We Love Trains

So yesterday we rode the Rio Grande Scenic RR from Ft. Garland to Fir, where we attended a folk music concert, then returned to Ft. Garland. We have ridden this train several times in the past and this is the third concert we have attended at Fir. Look at the scenery at the concert site.

But first about the train trip. We boarded the train at Fort Garland, about 20 miles from our RV park in Alamosa.

We had seats in the open car. At first, we thought we might be uncomfortable there because sometimes it is very cold on the trip to or from LaVeta pass, where Fir is located. But it turns out, we had the most comfortable ride on the train, despite the wooden seats. It was a warm day and we had a great breeze. The views were great, too.

We even saw a herd of elk.

We went to hear John McCutcheon, a great musician and folk singer/story teller. We had heard him here once before. He played guitar, banjo, hammered dulcimer, keyboard, fiddle and another stringed instrument I didn't recognize. And he played every one excellently. He sings old time folk songs and others about modern life.

The opening set was done by folk singers Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen. They were very good, too. Steve plays the guitar and Cindy plays both the guitar and concertina.

In addition to the music, the numerous young children at the concert provided lots of entertainment. They were free to dance and watch and listen from the space in front of the stage.

Even the security guards were open to helping the children.

McCutcheon was wonderful with the children. This little girl walked up to the stage and said she had sand in her shoe. He put down his guitar and knelt down, then took off the shoe, shook out the sand and put it back on.

He had a devoted fan after that.

That wasn't the only time he impressed us with his treatment of the children. He said one of his young fans, who he talked to on the train trip to the concert, had asked him to sing a special song. He called that young boy to the stage to sing with him. Notice in the photo below the young boy who is blind and has a cane to help him navigate. That is Ky (spelling?). John asked him to come up, his mother brought him to the stage, and he sang with the star. Look at the smile on his face!

The concert ended with all three entertainers, as well as Fred Hargrove--a western singer we have heard in the past and who was MC at this concert--and Ed Ellis, president of the Rio Grand Scenic, all singing a couple of songs.

Ellis grew up on the south and always loved trains. The cars we rode in yesterday had all been used on the rail line featured in "The City of Chicago." He was the soloist when the whole group sang that song.  I love the refrain, "Good morning, America. How are you?"  The audience sang that with them each time it was repeated.

I was a great day.

More Concert-going

Yesterday, we again took advantage of the railroad pass that John won last year from the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad. We took the train out of La Veta, up to Fir, for another concert.

But before we got to Fir, we passed the spot where a train car spilled barley several years ago. In late summer and fall, before they go into hibernation, bears need 20,000 calories a day. This year, because of drought, there is very little natural food available. We were delighted when we saw six bears as the train climbed the pass. Here are photos of two of them.





On the way back down the mountain in the afternoon, we only saw one bear. In the past two years we have seen a bear here in the park each year. We haven't seen any this year. But that doesn't mean they aren't around. They frequently go dumpster diving at night. One evening, between 9:30 and 10, one of the rangers found one at a dumpster. He had loaded his shotgun with bean bag shells and shot the bear. It ran away. But it hasn't stayed away. It just waited for another day. Even more scary is the fact that the same ranger saw a bear at about 6 pm last week. It had already tried one trash dumpster. That is before dark and it wouldn't be at all unusual for a camper to walk to the trash at that time of the evening.

The Whistle Stop, a barbeque place in La Veta, serves lunch at the concert site. Since the location is accessible only by rail, I asked them how they got the food there. They drive up early in the day in this old van, which is equipped with wheels that run on the rails.



Our train to the concert was pulled by a diesel engine, but the train that came up from Alamosa was pulled by this steam engine.



Sid Masters was the opening performer at yesterday's concert. He is really funny and sings country-western music, much of which he writes himself. We enjoyed his singing.



This couple twice got up to dance to his music. They were really good.



The featured act of the day was a group called "The Rifters." They sing sort of folk music. I could picture them in a small coffee house, singing without the amplifiers. Maybe that's where they were 30 years ago. They were good, too.



