2012 - Year in Review

Family photo on 13th step in front of Colorado State Capital Building, exactly one mile high

It has been a normal year with many highs and lows. The winter was a huge disappointment for the snow-lovers in the Mohler household. Our annual downhill ski trip was rained out, and all the regular cross country ski races for Glenn were canceled due to no snow or poor conditions.   Finding the bright side, the heating bill was lower than normal and there was little snow to shovel.

Glenn, Emily and Jacob ran and finished the 5 mile Ephrata Firecracker Run this Fourth of July. One of the tragedies of this year was the death of our friend Jim Naumann.  Glenn assisted a group of friends and family that organized a 5K run in memory of Jim to benefit his wife and children.  The event took place on Thanksgiving morning and participation was well beyond anticipated, with about 500 finishers, including four Mohlers.

We took our long-talked-about trip to Colorado in August, visiting some of Anne's family, and spending some time touring the Rocky Mountain region.  Starting and ending in the Denver, CO area, we traversed 3,100 miles in 11 days, visiting 8 National Parks, a few cities and seeing a lot of dramatic scenery in between.  We enjoyed a lot of natural scenery along the way, but also were able to appreciate the cultural landscape, historic architecture, tourist attractions and even a few Olympic venues that we found in our path. The trip was a lot like life, as some parts lived up to our expectations, and others didn't, but we were also pleasantly surprised by a lot of our experiences along the way.  If you would like to read more about the trip and see some selected photos, go to the Western Trip Page

Emily returned to Messiah College for her senior year as a Communications/Public Relations major, adding an internship at a Public Relations agency to her resume.  In September, she was awarded a PA Public Relations Society scholarship at a PPRS dinner meeting which featured the builders from a recent "Extreme Home Makeover" episode.  In the summer of 2011, she spent a day in the onsite Media Tent during the filming of the Makeover. Emily spent her spring semester at Messiah's Temple campus in Philadelphia, serving as an RA and getting a taste of city living.  She ran in the Broad Street Run with Glenn and 30,000+ other runners. She enjoyed her final summer as Head Coach of the East Cocalico Swim Team, ending her 14-year involvement with the Dolphins!  Emily also served as the Assistant Manager of the East Cocalico pool and was sporting her killer tan by about mid-June.  One of Emily's trademarks is creating beautiful crafts and designs, often using natural, recycled and low-cost materials.  She wowed us on New Year's Eve with a gourmet dinner...our dinning room was transformed to a white-and-gold candlelit wonderland!

Sarah graduated from Cocalico High School this past June, an event she looked forward to for quite some time! She ran track during the spring season, spent lots and lots of time with many friends, and also logged many hours as a hostess at Applebees. The summer found her once again enjoying time at the Creation Music Festival, plus heading up the drama portion of the kids summer program at church with her equally dramatic friends Angela and Kara, and her willing brother [who shall remain nameless].  Sarah started her freshman year at Eastern University, in Saint Davids, PA, and is loving college so far (except for the Dining Hall food, that is!).  She really appreciates the school's emphasis on social justice, and loves the campus, the suburban setting and the proximity to Philadelphia.  Sarah has already jumped into a prison ministry and other extra-curricular activities, all of which involve helping people.  Her desire to serve others, especially those in need, will most likely drive her decisions about her college major and her future vocation.

Jacob is now a junior at Cocalico High School and has managed to grow taller than everyone else in the house!  Unfortunately, his back has started curving again in the process, so he's dealing with wearing a back brace once again, not to mention the braces on his teeth.  He's looking forward to getting rid of all this extra apparatus in the not-too-distant future!  Jacob ran track and cross country with the school team and played trombone in Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble.  He is also involved in an after-school mentoring program with middle school students, the weekly High School Bible Study, and the Aevidum club http://aevidum.com/.  Jacob has an aptitude for math and computer science, and has a huge curiosity for things, all sorts of things.  He teaches us a lot when he shares some of the many tidbits he has stored in his head!  In late July, Jacob went on a youth group wilderness adventure trip to Algonquin Provincial Park in northern Ontario.  They canoed for 4 days on lakes and rivers, connected by many portages where they had to carry canoes and equipment.  Jacob plans to take his driving test soon, which will relieve us of chauffeuring duties!  It is hard to believe that our youngest will be a licensed driver soon, and has already started his college search.  Time keeps on ticking, into the future...

