Well. Before we retired last night, we all discussed our timetable for departure from our Rio Grande cabin hideaway. K was really concerned about their furry baby, Jaxon, because of the paw injury. B already has a driving commitment for next Monday -- he has to go to H-town to oversee a roofing job. D wanted some extra "down time" at home before I return to the workplace on Monday. Sooooooooooo, we decided to get up early this morning and drive straight through to home. Our week at the cabin isn't up until 11:00 Saturday morning, but all things considered and agreed upon, we left at 6:30 a.m. (7:30 Texas time).
I took some photos of the early morning landscape because the clouds were so low as we drove out. In fact, there was so much cloud cover around the little town of Creede, that you couldn't even see the little town of Creede and definitely not the mountains behind it. We've never seen it like that before -- could it be because we've never driven around the area so early before?!
The morning drive was uneventful. #2 drove, K slept, and Dear and I silently brought up the rear. (None of us are morning people, can you tell?) At 8:00, I was getting grumbly in the tumbly just as we were cruising into Monte Vista. A quick drive-through at Mickey-D's for me and #2 (the others weren't grumbly yet) and we were back on the 160 toward Walsenburg, Raton, Dalhart, Dumas and Amarillo.
We made it to Raton by 10:30 (11:30 TX time, but still breakfast time in NM) and stopped at Sonic to get a little something for K and Dear to gnosh on since they hadn't partaken at the McD's stop. They didn't want breakfast fare, and Sonic was the only thing around that was serving something other than breakfast fare. Food, potty break and gas fill-up took about 30 minutes and we headed southeast again. This is where it got interesting.
#2 has always been a daredevil (thus accounting for many of my gray hairs -- which are cleverly disguised every 2-3 months by Jeff at One Fine Day or by #3 if I can't afford Jeff at One Fine Day at the designated time) and especially when driving. Remember the jeeping activities earlier in the week? Anyway, while K and I dozed, #2 hit 100 mph a couple of times on the 2-lane road between Raton and Dalhart. I'm sure it was only in a passing zone and then only for a nanosecond each time, but I wasn't awake for the rush and I lived to write about it. So. No harm done. Right?
Somewhere between Dalhart and Dumas (home sweet Texas!), K developed a craving for a Wendy's chicken sandwich and there weren't any Wendy's restaurants until we got to Amarillo. So she snacked on Wheat Thins and gummy bears (yes, she's pregnant -- check out the baby bump on some of the pictures!) until we pulled into the first Wendy's the GPS could find. It was 2:30 and home was just 6 hours away.
After lunch, we all switched places in the Pilot and Dear took over the driving duties. I did some crocheting and B&K lounged in the back seat. We stopped for gas somewhere (I forget the name of the place -- Qanah maybe?) and we all headed for the restrooms, which were of the outside-the-building ilk. Interesting though, the doors to each restroom locked from BOTH sides. Hmmm.
After Dear got the Pilot filled up, he headed for the facility and B sneaked behind him and locked the door from the OUTSIDE. #2 came back to the Pilot laughing hysterically until he saw a geezer drive up and get in line to use the restroom. Rats! So much for locking Dear in the can. It was a fun thought, son. For you anyway. I'm not convinced that Dear would have been amused.
That's pretty much the highlight of the trip home. We pulled into B&K's driveway at 8:30 -- a mere 13 hours after leaving our Colorado haven. *sigh* The temperature in Midlo was 102.
We unpacked the Pilot, repacked Dear's car, said our goodbyes to #2&K&the furries, and headed for Seneca Drive. After a quick detour to Taco Casa (LOVE their super tostadas!), we caught sight of the Jones homestead at 9:30. More unpacking of the vehicle -- how do we always end up with more than we took? -- squdges for #3, a phone call to tell Granny that we're home, a walk-through inspection of the house and yard to make sure everything's still in working condition, and a sigh of content to be home.
Another road trip for the books -- or blog, as the case may be. We're still technically on vacation, so we won't be announcing our arrival to the general public for a couple of days. But we are home safe and sound, rested and ready for the next challenge. Dear has another week off, but I go back to work Monday, we start rehearsals for our next show Monday night, and I still have another week of Finance class to get through. Before getting totally immersed in the routine, though, we'll enjoy some pool time and maybe take in a couple of movies at the theater.
Thanks for reading along. I know you couldn't really feel the cool weather or hear the gurgle of the river as it rushed by or actually see the beauty of the majestic Colorado Rockies, but I hope my ramblings took you to a quiet, serene and sometimes funny place for just a few minutes. 'Til next time...
ttfn
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 25, Lazy, Wolf Creek, Pool Table, Fishin' and Wifi'ing
This has been a very lazy, rainy day. It was sunny when we got up this morning, but the rain started about 10:30 and has been coming down on and off all day long. As I type this at 9:00, it's still sprinkling. The gentle sound of the rain blends with the river flowing by and makes this a sleeping paradise! But, as you can tell, I'm not asleep.
We all slept late this morning. Finally figured out that if we put a blanket over our bedroom windows, the early morning sun doesn't wake us quite so early. It was about 9:45 when we all emerged from our sleeping quarters and sat down to rest in the living room. Isn't that the way it usually is? You get out of bed, take care of business, and then find somewhere to sit down. Well, that's how it is in our house anyway. Especially when we're on vacation.
Dear wanted to drive over to the Wolf Creek Pass Ski Resort to see what it looks like in the summer. We've been there in the winter because we all spent one Christmas up here several years ago. B&K were still in Lazy mode, so Dear and I went by ourselves. It was a nice little drive in the rain until we got to South Fork. Then the sun was shining again. The road to the pass is Highway 160 -- a nice two-lane road through another National Forest. Everything is so pretty and green now. The aspens are the brightest green of all. We made it to WCPSR in about an hour and, of course, it's shut down for the season. But we pulled into the lower parking lot and took a couple of pictures.
It started raining again on the way back, but Dear wanted to get gas in the Pilot. It was barely sprinkling when we stopped at the gas station, but the bottom dropped out just as Dear was getting out to pump the gas. And the credit card pump didn't have a canopy. Luckily, my umbrella was still in the car from yesterday. I thought about taking a picture of Dear as he pumped gas under the umbrella, but I didn't.
By the time we got back to Cottonwood Cove, the rain had stopped again. I've been wanting to take a jaunt up Pool Table Road between CC and Creede, so Dear was game this time. We drove up the road for about 6 miles. The views were awesome. Took more pictures.
We started back on the road to Creede when B called to see if we would pick up some more DP from the grocery in Creede. Sure thing. Dear pulled into the do-it-yourself car wash place next to the laundromat (appropriate location, don't you think?) and washed most of the mud off of the Pilot. Yes, it was still raining, but this mud was pretty caked on and the rain wouldn't have washed it away. We picked up the DP's from the Kentucky Belle Market and headed back to the cabin.