This was the finale, "The City of New Orleans" sung by Ed Ellis, president of the railroad, and Sid Masters and The Rifters and three other performers who happened to attend the concert.



It was hot and sunny all day when we attended a concert at Fir in July. Yesterday it was cool, cloudy and windy. Most of us were pretty bundled up for an August afternoon. We were at 9400 ft above sea level, of course.

Wow! What a day

Sunday we rode the San Luis and Rio Grande Scenic Railroad from La Veta to Fir, near the top of La Veta Pass, where we attended a great concert. Fir is the location of a abandoned town that once served mining activity in the area. The SLRG has created a concert venue there.
The first wow was our travel in the dome car. This car gave us a better view of the surrounding scenery, as well as uncrowded seating and great food options.



I started the morning with a crepe topped with berries and cream. It was very good.



We were entertained by Jim Garling, a country western singer from Oklahoma. He wasn't one of the headliners at the concert, but he was a passenger on the train, knew some of the performers, and had an evening concert scheduled in La Veta.



The scenery as we headed out of La Veta is great--and we were able to see it better than ever from our dome car. This is called Glimers (I think) Butte, really it is a volcanic plug.



And this is Mount Maestas.



Fred Hargrove, who lives in the San Luis Valley, was MC for the concert. He is a country western singer.



Not only is the scenery at the concert site great, it is a wonderful place to take children. They can explore the country-side while their watching parents can hear the music.



Folk singer Ann Hills was the opening act for the concert. We really enjoyed her and her music. Doesn't she have a great smile?



John McCutcheon was the main act. He is a singer and storyteller who plays the hammer dulcimer, banjo, guitar, piano and probably many other instruments as well.





He was great. Every song he sang and story he told touched me and made me either laugh or cry. We would definitely go to see him again.

The concert ended with Fred Hargrove, John McCutcheon, Ann Hills and folk singer Ed Ellis singing together. Ellis happens to be president of the San Luis and Rio Grande Scenic Railroad and responsible for creating this great concert series.



John and I aren't the only people having 50th high school reunions this summer. This is Sylvia J. Lobato, editor of Valley Publishing in Alamosa. She was part of the 1961 Alamosa High School graduating class that attended the concert, as well.



This young lady--maybe six or seven years old, caught the attention of many of the concert growers. She did gymnastics and danced to most of the music. She is really good!



John even took a video of her dancing to John McCutcheon on the hammer dulcimer.



About half of the people attending the concert rode our train from La Veta. The other half came up from Alamosa on a stream train. That train continued on to La Veta with other passengers, then returned about 3:30 to pick up the concert goers who were returning to La Veta. We could hear the steam train chug-chug-chugging up the track for nearly 30 minutes before it arrived. Here you see it arriving and our train on the back track.



At Fir, the Whistle Stop Cafe was serving BBQ and sides to concert goers. The food was very good. We both had pulled pork.



We were eating at tables set up along the train tracks, looking down on the concert area. Here you can see the stage to the left, with hay bales and benches for people to sit on, a shaded seating area to the right, and a restroom building.



All power for the concert area is provided by solar panels



and a wind turbine.



See the bulldozer on the hill? The story goes that a couple living in the area were going through a nasty divorce. They fought over every single bit of property. One of them wanted this bulldozer. The other finally said, "OK, if you want it, come and get it." They drove it up this road on the mountain side. Apparently, the spouse decided it wasn't worth going there to get it.



One big highlight of the trip was sighting bears along the track. Several years ago, a freight train dumped a load of barley here. After a winter of rain and snow, the barley began to ferment--that means beer. The local bears found this very attractive and they still come here to eat. Both directions we saw bears--one black bear and one large cinnamon-colored bear. In fact, on the way down the hill, the train passed the bears, stopped, backed up to the site so we could see them again, then continued to La Veta. Since the only way to reach the concert location is by train, we guessed Ed Ellis, the president of the railroad, told the engineer to give us a better look. The photo of the black bear is blurry, sorry. The brown bear came out better.