Anne continues working part-time in Sales Support at Sunrise Logistics, a division of Four Seasons Produce.  She helps coordinate transportation, storage, ripening, and other services relating to moving produce [and other items] from Point A to B.  She loves her one-minute commute [or ten, if she walks], her part-time schedule, and the Employee Produce Market from which our family feasts very regularly!  Anne is also involved with helping to lead our couples' Small Group at church, serves on the Counting Team, and fills in other places/spaces as needed.  She pretends to be an herb gardener (just look at our weeds in the summer time), but does enjoy rescuing some from amongst the weeds to mix with the aforementioned produce to create the many non-mainstream dinners that pop up at the Mohlers' house.  Fortunately, her bread baking ventures are usually moderately successful, providing life sustenance in cases where the main dish does not!

Glenn continued his work at GIS Division of Lancaster County Information Technology.  Lancaster County was able to work cooperatively with 2 Federal Agencies to capture new aerial photography in spring.  We have also selected a contractor to perform data updates using this aerial photography as a primary source.  GIS staff also completed a another major project updating pavement feature data.  During the year, he also continued in his role as field maintenance coordinator for the Cocalico Youth Soccer Club.  At Cocalico Community Chapel, he continued as a sound technician, small group leader and website administrator.

As we look back on the past year, we have a lot to be thankful for.  As we strive to grow in faith every year, we see that we fall short in so many ways.  Nevertheless, our God has been faithful, even when we have missed the mark.  It is our desire to apply the lessons of life that He brings our way each day, so that we can grow in many areas of our life.

We hope that your year was good, and that coming year would be even better than the last.

Glenn, Anne, Emily, Sarah and Jacob

Family photo with Bryce Canyon backdrop

Return to Denver2

During this trip we covered a lot of miles, so we were ready for the final drive back to Denver.

Before breakfast Jacob and I took a run on the Wyoming Heritage Trail , which is a rail trail from Riverton to Shoshoni.  We were not on a particularly scenic part of the trail, but it was a nice way to avoid traffic.  As we left town we saw landmarks in the distance that we tried to reach.  However, we were not able to judge distances too well because of not being accustomed to the wide open spaces.  So we never reached that big tree in the distance.

When we were leaving the parking lot from the hike in Idaho, I drove too close to some brush and put some light scratches on the passenger side of the rental van.  To try to avoid being charged for the "damage" to the van, I washed the van since the dust was highlighting the scratches.  I also picked up some rubbing compound at an auto parts store.

The morning drive was uneventful and the weather was sunny and warm as we headed east on 20/26.  We were driving through high desert chaparral and we saw lots of pronghorn along the road.  Lots of wide open space with very large ranches, where you could see small herds of cattle roaming the sparse land with lots of space between them. Occasionally there would be a windmill with a watering trough, and every now and then there was a small cluster of ranch buildings.  Rural Wyoming living must be hard and lonely, but I'm sure it has it's rewards too.

We stopped Casper for lunch and gas, no correlation.  Here we connected with Interstate 25 which continued east while we were flanked on the south by the Laramie Mountains.  Later 25 turned south toward Cheyenne and Fort Collins.  The afternoon was cloudy, windy and quite cool due to our altitude.

We had another wonderful dinner with the Witonsky's, such gracious hosts despite all their busy schedules.  I was able to buff most of the scratches out of the rental van with the rubbing compound.

The second part of the Denver² equation was the return trip to PA, which went as well as air travel with a family can go.  This leg of our journey was much less stressful than the trip out.  BTW, the rental car intake person did not notice the scratches, so either he chose to ignore them or the "elbow grease" worked.

Grand Teton Hike and Jackson

We had a good breakfast at TWR Grill in Driggs which was next to our hotel.  Our objective for the day was to take a nice hike in the Tetons.  We had seen recommendations from a number of sources to have bear spray with us for our hike, in case we had a bear encounter along the trail.  Although I like to take my chances, I thought everybody would be a little more comfortable on the trail if we had some spray along.  So we went to the corner drug store to buy our expensive "bear insurance" policy.

