Ouray, Colorado

Posted on August 24, 2023 by admin

“The Switzerland of America”

At 7,800 feet elevation, Ouray, Colorado, (pronounced “YOU-ray”), in a canyon surrounded by steep mountains on all sides, seemed like a perfect place to spend a hot summer day. It was named after Chief Ouray of the Ute Indian tribe.The town was originally a gold mining town. The Camp Bird Mine produced over one million ounces of gold by 1917.

For us, it was a two-hour drive to get there, and actually took longer because of a half-hour delay both ways for road construction. But it was definitely worth the drive.

Our first priority was to see Box Canyon Falls. It is a city park not far outside of town. Long ago, it was up for sale for $5,000, but it never sold. It was deeded to the city for $75 to preserve it for everyone’s enjoyment.

The parking lot was small, but we managed to squeeze into the last spot available. It was a short, easy walk to the falls. Along the way we saw some wildlife.

Chipmunk enjoys the bird seed dropped from the bird feeder.

We could hear the falls long before we could see it.

In the stream flowing below us, there was a cement box which surrounds the source of a hot spring. Long ago, it flowed into the stream. But today, there’s a pipe that diverts the hot springs water to a popular hot springs swimming area on the outskirts of town.

A hot spring which used to flow into the stream is now piped into Ouray.

As we approached the waterfall, there was a catwalk along the rock walls.

Our first glimpse of the waterfall was the lower section.

Next, we could see the water coming down the chute. It was very loud by this time, and mist filled the air.

At the closet point, we could see the torrent of water coming down the box canyon chute. It has so much force, it could power the entire town of Ouray. The thunderous noise made it impossible to talk to one another.

From there we could see how the water came nearly straight down, falling 285 feet into a narrow quartzite canyon.

The catwalk had stairs that led down to the stream, so we walked down to see it better.

The box canyon is also unique in that it is home to a colony of Black Swifts. These birds arrive in early June to make nests of mud and grass in the indentations of the rock walls. They lay one egg and care for the chick until autumn when they migrate to Brazil 4,300 miles away.

What’s even more interesting is that the chick never flies until time to migrate. They hang onto the edge of the nest and flap their wings like a hummingbird to gain enough strength for the long arduous journey. However, to my disappointment, we didn’t see any of these amazing birds while we were there.

We hiked back out of the canyon. The view from the trail was so pretty.

Back in the town of Ouray, we looked for a place to have our picnic lunch. We found a cement wall by the courthouse that made a perfect place.

The courthouse, built in 1888, was used in the movie True Grit, starring John Wayne.

Ouray Courthouse. Yes, the street really does slope that much!

While we ate our lunch outside, I noticed a waterfall coming down one of the mountainsides of the town. The name of the waterfalls is Cacade Falls. I found out later that there is a quarter of a mile trail to the bottom of the falls. We will have to save that for another visit.

We went back home on Highway 550 the way we came, but if we had continued on south, we would have traveled on the famous “Million Dollar Highway” to Silverton, Colorado.

We have plenty of reasons to come back to Colorado and explore some more of the beautiful creation of God.

“Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have passed over me.
The Lord will send His goodness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.” Psalm 42:7-8

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Posted on August 18, 2023 by admin

Colorado

On our way from Canon to Gunnison, Colorado, we had to cross Monarch Pass. It is 11,312 feet in elevation. The road is in good condition, and the views are unforgettable.

Monarch Pass – 11, 312 feet in elevation

US Highway 50 is very scenic from Gunnison to our Thousand Trails campground. For several miles the road follows along beside the Gunnison River and Reservoir. We would cross this bridge later in the week on our way to Lake City. But that’s another story.

We could see the lake from our campsite. It was just across the highway from the campground. The weather changed every day. Sometimes it was very calm, and other times it was very windy.

In the afternoons, we would often get thunderstorms with magnificent looking clouds, especially at sunset.

During our three-week stay there, we took several day trips. One of our trips was to a new national park (for us), Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I’d never heard of it before until I was looking on the map to see what was near us. It was still about an hour drive from us, but totally worth it.

Right near the park entrance is the Visitors’ Center. It is perched on a hill overlooking the canyon. There’s a trail that leads to a lookout point. We walked down, but had to stop a couple of times coming back up. It is at an elevation of 5,600 feet and we weren’t used to it yet.

