Vallecito, Co

On Thursday, June 25, we decided to drive over to Lake Vallecito, about 22 miles north of Durango. The weather was a little overcast and we did run into a little rain but it was a beautiful drive.
The area was devastated by a fire in June/July of 2002. The trees are beginning to return but it is a very slow process. I think that you can see some of the fire damage on the photo.

This year I did manage to get better photos of the wood carvings that were made out of some of the logs that were left from the fire. Instead of chopping the logs into chippings some were carved into totem poles to honor the firefighters and the animals that were devastated by the fire.

We have had more rain here than we encountered last year but the weather is still nice, especially when we read about the hot spell that Florida has been having.

We will be here in the Durango area for several more days and then head to Salt Lake City for a few days.
Hope all is well with everyone, remember that we love to hear from you also....

Candy and Johnny

Chimney Rock

Friday, June 19 was a beautiful day so John and I jumped in the car and headed out to see some more sights we had not seen before.

As we headed down the road we came upon the Archaeological Area known as Chimney Rock.
A thousand years ago, the forests below Chimney Rock's twin pinnacles were home to ancestral Puebloan people. Later, the formations served as a landmark for the European explorers and prospectors who settled this rugged country. Today, the prominent and beautiful spires mark one of the most unusual and intriguing archaeological sites in the Four Corners.
Located 17 miles west of Pagose Springs, Co. Chimney Rock's stone pinnacles guard an ancient pueblo on lands shared by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the San Juan National Forest.
Chimney Rock is a special place.. it offers a glimpse of the challenges faced by those who came before us. Originally excavated in the early 1920's, Chimney Roch was designated an Archaeological Area and National Historical Site in 1970.
Mysteries, myths, legends, and theories abound: Why did a lowlands, agricultural community migrate to the high elevations and harsh conditions of the Chimney Rock mesa...and why did they leave? What attracted them to the twin towers - spiritual purposes? Defense against enemies? Was Chimney Rock a trading post for the ancient Southwest?
Chimney Rock is the most isolated and remote of the "outliers" - the communities connected to Chaco Canyon - and is also the highest in elevation.
Since the 1960's members of the University of Colorado have studied the site, and research continues today. What brought the Chacoans here? Dr. J. McKin Malville of the University of Colorado thinks that the High Mesa structures may have been inspired by the "lunar standstill" phenomenon, which occurs every 18 years. Was the Great House built so that it residents could watch the moon rise between the pinnacles?
The Great House, Ridge House, Great Kiva, and some 200 other undisturbed structures are found within the six square miles of Archaeological Area.
Whatever brought their ancient ancestors to Chimney Rock, modern Southwestern Indian cultures still consider it to be a place of spiritual significance.

From Chimney Rock we drove over to Pagosa Springs for lunch at Boss Hogg's Restaurant & Saloon. What a cute little town! Known for its hot springs!

"Pagosah" is the name given to the Great Pagosa Hot Springs by the Ute Indians, the "Pah" meaning "water" and the "gosah" signifying "boiling".
A more popular and accepted definition is the term "healing water". This hot mineral water still holds a certain mystique today, and many attest to its therapeutic value.
May area resorts and hotels operate hot mineral baths/pools and a hot mineral swimming pool.

I am sure that this is more information than you really needed but we do find some interesting places.......

That is all for today....stay tuned for more later.....

Candy and Johnny

Ouray, Co

These photo's did not come through with the last story. Candy

Town of Ouray.

Red Mountain.

Waterfall.

Ouray, Co

After we left Silverton, Co., we headed further up the mountains to have lunch in Ouray, Co.
Ouray is named after the most famous chief of the Ute Indian Tribe, who made his home in the Uncompahgre Valley. Native Americans came to Ouray to hunt, escape the heat, enjoy the beauty and to use the hot springs. The Utes signed many treaties with the government but eventually were pushed out of the San Juan Mountains by the white settlers.

