A Trip to East Portal

A couple of days after Red and I got home, My cousin called up and asked if I wanted to ride randomly through the mountains and re acclimate to the cold. Of course the answer was a resounding yes. I should point out for all you southern friends that these pictures were taken about 20 miles from where my "East from West" post was photographed. And only a couple of days apart.

Even with the first day of spring looming there is four feet of drift on the side of the road.

A great view from the road...

 But a closer look shows that that snow drift is almost as tall as the trees it is next to. Note the buried trees just to the left of the bank-line.

Sinkholes like this were the only indication that we drove all this distance next to a river.

As we got further on, It started to snow even more. A couple of inches on the road in about an hour.

 Sadly just past this the snow got so heavy that we couldn't get any decent pictures of anything. I'll just say that at the end of this road is an epic train tunnel that leads through the Rockies toward Vegas. In the spring I will make the trip again and repost.

How Far is East From West

  

Today, after more than a week of re-learning to breath at altitude, Red said we should get out and look for a cache. The closest one to us was called "How far is East From West" and I couldn't help thinking how perfect that title served for this entry. The answer for me was about 1200 miles.

This cache was a multi with four way-points before the final marker. So will Red firmly ensconced in my cargo pocket and a fine cigar at my lips, we got underway.

One of the best things about life in Colorado is the number of parks. It really doesn't matter  where in the city you are, there is some form of open space nearby. Ralston Creek is especially inviting. Even now before everything really greens up.

 I had to stop Red from dangling his feet in the water. I figured his stubby little dogs wouldn't help much if he fell in.

On site near the first coordinates. Red flat out refused to go into the drainpipe. I can't say I blame him.

Those bulging eyes are fairly sharp. We first tried under freshly moved rocks.

Red almost stepped on this container. See if you see it..

 

 Contemplating the find.

 Even a day in the 'burbs has some pretty nice views.

 Nothing like the sound of running water to accompany a long walk.

A throwback to the farming roots of the region.

Red's looking for the "X". We found this one in a magnet container under the bridge. I got to crawl in the sand for that one.

"Look Bryan!"  On to the next way-point!

Survey marks on the path. Ironically pointing right toward the next marker.

No matter where you are on this trail there's a great view.I understand that this trail goes all the way into the mountains.

I'd love to have a house in this neighborhood.

This is stop 3 on the list. But try as we might, Red and I could not find the coordinates to the next spot.  but it's hard to feel dejected when the walk here was such a beautiful one. It's not Dogwood Trail in the early Autumn but it'll do.

Fun note, on the way back I heard voices coming from the thicket this trail leads into. On further investigation I found a full-scale and very illegal  paintball war going on in there.  Sadly nobody wanted to pose with Red.

So after about three miles of walking and searching, we leave this search unfinished. But Red says we should never give up.  We will be back! Stay tuned for an update.

Coming Home Day 2

The sun dawned on day two... but not us. We all slept in. Red could not be cajoled nor threatened to leave his nest and frankly, I didn't care to put in the effort. But as with all good things our night of rest in the heart of my uncle's hospitality inevitably came to an end. We were rousted by the smell of a late breakfast. Still I was too lazy to take any pictures. Soon enough we were fed, watered, groomed and ready to meet the road once more. After stopping for a few local visits we set our site on home. The greatest advantage of being n the Texas Panhandle is that you are so close to....

Red was thrilled to see the first notable landmarks in many miles.

Red (and a number of roadsigns) tell me this is a long dormant volcano

Finally my first view of my mountains. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Little did we know we would be passing the Lonely Mountain.  Neither Hobbits nor Dwarves in evidence though.

Raton Pass. Gateway to Colorado.  A more welcome sight my eyes have never seen.

 

After two days on the road we managed to reach Denver in the early evening. Our last stop was to meet Kayla and her family for dinner.

At last I get to meet the new niece! And enjoy the company of the first one.

At long last my body and my soul are in the same place. I have come and Me and Red can pursue the outdoor life in the place we love. Stay tuned and our hijinks will be posted here. With any luck two will turn to three and from three many more. We can only hope.

Coming Home Day 1

March 11th, 2014. I finally started the trip home. Armed with a U-haul trailer (which I got over billed for), a bright red rubber chicken, a .45 Springfield, and a lot of hope for the future, I climbed into Dad's truck and waved goodbye to Louisiana. My heart was heavy about leaving good friends but Heather had a fix for that...

With Red stashed firmly in the center console with my flowers we were off.

Riding shotgun out of Louisiana on I-49

Any day you can go to Texas is bound to be interesting.

 

Red insisted on getting the window seat through Dallas. Too bad too because Dallas has one of the best skylines ever!

Somewhere just south of Wichita Falls we found a little curio shop where they sold the type of pecans Mom likes. It was a great place for us to mellow out and look at something other than a road. Plus the chairs were stout enough not to scream with all three of us sitting on them.

On the road again we crossed into the epic flat grasslands that occupy so much of middle America. Not to worry though, development spares no landscape.

Red wanted to make an offer

Eventually we had to saddle up again and leave that quiet little burg on the edge of the great plains. Little did we know that we would fall into the grip of one of the most subtle yet destructive forces of nature. The Texan dust storm.

The sun was literally blotted out by dust mid-day

Tumbleweeds blowing across the highway

We despaired of the paint job on the truck as endless tons of alkali dust were driven into the clear coat until, as hope failed us, we saw in the fading light the sign wich promised salvation and a good meal...

That's right. So many times Heather and I have seen this place on Food Network and Travel Chanel.  We must stop! And no matter how you feel about tourist traps. This is a place anyone can love.

Bear? What Bear?

Character in cowboy hats

Yeah, they earned the spot on Steak Paradise.

So with our bellies full we ended day one on the darkened shores of Lake Meredith. Sadly, Red pointed out, it was too dark for my rubber pal to get a shameless selfie. So off to bed dreaming about our triumphant return to Colorful Colorado.

Leaving Louisiana

After spending four and a half years in Louisiana, the opportunity to move back to Colorado finally popped up. So with little regret I packed up and headed out. Notice earlier how I said "little" regret. Of course you can't spend years in a place and not develop some relationships that make it painful to move on. I used Geocaching as a catalyst to kill time and as an inroad to spending more time hiking and fishing. Heather and Lenny accompanied me on many of those little outings and my time with them was the most precious thing I left in the deep south. Which brings me to the purpose of this little Blog. I leave behind Lenny, Heather, Karen and a few more who made my journey through the sweltering, humid, stink of Louisiana bearable and after regaling them with tales of how beautiful Colorado is, I figured I should document all the things I love about living here. Again I will use Geocaching as the main activity to get motivated. To accompany me and give me a running gag for these adventures, Heather helped me choose a mascot which was promptly christened "Red Headed Step Bird" by Karen.

So let the fun begin. Here's the world through the eyes of my little red pal for the enjoyment of my beloved friends who cannot enjoy my mountain home with me.