At our first lookout below the Visitors’ Center, we got our first real sense of the depth of this canyon. From 1,820 feet to 2,722 feet it makes it a real challenge for anyone afraid of heights as we were soon to find out.

At the bottom of the canyon was the Gunnison River hundreds of feet below.

Gunnison Point Overlook opposite direction

The road follows the edge of the canyon. We reached one point where the road nears the edge. There in the middle of the road was an RV stopped, straddling both lanes. A man was walking around in the road looking agitated.

I was driving, so I rolled down my window and asked him what was wrong. He (Brian) came over to tell me he had a panic attack and was unable to drive so close to the edge around the curve. When I offered to have someone (Ray) drive for him, he was visibly relieved. Ray took over for him and drove the rest of the way. We had our ham radios to communicate between the vehicles, so when I wanted to stop to take photos, Ray could pull over.

It surprised me that Brian got out and looked at the canyon at the overlooks. Apparently, he was okay with heights as long as he wasn’t driving.

At Chasm Viewpoint, one can look straight down for hundreds of feet from the viewing point. The canyon is only 1,100 feet wide at the rim, and as little as 40 feet wide at the narrows.

“Painted Rocks” looks like someone splashed paint across the canyon walls. The colors are from minerals from volcanic activity and erosion that exposed them.

At Warner Overlook the distant valley is visible. The Canyon is 48 miles long, but only 14 miles is contained in the Black Canyon National Park boundaries.

The contrast between the rocky cliffs and the lush farmland below shows the beautiful variety in God’s creation.

Ray drove the RV back to the entrance of the park where he handed it over to Brian again. Brain thanked us profusely and tried to pay Ray for his time, but Ray refused. He came over to shake my hand and thanked me also. His palm was still sweaty, so I knew his panic had been real. Later, we discovered a wad of money that he’d stuck in Ray’s back pocket. We were just glad to help a fellow traveler out of a pinch.

After dropping Brian off, we drove the road down to the bottom of the canyon. The descent is quite steep in parts, but a beautiful drive. We brought a picnic lunch. By then it was nearly 2:00 p.m. and we were pretty hungry. We found a covered picnic area right by the river and enjoyed the view while we ate.

We’d had an interesting day. It wasn’t what we had planned, but sometimes God puts people in our way that need His love demonstrated to them.

We were glad to finally get back home to our little home on wheels.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Royal Gorge Bridge

Posted on August 11, 2023 by admin

Canon, Colorado

Royal Gorge and Bridge Park is America’s highest suspension bridge. At 956 feet above the Arkansas River, it is quite a feat of engineering having been built in 1929. Eighty men completed the bridge in just seven months.

A Texan, by the name of Lon Piper, was a businessman and bridge builder who had the dream to build the highest suspension bridge in the world. Along with engineer George E. Cole, they came up with a plan.

Steel towers 150 feet high were built first on opposite sides of the gorge. Then two steel cables were lowered into the gorge, joined and pulled back up.

Two primary suspension cables consist of 2,100 strands of No. 9 galvanized wire in each cable. They are attached securely on each side as shown below.

The Royal Gorge Bridge spans 1,260 feet from rim to rim. The bridge floor is made of wooden planks. About 1/5th of them are replaced every year.

Since the bridge and park are privately owned, there is an entrance fee. We started our tour by walking across the bridge. It is about a quarter of a mile in length. We looked over the sides and saw the rapids of the Arkansas River below.

There is also a railroad track and a train that takes visitors through the gorge for a price. We crossed the bridge and while we were looking around, we heard the train whistle echoing in the canyon below.

On the other side of the gorge is a plaza with places to eat, and a theater. The theater is also a museum. We caught the first showing of a movie that tells the history of the bridge and its construction.

I took some photos of the bridge looking back at the Visitors’ Center before walking back across.

The flags of all 50 states are displayed along the sides of the bridge. We found our home state flag of Texas. I was very surprised to see that I caught a bird or something in the background of the photo. My best guess is it was a scissor-tailed flycatcher.

Texas flag with possibly a scissor tailed flycatcher in background.

The canyon is stunningly beautiful, with red rocks, and distant mountains.