Waterfall just below Wind Cave

The original plan was to drive over the pass between Victor, ID and Jackson, WY and take a hike on a trail near Jenny Lake in Grand Teton Park.  However, after reading more information about the trail-heads the previous night, it became clear that we would probably have trouble finding parking near a trail-head  especially if we got a late start.  We went to the ranger station for Grand Targhee National Forest to get some ideas about hikes from the Idaho side in the National Forest.  The 2 rangers at the station were very helpful, and the provided a lot of good information about possible hikes, along with maps and descriptions. I also asked about the persistent haze in the sky, and they said it was smoke from the forest fires upwind in central and western Idaho.  They estimated the visibility at about 10-12 miles.

We drove south from Driggs a few miles and headed east to Darby Canyon Rd, which was a narrow dirt road that followed a stream about 5 miles into Darby Canyon.  The road eventually ended at a parking lot and trail-head in a clearing next to the stream.  With bear spray, water and other day-hike provisions, we headed out on the Trail toWind Cave

Wind Cave, worth the hike

The trail initially headed east, climbing gently along that stream and the bottom of Darby Canyon. After a short distance, it turned south and began climbing more steeply along the eastern flank of a side canyon. Our destination was Wind Cave, which the rangers said would be enjoyable destination for our family.  Along the way, the trail wound through many switchbacks and initially through a thick forest.  The trees began to thin and were shorter as we gained altitude.  There were also a many rock outcrops or small cliffs along the way. As we gained more elevation, we eventually started hiking through more open, alpine meadows with a beautiful mix of scrub brush, grasses  and wildflowers.  As the trail opened up, we were able see wider vistas of the ridge behind us and to the north, and the ridge across the canyon to our west.  Along the way we met a few groups of hikers either heading toward or returning from Wind Cave.

As the morning wore on, we scanned the canyon wall to our west looking for signs of Wind Cave, and eventually saw a small black spot a few hunded feet below the ridge, through the haze.  Although it was hard to judge distances, we now had it in our sights, and we realized we could make it.  As we approached, the trail crossed the bottom of the drainage feature and began to climb steeply toward the Cave.  Along the way and before the cave, the trail became very steep, even with rock steps and steep sections of trail that required grabbing trees, roots or anything you could find to pull yourself up.  Then we came alongside a waterfall
which had been eroded under the overhang, allowing us to walk behind the falls.

The cave had a huge entrance , about 50 feet tall by 20 ft wide, and the cave floor angled upward toward the flat roof, as you moved into its depths.  The walls curved in a parallel fashion.
 There was a stiff flow of cool air coming out of the cave, which was refreshing on a hot day such as this.  We explored the cave, but only to a reasonalble depth, where we still had plenty of natural light.  After finding a nice spot to eat lunch on the way back we had an uneventful hike back.  The bear spray worked much like an umbrella prevents you from seeing any rain.

Someone in Jackson must have been real bored.

Our evening destination was Riverton WY.  To get there, we headed back over the Teton Pass and into Jackson WY for some late afternoon shopping.  Jackson is a cowboy town, turned ski town with an active art community.  There were plenty of boutique shops with lots of unique, and very expensive items for sale.  One art shop had a dinosaur scull selling for $45,000.  It was too big to bring home so we chose not to buy it.  There is a small park in the middle of town.  At each entrance there is an arch made up of elk antlers, not something you see everywhere.  It was a hot day in town, so after a couple of hours we were "shopped out"

On the way out of town, we had to drive northeast before heading toward Riverton.  Alon the road, we got one last look at beautiful granite peaks of the Grand Tetons throught the haze.  We also did a drive-by view of  Jackson Lake.

Our best view of the Tetons in 2 days, through the haze.

We connected with 287/26 and headed toward Riverton.  There was major construction along the way as we gained altitude on the way to the Togwotee Pass in the Absaroka Range.  We had to stop 4 different times, where there was only one lane of traffic at a time.  Near the top of the pass, we passed two women cyclists climbing the pass with full touring gear, working real hard on a gravel section of road that was under construction.  Kudos to them.  I have heard this pass is on some more northern cross country bike routes.

