Trains and Meadows

Today we had a two hour drive from one place to another, and nothing else planned ahead, so we were winging it. We found the Georgetown Railroad--a narrow gauge railroad and a silver mine. It was on our way so we stopped there and immediately saw the steam engine and were hooked! Unfortunately tickets on the steam train were sold out, as was the silver mine tour, but we managed a ride on the diesel train, which afforded nice photo ops of the steam engine, and some nice views.

Chipmunk! Young Adventurer had my other camera, and when i download the photos off of that, there will be about 50 of this fellow. We're discovering that Young Adventurer is happier with a camera in hand on this trip. Wonder where he gets that?

We also wandered around Georgetown, which apparently has the largest collection of Victorian buildings in the country.
Found an antique shop with an entire bookstore of antique books!
Then we went on down a scenic highway to Buena Vista, Co. We drove for a while along the Arkansas river, which we will raft tomorrow. The area between Interstate 70 and Buena Vista is beautiful! Much of it is a high altitude valley--10000 feet or so. It looked a lot like this:

Green grass, streams and rivers, wildflowers, Venom saw a deer. Also the kind of area to have a red one-room schoolhouse. :-)

We're driving back up the valley in a couple of days on our way out, and are planning to stop for more photos.

I don't get it...

Is having an affirmative rock supposed to make me feel better?

The sparkly rock that says "hope" was kinda pretty, in a "take only photographs, leave your cash in your pocket" sort of way.

The other photos took too long to load. Maybe tomorrow.

We made it this far...

First, the little bit of trouble that delayed our vacation by three days and caused all sorts of chaos--Indie. She's okay now, or at least heading in that direction. The photo is one taken Sunday night before bringing her home from the emergency vet after a 48 hour stay. My sprained hand, her IV'd and bandaged paw. She was not feeling well, in spite of being better than she had been the day before.

We headed out this morning, and began to relax a little as we hit Monument Valley. We need to come back here for an actual visit, but just driving by on the highway was pretty impressive. Paint, mom! Paint!
I think this was Mexican Hat Rock in Southern Utah.
I don't know if this formation had a name, but Young Adventurer says it's Atherton, from House of Power.
This is Wilson's Arch. Utah. At least I think it's Wilson's. It started with a W.
This is the crack in my universe. Waiting for The Doctor to come fix it.

Also it is why we like having a sunroof.
The view from our hotel, once we finally found it. We were excited. We live near trains and we are accustomed to sleeping through the noise. And we thought Gavin would like a picture.
Sunset over Glenwood Canyon on our way out to dinner.
No, I didn't order Sushi, but we were impressed with the tomato butterflies and the turnip(?) flower
For Booyor. Inside the chinese restaurant. Turn the corner and there's a very big Buddha.
It took three cameras (and numerous acts of God) to bring you these photos. Tomorrow maybe I'll take pictures of people too. :-)

P.S. Now that I've seen an actual river, with rapids, I'm not so sure about whitewater rafting...

Camp, Take Two

Venom and Adventurer Two are up at camp this week. Venom is a Junior Counselor, and Adv.2 is in her last year as a camper.

Adv.2 has chosen to rough it a little more than the average camper, by staying in the "Adirondaks" which are much more rustic--more shacks than cabins--the door is a tarp, and more distant from the main camp area.
Here she is, setting up her bunk. She was having trouble keeping bugs off the sheet as she put it on the bed. The insect repellent will probably come in handy!
Venom is stationed at Hill Cabin, also a considerable distance from the dining hall and restrooms:
Here's an excerpt from her first letter home, sent back with us from camp after her first night (she went up a day earlier):

"I have been having a fun week so far. It's sunday now so it is only my second day here but i can already tell that it is going to be a great week. Yesterday I had lots of time for walking around and relaxing after we set up the cabin. But Mrs. B. sure had a lot of stuff to carry up to hill cabin...& it's a long way from the car...However I had a great afternoon. I accidently sat in the forest lost in thought for an entire hour! Can you believe it!

"...I had time to take a nap and fool around at the creek for a while before dinner. And guess what I found in the creek? A water wheel! It was the coolest thing! You should see it!

"However, I slept horribly last night! There is a GIANT mouse living in a hole above the fire place. It is seriously bigger than a guinea pig's butt, it's soooo fat. And it is round! The stupid pig mouse spent the ENTIRE night running around the room and trying to get into my suitcase! It kept pitter pattering across the matress of the bed below me and driving me nuts..."

The last photo is the creek. Young Adventurer was here last week, literally here. The dam in the foreground was partially his work. The water wheel found by Venom was the product of his dam-building class, although he told me this morning that the stated goal of his dam-building team was not to utilize the water wheel to produce power as was expected, but to make a nice swimming hole. Goal accomplished. Shallow, but nice. :-)