Ouray was first explored in the early 1860's but the big mining rush occurred in the summer of 1875 and the town was incorporated in October 1876. In August of 1875 the first mines in Ouray County, the Fisher and Cedar lodes, were located inside the present-day City of Ouray. By fall 1876, Ouray had 400 hundred inhabitants and by 1878 that had increased to over 800. The mining in the early 1870's was mainly focused along Canyon Creek all the way up to Yankee Boy Basin.

In the 1880'2, silver mining exploded on the east side of Red Mountain (bottom photo). In 1887-8 Otto Mears built the Silverton Railroad from Silverton over Red Mountain Pass and down into Ironton. For several years it was the most profitable railroad, mile per mile, in

the United States. Much of the right-of-way remains and can be easily hiked today. The great silver mines flourished until the mid-1890's when the silver panic of 1893 led to the eventual closing of most of the area mines.
The discovery of gold as Tom Walsh's Camp Bird Mine as well as the mines on Gold Hill north of Ouray saved the town and ushered in a new time of prosperity in Ouray. Mining remained the primary industry in OUray and the base metals, lead, copper and zinc kept the larger mines producing until the closing of the Idarado and Camp Bird mines in the late 1970's. Recently, the high price of gold had resulted in the reopening of several area mines.

We had lunch at the Main Street Restaurant. Good food. then we walked around town before heading back to Durango. On our trip back down the mountains we saw more waterfalls and enjoyed the scenery .
Love to all ,
Candy and Johnny

Silverton,Co

Wednesday, June 17, we drove up into the mountains to Silverton, Co. You take a step back in time starting around 1860, when Charles Baker and several prospectors entered the San Juan
Mountains in search of wealth. They soon found deposits of gold and silver along the Animas River in an area later called "Baker's Park".
In 1874, the Silverton town site was laid out and it soon became the center of the numerous mining camps located along the Animas River. In addition to the miners, Silverton caught the eye of railroad companies. In July 1882, the first train operated by the Denver&Rio Grande rolled into Silverton from Durango. By 1883, Silverton boasted having a population of 2,000 people with 400 buildings - two banks, five laundries, 32 saloons and several hotels. An invisible line ran
down Greene Street keeping the respectable side of town divided from the bawdry red light district - the infamous Blair Street.
During Silverton's early history, Blair Street developed as the red-light district. In May 1883, a Grand Jury brought 117 indictments against "lewd women". Prostitutes were fined $5.00 plus court costs and dance halls that were open on Sunday were fined $25.00.
Although fines were levied, gambling and prostitution were generally accepted as long as the practice did not migrate into the more respectable sections of town. Lascivious behavior was not necessarily condemned, as fines were readily used for the growing community. Today there is still a town ordinance on the books prohibiting curtains on saloon windows. The law wanted to see what was going on inside those dens of iniquity.
By the 1940's most of the gambling was over and the "ladies" had moved on, citing competition from the local girls who "gave it away" in fits of patriotic fervor during WWII. The old saloons on Blair Street had a rebirth in the 1950's as movie sets, where westerns such as "Run for Cover", "Across The Wide Missouri", and "True Grit" were shot.
Today, Silverton is nationally noted for its excellent preservation of such unique history, buildings, Silverton Mountain Ski Area, Kendall Mountain Reservation Area, the scenic highway and back country byways, small town friendliness and as a year round recreational paradise.
Due to a slow market and low demand, mining in Silverton closed down in the early 1990's. However, there's still gold and silver in those mountains and rumor has it that mining will be back one day. Along the road side you can still see the remnants of mining shacks and tunnels.

Along the road are many waterfalls as the snow melt-off makes its way to the rivers.

We want to rent a jeep and go off-road mountain climbing this coming week. We will keep you posted on that outing.,.. until later hope everyone is well.....