After ascending from the pass we could see the Wind River range to the south.  For dinner, we stopped for Pizza at Paya' Deli along the main drag in the small town of Dubois WY.  It was a small town deli, with the local crowd.  We left town around dark and entered the Wind River Reservation.  There was very little development along the road, and saw few cars till we were within 5 miles of Riverton.

Yellowstone In a Day

We started with a hearty American breakfast at O'Rourkes in the middle of Driggs.

Buffalo lounging along the road in Yellwstone Park

When we left Driggs we headed north on route 33, and then continued north on route 32.  On 32 the road began a slow climb, after about 700 of elevation we began to see snow stakes along the highway, so there must be significant snowfall at the highest elevations.  There were even some gates along the road that are probably used to closed the road when drifting snow makes them impassable.  The landscape was open prairie with a mix of wheat, grazing land and small patches of woodland.

We connected with route 20 in Ashton Idaho.  After leaving town, we saw a crop dusting plane spraying a field along the road, flying real low with steeply banked turns...looks real dangerous.  The skies were very hazy again today as we traveled toward the town of West Yellowstone, and the park entrance.  There was construction on Route 20, with sections of one way traffic again.  We also saw large areas of replanted lodge pole pine before entrance, interspersed with high desert vegetation and large cattle ranches.  We also began seeing evidence of the devastating forest fires that hit the park in 1988.  Most of the park was covered by regrowth that sprung up after that fire.

Old Faithful

On the way in we stopped at the Madison Information Station.  The park rangers were real helpful with the geyser schedule, and pointed out some of the geysers we should try to see, and the approximate schedules for that day. We arrived at Old Faithful about 10 minutes before the expected eruption.  Parking looked to be a real problem, so Glenn dropped off the family and drove to a spot.  He got real lucky and was able to park and run to view it along with quite a large crowd.  Due to the dry summer, it was not as spectacular as it would be with a high water table.  For more information see Geothermal areas of Yellowstone

We then visited many other hot springs and geysers, in that area. Microorganisms that thrive in the hot water affect that light that hits the water and creates a beautiful spectrum of colors.  We just missed Daisy and Riverside, but got to see Castle from a distance and quite a few other smaller geysers and spouts.  Later we drove back to Paint Pots, where thermal activity causes bubbling mud and lots of other oddities.  In all these areas there is a strong smell of sulpher.

Smaller geyser/spout

There are only a few other places in the world with these types of hydro thermal features, and Yellowstone has the largest number and highest concentration of any place in the world.  In fact it has 60% of the worlds geysers.

We stopped at the Continental Divide to take a picture.  Another family from Iowa pulled up, so we offered to take a picture with their camera.  After making small talk, one of them wanted to know what the Continental Divide actually was.  Geography literacy is really lacking.

Hot pool with characteristic color spectrum

We continued east to Yellowtone Lake, and then south on 89, and exited the south entrance toYellowstone.  We entered Grand Tetons National Park.  In one of the large meadows we saw a herd of about 20 buffalo, and joked about needing to see some deer and antelope on the range.  A couple of miles later we saw two antelope (pronghorn?) along the road.  We also passed a large elk preserve along the road.

On the great divide

On the way back to our lodging at Driggs, we drove through the town of Jackson Hole.  It looked like a good town to visit on the next day.  To return to Idaho, we had to climb over the Teton Pass on 22.  It was very long and steep, probably averaging about 10 %.

After returning to Driggs, we had dinner at Teton Thai .  It was very good food cooked by Thai staff, and we highly recommend it if you ever happen to visit the Teton region in Idaho.

Heber City to Driggs

90 and 120 meter ski jumps with artificial snow 

For a morning run, Emily, Jacob and I drove over to Solder Hollow which was the venue for cross country, biathlon and the nordic portion of nordic combined for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.  I had heard it was looking a little rough around the edges, and it was true.  Some of the main buildings in the stadium were being used for a small private academy.  Much of the decorative fencing was in need of repair and painting.  The terrain was really challenging, with tough hills, so it was a slow run.  There was even a wash-line in the middle of the stadium, which I assume is removed during the ski season.
After showers and breakfast, we drove north to Park City to see the town and do a little shopping.  In the winter this is a busy ski town, with some major alpine slopes next to town.  One slope actually enters town by a bridge and ends at the main drag.  Park City was the focus of the 2002 Winter Olympics with many venues in the vicinity and the Olympic Village located on the edge of town.  It is a real cool town with western influenced architecture and a lot of tourism related businesses along the main street.  The Tour of Utah bike race had finished on main street the day before we arrived,