We're trying to eat up all the food we bought so we don't have to cart a bunch of it back home with us, especially the perishables. The crackers and bread and such will be fine and we have a cooler for the sodas and fruit. But there were a few things in the freezer and the meat really needed to be used. B&K ate some of the taquitos out of the freezer, so Dear and I fixed the rest of them for our late lunch. Now if we can just drink a GALLON of milk in the next few hours, we'll be good.
Dear scheduled a telecon with our new webmaster for COLAG at 8 our time, so we just puttered around the cabin and B and I did a little fishing in the river while we waited for the 8:00 hour. Dear and I packed up the laptops about 7:45 and made the little walk up to the lodge. I've been updating my Facebook photos and browsing the web while he's been on the phone with Tony.
He just got finished, so we're ready to get back to the cabin and chill for a bit before turning in for the night. Maybe some more reading for me...I'm starting the last book in the Redemption series by Karen Kingsbury. I highly recommend these books! Good fiction with a good message. Very poignant. Keep Kleenex handy.
Okay. I'm caught up again. Check out the new photos in the Facebook album. We've been feeding the ground squirrels and chipmunks that are everywhere here at the ranch. They LOVE us and will be very sad to see us go! LOL
ttfn
We all slept late this morning. Finally figured out that if we put a blanket over our bedroom windows, the early morning sun doesn't wake us quite so early. It was about 9:45 when we all emerged from our sleeping quarters and sat down to rest in the living room. Isn't that the way it usually is? You get out of bed, take care of business, and then find somewhere to sit down. Well, that's how it is in our house anyway. Especially when we're on vacation.
Dear wanted to drive over to the Wolf Creek Pass Ski Resort to see what it looks like in the summer. We've been there in the winter because we all spent one Christmas up here several years ago. B&K were still in Lazy mode, so Dear and I went by ourselves. It was a nice little drive in the rain until we got to South Fork. Then the sun was shining again. The road to the pass is Highway 160 -- a nice two-lane road through another National Forest. Everything is so pretty and green now. The aspens are the brightest green of all. We made it to WCPSR in about an hour and, of course, it's shut down for the season. But we pulled into the lower parking lot and took a couple of pictures.
It started raining again on the way back, but Dear wanted to get gas in the Pilot. It was barely sprinkling when we stopped at the gas station, but the bottom dropped out just as Dear was getting out to pump the gas. And the credit card pump didn't have a canopy. Luckily, my umbrella was still in the car from yesterday. I thought about taking a picture of Dear as he pumped gas under the umbrella, but I didn't.
By the time we got back to Cottonwood Cove, the rain had stopped again. I've been wanting to take a jaunt up Pool Table Road between CC and Creede, so Dear was game this time. We drove up the road for about 6 miles. The views were awesome. Took more pictures.
We started back on the road to Creede when B called to see if we would pick up some more DP from the grocery in Creede. Sure thing. Dear pulled into the do-it-yourself car wash place next to the laundromat (appropriate location, don't you think?) and washed most of the mud off of the Pilot. Yes, it was still raining, but this mud was pretty caked on and the rain wouldn't have washed it away. We picked up the DP's from the Kentucky Belle Market and headed back to the cabin.
We're trying to eat up all the food we bought so we don't have to cart a bunch of it back home with us, especially the perishables. The crackers and bread and such will be fine and we have a cooler for the sodas and fruit. But there were a few things in the freezer and the meat really needed to be used. B&K ate some of the taquitos out of the freezer, so Dear and I fixed the rest of them for our late lunch. Now if we can just drink a GALLON of milk in the next few hours, we'll be good.
Dear scheduled a telecon with our new webmaster for COLAG at 8 our time, so we just puttered around the cabin and B and I did a little fishing in the river while we waited for the 8:00 hour. Dear and I packed up the laptops about 7:45 and made the little walk up to the lodge. I've been updating my Facebook photos and browsing the web while he's been on the phone with Tony.
He just got finished, so we're ready to get back to the cabin and chill for a bit before turning in for the night. Maybe some more reading for me...I'm starting the last book in the Redemption series by Karen Kingsbury. I highly recommend these books! Good fiction with a good message. Very poignant. Keep Kleenex handy.
Okay. I'm caught up again. Check out the new photos in the Facebook album. We've been feeding the ground squirrels and chipmunks that are everywhere here at the ranch. They LOVE us and will be very sad to see us go! LOL
ttfn
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, Laundry, Fishing and Dad
I woke up at 5:00 (ungodly hour if you ask me), but covered my head with the blanket and went back to sleep until 8. Everyone else was still sleeping, so I got my current read and started back in on it. This particular book really gets to me emotionally, so I stopped several times to pray for the offspring. It's just one of those stories.
We designated today to be Laundry Day. It has been our practice to pack 3 days' worth of clothes and then do laundry wherever we may be. So this was our day. We got everything together and, after the morning ablutions (there's that word again), headed into Creede to the oh-so-familiar laundromat that we always use when we're here.
Jeez-a-lou, the washers were $3.50 each!! Naturally, we didn't have enough quarters or even cash for that matter, so we asked the locals where to find the nearest ATM machine. It was about 4 blocks away. Here we go -- exercise for the morning. Huff, puff, huff, puff. I don't remember having altitude issues before. Maybe it's because we're older? Yeah, that's the ticket. We're older.
Made it to the bank and the ATM machine without too much embarassment. The ATM fee for a cash withdrawal was $5.00! Supply and demand, right? Whatever.
Back down the 4 blocks to the laundromat and got the washers going. B&K decided they were hot, so they drove back to the cabin to change clothes while Dear and I set up our Internet cafe in the laundromat and piggy-backed WiFi off of one of the local B&B's nearby. I uploaded some more photos to Facebook (I think there are more than 80 of them in the album now), checked email and bank accounts, and then worked on the blog.
While we were doing laundry, #3 called B and told him that their dog, Jaxon, had hurt himself somehow and should he go to the vet? B said yes, and K called the vet in Midlothian to make an appointment for 4:30. Turns out that Jax had cut his leg all the way around and the vet decided to keep him overnight for antibiotics and observation. #3 offered to stay with B&K's other puppy, Sydney, so she wouldn't be alone for the night. Isn't that what canine uncles are supposed to do? Thanks, #3!
After the laundry was finished, we walked next door to Kip's Grill for a late lunch (3:30 p.m. already!), picked up a few grocery items from the local market, and then drove back to the cabin. Thunderstorms were rolling in -- that happens pretty much every afternoon here -- and we sat on the cabin porch listening to the thunder, feeding almonds and granola to the chipmunks, and taking pictures. They're very tame and will eat out of your hand if you stay really still. One little guy even climbed up the outside of K's pants-leg looking for more goodies.
