Lone Trees

About half way up the Grand Mesa, these solitary trees get a commanding view of the valley that Delta sits in. They are willing to share the view.

Twilight

Twilight is always interesting up in the mountains, and the view of Twin Lakes again takes on a special feel. Not a bad way to spend a weekend.

See You At The Pole

For a number of years now, students across the US have gathered around their school flag poles at at 7am on the 4th Wednesday of September to pray for their school and their country. Today was no exception at Delta High School. If students are willing to do that, there is hope for our future.

Trail Crew

The work this weekend was finished up quicker than expected, and involved rebuilding the approach to a parking area.

Fishing In The Pine Sea

Where would you find a Pine Fish? In a sea of Pine Cones of course!

Trophy Husband Swap

The ladies have a number of options when they get down into the town of Twin Lakes.

Sea of Trees

Yesterdays trees were not alone, the entire hill side was getting into the act. One interesting thing is that Aspen trees share root systems, and those in a common system all tend to change to the same color at the same time.

Golden Carpet

Fall seems to be coming early to the eastern side of the divide, and these trees are well on their way to winter.

Sundown

The sun dropped fast that first night, giving the lakes a silvery feel.

Room With A View

The Continental Divide is an imaginary line that runs north to south across North America, and basically all water east of that line heads to the Atlantic Ocean, and that to the west goes towards the Pacific. Some does end up in the Great basin, but that is the subject of a future post. Following close to this line covering around 3100 miles across 5 states is the Continental Divide Trail. As the trail winds through Colorado, it sometimes runs together with the Colorado Trail which runs 479 miles from Denver to Durango. These trails don’t maintain them selves, and tax dollars are not sufficient, so volunteers are recruited to work on sections of both trails

This past weekend, I volunteered to cook for a trail crew that was performing maintenance near Twin Lakes Colorado, about 3 hours from Delta. This and the next 7 posts will show you some of what that area is like. I think you will enjoy it.

My perch for 2 nights was on this bluff high above the twin lakes. Fall was in the air, along with nightly rains. There is something rather relaxing about spending a rainy fall night snug in a tent, only to be greeted by a deep blue sky.

Don’t Feed The Chipmunks

There is a place called "Lands End" up on Grand Mesa, and all along the rock wall that separates visitors from the valley below, lives a rather well fed and seemingly happy family of chipmunks.

Looking Back

Riding shotgun on the final push home gave me the opportunity to turn around and get this parting shot from Utah. I guess Delta Colorado is not the only place with good sunsets!

We drove over 2200 miles in 9 days, most of them with the top down, and had no agenda. Now that was a vacation!

Big Canyons

The canyon walls dwarf the Semi Truck on the highway.

(Sorry for the delay, I was out of town for the past week.)

Back on I70

I70 through Utah has some of the most interesting scenery you will ever find. At times, you would feel that you were driving at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Welcome To Delta

As we proceeded east, the G6 started giving us some trouble, and the Air Conditioner stopped working. We had the top down, but it was hot, and the AC was still nice to have. Fortunately we were not far from help in Delta Utah! The Pontiac dealer in town took us immediately, and was able to get us fixed up enough to get us home. Modern electronics are amazing. Our poor little G6 had split brain syndrome where one sensor thought it was very hot, the other through it very cold, and the brain decided that we should not be allowed AC as a result. A quick clear out of “the codes” put the six back in its right mind, and we were on our way. When we got back to Delta Colorado, our dealer found a bulletin that called for some brainwashing, and that took care of it for good.

Thanks to the good people of Delta Utah & Delta Colorado for keeping us on the road! Now, the good people of Delta Colorado need to get a better sign!

Loneliest Highway in America

From Echo Lake, we started the trek east on highway 50, known as the Loneliest Highway in America. We got use to seeing signs stating “Next service 100 miles”, and kept the gas tank topped off. I have flown over the deserts of Nevada and Utah, but driving them is an altogether different experience. Miles and miles of nothingness, and I absolutely loved it! We stopped at the Great Basin National Park, where you can drive from the desert to a high mountain forest in a matter of minutes, and the views were wonderful. Well worth the visit.

California Sunset

The clouds were building up in the East, but that simply became the canvas for a wonderful sunset!

Taxi Stand

Now, you can stand out on the dock and whistle for a taxi, but that will not work all that well. At first I thought it was an outhouse, but no, it is a “Wilderness Phone Booth”. Taxis are not cheap in the sticks, but they do take dogs!

Taxi

If you are hiking at the far end of Upper Echo Lake, and don't feel like hiking any more, you can always catch a taxi!

Echo Lake

We ended up having dinner with my sister & family in Santa Cruz on Sunday, and they asked where we were headed next. We had vague notions, but no firm plans (not a bad way to vacation), and they offered use of a family cabin up on Echo Lake, near Lake Tahoe. The cabin has only solar power, and you get to it by either hiking 30-40 minutes, or taking the water taxi (aluminum boat with outboard motor) across the lake. We ended up spending three nights at this wonderful place. Thanks Dave & Jenny!

Highway 1

Highway 1 hugs the coast of California, and the views are spectacular! At one point we pulled over to simply watch the waves crash against the rocks. Not a bad way to spend time!

Hearst Castle

Further up highway 1, you come to San Simeon, and the Hearst Castle. For those who have not heard of this place, it is one of the homes of William Randolph Hearst, who made a large fortune in publishing. The home is simply amazing, as this shot of the outdoor pool will attest. I found the place kind of sad however, as it seemed that he was trying to buy (or in this case build) his way to happiness. From what I heard, I don’t think he succeeded, and if with his fortunes he was not able, why do we think we can do the same……..

Road Trip - Guadalupe Beach

The timing of my one year shot ended up being rather well timed as that afternoon, my wife and I found ourselves leaving town unexpectedly. We had planned to take the following week of for a driving trip around Colorado to celebrate our anniversary (23 years), but circumstances changed, and we found our selves leaving on a 9 day road trip on about 2 hours notice! We left Delta around 2:30pm. The top was down on our G6, luggage was in the back seat, and we proceeded to drive straight through to Los Angeles, about a 13 hour trip. Around 9pm, the temperature was around 85, the sun was low over the hills of southwestern Utah, the cruise was set at 75 (ish), and Joe Cocker summed it up as “Feeling Alright” filled the air. We arrived around 2:30am, and I spent Thursday and Friday working at our Beverly Hills office. Once the work was done, we proceeded to start our modified trip by driving north on Highway 1, not really knowing where we would end up. Over the next week or so, I will give you some highlights of that trip.

We had never been on the central coast of California, and it was wonderful. Lunch on Saturday was done at a road side stand where I drank from my first coconut using a straw that was punched into it (Patrice was not as impressed as I was), and we saw a lot of surf.

As we drove North, Patrice called a friend who had lived in the area, and she recommended we stop at Solvang for Danish. We were already four miles north of that, but we turned around to see that town. Let me just say this, the Butter Ring is not something a doctor would recommend, but oh my they are good!

There was a car show in town as well, and we enjoyed simply looking around town.

From Solvang, we continued north and ended up staying at a B&B in Pismo Beach, but just before Pismo Beach, we came across the small town of Guadalupe, and a small sign that said “Guadalupe Beach – 5 Miles”. It was a one way road to the beach, but we decided to check it out, and I am glad we did, as the late afternoon sun made for a wonderful walk on the beach with a crashing surf. Afterward, we sat at the picnic table and continued working on the Butter Ring.