Everyday Is A Winding Road

When you take the highway over the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park, be prepared for some sharp curves as well as spectacular scenery. I lost count of the number of squiggly road signs telling drivers to slow down to 15 MPH. The best part was stopping for a break and walking to the top of a hill at 12,000 ft. above sea level. You could see the whole park from there and then some.

My stepmom is not a fan of curvy roads and she’s probably glad to have skipped this one.

That Guy

You never know what kind of weather you’ll encounter when you visit Rocky Mountain National Park. We had sunshine, we had rain- sometimes at the same time.

On our first hike there, we waited for a break in the weather before setting out (a prudent move). However, when it looked like more rain was coming, Dad reached into his backpack and pulled out a “poncho” to protect his gear. The thing turned out to be a formless blob of plastic that was such a bright color of yellow that it probably could be seen from outer space. Dad thinks he purchased it in the 1970s (whenever that was) even though it clearly had never been used.

So, using a little ingenuity, as well as clips and carabiners, Dad rigged it up so that it wouldn’t blow away in the wind. It was kind of embarrassing to see, so I made a point of walking ahead so that if I met anyone on the trail I could look back and say: “Him? I don’t know that guy.”

Dad got rid of thing when we got back to camp.

A Few Good Books

What you see in the picture is my camping library.

On my travels, I’ve been collecting a series of books about nature and the environment written in the style of Dr. Seuss. They’re really fun to read and the illustrations are great. My favorite title is Why, Oh Why, Are Deserts Dry?

When we’re chillin’ out in camp, Dad reads his intellectual type books and magazines. Meanwhile, I am in seventh heaven with my own books.

I Did It

My readers may remember that four summers ago Dad and I tried to climb Colorado’s Mt. Yale (14,196 ft.) but were turned back by an approaching storm. At the time, Dad said that I should claim it as my first Fourteener with an asterisk because I’m a faster hiker than him and he figures I would have beat the storm on my own.

This year we tried again and we made it to the top! The only thing I would trade for the previous time is the air quality. There are so many wildfires in Colorado this summer that we couldn’t see very much from the top. It did rain that night, though. That helped a little bit.

In the photo you can see the mountain behind me.

Surfin’ U.S.A.

Not everybody has an ocean across the U.S.A.

So if you visit Colorado, come on and go my way

You’ll see them carrying sandboards, sliding down the dunes

I hope The Beach Boys won’t mind that I went and stole their tune

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a really fun place. When we camped here there were tons of families having a great time playing on the dunes. It looks a bit like snowboarding to me and it’s probably harder than it looks. Dad and I contented ourselves with running up and down the dunes (which is also harder than it looks).

We’re really enjoying exploring Colorado.

Semiquincentennial

I do like big fancy words…

Today the United States of America celebrates its 250th anniversary! I’m very happy for this great land we live in and I’m very proud to be an American. It’s one of reasons I like to travel around to see and experience as much as I can of it. Dad and I are staying in a hotel in Alamosa, Colorado tonight. I don’t think we’ll hear any fireworks because there are very intense restrictions due to the extreme fire danger we’ve seen lately. Nevertheless, we’ll celebrate.

Dad (the historian) noted that both Presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the same day exactly 200 years ago. It was precisely 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Strange Currencies

One thing you see a lot of in the desert Southwest is cryptobiotic soil (also known as biological soil crust). It looks like lumpy red clay but it’s actually made up of thousands if not millions of microorganisms that are important to the ecology of the region. You’re not supposed to walk on it which is why you see lots of signs around here imploring hikers to stay on trails and not wander off cross country.

I’ve heard about some people getting excited about “investing in crypto.” I’m really not sure what they’re talking about, but it sounds a little weird to me. My investment in crypto is simply my decision not to step on it.