In spite of the rain, we drove out to Love Lake to do some fishing. It wasn't raining when we got there and the other fishermen were pulling fish out of the water like every 5 minutes or so. All we got was wet, cold, and p-o'ed because we certainly didn't get any bites! Not even any nibbles! We tried for about 2 hours, but finally gave up and came back to the cabin.
B&K let us out at the lodge for some more Internet time -- I needed to listen to yesterday's lecture. Did that while Dear watched "A Knight's Tale" and now I'm caught up with the blog.
Dad. Today is the 25th anniversary of my father's promotion to Heaven. I can't believe so much time has passed already. I am sorry that our children didn't have the chance to know their Grandfather. He would have been proud of them. I love you, Dad, and I miss you!
ttfn
We designated today to be Laundry Day. It has been our practice to pack 3 days' worth of clothes and then do laundry wherever we may be. So this was our day. We got everything together and, after the morning ablutions (there's that word again), headed into Creede to the oh-so-familiar laundromat that we always use when we're here.
Jeez-a-lou, the washers were $3.50 each!! Naturally, we didn't have enough quarters or even cash for that matter, so we asked the locals where to find the nearest ATM machine. It was about 4 blocks away. Here we go -- exercise for the morning. Huff, puff, huff, puff. I don't remember having altitude issues before. Maybe it's because we're older? Yeah, that's the ticket. We're older.
Made it to the bank and the ATM machine without too much embarassment. The ATM fee for a cash withdrawal was $5.00! Supply and demand, right? Whatever.
Back down the 4 blocks to the laundromat and got the washers going. B&K decided they were hot, so they drove back to the cabin to change clothes while Dear and I set up our Internet cafe in the laundromat and piggy-backed WiFi off of one of the local B&B's nearby. I uploaded some more photos to Facebook (I think there are more than 80 of them in the album now), checked email and bank accounts, and then worked on the blog.
While we were doing laundry, #3 called B and told him that their dog, Jaxon, had hurt himself somehow and should he go to the vet? B said yes, and K called the vet in Midlothian to make an appointment for 4:30. Turns out that Jax had cut his leg all the way around and the vet decided to keep him overnight for antibiotics and observation. #3 offered to stay with B&K's other puppy, Sydney, so she wouldn't be alone for the night. Isn't that what canine uncles are supposed to do? Thanks, #3!
After the laundry was finished, we walked next door to Kip's Grill for a late lunch (3:30 p.m. already!), picked up a few grocery items from the local market, and then drove back to the cabin. Thunderstorms were rolling in -- that happens pretty much every afternoon here -- and we sat on the cabin porch listening to the thunder, feeding almonds and granola to the chipmunks, and taking pictures. They're very tame and will eat out of your hand if you stay really still. One little guy even climbed up the outside of K's pants-leg looking for more goodies.
In spite of the rain, we drove out to Love Lake to do some fishing. It wasn't raining when we got there and the other fishermen were pulling fish out of the water like every 5 minutes or so. All we got was wet, cold, and p-o'ed because we certainly didn't get any bites! Not even any nibbles! We tried for about 2 hours, but finally gave up and came back to the cabin.
B&K let us out at the lodge for some more Internet time -- I needed to listen to yesterday's lecture. Did that while Dear watched "A Knight's Tale" and now I'm caught up with the blog.
Dad. Today is the 25th anniversary of my father's promotion to Heaven. I can't believe so much time has passed already. I am sorry that our children didn't have the chance to know their Grandfather. He would have been proud of them. I love you, Dad, and I miss you!
ttfn
Tuesday, June 23, Lazy Day, Cottonwood, and Bristol Mountain
The boyz wanted to do some more jeeping today, so they got up early and took off. We had decided that us girls would have a lazy day and then we would meet the guys at the Cottonwood Cove at 5-ish to return the jeep and have dinner (and Blue Bell!) at the little restaurant there. They took some snacks with them so they were set for the day's adventures.
K and I slept in and then just lazed around enjoying the cool weather and the silence. I got ready and went up to the lodge again for some computer time. Unfortunately, the bills and school obligations don't stop for vacation! I took snacks with me so I could settle in for a good long session. Eventually K came up to the lodge and uploaded some of her pictures, too.
The guys got back from their jeeping about 2:30 instead of 5:30, so K went back to the cabin. I stayed at the lodge because I wanted to catch a live lecture for my finance class since the lectures are usually when I'm at work (5 p.m. CST). I've never gotten to be in on a live session, and I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to catch the live session at 4:00.
It started pouring down rain at 3:30 and, of course, my umbrella was at the cabin. Oh well, I've lived this long without melting, it probably won't happen now. At 3:55, I logged onto the web portal and waited while the hamster churned. Everything went like clockwork until it got to the authentication screen for the live session itself. Nothing. No authentication available. You are not authorized to access this live class session. Uh, hello? I paid my tuition just like every other student!! Try again. Nothing. No authentication available. You are not authorized to access this live class session.
Rats. I know that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over trying to get a different outcome. So I only tried it one more time, you know, just in case...Nothing. No authentication available. You are not authorized to access this live class session.
Fine.
I packed up my stuff, called Dear and told him I was ready. He brought the Pilot and B&K drove the jeep and we all headed to Cottonwood Cove in the pouring rain. The drive took about 20 minutes and it was sunny when we got there. B took care of the jeep return, then we all sat down for dinner. B and I had chicken, Dear and K had spaghetti. Another good meal with pleasant company and a quiet dining ambience. K got blackberry cobbler to go and Dear and I got Blue Bell. Just like home!
We drove back to the cabin after dinner and B&K wanted to chill for the evening. Dear and I got in the Pilot for an early evening drive out to the Rio Grande Reservoir. The road to the reservoir runs east/west opposite Bristol Mountain and affords incredible views of Bristol. I'd like to have one of the houses at the foot of that mountain. It's just magnificent. We took some pictures along the way, of course.
Back at the cabin, B had gone fishing in the river and K was watching a movie, "The Holiday." Great movie (yeah, it's a chick-flick, but still a great movie). We all sat down and finished watching it and then the other three decided to go to bed. It was all of 10:15, so I finished "Return" and started "Rejoice" before I turned off the light at midnight.
ttfn
K and I slept in and then just lazed around enjoying the cool weather and the silence. I got ready and went up to the lodge again for some computer time. Unfortunately, the bills and school obligations don't stop for vacation! I took snacks with me so I could settle in for a good long session. Eventually K came up to the lodge and uploaded some of her pictures, too.
The guys got back from their jeeping about 2:30 instead of 5:30, so K went back to the cabin. I stayed at the lodge because I wanted to catch a live lecture for my finance class since the lectures are usually when I'm at work (5 p.m. CST). I've never gotten to be in on a live session, and I figured this would be a perfect opportunity to catch the live session at 4:00.