Skier, mid jump at the freestyle aerials training site

After walking around town for an hour or so, we headed to Utah Olympic Park  This area hosted ski jumping, freestyle skiing aerials, luge and bobsled competition.  Visitors could pay to ride a specially adapted sled down the concrete run that is used for year-round training.  The ski jumps have a special porcelain surface that simulates snow, and the landing hills have a plastic carpet-like surface on which the skiers can land on.  The freestyle aerial skiers also had an artificial surface on the run-in ramps and they landed in a pool after doing all their flips and twists.  Coaches would activate a bubbler in the pool which served to soften the landing for athletes at the end of their run.  There was only one skier training during the time we were there, but she wowed everyone watching.  There was a small group of kids launching off a smaller jump and doing some helicopters into the pool.

Mormon Tabernacle

On the way to Interstate we drove through the heart of Salt Lake City, which is a beautiful city and very clean.  We decided to take a look at the Mormon Tabernacle, at the center of the headquarters for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The architecture was characterized by an attention to detail, and very ornate and influenced by styles found in the great cathedrals all over the world.  The grounds were immaculately landscaped and well maintained.

As we headed north toward Idaho we entered an area of large wheat growing area.  We drove through a couple small towns that reminded me of the mid-west and prairie regions, complete with grain elevators. As we turned east toward Idaho, we encountered strange looking buildings that were of A-frame design and had soil and grass covering the roofs   We were very curious about what they were.  At the same time we started seeing a lot of potato fields among the wheat, so we guessed they had something to do with that crop.

We arrived at our destination, Driggs Idaho and The Pines Motel.  The inn-keeper, John Nielson, was friendly and accommodating.  The motel had dated decor and furniture, but we had 2 adjoining rooms and some additional space for our 2 night stay, so I guess that balanced out.  John confirmed that the buildings were potato cellars, used for long term storage of the harvest.  We enjoyed our stay in Driggs and in the Teton Valley.

Bryce Canyon, Wow

Zion from near the tunnel entrance

After leaving St George, we pointed the van toward Zion again. We drove through the park on the Mt Carmel highway, complete with switchbacks and an incredible tunnel through the rock.  The tunnel was narrow and dark, and ran just inside the rock wall, with portals for air and light spaced along most of it's length.  On the east side of the tunnel, we drove through a high plateau of exposed rock with very little vegetation.  It had a kind of moon-scape look to it.

To get to Bryce Canyon we had to drive through the Long Valley with lots of high desert scrub brush, and grasslands, a nice setting for cattle ranches.

Zion "moon-scape", east of the tunnel

On the way to Bryce Canyon we stopped at Red Canyon in the State Forest, to take some pictures. It was a good foretaste of the majestic land forms to come.  We stopped for some lunch at a Subway near the entrance.

An incredible view of the "Amphitheater" from Bryce Point

To view the unique rock formations of Bryce Canyon, you drive along an 8000' + plateau.  Along the eastern edge, there are many overlooks where you can view the rock formations that make this park so beautiful.  The rock formations are created by a variety of sandstone formations which have varying degrees of permeability   Surface and ground water moving over and through this geology has eroded the rock at various rates depending on the hardness of the rock creating a freaky yet beautiful landscape.  With an average of more than 200 days per year with freezing temperatures, the freeze/thaw cycle has created a very active agent for this erosion.  The arid climate also is another factor in the formation of this landscape, because when heavy rains do come, the run off the hard soil and create erosive flash floods

Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon

The rock pillars found at Bryce are called Hoodoos.  Despite the sporadic, light rain showers, we really enjoyed the scenery.  Due to the altitude and cloud cover, it was a bit on the cool side that day.

After leaving Bryce Canyon, we took 12, 89 and 20 to Interstate 15, driving through the town of Panguitch along the way.  Along this route there was a lot of open grasslands in the valley, so we saw a lot of large ranches. 

