Flying Cloud

Michael's nephew Aidan turned ONE a few days ago and my nephew Ryan turned THREE yesterday! Happy Birthday half-pints! We are sad we didn't make it to either birthday party - Aidan is in Georgia and Ryan is in Iowa... :( They are so cute!

August 31, 2007 by Lynn in colorado | permalink | comments (0)

Mom and Dad left yesterday. They stopped and visited over the weekend for the final leg of their New Mexico-Arizona-Utah-Colorado vacation. Saturday we went to Garden of the Gods (below left) then hiked around Helen Hunt Falls (right).

August 27, 2007 by Lynn in colorado | permalink | comments (0)

Last night (with Michael out of town again, this time in Miami) I finished Last Stand at Pagago Wells. For the second time. As usual, our renegade hero saved the day, killed the bad guys and got the girl.

Long time ago I learned from my grandpa that you can't go on a vacation without a stack of old Louis L'Amour books (and that you can't go anywhere without a deck of cards, a cribbage board and a dozen maps). All of these things are packed in the Flying Cloud, of course.

By his estimation, the best ones to have were the 60s and 70s editions with dog eared corners, a musty smell and yellow or seafoam green edgings that hopefully you bought (and later sold) at garage sales for a nickel.

My grandpa went through them like the Sunday newspaper. One a day, sometimes, if we were hanging out at a cabin on a lake and the fishing was bad or there was no one to play cards with. He re-read them every so often, logging at the end the date and his rating (good, good + or good ++). According to the log, he read Last Stand in 80, 85, 91, and 99.

Living in Colorado now somehow makes me feel like I need to read them all again. It doesn't matter that after reading a few, they all start to seem the same.

My parents were in Mesa Verde two days ago so last month I sent my Dad a copy of The Haunted Mesa.... This is one of Louie's few modern-day sci-fi novels, well outside his old west/cowboy adventure genre. Read this just before you visit Mesa Verde to ensure you are well spooked the whole time you are there. If you are camping in Mesa Verde you might want to read it after you leave....

PS: If you like books about the old west, another one I love is The Log of a Cowboy. It was written by Andy Adams in 1903 as a fiction-based-on-truth chronicle of a real cowboy driving the "Circle Dot" herd up the Western Trail from Mexico to Montana. Its political incorrectness is hilarious (usually), although I still cringe at the bear incident.... And one more thing: If you are the type, like me, to read cookbooks from cover to cover, the perfect cookbook to accompany The Log of a Cowboy is Grady Spear's A Cowboy in the Kitchen. I have found at least four favorite favorite recipes in this cookbook. Love it love it love it.

August 24, 2007 by Lynn in colorado | permalink | comments (1)

Or: Two reasons I should not travel with the Airstream by myself.

One: All week long I had been biting my tongue to keep secret a surprise I was bringing home for Michael...for me... for both of us.... In Ketchum we found an antique store that was going out of business with everything in the store 30% off. When the shop owner mentioned this for the first time, we responded in unison "everything?" I came home with two fabulous pieces wedged in the trailer, an old bench and a small dresser. (Kelly and Aaron bought themselves some wedding gifts as well.) Normally I would take pictures and send to Michael and we would discuss it, but these pieces were so great and well priced I decided to keep it a surprise. Since it was a two-day drive home, I had not exactly figured out what Beth and I were going to do with the furniture since it would need to be moved out in order to sleep. (Leave it outside alone? What if it rains?) Then it hit me: a hotel! This made much more sense. No need to move the furniture, we'll have wifi, have a much simpler time showering, we can keep driving much later in the evening (when camping we like to try to arrive at the campground before nightfall.) So I called Michael and asked him to book a hotel for us somewhere in northeastern Utah. He just laughed. He was sure that we had already wimped out on camping. Of course I could not tell him the real reason. And what did he think of our new furniture? He likes it...and like any husband, he's always thrilled when I come home with a 'surprise'... "Oh, this is just what we needed I am so glad you found it!!" I think that's what he said, or at least that's what he meant to say. Maybe it actually sounded more like, "how much did you pay for this?"

Two: And then there is the bad news. Minturn, Colorado has lampposts along main street with rock bases where the rock nearly overhangs the curb. Can you guess what happens when you park there? I usually try to get pretty close to the curb in these small mountain towns since the truck (and its mirrors) are wide and the streets are not. Don't do this in Minturn. Apparently it is common that cars lose mirrors or scrape up against these rock pillars, but according to the locals who helped us out, this was the first time a rock pillar has torn a Zip Dee awning support bar off a trailer that subsequently bent back to break part of the jalousie window. Ouch. It was not fun. Our regards go to the great lady in front of whose shop this carnage happened - they helped by supplying duct tape, plastic, a broom, and a ladder. She loved the trailer and felt so sorry for us she even offered to give us a free lunch and chocolate. I don't know why we didn't take her up on the chocolate? Oh well, we have a long list of things waiting to be fixed on the trailer and had been procrastinating taking it in...now I have one more thing to add. (We can fix the window ourselves, the awning is another story.) For the record, I called Michael soon as we were on the road after the rock pillar incident; I did not think it would be a good idea to keep that a surprise.