It started pouring down rain at 3:30 and, of course, my umbrella was at the cabin. Oh well, I've lived this long without melting, it probably won't happen now. At 3:55, I logged onto the web portal and waited while the hamster churned. Everything went like clockwork until it got to the authentication screen for the live session itself. Nothing. No authentication available. You are not authorized to access this live class session. Uh, hello? I paid my tuition just like every other student!! Try again. Nothing. No authentication available. You are not authorized to access this live class session.
Rats. I know that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over trying to get a different outcome. So I only tried it one more time, you know, just in case...Nothing. No authentication available. You are not authorized to access this live class session.
Fine.
I packed up my stuff, called Dear and told him I was ready. He brought the Pilot and B&K drove the jeep and we all headed to Cottonwood Cove in the pouring rain. The drive took about 20 minutes and it was sunny when we got there. B took care of the jeep return, then we all sat down for dinner. B and I had chicken, Dear and K had spaghetti. Another good meal with pleasant company and a quiet dining ambience. K got blackberry cobbler to go and Dear and I got Blue Bell. Just like home!
We drove back to the cabin after dinner and B&K wanted to chill for the evening. Dear and I got in the Pilot for an early evening drive out to the Rio Grande Reservoir. The road to the reservoir runs east/west opposite Bristol Mountain and affords incredible views of Bristol. I'd like to have one of the houses at the foot of that mountain. It's just magnificent. We took some pictures along the way, of course.
Back at the cabin, B had gone fishing in the river and K was watching a movie, "The Holiday." Great movie (yeah, it's a chick-flick, but still a great movie). We all sat down and finished watching it and then the other three decided to go to bed. It was all of 10:15, so I finished "Return" and started "Rejoice" before I turned off the light at midnight.
ttfn
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, Fishing, Lake City, Tests
Monday morning, K was feeling better (yay!) so she and B decided to fix breakfast tacos for everyone. They were yummy!
My class was never far out of my mind, and hanging over my head for the past few days were the quizzes for chapters 4, 5, and 7, and exam #2 over those same chapters. I'd read the chapters and tried some of the worksheet problems, but didn't have the confidence that I was comfortable enough with the material to do well on the quizzes. I knew that at some point I just had to bite the bullet and do it.
So I took quiz #5 right after breakfast because that material was mostly text and very little math or financial calculations. Wonder of wonders, I got 10 out of 10 right! Hallelujah! I still wasn't sure about the material in chapters 4 or 7, but figured I might as well get another one out of the way early and then leave the last quiz and exam #2 for the evening.
I dug out the financial calculator and all of my cheat-sheet notes from the lectures and my reading assignments and hit the "Take the Quiz" button for chapter 4. Again, I surprised myself at what I had retained. I read the questions, figured out what answer I needed to find, and did the financial calculations on my trusty TI-BA calculator. I actually came up with answers that matched the choices!! There was one question that I wasn't sure about at all, so I did ask K if I was on the right track. She confirmed me and I held my breath as I hit the "Submit Answers" button. Another 10 out of 10!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, God (and K)!!!
After making it past the chapter 4 hurdle, we were all ready to get out of the cabin and DO something. We packed up the fishing gear, the ice chest, snacks, sunglasses, hats, reading material, blanket, and a 4x4 trail map of the Creede area and set out. We'd decided that we would take both vehicles today so that, at some point, the boyz could go off on their own jeeping experience and K and I could retreat to the cabin for some R&R.
We drove to our favorite fishing spot, Spring Creek Lake, K set up her reading area on a blanket and the boyz got into their fishing mode. I walked around taking random pictures and being the line-untangler assistant for the not-so-high-quality fishing gear we had picked up at Wally World in Alamosa. Didn't catch anything but a few sunbeams and, after about an hour, we got back into the vehicles and drove to North Clear Creek Falls. More photo ops, all of which are posted on my Facebook page.
We decided to leave the Jeep at the parking area by the falls and all ride together to Lake City to have lunch and look around. It was about 21 miles from the falls to Lake City, but the road through the mountain passes made for some spectacular landscape views. We had lunch at the Southern Vittles restaurant in Lake City because Dear and B were in the mood for some home cooking and K wanted mashed potatoes. Dear had chicken fried steak (definitely not Rockett Cafe quality), B had chicken tenders, K had mashed potatoes and okra, and I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of chicken/sausage gumbo. We were full.
After lunch, we took some more pictures and went into a couple of the shops in Lake City. It's comparable to Creede, but not nearly as picturesque IMHO. We stopped at a sports shop on the way out of town to get the boyz new closed reels for their not-so-high-quality fishing poles and also to get me a cheap-o rod/reel and a 5-day fishing license. Yes, I like to fish on occasion. Especially when we're in Creede.
The drive back to the falls seemed quicker than the drive over -- isn't that always the case? -- and we split up: girls back to the cabin and boyz out on their male-bonding jeeping adventure. K and I rested for a while when we got to the cabin. Then I packed up the laptop, my books and study materials, and the trusty financial calculator to finish out my class assignments for the week.
Chapter 7 was about bonds -- another foreign subject for me -- but I finished reading it and listened to the ClassLive lecture. I do better when I take the quizzes when the material is fresh in my mind, so I just dived right in to the chapter quiz. Missed one, but there was one question where I vacillated between two answers, so obviously I chose the wrong one. But 9 out of 10 ain't bad!
K came over and told me that the boyz were back alive and were hungry. I wanted to get the exam #2 out of the way while I was on a roll, so I told her that they should go ahead and do whatever they wanted to for dinner. I said a little prayer and started right in on the exam.
Prof had allowed an hour for the 30-question exam, which kind of surprised me because he had given us two hours for the first 50-question exam. Whatever. Again, I surprised myself at what I've retained and I felt pretty confident when I hit the "Submit Answers" button. Wonder of wonders -- I got 30 out of 30!!!!! I let out a big "YESSSSSSSSSSS!!" and scared the other guy who was in the lodge Internetting on his own laptop. Oops, sorry about that, guy. But I ACED A FINANCE EXAM!!!!!
I packed up my gear and hoofed it back to the cabin to celebrate with the fam. They were eating tortellini and ravioli, but everyone was excited about my success!! I felt like a load had been lifted off of my shoulders!
After dinner, we all settled in to watch a Henry Cho DVD, "What's That Clickin' Noise?" If you've never heard him, he's a great comedian -- all family-friendly material and really funny.
We made it about halfway through the DVD when B&K fell asleep on the couch, so we turned it off so they and Dear could go to bed. Believe it or not, it was only 9:45! I read for a while (Karen Kingsbury "Return") before turning out the light on our cozy Commodore cabin in Creede.
ttfn
My class was never far out of my mind, and hanging over my head for the past few days were the quizzes for chapters 4, 5, and 7, and exam #2 over those same chapters. I'd read the chapters and tried some of the worksheet problems, but didn't have the confidence that I was comfortable enough with the material to do well on the quizzes. I knew that at some point I just had to bite the bullet and do it.