As were heading north on 15, there were 2 test sections which had a speed limit of 80 mph.  The van was up to the challenge and we were flowing with traffic a few "degrees north" of the posted limit.  We made it to Heber City, UT quickly and safely, so I would vote for that speed limit.  Along the interstate, we saw large pockets of agricultural land, supported by irrigation using water from the surrounding mountains.  In between this farmland was dry desert land.

When we got to Provo, we headed east toward Heber City through the Deer Creek canyon.  The Utah state road signs have a the shape of a beehive in the background, much like the keystone here in PA.  Of course we needed to know why that is.  We consulted the internet for an answer and found that "Utahans relate the beehive symbol to industry and the pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance", according to 50states.com site,

Marching Through Zion

View from the valley floor of Zion National Park

Today was our day to explore Zion National Park.  After breakfast at the hotel, we drove to the vistor's center.  We got some info about things to do and then decided to take the river walk.  We took shuttle to the Temple of Sinewava and walked to the north end of the Riverside Walk to the Narrows which is a very tight slot canyon created by the Virgin River.  Proceeding up the narrows involved either walking in or along the river.  The river was usually a little over knee deep, but at places it was well above the our waists.  The tight canyon walls restricted our views but what we were able to see was incredible.  The various layers of rocks varied in color between tan and deep reds and browns.  When the sunlight hit these rocks, they reflected more brilliant colors..

Walking upstream in the Narrows

We snagged some lunch at a deli/gift shop in Springdale, topped off by some ice cream since the day was really heating up.  We returned to our hotel in St George Utah for some rest amd recovery. The afternoon was spent napping, reading by the pool and relaxing.  The constant travel took it's toll.  We ordered pizza and were able to walk for the pick-up.  We spent the evening watching Summer Olympic coverage.

Getting narrow

...and narrower

Grand Canyon, is Both

Rest stop at 1.5 miles down

The day dawned clear an cool, a beautiful day to visit the Canyon. On the hour drive from our hotel in Williams to the South Rim, we traveled the featureless plain of the Coconino Plateau. As you get closer there is a lot of new tourism based development in Tusayan and Grand Canyon Village .

Hiked down the Bright Angel Trail, into canyon for a little over 2 hrs. Some of us made it to the 1.5 mile rest stop along the trail, where there is an aid station with water.  Saw the wide range of hikers from the hard-core with all the gear, to the people who look like they decided to walk down the trail on a whim, such as women wearing heels.  In the exposed areas, the sun was hot, but in the shade you could feel the cool rock walls.

During our time on the rim, we heard lots of different languages being spoken, a lot of French and either Italian or Portuguese.  Since the roads connecting the most popular vistas are closed to auto traffic, we took the shuttle bus to see a few other views of the canyon.  Due to the steepness of the canyon walls nearest to the water, it is hard to see the Colorado River.

Views on the way out

We stopped by a little roadside stand that we had seen the night before, so we could look at jewelry made by members of the local native american community.  A short walk down a trail was a nice overlook on the edge of Little Colorado River Canyon.

The destination for the evening was St George UT.  This meant we had to retrace our steps throught he Painted Dessert, and then head north and west on 89, 89A and AZ 389 to UT 59.

Echo Cliffs


View from an overlook on the South Rim





View down a side canyon from the trail



On 89A we drove along the southern side of the Vermillion Cliffs, which form the southern edge of the Paria Plateau.  There was a thunderstorm hitting the top of the plateau, and we had some wind and showers along the way as we passed through the house rock valley.  The road started to climb the Kiabab Plateau, with many switchbacks as it gained elevation.  We saw a nice overlook and got out to stretch our legs and get a few pictures.  Looking back to our east, we saw the valley we had just traversed and the Vermillion Cliffs.  There was a game preserve in the foreground, and the BLM road stretched to the north through the House Rock Valley.  It was a nice view that we weren't expecting so we lingered a few moments to enjoy it.



Little Colorado river Canyon



We were enjoying the scenery, but realized that there would be few options for dinner till we got off the plateau and into Utah.  At the intersection of the road that takes you 60 miles south to the north rim of the Gand Canyon is the Jacob Lake Inn .  We decided it would be a good time and location for our dinner stop, as it had a restaurant, gift shop and motel.  We enjoyed a nice dinner and browsed the gift shop.  There were a lot of Christmas decorations hanging up and Christmas music was playing in the background.  This is something they do to celebrate the end of the summer, as many of the staff are college students and they were getting ready to leave.