Love to all, Candy and Johnny

Durango, Co

We are settling back into the RV lifestyle again. This year we are not doing as much sight seeing as we did last year. We did seem to be on
the go all the time last year!!!! We arrived in Durango, Co. on June 9th after a long drive from Texas through New Mexico. We were going to stop in Albuquerque, NM but the weather was not looking that great so we decided to push on to Colorado. It seems that we were just ahead of the rain and after we arrived and got set up it began to rain and rained all the next day. A great day to stay inside and rest after the log drive. The sun has come out here but we have had some rain in the afternoon on several days. It is cool in the mornings and warm in the afternoon. The locals are complaining about all the cool weather, but we rather enjoy it, especially when we look at the temperatures in Palm Coast!!!

We get up in the morning and head out for a walk along the back road. Just down the road is a waterfall. It is so beautiful in the morning with the sun shining down on the water tumbling down the side of the hill. A little further down the road we come to a sign that says "Mechanic on Duty" I love the entrance fence to his workshop... see bottom photo... it reminds me of the charter "Mater" from the Disney movie "Cars". For those of you that have not seen the movie, it is about race cars.... very funny and not just for children!

Our friends Courtney and Gary Webb were here in Durango with their grandchildren for several days. We did manage to get together and have a fun evening of talking and laughting. They are also headed to Anacortes, Washington and will be there when we are there so we will meet up with them again later with several other friends.
Yesterday we went into Durango. Johnny loves to go to the Animal Shelter Thrift Shop as they have used book and he usually finds several hard back book of the authors that he enjoys reading. The books usually sell for $1.oo but yesterday they were having a sale and they were all half price. He got 10 books for $5.00 A Pilots Delight!!!!!. We stopped downtown for lunch at the Carver Tavern, good food and wonderful beer!

Last night the RV park had a Karaoke night.... we did not sing...but some of them were very good. The trains go by everyday and blow their whistle on their way to Silverton up in the mountains. We rode the train last year so do not think we will do it again this year. Tomorrow we plan on driving up to Silverton and maybe on up further to Ouray and wander the towns.

That is about all from here for now. Hope all is well with everyone. You are in our thoughts. Remember that we love to hear from you too....

Love, Candy and Johnny

Spring, 2009

Greetings to one and all... it has been a busy Spring for the Badger's. In May we went up to Ohio, where John W., Aimee and the kids, John 6 and Morgan 4 were living. John W. finally got a flying job over in China so we went up to help them pack up and move to
China. We had to decide what to put in storage here in the states and then pack up the rest that was going to China with them. They will be over there for three years and maybe up to 8 years. We talk to them and e-mail. They got there after a long 25 hour trip and as John W. had been over already he had an apartment set up and waiting for them. Aimee is getting used to they way they do things in China. John and Aimee have both gotten scooters to get around over there. The kids are in school and are planning on going to summer camp. All is going well so we are very happy for them......

We came home from Ohio and I got sick for almost three weeks with a sinus infection.. that was no fun. Finally over that we packed up the RV and headed west to get out of hot Florida for the summer.
We left Palm Coast on Wednesday, June 1 and drove as far as Montgomery, Al. for the night. The next day we drove to West Point, Mississippi to visit John's cousin Ann. Ann spends her time between Atlanta and where she grew up here in West Point. We had a very nice visit. Along our route to Mississippi we encountered the accident that you see here. I have no idea how they got that way but
glad that it was not us!!!!!


We left Mississippi on Sunday and made it as far as Canton, Texas for the night. We were not sure which way we wanted to go but with watching the weather this seemed the best route. There is not much to see in Texas but a lot of open spaces... and the wind machines, they seemed to go on for a long time. On Monday we headed to Lubbock, Texas for the night. Tuesday we were off once again and were going to stop in Albuquerque, N.M. As we were watching the weather on the computer we decided to push our driving for the day and head on to Durango, Colorado. We did encounter a rain storm just north of Albuquerque and then just prior to the border the rain stopped and the wind came up and we were in a dust storm. We finally made it to Durango, Tuesday evening, June 9.
We were very tired when we got here but were glad to be here as we will now stay put for three weeks. We stopped here last year and really enjoyed the area so here we are once again.

So far we are getting our home set up and catching our breath from the long drive......

Hope all is well with everyone. More later so stay tuned.

Love,
Candy and Johnny