So I took quiz #5 right after breakfast because that material was mostly text and very little math or financial calculations. Wonder of wonders, I got 10 out of 10 right! Hallelujah! I still wasn't sure about the material in chapters 4 or 7, but figured I might as well get another one out of the way early and then leave the last quiz and exam #2 for the evening.
I dug out the financial calculator and all of my cheat-sheet notes from the lectures and my reading assignments and hit the "Take the Quiz" button for chapter 4. Again, I surprised myself at what I had retained. I read the questions, figured out what answer I needed to find, and did the financial calculations on my trusty TI-BA calculator. I actually came up with answers that matched the choices!! There was one question that I wasn't sure about at all, so I did ask K if I was on the right track. She confirmed me and I held my breath as I hit the "Submit Answers" button. Another 10 out of 10!!!!!!!!!! Thank you, God (and K)!!!
After making it past the chapter 4 hurdle, we were all ready to get out of the cabin and DO something. We packed up the fishing gear, the ice chest, snacks, sunglasses, hats, reading material, blanket, and a 4x4 trail map of the Creede area and set out. We'd decided that we would take both vehicles today so that, at some point, the boyz could go off on their own jeeping experience and K and I could retreat to the cabin for some R&R.
We drove to our favorite fishing spot, Spring Creek Lake, K set up her reading area on a blanket and the boyz got into their fishing mode. I walked around taking random pictures and being the line-untangler assistant for the not-so-high-quality fishing gear we had picked up at Wally World in Alamosa. Didn't catch anything but a few sunbeams and, after about an hour, we got back into the vehicles and drove to North Clear Creek Falls. More photo ops, all of which are posted on my Facebook page.
We decided to leave the Jeep at the parking area by the falls and all ride together to Lake City to have lunch and look around. It was about 21 miles from the falls to Lake City, but the road through the mountain passes made for some spectacular landscape views. We had lunch at the Southern Vittles restaurant in Lake City because Dear and B were in the mood for some home cooking and K wanted mashed potatoes. Dear had chicken fried steak (definitely not Rockett Cafe quality), B had chicken tenders, K had mashed potatoes and okra, and I had a grilled cheese sandwich and a cup of chicken/sausage gumbo. We were full.
After lunch, we took some more pictures and went into a couple of the shops in Lake City. It's comparable to Creede, but not nearly as picturesque IMHO. We stopped at a sports shop on the way out of town to get the boyz new closed reels for their not-so-high-quality fishing poles and also to get me a cheap-o rod/reel and a 5-day fishing license. Yes, I like to fish on occasion. Especially when we're in Creede.
The drive back to the falls seemed quicker than the drive over -- isn't that always the case? -- and we split up: girls back to the cabin and boyz out on their male-bonding jeeping adventure. K and I rested for a while when we got to the cabin. Then I packed up the laptop, my books and study materials, and the trusty financial calculator to finish out my class assignments for the week.
Chapter 7 was about bonds -- another foreign subject for me -- but I finished reading it and listened to the ClassLive lecture. I do better when I take the quizzes when the material is fresh in my mind, so I just dived right in to the chapter quiz. Missed one, but there was one question where I vacillated between two answers, so obviously I chose the wrong one. But 9 out of 10 ain't bad!
K came over and told me that the boyz were back alive and were hungry. I wanted to get the exam #2 out of the way while I was on a roll, so I told her that they should go ahead and do whatever they wanted to for dinner. I said a little prayer and started right in on the exam.
Prof had allowed an hour for the 30-question exam, which kind of surprised me because he had given us two hours for the first 50-question exam. Whatever. Again, I surprised myself at what I've retained and I felt pretty confident when I hit the "Submit Answers" button. Wonder of wonders -- I got 30 out of 30!!!!! I let out a big "YESSSSSSSSSSS!!" and scared the other guy who was in the lodge Internetting on his own laptop. Oops, sorry about that, guy. But I ACED A FINANCE EXAM!!!!!
I packed up my gear and hoofed it back to the cabin to celebrate with the fam. They were eating tortellini and ravioli, but everyone was excited about my success!! I felt like a load had been lifted off of my shoulders!
After dinner, we all settled in to watch a Henry Cho DVD, "What's That Clickin' Noise?" If you've never heard him, he's a great comedian -- all family-friendly material and really funny.
We made it about halfway through the DVD when B&K fell asleep on the couch, so we turned it off so they and Dear could go to bed. Believe it or not, it was only 9:45! I read for a while (Karen Kingsbury "Return") before turning out the light on our cozy Commodore cabin in Creede.
ttfn
Sunday, June 21, The Jeeping Begins
We woke up early Sunday morning -- old habits and body clocks are hard to change. Brady was up first, then Dear, then Kristen and I emerged at pretty much the same time. We talked about going to one of the little churches in Creede, but only very briefly. It's just one of those things we usually don't do while on vacation. No, we're not backslidden or anything. Call it overload. Besides, nothing makes Dear antsier than being in a church service where the musicians don't play the right chords, or the bass notes don't match, or the timing of the hymns is wrong, etc., etc., etc., you get the picture. It's just less stressful for us NOT to go. So we didn't.
We ate a hodgepodge breakfast of everything from raisin bran to bananas to granola to toast and apple butter. Good thing we did all that Wally World shopping in Alamosa. There's something to satisfy everyone's morning tastebuds.
After the morning ablutions (I love that word), we revved up the Pilot and headed for Creede. It's a sleepy little mining town -- the only township in Mineral County -- but it's also a tourist magnet. It sits in a little valley in the middle of the San Juan mountains of south central Colorado. Creede attracts vacationers from all over, but most of the out-of-state license plates we saw were from Texas. Go figure. Um, 110 versus 65. Yeah. That's a no-brainer.
By the time we got to Creede, it was about 11:30 and BabyMama was hungry. So, we parked the Pilot on the main drag through the town and walked around a bit. Actually, we walked about 15 feet to the first restaurant that was open which happened to be the Firehouse Restaurant. It's a cute little shop with the restaurant on the main floor and a loft full of wonderful-smelling bath soaps and candles and other frou-frou stuff.
Dear and B decided on burgers, K ordered a Caesar salad, and I ordered a California wrap (turkey, avocado, bean sprouts, bacon, ranch). They also had sweet potato fries and fried zucchini on the menu, so we had some of both. And it was all good. K asked if she could get some bread with her salad and the waitress brought her a LOAF of French garlic bread that smelled to high heaven! K could only eat a little of the aromatic, buttery stuff, then she had to retreat to the loft to get rid of the garlic smell. Have I mentioned that she's pregnant and still sensitive to smells?