View of Vermilion Cliffs, a nice surprise

The obvious picture

Mesa Verde and Grand Canyon at Sunset

Mesa verde
Spruce tree house
Mesa top Loop

Lunch at cortez with thunder shower
Desert drive
Photos at Grand Canyon
Sunset talk
Mountain lion crossing signs
Lodging in Williams, AZ

Colorado Springs and Great Sand Dunes

Air Force Academy Chapel

We had a great time in the Denver area, touring by day and visiting in the evenings.  Now the next phase of the trip was about to start, so we headed south on I25 toward Colorado Springs.  Along the way we had nice views of the Front Range to the  west and the wide open prairie to the east.  There were even a view mesas along the way.

Our first stop was the Air force Academy.  The campus is built into the foothills of the Front Range with beautiful vistas all around.  Since the campus is relatively new, the buildings all are built in post World War II, modernist architectural styles.  We walked around a small portion of the campus and toured the iconic chapel.  The chapel is built of 17 aluminum clad spires, interspersed with narrow bands of stained glass.  It has design elements from European cathedrals, but in a very modern style.

Rock Formation at Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods, incredible rock formations.  A taste of what is to come.

Went on a quick stroll through OTC gift shop

Great Sand dunes National Park, walked for about 1.5 hrs. and got up only a over the second row of dunes.

Dinner in Alamosa, CO

Drive to Durango, over the San Juans and Wolf Creek pass, too bad it was dark.

Sign near entrance of Olympic Training Center

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

First stop along Peak to Peak Highway

Lilly Lake, our scenic lunch stop

After another nice breakfast with the Robinson's, we headed north to Lyons, where we got on the Peak to Peak Highway.  It is a winding road that runs west of the Front Range, so it was a great prelude to what was to come.  We stopped along the road to enjoy the creek and a little climb.

We headed west toward Ferncliff and then north toward Estes Park.  There were a lot of beautiful views of alpine meadows interspersed with wildflowers and pine trees.  The hot temperature at Lyons gave way to much cooler, more pleasant climes as we gained elevation.  We had nice views of Longs Peak ,one of the 54 "fourteeners" (mountains topping 14,000'). Just before we started the descent from the high valley were driving through, we came upon Lily Lake.  There we ate lunch and took some pictures.  We were very tempted to hike the loop around this scenic lake, but decided to save time for a hike later in the afternoon in the park.  We met a couple from Texas who has been coming to this area for many years.  They gave us some good ideas about what to do and see in the area.

After descending, and driving through Estes Park (a tourist oriented town), we arrived at the entrance to the park.  The friendly and helpful park rangers at the entrance and in the visitors center provide a lot of good advice about what to see and do.  We decided to take the Alluvial Fan hike which scrambled over the fan created by the 1982 Estes Park flood.  We did a some boldering and a dicey stream crossing on the way back.

View from Old Fall River Road, back down valley

When that was done, we headed up the dusty Old Fall River Road, a one lane dirt road with twisting switchbacks, steep drop-off's and many beautiful vistas.  This evoked many "Oh my gosh" moments from Sarah.  Near the top, we took a brief hike on the Chapin Creek Trail.  We all quickly got winded and lightheaded, since it was a little over 11,000 feet.  We could see the top of Chapin Peak, and really wanted to bag the summit, but needed to cut it short due to time and weather danger.  After the hike then continued on to Old Fall  River Road, till it climbed above the treeline.  As we continued, we started to see some patches of dirty brown snow, where snow had blown over ridges and settled in steep ravines that get very little sun.

Elk herd grazing along road

We arrived at the intersection with Trail Ridge Road, which runs along the ridge line, and then stopped at the visitor center which was at an elevation of 12,976'.  There were a lot of tourists at the center, as this road carries a large volume of tourist traffic.  As we drove along the ridge and started heading downhill, we saw a few bicyclists making the long climb up.  On the way down, we passed a small heard of elk, very close to the road.