Our ticket included a gondola ride across the abyss. We didn’t know that we could ride it back after we walked across. So we got in line on the Visitors’ Center side. We were crammed in with six other people. It was hot and stuffy and the windows were dirty, so the photos weren’t very clear.

The gondola is suspended above the canyon. It’s a long way down.

The entire bridge can be seen from the gondola ride. After we rode across, we didn’t want to walk back across the bridge again, so we rode the gondola back. That time we were the only ones in our car.

View of bridge through dirty gondola windows.

The views of the gorge from the bridge are really beautiful. It’s a testament to the wonderful variety and splendor of the creation of God.

Royal Gorge Suspension Bridge held the title of highest suspension bridge in the world until 2012. Today, it is highest suspension bridge in the United States.

Zipliners ride the zip line across the canyon

As recently as 2012, a wildfire burned all the park’s buildings and some wooden planks of the bridge. The bridge was unharmed otherwise, and the buildings were rebuilt in seven months.

I visited here when I was a child, but I didn’t remember much about it. I was glad to see it again from an adult perspective. I appreciate the men back in 1929 who dreamed big enough to build a bridge that is a place for people to enjoy today.

The Royal Gorge reminds me of the huge chasm between man and God, and how Jesus bridged the gap that we could never cross.

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” I Timothy 2:5

Isn’t it wonderful to know that God is the Great Engineer who built a bridge across to us so that we could have a relationship with a holy God through Jesus, His Son.

******

We drove back to our campground in Canon, Colorado. There was a storm that blew through in the evening making the distant mountains take on a purple hue.

We’d had enough excitement for the day. It was good to be back home.

Capulin Volcano and Northern New Mexico

Posted on July 29, 2023 by admin

Our path to Colorado took us across the northeastern corner of New Mexico. Everything was green and beautiful. As we passed Capulin Volcano National Monument, I took a photo out the window. I thought maybe someday we would be able to visit there. Little did I know that day would come sooner than expected.

Not many miles past the volcano, our truck sounded a warning. A service engine light came on with a message that the truck fuel exhaust system needed cleaning. “Keep driving,” it said. Then it reduced the power and went into limp mode. It was especially slow going uphill. There was nothing we could do. It gave us seven warning messages. It seemed like our truck had major problems. That’s a scary thing when you’re pulling a trailer and there’s a mountain pass between you and your destination.

We stopped in the nearest town, Raton, New Mexico, where Ray got a bottle of fuel cleaner to add to the fuel tank. To make a long story short, we got a campsite in the KOA park there and made an appointment with a diesel mechanic the soonest we could get, which was five days from then.

In the meantime, we needed to drive the truck to get the fuel cleaner throughout the system. We decided to drive back to see the Capulin Volcano National Monument that very same day. On the way, we saw a rainstorm about to cross our pathway.

Most of it blew across the road before we got there, but we got a real truck wash for a few minutes.

The national monument was only a few miles off the main road. The drive through the countryside was beautiful, especially after the rain.

We stopped at the Visitors’ Center before we drove up the road to the top of the volcano. The road curves around the volcano as it climbs to the top. The views were really something.

A shield volcano can be seen from the road up Capulin volcano.

At the top of the volcano was a parking lot. From the parking lot, there was a trail that went around the top of the crater and down to the bottom. We did not attempt that. It was a long ways down. If you look carefully, you might be able to see people at the bottom of the crater.

The crater was covered in vegetation, which surprised me. I was expecting bare rocks. I think that means this volcano has been extinct for a very long time.

Here are a few more views from the top of the volcano. The elevation at the top was 7,877′.

The flat top mountains are ancient lava flows. The peaks are other cinder cones, shield volcanoes and volcanic domes.

Capulin Volcano is said to have erupted when mammoths and giant bison roamed these plains.

There’s an interesting story about a former slave from Texas who found some ancient bison bones after a devastating flood in an area seven miles north of Capulin Volcano. What made the discovery important was the finding of “Folsom points”, stone projectile points used by early bison hunters. The fact that they were intermingled with the giant bison ribs, even embedded in one, meant that they could place mankind in North America almost 7,000 years earlier than previously thought. Of course, if they had believed the Bible, they could have saved themselves some trouble with their dating process.