We finished our lunch and decided to browse through some of the shops that line the main street. Creede is known as an artistic center, so there are a lot of little crafty, artsy fartsy shops all over. The Creede Repertory Theatre is known in the theatre world as one of the best amateur theatre groups in the country. The show on Sunday afternoon was a concert rather than a play or musical, so we didn't pursue finding tickets to attend.
The guys wanted to get their fishing licenses so they could drop a few lines in the water legally, so while they were doing that I moseyed back to one of the shops that had caught my eye. B&K had been looking for something for Baby Jones that had the word "Creede" on it, but hadn't had any success so far. I went into a little shop that we had passed and found a couple of little 6-mo shirts that both had "Creede." Yay me! (I haven't decided what Baby Jones will call me yet. Grandma just doesn't ring a bell with me. Dear is going to be Papa and the other grandparents have decided on Nana and Poppy. Hmmm. I'm still pondering.) Anyway, yay ME!
The Jones boyz have always enjoyed renting a jeep whenever we vacation in Creede. Past adventures have included "Death Mountain," snow fights in June, and actually spotting a moose. B was determined to repeat the adventure this time so K could get the "full Creede" experience. The closest (and most reasonable) place to rent the vehicle was Cottonwood Cove, a little resort-like place on Highway 149 between South Fork and Creede. They rent jeeps, 4-wheelers, rafts, bicycles, etc., so we headed there to see what they had available.
[Side note: I have been on a couple of the jeeping adventures throughout the years, but have decided that they are NOT my cup of tea. So, I always have plenty of crochet projects and books to read to while away the hours while the Jones menfolk are out jeeping about. I'm much happier and so are they.]
CC had JUST the jeep that B wanted, so he completed the paperwork for a 2-day rental. Since it was already 5:30 on Sunday, the CC guy graciously extended B's rental period to 5:30 Tuesday (thanks a lot, CC guy). B was elated. During the paperwork process, K and I explored the adjacent CC gift shop and discovered that they stocked Blue Bell Ice Cream. A rarity in Colorado, for sure! Dear came in and nearly had a spiritual experience when he saw the ice cream display. Needless to say, we all had a scoop of BBIC. Dear had 2. Is that a surprise to anyone?
After the paperwork was complete, Dear and I dropped the Pilot off back at the cabin and then we all tried to pile into the jeep for our first jeeping adventure. I say "tried" because it just didn't happen for me. There was NO way I could get into the back seat because my ... well, just suffice it to say that I've never practiced yoga and couldn't get contortioned enough to get my person back there. Just COULDN'T have gotten a 4-door, could you, B?
Dear huffed and grunted a few times while I pushed from behind and finally made it to the back of the vehicle with K (who had no problems at all squeezing through the miniscule opening between the front and the back. Just wait a couple of months, sweetheart, and you'll see life from OUR side of the fence! LOL) We all seat-belted ourselves in and the adventure began.
Back into Creede and this time all the way through to the north side and up the mountain behind the town. It's a very steep, twisty drive on a dirt road, but I must say that the road is in better condition now than it has ever been on our previous trips. Understand, however, that that is not saying a lot. And for the uninitiated traveler, who also happens to be pregnant, it was anything BUT an adventure. By the time we got to the top of the mountain, K was definitely not in a good place, nor was she enjoying herself the way B and she both thought she would.
We finally made it down the other side of the mountain and back to the cabin, but K was down for the count. I felt so bad for her. She was pale and weak and generally miserable. We fixed dinner while she rested and she tried to eat a little, but just couldn't. After a couple of minutes, she laid back down on the couch and was out like a light for the rest of the night. B stayed with her in case she needed anything.
It was still relatively early, so Dear and I loaded up the laptops and walked over to the office/lodge/restaurant at Antlers to take advantage of their wireless Internet access and so that I could get in a little studying.
One thread of this whole vacation that I haven't chronicled yet has to do with the online class that I'm taking on the journey toward my master's degree in management. It's a finance class -- I call it Finance for Dummies because I do not have a financial-type brain -- and it's really an overview of financial management for non-business undergrad students of which I am one.
I've now survived 2 weeks of this 4-week class and am amazed at what I've learned and retained. To date, I've taken quizzes over chapters 1 and 2 and exam #1 over ch. 1-3. I did okay on the first quizzes, but exam 1 was not a stellar performance (36/50). I have to pull at least a "C" in the class to take advantage of the education reimbursement program at my workplace. So far, it wasn't looking too good...
Dear and I set up our Internet cafe on the patio of the lodge and stayed out until it got too dark for me to read. Then we transferred everything into the little gameroom area for another few minutes. We could tell that the lodge employees were closing up shop for the night about 10:00, so we packed up and walked back to the cabin. It was pitch black outside, but the stars were incredible. Dear turned on the video camera light on his BlackBerry to guide our path and to keep me from falling and breaking my neck. Thank you, Dear.
Back at the cabin, we locked everything up and snuggled in for the night.
ttfn
We ate a hodgepodge breakfast of everything from raisin bran to bananas to granola to toast and apple butter. Good thing we did all that Wally World shopping in Alamosa. There's something to satisfy everyone's morning tastebuds.
After the morning ablutions (I love that word), we revved up the Pilot and headed for Creede. It's a sleepy little mining town -- the only township in Mineral County -- but it's also a tourist magnet. It sits in a little valley in the middle of the San Juan mountains of south central Colorado. Creede attracts vacationers from all over, but most of the out-of-state license plates we saw were from Texas. Go figure. Um, 110 versus 65. Yeah. That's a no-brainer.
By the time we got to Creede, it was about 11:30 and BabyMama was hungry. So, we parked the Pilot on the main drag through the town and walked around a bit. Actually, we walked about 15 feet to the first restaurant that was open which happened to be the Firehouse Restaurant. It's a cute little shop with the restaurant on the main floor and a loft full of wonderful-smelling bath soaps and candles and other frou-frou stuff.
Dear and B decided on burgers, K ordered a Caesar salad, and I ordered a California wrap (turkey, avocado, bean sprouts, bacon, ranch). They also had sweet potato fries and fried zucchini on the menu, so we had some of both. And it was all good. K asked if she could get some bread with her salad and the waitress brought her a LOAF of French garlic bread that smelled to high heaven! K could only eat a little of the aromatic, buttery stuff, then she had to retreat to the loft to get rid of the garlic smell. Have I mentioned that she's pregnant and still sensitive to smells?
We finished our lunch and decided to browse through some of the shops that line the main street. Creede is known as an artistic center, so there are a lot of little crafty, artsy fartsy shops all over. The Creede Repertory Theatre is known in the theatre world as one of the best amateur theatre groups in the country. The show on Sunday afternoon was a concert rather than a play or musical, so we didn't pursue finding tickets to attend.