August 22, 2007 by Lynn in colorado | permalink | comments (1)

Beth has been staying with me in the trailer the last few days and right now is driving back to Colorado with me. So much more fun to have company! Yesterday I could not resist the pull of the Tetons so we took a long detour over Teton Pass and through Jackson for a quick glimpse of my favorite mountain range. Keeping with the wedding theme, I intended to go to Schwabacher's Landing and take some photos where my little sister was married a couple summers ago. Unfortunately, it was raining cats and dogs and the mountains were mostly socked in. What terrible timing! Instead we checked out the hi-tech and brand new Visitor Center at Grand Teton National Park (right). Yesterday's drive through part of the Wind River Range was awesome. Last night we stayed in Vernal, Utah and today we are driving the long way through the Colorado mountains to get back home. Beth's flight back to Iowa leaves tomorrow morning.

Update... Ok, Mom says that picture requires explanation - we are just standing on video screens built in to the floor of the new GT Visitor Center mentioned above - they have some where you walk on top of the Snake River, some where you stand on top of Grand Teton, etc.

The second picture is our campsite in Idaho that we left yesterday.

August 19, 2007 by Lynn in utah | permalink | comments (0)

August 18, 2007 by Lynn in idaho | permalink | comments (0)

Yesterday Lindsey and I worked on flowers all day while Shelia had the toughest job, baking all the wedding cakes. Beth and I got up early to pick wildflowers for that native Idaho touch. I think we all slept good last night.

August 17, 2007 by Lynn in idaho | permalink | comments (2)

This was in Arco, Idaho on the way here. I did not have time to stop and have a drink at Club Sawtooth but I did have time to take a picture when the bikers weren't looking.

Today I undertook the arduous task of moving the trailer. Last night I found out the campground host made a mistake and my spot was reserved for the day before we planned to leave. Instead of waiting until Friday to move, I figured I would just get it over with now. Originally I was going to move to a different spot in the same campground, but I didn't like any of them much. I figured if I have to go to all that work to hook up the trailer, I wanted to go somewhere better. I went exploring and found a true boondocking spot a few miles away in the forest, and not in any campground. It was up a steep rocky hill and required a little bit of backing up to position it just right under the trees. It is also extremely uneven so I had to use every single block we had to level out the trailer. But all was worth it, it is a lovely little spot and as peaceful as can be. Everything takes five times longer to do alone, I wish Michael was here. I am going to have to make sure to "forget" how to do everything when I get home. I hate that now that he knows that I know how to do it all, I no longer can plead ignorance on the yucky tasks: "But honey, I don't know how to dump the holding tanks..."

August 15, 2007 by Lynn in idaho | permalink | comments (1)

Last night Kelly and Aaron took two of their three dogs to the river to play... This is Mig, a Rottweiler who totes around tree limbs (forget sticks) with ease.

As I write this, Michael is getting on a plane to head to DC... I think we are jealous of each other, he'd love to be in Idaho with me and I'd love to be in DC with him. When we moved I thought I would go back to DC at least four times a year (for both work and play) but time flies and I have not been there since pulling out with the u-haul last October. I think it's for the best to avoid DC in July and August though....the weather here doesn't even compare.

August 14, 2007 by Lynn in idaho | permalink | comments (1)

Yesterday on the way here I stopped at Fossil Butte National Monument in Wyoming, and the Oregon/California Trail Center and Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho. I was one of five people at Fossil Butte, including the Park Ranger. There wasn't exactly much to see. It is possibly the most barren national attraction I've ever been to.

The Oregon Trail Center seemed to be cool, but I didn't have time to do the one-hour tour with the wagon master simulating a pioneer trek along the Oregon Trail. If I had known, I probably would have skipped Fossil Butte and spent more time there. They had a cool gift shop, which still made the stop worthwhile. Retail therapy can make anything worthwhile.

Craters of the Moon was unique and fitting with the rest of the desolate landscape I spent the day passing through. I managed to squeeze one more use out of my annual National Parks Pass, which technically expired last week.

I am now in a Forest Service campground north of Sun Valley. I was delighted to show up without a reservation and find a great big pull-through spot in the shade with lots of trees. Unfortunately, Idaho is under severe fire risk and no campfires or charcoal grilling is allowed. I knew I should have brought our portable gas grill. So far that is the only thing I seem to have forgot.

Other than at the gas station yesterday, I haven't had to back up the trailer yet. I did have one close call in town yesterday attempting to do a sharp u-turn, but I made it out of that without causing any traffic jams. Here I will spend the week while working from a variety of coffee shops (right now I am at Tully's) and hanging out with Kelly who is the her final days of singledom.

L-R: This is about what all of Fossil Butte looks like. Craters of the Moon has cool rocks and not much else, but I still really liked it.