President Woodrow Wilson declared Capulin Mountain a National Monument in 1916. It was considered the most perfect specimen of extinct volcanoes in North America. A road was built in 1925. In 1933 a Civil Works Project was approved and gave local men a dollar a day plus food to build a sound road. It was 1987, however, before the road was actually paved.

*****

Over a period of four days, we drove the truck several miles. One day we took a drive to nearby Sugarite State Park. The park has a couple of lakes formed by dams.

The upper lake, Lake Maloya, is the larger lake. The park is so close to the state line that Lake Maloya extends a short distance over the Colorado border.

The hills beyond the lake are in Colorado

The lake is a popular fishing spot. A fisherman told me that there were pike and trout in the lake.

Lake Maloya is a popular place for fishing.

There were many wildflowers in bloom around the lake. Butterflies were also abundant. I discovered a phone app called “Picture This” that helps me identify flowers just by taking a photo of them. Here are some I identified with it.

We continued driving the truck each day. On day four, Ray was able to clear all the warning messages and canceled the appointment with the mechanic. The truck was running fine. We left the next day and drove across the pass to our next destination, thanking God for His wonderful care for us.

“Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
He rescues them from all their troubles.” Psalm 34:17

Texas State Parks

Posted on July 19, 2023 by admin

We stayed in several Texas state parks in June and July. We bought a yearly pass that gave us a discount on entrance fees and camping sites for all Texas state parks. The sites normally have only water and electric hookups, but a dump station is provided. Since we were only staying a few days at a time in each park, it worked out well for us and saved us money on campgrounds.

San Angelo State Park

Near San Angelo, Texas, is San Angelo State Park. It has wide open views, a lake and a herd of bison. While we were there, we enjoyed the evening sunsets.

Colorado City State Park

Colorado City State Park is less than two hours north of San Angelo. It is situated on a lake also. We had a nice pull-through site which made it easy to get in and out. It is a dark sky park, so I tried a few night-time photos. The Milky Way was really bright.

Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway

Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway was one of my favorite parks. It is located in the lower middle part of the Texas panhandle. It has a nice visitor’s center at the entrance. It is home to the official Texas bison herd. It is the only herd in the U.S. that hasn’t been interbred with cattle. They have some impressive bison that have run of the entire park.

The babies were abundant and fun to watch.

The bison liked to hang out in a grassy area near the campsites, but didn’t seem to bother anyone. They also had a lake of their own where they gathered in the evenings.

Caprock Canyon State Park is located in a beautiful red rock canyon that reminded me of Sedona, Arizona.

There’s a scenic drive through the canyon to various scenic areas.

Besides the bison, we saw other wildlife: prairie dogs, a rabbit and a roadrunner carrying something in his mouth.

The prairie dogs didn’t seem to mind the bison resting near their homes.

Growing near the roads were many wild sunflowers.

Another feature of this park is the system of rails-to-trails throughout the park. Rails-to-trails is a program that turns old railways into hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. This trailway spans three counties, has 46 bridges and a tunnel that is home to thousands of bats. We didn’t hike the trails since the weather was too hot and we were only there a couple of days.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Called the “Grand Canyon of Texas”, Palo Duro Canyon state park is located at the bottom of a deep canyon. As we approached the park, we saw only flat land until we were practically right at the road going down into the canyon. At the top of the canyon is a nice Visitors’ Center.

From the look out at the Visitors’ Center

The road down into the canyon was narrow, steep and windy. Using lower gears was a must. Once down in the canyon, it was very lush green with lots of trees. The creek runs through the canyon. When it rains, it frequently floods the road in areas. We were glad that there were no storms while we were there, since we did not want to get stuck. There’s only one road in and out of the canyon.

The red rock canyon walls contrasted beautifully with the green trees and bushes.

There are places where the rocks looked like they are only held up by dirt. It looked like they could come tumbling down at any moment.

The last of the late spring flowers were blooming. This is Texas Thistle, I believe. It was everywhere.

One nice thing about camping in state parks is that you can get closer to nature. This was the view across from our campsite. Some of the campers hiked up this rock formation. It was very hot, so we just enjoyed the view instead.

This was the view of our campsite.

We’re very glad to have discovered the Texas state park system. It’s a way to have affordable and scenic campsites when we have to travel across the big state of Texas.