The guys wanted to get their fishing licenses so they could drop a few lines in the water legally, so while they were doing that I moseyed back to one of the shops that had caught my eye. B&K had been looking for something for Baby Jones that had the word "Creede" on it, but hadn't had any success so far. I went into a little shop that we had passed and found a couple of little 6-mo shirts that both had "Creede." Yay me! (I haven't decided what Baby Jones will call me yet. Grandma just doesn't ring a bell with me. Dear is going to be Papa and the other grandparents have decided on Nana and Poppy. Hmmm. I'm still pondering.) Anyway, yay ME!
The Jones boyz have always enjoyed renting a jeep whenever we vacation in Creede. Past adventures have included "Death Mountain," snow fights in June, and actually spotting a moose. B was determined to repeat the adventure this time so K could get the "full Creede" experience. The closest (and most reasonable) place to rent the vehicle was Cottonwood Cove, a little resort-like place on Highway 149 between South Fork and Creede. They rent jeeps, 4-wheelers, rafts, bicycles, etc., so we headed there to see what they had available.
[Side note: I have been on a couple of the jeeping adventures throughout the years, but have decided that they are NOT my cup of tea. So, I always have plenty of crochet projects and books to read to while away the hours while the Jones menfolk are out jeeping about. I'm much happier and so are they.]
CC had JUST the jeep that B wanted, so he completed the paperwork for a 2-day rental. Since it was already 5:30 on Sunday, the CC guy graciously extended B's rental period to 5:30 Tuesday (thanks a lot, CC guy). B was elated. During the paperwork process, K and I explored the adjacent CC gift shop and discovered that they stocked Blue Bell Ice Cream. A rarity in Colorado, for sure! Dear came in and nearly had a spiritual experience when he saw the ice cream display. Needless to say, we all had a scoop of BBIC. Dear had 2. Is that a surprise to anyone?
After the paperwork was complete, Dear and I dropped the Pilot off back at the cabin and then we all tried to pile into the jeep for our first jeeping adventure. I say "tried" because it just didn't happen for me. There was NO way I could get into the back seat because my ... well, just suffice it to say that I've never practiced yoga and couldn't get contortioned enough to get my person back there. Just COULDN'T have gotten a 4-door, could you, B?
Dear huffed and grunted a few times while I pushed from behind and finally made it to the back of the vehicle with K (who had no problems at all squeezing through the miniscule opening between the front and the back. Just wait a couple of months, sweetheart, and you'll see life from OUR side of the fence! LOL) We all seat-belted ourselves in and the adventure began.
Back into Creede and this time all the way through to the north side and up the mountain behind the town. It's a very steep, twisty drive on a dirt road, but I must say that the road is in better condition now than it has ever been on our previous trips. Understand, however, that that is not saying a lot. And for the uninitiated traveler, who also happens to be pregnant, it was anything BUT an adventure. By the time we got to the top of the mountain, K was definitely not in a good place, nor was she enjoying herself the way B and she both thought she would.
We finally made it down the other side of the mountain and back to the cabin, but K was down for the count. I felt so bad for her. She was pale and weak and generally miserable. We fixed dinner while she rested and she tried to eat a little, but just couldn't. After a couple of minutes, she laid back down on the couch and was out like a light for the rest of the night. B stayed with her in case she needed anything.
It was still relatively early, so Dear and I loaded up the laptops and walked over to the office/lodge/restaurant at Antlers to take advantage of their wireless Internet access and so that I could get in a little studying.
One thread of this whole vacation that I haven't chronicled yet has to do with the online class that I'm taking on the journey toward my master's degree in management. It's a finance class -- I call it Finance for Dummies because I do not have a financial-type brain -- and it's really an overview of financial management for non-business undergrad students of which I am one.
I've now survived 2 weeks of this 4-week class and am amazed at what I've learned and retained. To date, I've taken quizzes over chapters 1 and 2 and exam #1 over ch. 1-3. I did okay on the first quizzes, but exam 1 was not a stellar performance (36/50). I have to pull at least a "C" in the class to take advantage of the education reimbursement program at my workplace. So far, it wasn't looking too good...
Dear and I set up our Internet cafe on the patio of the lodge and stayed out until it got too dark for me to read. Then we transferred everything into the little gameroom area for another few minutes. We could tell that the lodge employees were closing up shop for the night about 10:00, so we packed up and walked back to the cabin. It was pitch black outside, but the stars were incredible. Dear turned on the video camera light on his BlackBerry to guide our path and to keep me from falling and breaking my neck. Thank you, Dear.
Back at the cabin, we locked everything up and snuggled in for the night.
ttfn
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, From Amarillo to Creede
We woke up Saturday morning to pouring rain in the yellow city. Brady didn't know what that meant, so I reminded him that amarillo means yellow in Spanish. Ahhh, the light came on.
We communicated via text message and coordinated our hallway meeting for 9-ish. The hotel served breakfast until 9:30 and we wanted to take advantage of that before we got on the road. The breakfast included everything from fresh fruit to cereal to bagels and pastries to waffles. Naturally, Dear had to try out the waffle iron. His creation was a huge waffle in the shape of the state of Texas. Interesting. He tried to make one for Kristen, but it didn't get all the way done. So she only ate the El Paso part. Good choice, K.
B pulled the Pilot up under the hotel canopy so we could pack everything inside without getting soaked. It didn't take long to get it stuffed and we were on the road about 10 a.m. North to Dumas, west to Dalhart, and we were out of Texas.
On some of our previous vacations we have stopped at Capulin Crater in New Mexico. The boys have walked the rim of the crater and, if I remember correctly, we've all trekked down to the center spout-hole thingy. Unfortunately it was still raining and the clouds were very low when we got there today, so we didn't go this time so K missed the full Capulin experience.
We did stop at the only little quick-stop place in Capulin for a potty break, but the sign said "Restroom for customers only" so B&K and Dear felt obligated to make a purchase in return for the use of the facilities. K bought a bottled water, and Dear bought a refrigerator magnet (uh, have you SEEN our refrigerator lately?) and a jar of apple butter.
Back in the car and we traveled on through the northeast corner of New Mexico to Raton. That's where we stopped to eat at a Pizza Hut. B had mentioned during the last driving jaunt that pizza sounded good to him and were we all game? Of course. Thus, Pizza Hut in Raton, NM. The other 3 of us discovered during the course of the lunch-table conversation that B had awakened early and was watching the History Channel special on the popularity of pizza in the United States. AHA! That's why he wanted pizza! Good thing he didn't watch one of those whaling shows...
By the time we finished lunch, the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds on a regular basis. YAY! Dear took over the driving duties out of Raton and our next stop was the Walmart in Alamosa, CO -- the last of its kind on our route to Creede and the best place for us to buy our groceries (food) and necessities (fishing pole, tackle box, lures...) for the week. We made our purchases and managed to squeeeeeeeeeeeze everything into the already packed Pilot. Dear retained his driver's seat spot with B&K threatening him bodily harm if he did the "brake-check" stomp and brought down groceries on their unsuspecting heads.
