Anniversary

47 years! ! Wow! We celebrated with a pizza from Papa Murphys and I actually baked Will a chocolate cake.  That is pretty amazing all by itself.  Can't remember the last time I baked a cake.
  Happy Anniversary,  Will.  You know I love you!

A day in Tubac with Susie

My friend, Susie and I decided to just take a day and go off to Tubac and spend the day.  Its a nice hours drive down to the artist town of Tubac so we got an early start and arrived about the time the shops started opening up.  It was a fairly warm day walking the streets, plus the winter crowds have not found it yet for the season so we felt like we had the town to ourselves!  Did lunch and shopped at fun specialty stores and checked out some of the amazing galleries and had a really nice day!!  This small shops features a California artist but also showcases the wonderful work of a Tucson woman, Bonnie Gibson, who does these incredible gourds!  Those are not clay, that is all gourds that she has painted, embellished, carved, etc. 

Shops on the street.

Open kiln

Opened my kiln this afternoon. First one since last spring. Few mishaps, glaze ran off bowl and did in a shelf,  two cracked tiles, another broken bowl. . .however, a couple of outstanding pieces, too. Just throw away the bad and celebrate the successes. How's that for a life lesson.

That favorite son!

Doug and Tammy met up in Las Vegas recently for a weekend and a wedding of one of Doug's long time friends. Pretty attractive couple, huh.

Tribute to the Chilie!!

I was accepted into an art exhibit at Tohono Chul this summer.  I wasn't here for the opening so Will and I went over this morning to see the show.  It is really fun and I must say there were some amazing entrants!!  Feels good to be included in such a nice show.  Will be there until November so drop by if you are in Tucson!!

 

Salt River Canyon, Arizona and home

 

One last day on the road, and what a glorious day.  Not sure if it is excitement to be going home, driving across our beloved Arizona, the beautiful clear sky. . .or the excitement and familiarity of Salt Creek Canyon!  For the last three years we have finished our summer with a night at Fool Hollow near the White Mountains in Arizona and then a drive through Salt Creek Canyon on our way to Tucson.  It is a Utah-style canyon in west central Arizona that is quite a pull for the RV but so grand.

Once we get to Globe we choose to drive through the high desert and approach Tucson from the northeast.  That's the Catalina mountains up ahead.  Once we head home, our brains click over and we begin the think about home and become anxious to be there.  Then once we get there the work begins--unloading, laundry, cleaning up RV after a summer of trashing it.  Its tiring and find myself a bit depressed--now I want to leave again!!

First thing I do is clean off the patio of windblown trash and leaves, etc, and fill the bird feeders and get the fountain going.  And the hummingbirds and finches are there before I can turn around--how do they know so quickly!!  Put out a new quail block and suddenly there are a dozen quail in the back yard too.  So fun.  And with all the rain everything is green and growing like gangbusters!

 

Toward home

We left the mountains of Colorado early this morning.  Through New Mexico and into Arizona and stopped driving about 2pm.  We were tempted to drive all the way home today but the heavy rains that have plagued Tucson and especially Phoenix are causing the strong winds and no fun driving.  Surprisingly, we only experienced a light shower of rain though the skies looked unsettled most of the way to Fool Hollow State Park near Show Low.

We could see Ship Rock while still in Colorado.  Its quite a landmark in northwest New Mexico.

Durango and beyond

We put our inflatabe in the water for a fun paddle around Haviland Lake.  First time we used it all summer.  A couple of short hikes in the area and had fun watching a family of chippies gorging on the fresh acorns on the bushes near our campsite.  They stuffed their cheeks so full we couldn't help but laugh at them.  Then the weather changed and we got a good downpour.  Spent a rainy day touring  up to Silverton and onto Ouray for lunch.

Mountains still amazing with low hanging clouds and occasional showers.

  

Onto Durango

We are slowly working our way toward Tucson.  Having a hard time leaviing the mountains of Colorado.  Stopped for one night in Pagosa Springs so that we could enjoy a few hours in the hot springs spa there.  Well, we can't go on without stopping at a favorite campground near Durango.

Haviland Lake has a forest service campground that over the years we have returned to many times.  First thing after we got settled was to hike out behind the campground on an old abandoned road that leads to a couple of forest ponds and ultimately to an overlook of the Animas River and a view of the Durango-Silverton scenic railroad tracks.

It might be September but there is still plenty of color in the woods.  There are hints that fall is just around the corner.  The aspen have not started to change here yet, but you can feel it in the air.

Beautiful Colorado

A family of Marmots.

Around Mineral County and Creede.  

Natures healing!!

Best ice pack around!!  Soaking my tired and swollen ankle in the cold waters of the Rio Grande at the campground.   We did a 5 mile hike that followed Ivy Creek into the Wenuche Wilderness.  Then rewarded ourselves with a gigantic hamburger at Freeman's, a local eatery just out of town.  Swollen ankles is something I am going to have to live with for a while.

Dr check up and back in Creede!

Hung around Alamosa for a 2:30 appointment with the Orthopedic surgeon for my ankle.  She was definately pleased with healing and my recovery.  Said the broken bone had healed "rock solid," and was happy with my recovered range of motion and strength.  Gave me the ok to do most anything that I was comfortable doing.  I was a bit concerned that I continue to have swelling and some deep aching but she asssured me that was normal and said I could experence that for quite some time yet.  Just ice and elevate as needed and keep exercizing the ankle.  Although, I expected that I was doing well, it was confirming to hear a doctor say it.  

  Sooooo. . . We left town immediately and headed back to Creede for another few days.  Went back to Palasades Campground which is where we were when this alll started!  Its a forest service campground right on the Rio Grand River, no hookups, but great place to just be!!  

  I feel like we get a "do-over!"  I broke my ankle the first day we were here almost two months ago so I really did not get a chance to experience the area.  Saw lots of scenery but now I can actually hike a trail or two and do stuff without crutches!!

The campground gets its name from the high cliffs looking over the Rio Grande.  We step out of the camper and walk a short trail down to the river.  I sat on a rock and "iced" my foot in the cold waters of the river this evening.  And interesting enough, the campground is officially closed as of Labor Day--pump shut off--but bathrooms still open, so they stopped collecting fees.  Camping is free.

more dunes and Alamosa

Early morning stroll around the campground and then down toward the dunes.  Crisp, clear morning to enjoy all the colors of the changing vegetation.  Lots of rabbit bush in yellow bloom along with yellow sunflowers with spashes of purple wild astors.  

  Then we packed up and moved about 40 miles to Alamosa KOA on the edge of busy town.   After a stop at grocery store and McDonalds for lunch, we drove out into farm country, and grassland and back into National Forest to find Terrace Reservoir and rugged landscape of "Los Caminos Antiguos."  Stopped at a wildlife refuge and wetland and scoped out a few ducks and waterbirds.  Suppose to be Sand Hill Crane stopover in spring and fall but we are a month too early to see them here.

Don't know how old this log structure is but it is tucked right up to a rock cliff so they were obviously protected from wind and snow.  A creek behind me, looked like a idyllic setting.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

We stayed at the park campground so we would be close to the giant dunes.  They are tucked right next to a mountain range with a river in between--which this time of year is pretty small.  It seems an odd place for America's tallest dunes but I guess the mountains and the river and the wind created the perfect conditions thousands of years ago.

The walking is hard, but you gotta climb at least one!

We went farther out on the dunes in the evening as the sun was going down.  The sand was considerably cooler on my bare feet plus the setting sun turned the dunes aglow.  Looking back from the dunes and the mountains were bathed in sunset light also.

The sun setting in the San Luis Valley outside the park.