Murals of San Angelo, Texas

Posted on June 30, 2023 by admin

One of our favorite Texas towns to visit was San Angelo. We stayed in San Angelo State Park Campground where we had some great views of the evening sunsets.

The weather was fickle with cloudy skies in the morning and rain and thunderstorms in the afternoons with clearing in between.

We sometimes went for walks in the evenings.

This part of Texas is dry and cactus, especially prickly pear, thrive.

One evening we drove to a lookout in the park where we could see for miles.

We drove into San Angelo to see some sites. Ray wanted to see the telephone museum located at Fort Concho, an historical fort established in 1867 to protect the frontier settlements. Fort Concho is now a National Historic Landmark, so I was able to get a stamp for my National Parks Passport book.

The museum has on display a unit designed and made by Alexander Graham Bell. There were only five made and only two in existence today.

Unit designed and made by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.

Old phones from Museum of Telephony in San Angelo, Texas

San Angelo is known for their historic murals depicting the history of the area. We went on a search to find as many as we could. The first one we saw was near the Train Museum and depot. It was about all the forms of transportation used throughout their history.

Four murals capture the history of transportation.

Up closer, they look like this.

Stagecoach was a form of transportation in the early days.

The Iron Horse was a vast improvement for transporting goods and people to the west.

The airplane made the vast Texas distances seem much smaller.

One of the things we were told to look for were sheep. They are decorated and found all around town. This one was at the Train Museum and Depot. We wanted to see the train museum, but we were on a mission to find the murals. We decided to save it for another time.

Most of the murals are found near the old downtown area of San Angelo. Since they are painted on the sides of buildings in parking lots, sometimes it was hard to get a clear photo of them. This one is of a local author who writes westerns about the Texas Rangers. His name is Elmer Kelton. I have not read any of his novels, but they sound interesting.

I stumbled across the Blacksmith mural while looking for another mural. This is right across the street from the famous Eggemeyer’s General Store. While taking a photo of Eggemeyer’s from across the street, I came upon another sheep!

This store has so much in it, it could take hours to see it all. I liked the Indian with the lollipops in his headdress.

There were all kinds of candies, chocolates, sweets, jewelry, household goods, teapots, teacups, knickknacks, vintage signs, vintage toys, aprons, hand towels, kitchen items, bandanas, cards, stationery, and even an old car in the men’s section.

The best thing about living in a travel trailer is that you’re not tempted to buy anything because you don’t have room. The worst thing about living in a travel trailer is that you can’t buy anything because you don’t have room.

I enjoyed just looking at all the kitchen items.

I collect photos of street clocks. Here on this same corner was a street clock.

We wanted to find some more murals, and to my surprise, I found three more on the opposite street corner. These three were together and depicted the military history of the area. Ray was stationed in San Angelo for training at Goodfellow Air Force Base. He had a five and a half month long advanced electronic repair training.

San Angelo Army Air Field was only used from 1942-1945 for training bombardiers for combat missions. It was closed after WWII and today is a civil airfield called Mathis Field.

Fort Concho, as mentioned earlier, was a fort established to protect frontier settlers. William “Pecos Bill” Shafter commanded here along with other notables. Also, the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments and 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments were all black soldier units known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

Here’s a closer look at some of the details.

By now, we were hot and tired. We managed to find one more mural. This one was not mentioned on the website list of murals. I call it the Dry Goods Mural. There were two or three more that we missed or couldn’t find.

There were many more things we would have liked to see, but there just wasn’t time and energy for them.

We did, however, drive into town to see Lone Wolf Bridge in the evening. It was supposedly lit up at night, but though we stayed for awhile after sunset, we never saw any lights. It looks like a hangout for taggers. The bridge is covered with graffiti, It’s a sketchy area at night. So we left.

You can read about this historic bridge below.

If you ever get to San Angelo, there are lots of things to see. The top of my list is the water lily gardens and the murals. And don’t forget to take a picture of a sheep! They are all over town.

For a photo tour of sheep and their “ewe”-nique names, click on this link:

https://www.downtownsanangelo.com/sheep-gallery

International Water Lily Collection

Posted on June 2, 2023 by admin

San Angelo, Texas

If you ever go to San Angelo, Texas, be sure to see the International Water Lily Collection. The park is open to the public at no charge, and features blooming water lilies from April to October. One man, Kenneth Landon, founded the collection and has been growing, perfecting propagating techniques and hybridizing some of the most beautiful and unusual waterlilies in the world.

