowboys won!! About being from Texas, it seems that half of the people here are from Texas. The camp hosts at both campgrounds were from Texas, about 10 people in the bar today, and a couple stopped us at the grocery to see what part we were from--they were from Texarkana. All come to spend the summer!!! Lots of Texas tags wherever you go.

After the game, we drove through Wolf Creek Pass and up some forest roads in the mountains. Got these beautiful shots of the snowfall from last night. These mountains are on the NM-CO border.






The South Fork of the Rio Grande rushing through the canyon at Blue Meadow.


The view from our campsite--we had a brief shower late in the afternoon and the most brillant rainbow. You can see a small part of it in the picture but the clouds were covering it up fast.

Mining and Firehouses

Creede was one of the richest silver mining areas from 1890's until 1985 until the Hunt Brothers from Texas ruined the silver market. We went to the Mining Museum which was underground in one of the mines---very unusual and you really got an idea of what it was like. Then on all of our drives, we have seen many of the abandoned mines, including the Commodore which was the largest (here in the picture). With the increase in prices, the mines are being reopened in the next 3 years---there is still large veins here. The Bachelor Historic Loop (17 miles) took us up through the mountains to 8 abandoned mines. It kept raining off and on today with lots of sleet/hail mixture which covered the ground and made it look like snow.





Fred and Tex explore a mine opening.


Near the mining museum, the volunteer fire department is housed inside the mountain. Volunteers built this in part of the abandoned mine in 1976. Very unique--they let us walk though--each vehicle had its own "garage"


This antique fire engine was housed next to the modern one.

The old firehouse downtown has turned into a restaurant.

Fall in Creede, Colorado

For our fall trip, we are traveling the Southwest US starting in Colorado. Already cold here with nights in the high 30's. What a shock for us!!! This area has 29 of the 54 Fourteeners (mountains over 14,000 feet---the tallest in Colorado.) It is also the headwaters of the Rio Grande River. We started out at a guest ranch outside of Creede. The river ran through the ranch---here Tex and I are getting our first look at the Rio Grande. We moved after 2 nights---because of no internet, no TV (even our satellite wouldn't work), and no cell phone. We really do like our comforts.



On our second day, we drove the Silver Thread Scenic Byway running through the Rio Grande Valley up to Lake City and then drove the Alpine Loop (a 47 mile 4-wheel drive national road).
WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW TERRIFIED I WAS--Fred loved every minute of it and it was the most beautiful scenery ever. Our jeep was going straight up or straight down in some spots and the rocks sticking up in the road bumped on the bottom of the jeep. We had to stop sometimes to figure at what angle to try to get the jeep over the rocks!!! The road was not wide enough for 2 cars to pass but they did have some turnouts. If you met someone, you had to back up to a wide enough space so you both could pass while hanging off the side of a mountain!!(And you can guess who was on the side looking down---ME!!) See what I mean---it was unbelievable!!! (I even had nightmares about falling off the mountain last night) But it was just such a new experience and I think I am ready to go again on some other 4-wheel drives. I don't think many of them could be as nerve-wrecking as the Alpine Loop. We only traveled 8 MILES PER HOUR!!!

This is just the beginning of the road near town. They maintain it there.



San Cristobal Lake near Lake City



On the Alpine Loop--this is good road here--you couldn't get out to take any pictures of the nerve-wrecking parts!!! We climbed up through 2 mountain passes that were at 12,00-13,000 ft.--up above the tree line. We saw a great many elk and mule deer.

My 60th Surprise Party

Last weekend, I got up on Saturday and was in the kitchen when Fred handed me a pink envelope which said that a mystery friend would pick me up in 30 minutes and I could not ask any questions. Well, I did but I didn't get any answers. I was to wear pajamas but could put on

makeup and fix my hair. A gift bag had houseshoes, a blindfold, the boa,

and some selections of a gown or pajamas. I went into shock because nothing like this has ever happened to me. At 9:00, two of my neighbors picked me up and off we went. As we drove through the neighborhood, there were black balloons tied on mailboxes and signs until we turned onto Hwy 36.
Leaving with my neighbors Louann and Jan.

As we drove along, I keep wondering---is it Jan's house, a day of beauty, Rosa's house,--each one was crossed off as we made more turns. Finally, I knew---we were going to my best friend's house----Stacey's!!! I recognized the cars outside---all my friends were there. The garage had a sign "Happy 60th, Love Fred". Then I knew that he was in on this. When we got inside, oh my gosh, the decorations were unbelievable. They had been planning this for weeks and never let anything slip around me!!!! That is pretty unbelievable!!! All the decorations were zebra and hot pink. We had breakfast casseroles, fruit and amaretto dip, pasta salad, and breads and muffins. So delicious!!! Then we played games (we were supposed to know some trivia from the 60's but didn't), while listening to 60's and 70's music. Then the cake----words can't describe how delicious!!!


Meredith, Me, and Stacey (we have so much fun together)



My cake and Sexy Sixtieth Picture----lots of great gifts, too! Thanks to all of you for making my 60th so much fun and for being my friends.

More of my 60th

Fred had this sign made for me--I still can't believe all the planning that went into this party!!!And as nosy as I am, why didn't I know?



Stacey's daughter, Meredith, is really a great decorator and party planner. This table could have been featured in a magazine. It was so BEAUTIFUL!! I love the picture that they did for this table---it was taken on my honeymoon and had the theme, sexy sixtieth in the corner in pink and the rest of the picture was black and white except for the flower in my hair which was pink also. I also love the black bra with the pink lace---they even got the right size so I can actually wear it!!!!


Fred had even gotten pictures from our picture albums (really old ones of me and NOT ones that I would have chosen) to be used in collages on the entry table along with an invitation and paper for each guest to write me a note.


The drink table---mimosas, sunrise champagne punch, tea, coffee. They had cups that said, "He hunts, I shop". The napkins "In a purse, I am a size 4"

Bird Watching

Port A is absolutely the best place for watching water birds which are my favorite. We see new ones each day. In the winter, they have so many more but the summer offers a great variety, too.



These gulls with the orange beak are Fred's favorite.




My favorite will always be the pelicans.