Next stop: Creede! We pulled into Antler's Lodge at 6:30 p.m. to an outside temperature of 38 degrees. Heaven! Antler's looks just the same as we remembered and the Rio Grande is much higher and faster than it was the last time we were here (2005? I think). We paid the balance on the cabin, got the keys and drove around to the Commodore -- the first cabin right on the bank of the Rio Grande. We unloaded the Pilot, put the groceries away and sat down to our first cabin meal: turkey sandwiches, chips, grapes and chocolate chip cookies. Mmm, mmm good!
Since I'm taking this master's class in finance, the fact that Antler's offers free high-speed Internet access was a great relief. I have 2 quizzes and 1 exam to take before Monday, so Dear and I walked back to the office/gift shop/game room to check out the Internet accessibility and availability. It took a couple of tries to get hooked up, but we eventually got it working. The office closed at 9 p.m., so I didn't get any Internet work done but I did finish up some reading back in the cabin and planned to do Internet stuff on Sunday.
While Dear and I were at the office/gift shop/game room, B got his fishing pole out and K got her camera and they went down to the river. In less than 15 minutes, B had caught a fish about 8" long and threw it back, and K had taken a bunch of pictures. B also got his line caught on a rock, in a tree, and on a piece of wood. I took pictures of him trying to get his line free. Thanks, Mom.
If you know us, you know that we are electronic travelers. Meaning that wherever we go, we travel wherever with all of our electronic gadgets. We knew that we would be able to play DVD's on the laptop(s), so Dear brought a 19-inch flat-screen monitor for ease of viewing AND a CD/iPod player for ease of hearing. We're so spoiled.
Dear and B hooked up the laptop to the monitor and player and we popped in the Rat Race DVD as a comedic end to our very full day. We made it through about 20 minutes of the movie and K was already asleep, Dear was nodding, and B and I were also ready to call it a day.
The cabin is equipped with a gas heater/fireplace device, so B turned it on for a few minutes to get the chill out of the room before we turned in for the night. We all retreated to our designated bedrooms. Dear plugged in his new white-noise device and I plugged in my snore-resistant earplugs. Goodnight, Colorado!
Photos are posted to my Facebook photo album (Kasi Pierce Jones, Vacation June 2009). It's easier there than here.
ttfn
We communicated via text message and coordinated our hallway meeting for 9-ish. The hotel served breakfast until 9:30 and we wanted to take advantage of that before we got on the road. The breakfast included everything from fresh fruit to cereal to bagels and pastries to waffles. Naturally, Dear had to try out the waffle iron. His creation was a huge waffle in the shape of the state of Texas. Interesting. He tried to make one for Kristen, but it didn't get all the way done. So she only ate the El Paso part. Good choice, K.
B pulled the Pilot up under the hotel canopy so we could pack everything inside without getting soaked. It didn't take long to get it stuffed and we were on the road about 10 a.m. North to Dumas, west to Dalhart, and we were out of Texas.
On some of our previous vacations we have stopped at Capulin Crater in New Mexico. The boys have walked the rim of the crater and, if I remember correctly, we've all trekked down to the center spout-hole thingy. Unfortunately it was still raining and the clouds were very low when we got there today, so we didn't go this time so K missed the full Capulin experience.
We did stop at the only little quick-stop place in Capulin for a potty break, but the sign said "Restroom for customers only" so B&K and Dear felt obligated to make a purchase in return for the use of the facilities. K bought a bottled water, and Dear bought a refrigerator magnet (uh, have you SEEN our refrigerator lately?) and a jar of apple butter.
Back in the car and we traveled on through the northeast corner of New Mexico to Raton. That's where we stopped to eat at a Pizza Hut. B had mentioned during the last driving jaunt that pizza sounded good to him and were we all game? Of course. Thus, Pizza Hut in Raton, NM. The other 3 of us discovered during the course of the lunch-table conversation that B had awakened early and was watching the History Channel special on the popularity of pizza in the United States. AHA! That's why he wanted pizza! Good thing he didn't watch one of those whaling shows...
By the time we finished lunch, the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds on a regular basis. YAY! Dear took over the driving duties out of Raton and our next stop was the Walmart in Alamosa, CO -- the last of its kind on our route to Creede and the best place for us to buy our groceries (food) and necessities (fishing pole, tackle box, lures...) for the week. We made our purchases and managed to squeeeeeeeeeeeze everything into the already packed Pilot. Dear retained his driver's seat spot with B&K threatening him bodily harm if he did the "brake-check" stomp and brought down groceries on their unsuspecting heads.
Next stop: Creede! We pulled into Antler's Lodge at 6:30 p.m. to an outside temperature of 38 degrees. Heaven! Antler's looks just the same as we remembered and the Rio Grande is much higher and faster than it was the last time we were here (2005? I think). We paid the balance on the cabin, got the keys and drove around to the Commodore -- the first cabin right on the bank of the Rio Grande. We unloaded the Pilot, put the groceries away and sat down to our first cabin meal: turkey sandwiches, chips, grapes and chocolate chip cookies. Mmm, mmm good!
Since I'm taking this master's class in finance, the fact that Antler's offers free high-speed Internet access was a great relief. I have 2 quizzes and 1 exam to take before Monday, so Dear and I walked back to the office/gift shop/game room to check out the Internet accessibility and availability. It took a couple of tries to get hooked up, but we eventually got it working. The office closed at 9 p.m., so I didn't get any Internet work done but I did finish up some reading back in the cabin and planned to do Internet stuff on Sunday.
While Dear and I were at the office/gift shop/game room, B got his fishing pole out and K got her camera and they went down to the river. In less than 15 minutes, B had caught a fish about 8" long and threw it back, and K had taken a bunch of pictures. B also got his line caught on a rock, in a tree, and on a piece of wood. I took pictures of him trying to get his line free. Thanks, Mom.
If you know us, you know that we are electronic travelers. Meaning that wherever we go, we travel wherever with all of our electronic gadgets. We knew that we would be able to play DVD's on the laptop(s), so Dear brought a 19-inch flat-screen monitor for ease of viewing AND a CD/iPod player for ease of hearing. We're so spoiled.
Dear and B hooked up the laptop to the monitor and player and we popped in the Rat Race DVD as a comedic end to our very full day. We made it through about 20 minutes of the movie and K was already asleep, Dear was nodding, and B and I were also ready to call it a day.
The cabin is equipped with a gas heater/fireplace device, so B turned it on for a few minutes to get the chill out of the room before we turned in for the night. We all retreated to our designated bedrooms. Dear plugged in his new white-noise device and I plugged in my snore-resistant earplugs. Goodnight, Colorado!
Photos are posted to my Facebook photo album (Kasi Pierce Jones, Vacation June 2009). It's easier there than here.
ttfn
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