The garden has a large main “pond” and six smaller ponds with waterfalls and walkways between them. The lilies are grown in separate groups with signs showing their names.

There are lilies of every color, like pink, purple, yellow and white.

Some have “fiery” centers. These were my favorites

Some float on the water, and others stand above the water.

Some have bright yellow-green leaves, and some have dark leaves.

Some lilies have leaves with colorful patterns.

Some have giant flowers and others have small flowers

Some lilies have ruffly leaves and others have flat leaves.

There are lilies with pointed petals, and others with rounded petals.

Several of the lilies had more than one color of blossom within one grouping.

It looks like two colors from the same stem. But really they are separate stems.

I was amazed at how bright the colors were on these lilies.

This lily below seems to be “on fire.”

Many of the lilies had such delicate colors.

Notice how the petals are light pink in the center and brighter on the outer edges on this next one.

These photos have not been enhanced. The color really is this bright.

In the one below, notice the outer leaves are green on the outside and pink on the inside.

The bees really loved the lilies.

My favorite lilies were the ones with the bright orange centers that looked like they were on fire, and the two-colored ones like the one below that looked like a candle glowing in the middle.

This was such a lovely place, I would love to go there again someday.

“Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.” Luke 12:27 NLT

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Posted on May 25, 2023 by admin

Created in 1966, Guadalupe Mountains National Park contains the highest point in the state of Texas, Guadalupe Peak (8,751′). The park is located near Carlsbad, New Mexico, and just a few miles across the Texas border. In the western “arm” of Texas, this less known national park is well-known for its clean air.

The views of mountains in Guadalupe Mountains National Park with a zoom lens

The Park is intentionally inaccessible. It was created during a time when the environmental movement was in full swing. Ninety-five percent of the park is wilderness. From the eastern border of the park where we were, there are only three short roads into the park. If you like to hike, however, there are numerous trails throughout. For us old people, we had to be content with viewing the mountains from a distance.

There are roads around the outside of the park with various viewpoints. If we had driven several hours more, we might have been able to see more, but we just didn’t have the time.

Like Yosemite National Park, this park also has an “El Capitan.” It is a 1,000′ high limestone cliff. It is visible from the highway as you drive further south. However, we did not go that far.

The wildflowers and cactus were in bloom and we enjoyed seeing the beauty of the desert in bloom.

We visited the historic Frijole Ranch, but the museum was closed. It is only open seasonally when staff or volunteers are available. There was a spring outside the ranch house that flows continually at 5 gallons per minute. A spring house covers the opening and the water flows in a channel through the courtyard.

Outside the Visitors’ Center, we were fascinated with the yucca plants in various states of bloom. The yucca is related to the agave plant.

Indians called yucca “soap weed.” The roots were used for washing. Other parts of the plant were used for medicine and food. The fibers were used for many things and the seeds were used for tea or dried for making beads.

And we also saw century plants in bloom. Century plants and yucca plants look similar, but the century plants have “branches” with blooms on the ends.

Later in the afternoon, the sun finally came out and lit up the mountains.

In the early afternoon, we headed back to our campground. On the way, we were going to pass Carlsbad Caverns National Park, so we decided to stop. We were too late to go on a cave tour, but we looked at the exhibits in the Visitors’ Center. I got my National Parks Passport Book stamped since we had already visited years ago.

The five mile drive into the park was reason enough to visit. The cacti were in bloom everywhere. On our way out of the park, I got a few photos of the blooms. Right at the entrance a huge cholla cactus was in bloom.

This is the view from the Visitors’ Center at Carlsbad Cavers NP. I didn’t remember this from our visit years ago, but it is a beautiful view.

View from Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitor Center in New Mexico.

More wildflowers decorated the roadside.

I’ve never seen such an abundance of prickly pear cacti, many with bright yellow blooms.

I kept seeing bright pink patches from the rocks on the cliffs. Stopping to check it out, I discovered they were hedgehog cacti in bloom.

