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.

Lake City

Last week, we drove over Slumguillion Pass to spend some time in Lake City. It is one of many small mining towns in the Colorado mountains. Many of them are now ghost towns, but some have developed into real tourist destinations--some because of nearby outdoor recreations opportunities like skiing or back country exploring on OHVs or ATVs  (Off Highway Vehicles or All Terrain Vehicles), jeeps and motorcycles; others have great shopping; others have casinos. Lake City has lots of shopping, whereas nearby Creede is more for ATV riders.

Lake City really looks rustic and has an old-west feel.

There are numerous old churches in town. The Baptist Church is the most attractive.

One of the art galleries has improved an empty lot with the 3rd Street Gardens.

Have you heard the story of Alferd Packer? He was accused of cannibalism after four of his companions--who had been trying to reach a mining area near Breckenridge, Colorado, in early 1874--died. Here is some information from Wikipedia. The deaths occurred near Lake City and one of the trials was held in Lake City.

Lake City has the Cannibal Grill in memory of this grizzly event.

We enjoyed looking through a number of the shops in town and even bought one gift there. In one shop, this man was blowing glass.

We had our lunch at Southern Vittles. Like in Creede, we found a strong Texan influence there. Look at this 1845 map, showing that this part of Colorado was once part of Texas.

Beer bottle caps were used to make this picture of the Texas flag.

We enjoyed our generous-sized sandwiches. I had a fried chicken sandwich with fries, John had BBQ brisket with chips.

Slumguillion Pass

Colorado Highway 149 between Creede, in Mineral County, and Lake City, in Hinsdale County, goes over 11,350 ft Slumguillion Pass. The north side of the pass, with a 9% grade, has the steepest grade of any continuous paved road in Colorado. For more information on the pass, check out this article from Wikipedia.

We once drove an RV over the pass--years ago towing our 24 ft Komfort fifth wheel. Especially for John, who was driving, it was a nail-biting experience. Last week we went over the pass with just our truck, each of us driving one direction. We could really enjoy the scenery. It helped that we have a better truck with good brakes and an exhaust brake.

There isn't a lot I can say about the photos below, except that they show the beauty of the Colorado Rockies in summer.

There are large stands of aspen trees.  The pass must be spectacular in the fall.

On the trip back to Creede, we even encountered snow! Yuk.

In some areas, we saw a lot of dead trees. First we thought if was from a forest fire several years ago. Then we decided it was a pine beetle infestation that killed lots of trees.

They are beginning to cut down and clear away many of the dead trees. This helps lessen the chance of forest fires among the dead wood.

Odds and Ends #2

We see such interesting RVs and combinations as we travel around the country. This is a 1946 Curtis Wright travel trailer. We thought it was an early Airstream, but learned differently. You can check out this wiki for more information about the RV and why it looks like an Airstream.

The tow vehicle is a 1954 (I think) Jeep. Both units have been restored.

We have seen lots of vintage RVs over the years, but last night was a first. I saw an enormous motor home pull into the RV park and begin backing in an old, small toy hauler travel trailer! They unhooked the trailer and parked the motor home in the site next door. This morning, there was also a tent between the two RVs. There were six men and boys in the party. It wasn't long before the motor home pulled out and backed up to hitch onto the trailer. And off they went. 

On land next to our resort there is an old empty building. It looks like a house but has a sign hanging above the front door. I finally went close enough to read the sign. It says, "Rio Vista Club." I looked on line and found a Rio Vista Golf Club. Since it is in California, I still have no clue what the club here was.

This resort has lots of chipmunks, golden mantled ground squirrels, blackbirds and mountain bluebirds (all of which refused to pose for pictures). We did see this small squirrel who stayed still long enough to be photographed. I think it thought we might not see it if it laid flat and didn't move.

We have seen lots of rain while we have been here in Creede. In fact, the whole state has had more rain than normal this year. One day I took a slow motion photo of the rain near the Woodcarvers Rendezvous meeting facility. It will be interesting to see if the individual raindrops show up in this blog.

Odds and Ends #1

You have heard of horse whisperers, I imagine. They don't have any horses here at the Antlers Rio Grande Lodge and Restaurant, but they do have sheep and one goat.

John said he was a goat whisperer. Oh really? was my response.






























Now, every time we pass the goat and sheep pen, John has to stop by and say hello. And the nanny goat seems to talk to him, too. She even sticks out her head to be petted. Maybe he really is a goat whisperer.

We pass this pond several times each day as we come and go from our resort and as we take our walks. Often it is a beautiful reflecting pool.

Sometimes we see a mother duck and her three ducklings. You might try clicking on this photo to get a better look at these cute little ducks.

We drove to Lake City one day and when we were enjoying an art gallery, John pointed out this group of photographs. (Robinson is my maiden name.) Unfortunately, they are not my work.