August 13, 2007 by Lynn in idaho | permalink | comments (2)

I am (or was) home from Texas for a quick stopover before embarking this morning on my first solo Flying Cloud trip. Destination: Sun Valley, Idaho. So far everything has gone off without a hitch (pun intended). I don't know what everyone (me included) was so worried about! :)

I am camped tonight in middle-of-nowhere, Wyoming, which I like very much. The drive was rather enjoyable, but then I always enjoy road trips. I checked out Steamboat Springs on the way here - I had never been there before and several people lately have suggested it, including my dental hygienist just last week. My mom mentioned that maybe we would like it better in the winter during ski season, to which I responded it was way too far away for skiing. (It's over four hours from home.) To which she replied, "I know people from Iowa who drive to Steamboat to ski." I guess it's official, we are jaded.

Once north of Craig, Colorado, I finally met up with what I call the *open road.* As in, not a car in the rear view mirror as far as the eye can see. I love drives like that, the more desolate the better. Actually I should call it austere, that sounds nicer. I try to avoid the Interstate whenever possible, but that doesn't always mean avoiding congestion. But this time it did.

Sadly, I am still without my Wyoming atlas. I am holding out hope that maybe it will be out by the time I come back through here on the way home.

L-R: I stopped for lunch under this old gas sign that I think predated Interstate 80. Not really, but it is old. || Baggs (population 348) on the Wyoming border has its own "port of entry."

August 11, 2007 by Lynn in wyoming | permalink | comments (0)

This morning I got up early and walked to San Antonio's most famous landmark to get a snapshot without hoards of people in front of it.

August 9, 2007 by Lynn in texas | permalink | comments (0)

I am in San Antonio again for work this week (sans Airstream, of course). Ugh, the humidity! It is hot at home but it's never humid; I sometimes can't imagine how we survived so many summers in DC.

I love the lacy balcony railing on this old building in Hemisfair Park in downtown San Antonio. Not very mission-ish, but it's pretty nonetheless.

I have to say how much I love small airports like Colorado Springs. As usual on a fly day, we were late this morning.... My flight was at 6:05am. Turned the key in the ignition at 4:49am, was curbside by 5:05 and through security and eating breakfast at the gate by 5:15am. A whole 45 minutes to spare. (Pre-printed boarding passes sure do help.) Norfolk, Des Moines, Jackson Hole, Colorado Springs, I love all those airports. The trade off is never flying anywhere non-stop, but that is often impossible anyway with the types of places I usually go.

Off to eat Mexican!

August 6, 2007 by Lynn in texas | permalink | comments (2)

"A bird with a passion for interior decoration." A bird after my own heart! :)

I love this video. This little bird from New Guinea is so cute. Don't know many males that decorate and organize to win over a mate...

"So it is the tastes and fancies of the females - single mothers who have no need for help of the male in bringing up families - that have led to these extravagant exhibitions." Could I get an extravagant exhibition too please? Or just an exhibition? Or just some new furniture would be nice?

Click picture to see video (embedding is disabled, it takes a few seconds to load).

From Wikipedia:

The most notable characteristic of bowerbirds is the extraordinarily complex behaviour of males, which is to build a bower to attract mates. Depending on the species, the bower ranges from a circle of cleared earth with a small pile of twigs in the center to a complex and highly decorated structure of sticks and leaves - usually shaped like a walkway, a small hut or a maypole - into and around which the male places a variety of objects he has collected. These objects - usually strikingly colored - may include hundreds of shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded plastic items or pieces of glass. The bird spends hours carefully sorting and arranging his collection, with each object in a specific place; if an object is moved while the bowerbird is away he will put it back in its place. No two bowers are the same, and the collection of objects reflects the personal taste of each bird and its ability to procure unusual and rare items (going as far as stealing them from neighboring bowers). At mating time, the female will go from bower to bower, watching as the male owner conducts an often elaborate mating ritual and inspecting the quality of the bower. Many females end up selecting the same male, and many underperforming males are left without mates.

August 5, 2007 by Lynn in colorado | permalink | comments (1)

One of many wildflower photos taken a couple weeks ago in Crested Butte... This is a Nodding Sunflower (or Aspen Sunflower) doing what it does best. Found in the Western half of Colorado.

Dedicating lots of sunfloweriness to my friend Kelly who is getting married just two weeks from today!

August 3, 2007 by Lynn in colorado | permalink | comments (2)

Another picture of Ryan from last weekend.... He is is pointing out all the Rs on the sign (R for Ryan). What he didn't know is that one half of him was east of the Continental Divide and the other half of him was west. At least, according to the Forest Service marker beneath his feet.

August 2, 2007 by Lynn in colorado | permalink | comments (0)

For one more day or so, we are poppytalk's cool blog of the week! Gosh, yes, we know it's not us or the blog....it's the timeless appeal of old Airstreams....

I love her blog because she does cool things like posting free blog buttons and finds the coolest fonts... and I wish I had her graphic design skills!

August 1, 2007 by Lynn in colorado | permalink | comments (1)