Ray was curious about the “green chili peppers” he saw on some of the yucca. I zoomed in and got these photos. The chili peppers are really seed pods of the yucca plant. These are yet another stage of the yucca plant.

Yucca plants take many years to grow.

Our Escapees park had some beautiful specimens of yucca and ocotillo.

Yucca plant in bloom at Escapees campground

I was somewhat disappointed in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. However, it has been years since I have seen Carlsbad Caverns National Park. I would love to go back and re-visit it again. And, who knows, I might just give Guadalupe Mountains National Park another try also.

Alpine, Arizona

Posted on May 15, 2023 by admin

The drive from Show Low to Alpine, Arizona, was very scenic. We drove almost due east on Highway 60 to Springerville and Eager. From there, we headed south to the beautiful little town of Alpine, Arizona, where we stayed almost a week.

Highway 180 and 191 going into Alpine, Arizona

Alpine. at an elevation of 8,000 feet, is in the White Mountains and is situated in a large alpine meadow lined with tall pines and sprinkled with small lakes. There’s a small grocery store, post office, and a few other businesses. Elk herds feed in the vast meadow unharmed.

The entrance to Alpine is a large meadow with a lake

Alpine lies a few miles west of the Arizona/New Mexico border. Highways 180 and 191 split in the center of town. Highway 180 goes east and then south into New Mexico, and Highway 191 goes south in Arizona. These highways parallel each other and never meet again. Both eventually end up at the Mexican border.

Catwalk National Recreation Trail

We took Highway 180 into New Mexico as far as the little town of Glenwood, New Mexico. It is a very scenic drive, going from pine studded mountains to high desert to green valleys of cottonwood trees.

At Glenwood, we turned onto a side road (NM Hwy 184 or Catwalk Road) and drove 5 miles to Catwalk Recreation Area in the Gila National Forest. We forded a couple of streams that flowed over the road on our way there. At the end of the road is a large parking lot. A picnic area is situated under the shade of large sycamore trees near sparkling Whitewater Creek.

There is a trail that follows the creek up into Whitewater Canyon. When the canyon narrows, a metal catwalk attached to the canyon walls allows hikers to walk above the creek at tree level.

Western Sycamore Trees line Whitewater Creek

The Catwalk was originally a board walkway placed on top of a steel pipe that brought water to an ore processing plant. Apparently, a person needed to have the balance of a cat to walk on it. That’s how it got its name.

Later, in the 1930’s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a wooden catwalk over the existing pipeline. It washed away during a flood in 2012. The present day catwalk was then built to replace the old one. It is now accessible for all ages and abilities. It is only .6 miles long. The trail continues beyond, but is closed due to danger of falling rocks.

The trail starts out easy. We walked in the shade of the trees and there was a cool breeze.

Shady path leads to first bridge over creek

Before the path crosses the first bridge, it splits. A more difficult path stays to the left of the creek, while the easier path crosses the bridge on the right side.+

It got warmer as soon as we left the shade of the trees. We were going uphill at that point.

We thought we were getting closer to the catwalk when we reach some metal handrails, but we still had a ways to go.

Shortly after we were rewarded with our first glimpse of the catwalk.

We were above the treetops! At this point, the canyon was closing in on us. The walls were closer and towered above us.

We rounded a corner, and it was like we were in a cave. The rock wall curved over our heads.

Looking back, we could see the canyon walls and the creek below.

Each bend around the canyon walls showcased another beautiful sight.

Eventually we got to the bridge where we met up with the trail from the other side. There was a bench there and we rested awhile enjoying the beauty of the place.

At this point, the Catwalk crossed to the left side of the canyon and continued on. I walked across to where the other trail met up. Steep steps led down to the bridge. I was glad we chose the easier route.

We continued on the catwalk which was now on the opposite side of the canyon walls. Most of these photos are taken looking backward down the catwalk where we’ve already walked, so they look like we are still walking on the same side.

Sometimes we saw evidence of the past. Here is an metal anchor from a previous catwalk.

The canyon walls above us were so close, they almost touched. The rock in this part of the canyon is harder. Therefore, the canyon walls are narrower because they haven’t eroded as much as the walls near the picnic area where the rock is of a softer material.

The creek was always below us, rushing through the canyon.

Sometimes we could hear or see a small waterfall.