Drove to airport and exchanged Explorer for a Dodge Caravan.  As the trip progressed, it became clear that this was the best solution, but a very expensive option.

View of remote alpine meadow, north of Chapin Peak Trail

Denver and the Front Range

Our first stop for the day was the 16th Street Mall in Denver, which is the downtown shopping district at the heart of the city.  The first destination was Larimer Square, which was commercial district with boutique shops and trendy restaurants.  Streets were closed for a couple of blocks as workers were setting up for some sort of  fashion/music event. Sarah bought at hat, and the clerk at hat store had ties to PA.  There is a free bus service that runs the length of the mall, so we rode it to the state capital complex.  We were able to get a photo on the 13th step of the capital building which is exactly one mile above see level. We also walked by Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, which is located at the north end of shopping district, along the Platte River

Steps of Colorado State Capital building,
at exactly 1 mile above sea level.

After spending the morning and lunch in downtown Denver, we headed northwest toward the city of Boulder.  Our first stop was Celestial Seasonings a tea company which started here and still blends and packages all of their products at this plant.  We have purchased their products, and I followed the Red Zinger bicycle stage race in the late 70's which they sponsored for a few years, until Coors took over the title sponsor role.  They had free samples, a video, and a factory tour (requiring hair nets).  The mint room made your eyes water and the general tea smell certainly induced a craving for tea, which they capitalized on by strategically making you exit through the gift shop.  We got a good dose of tea trivia, for what it's worth.

After our tea time, we went to Pearl St. Mall, which is the commercial district for Boulder.  It was what you would expect for a college town, lots of trendy shops, art galleries and restaurants with a veggie flair.  Anne really liked Peppercorn a 12,000 SF kitchen, gourmet food and home furnishings store.  I spent most of my time checking out the bike's around the mall, lots of "fixies" chained to whatever wasn't moving.

Being a endorphin junkie, I was quite aware of the large number of elite endurance athletes that call Boulder home.  We saw a lot of people riding bikes around town, whether for training or transportation.  The concentration of bikes was similar to what I would expect to see in Europe.

To end the day, we drove to National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).  Although this is a place I would like to visit some time, we went there for access to a trail head that allows you to access the Flatirons area of the Front Range.  Since it was getting late, we ended up only taking 20 minute hike up the Mesa behind the NCAR campus.  It did give us a preview of the mountain scenery to come tomorrow at Rocky Mountain National Park, and chance to take a few pictures.  Although the mountains that make up the Front Range of the Rockies are not quite as tall as the interior peaks, they do have a lot of exposed rock formations that add to the scenic value.  We saw a couple mule deer while exiting the parking lot.

View of Flatirons from the trail behind the NCAR complex.

Flatirons Formation in Winter
Source: Wikipedia

Denver to Denver



Passing time at the airport

Our trip to the airport went very well, including a friendly shuttle driver that has a day job at the Williamson Free School. When we got to the airport, thats when the fun began. Anne left her ID at home, so after showing her library card and everything else that had her name on it, the TSA gave her a good pat down and then let her through.

During the flight, we had some minor turbulence from thunderstoms in the Midwest, hopefully they were getting rain.  We also observed how the township and range surveysystem impacts development patterns west of the Appalachians.  As we continued west, we saw lots of dry lakes, streams and rivers, evidence of the draught gripping the Midwest.  As we got even further west, we could see the circular fields where center pivot irrigation systems are used.

The remainder of the flight went OK, but the rental car pickup was not so fun.  We had a 20 minute wait for the shuttle, an hour wait for service, then the van which we had reserved, suffered a broken window in the car wash. They gave us a Ford Explorer, which is too tight for 5 passengers and luggage for 13 days.  All these events added to the stress of the first day of travel, and we hoped that this trend would not last.

However, once we arrived at David and Diane Witonsky's, we were able to put the stress of the travels behind us.  Diane is Anne's cousin, and we were also joined by her cousin David Robinson and son Cy, along with her Aunt Norma and Uncle "Robbie" Robinson.  We had a nice dinner and burgers and salad, followed by a little badminton and horse shoes.  Later we took a 2 mile walk around the neighborhood and then went swimming at the community pool.



"Crop circles", evidence of center pivot irrigation
in the high prairie of the western Great Plains