When we finally came to the end of the catwalk, we walked down to the creek below. We didn’t intend to go further, but the trail continued on. However, due to recent rock falls, the trail was closed.

The trail that continued on crossed the creek on stepping stones.

The path continues on after the catwalk.

Stepping stones lead across the creek as the trail goes on.

Trees and vegetation grew out of the canyon walls, making a beautiful contrast of colors.

Around one corner, there was a deep crevice.

By the time we got back to our truck, we were hot, tired and thirsty. This time we carried water with us and wore our hats. It was recommended to carry bug deterrent, but even though I was prepared, there were no bugs to bother us.

This is another example of a really beautiful spot in an out-of-the-way place. A hidden jewel waiting to be discovered.

“Lord, how many are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all;
The earth is full of Your possessions.” Psalm 104:24 NASB

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park

Posted on May 9, 2023 by admin

While we were staying in Show Low, Arizona, we took a day trip to see Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. It is believed to be the largest travertine natural bridge in the world.

Entrance to Tonto Naturla Bridge on Arizona Highway 260 near Pine, Arizona.

The natural bridge is located less than 15 miles from Payson, Arizona. It was about an hour and a half drive from Show Low. We ate lunch in Payson and then continued on to the park.

At the entrance we had to park and pay our entrance fee in the gift shop, which is located on the bottom floor of the historic Goodfellow Lodge. The Lodge was built in the 1920s and is still in use today.

After getting our park pass, we drove to the parking lot closest to the Natural Bridge. There are four viewpoints along the walking path overlooking the tunnel of the bridge from above. We stopped at Viewpoint #1 first.

To reach viewpoint #2, we had to walk across the bridge and walk a short distance on the Anna Mae pathway. The tunnel is not visible from this viewpoint. However, the travertine layers are visible. Travertine is formed from calcium carbonate-rich water exposed to air. As it precipitates out, calcite is forced out of solution when the water evaporates. These are similar to cave formations.

Travertine formations from Viewpoint #3 along the Anna Mae trail.

Crossing back over the bridge, we walked to Viewpoint #3 and #4. As we walked to the viewpoints, we crossed over a small stream that flows over the top of the bridge and makes a sparkling waterfall. Looking down, we could see the observation deck and bridge below.

Looking down from Viewpoint #4 at bridge that crosses Pine Creek.

Viewpoint #4 waterfall drips over top of natural bridge

Water flows over the top of the bridge from Viewpoint #4

We debated if we should try to hike the trail to the bottom. It was very steep and rocky. But we were there to see what we could, so we decided to give it a go. We proceeded carefully and made it to the bottom fairly easily.

The Gowan trail is only about .3 miles to the bottom of the Bridge

Along the trail to the bottom we saw several wildflowers and interesting plant life.

The Bridge from the pathway as we get closer.

When we got to the bottom, we relaxed for a time in the cool shade, listening to the sounds of Pine Creek. Fortunately, there was a nice breeze that day that kept us cool.

Pine Creek flows under the Natural Bridge

Bridge and observation deck at bottom of Gowan trail

Looking back from observation deck at bridge over Pine Creek

Once at the bottom, the enormity of the Bridge, which was 183 feet high, was evident. It was like looking into a huge cave. Boulders were scattered throughout, and the waterfall glistened as it fell to the rocks below.

Looking through the tunnel formed by the Natural Bridge

Arrows painted on the rocks showed us that the path continued through the tunnel to the other side. However, it involved scrambling over slippery rocks and boulders. We opted to go back out the way we came.

Looking through tunnel at Tonto Natural Bridge

We took our time and stopped frequently to catch our breath. The elevation is over 4,500 feet. There were a couple of benches of which we took advantage on our way back. It definitely seemed a lot longer going up than it did going down. Eventually we made it up to the top.

On our way back home to Show Low, we drove for miles along the Mogollon Rim, a steep edge of the Colorado Plateau. We stopped at the Mogollon Rim Visitor Center. It was closed, but the observation deck was open. I stood looking over the mountains and valleys below. Highway 280 along this section is one of the most beautiful drives in Arizona.

Sometimes it is worth the effort to go out of your way to see something really special. That is what we did on this day, and we were glad we did.

“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

Psalm 90:1-2 NASB

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