No photos today. We spent about three hours in Taos New Mexico and then drove on to Santa Fe New Mexico and spent a couple more hours there and then drove on to Las Vegas New Mexico for the night.
We need to be home Sunday so we will be putting in a couple of long days, as the words to a popular song go, we've got a long ways to go and a short time to get there. We're going to keep it safe but will be pushing to get home, no more side trips, stops for shopping and pictures, going to be focused on getting home.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
COG RAILWAY TO PIKES PEAK - SEPTEMBER 21, 2011
We made reservations to ride the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which has been in operation since 1890. When we arrived in the depot parking lot I noticed a long trail starting from the parking lot and going up a steep hill and people walking on it. I asked the parking attendant about it and he said it used to the rail bed for the Manitou Springs Incline Railroad but it was taken out of service in 1990 and the rails were taken up but the ties were still there and people hike it all the time.
The path is 1.02 miles from bottom to top, starting elevation is 6,574 feet and elevation at the top is 8,585 feet or an increase in elevation of 2,011 feet. The steepest grade along the path is 68% and the average grade for the entire path is 41%,that's 41 feet increase in elevation for every 100 feet you move forward!
This is the train we rode. It has two cars which are joined by a flexible boot so that both cars are open to each other where they are joined. There are also single cars in use on the line. The cars were made in Switzerland and use diesel engines to power hydraulic drive systems.
The train starts in Manitou Springs at an elevation of 6,570 feet and proceeds to the summit of Pikes Peak, an elevation of 14,115 feet, and a distance of about 8.5 miles which takes about an hour and forty minutes. The train stays at the summit for about 40 minutes then returns to Manitou Springs.
This is a picture of the cog wheel and gear rack that are used to drive the cars up and down the railway. The standard rails and wheels are used to carry the weight, but the cog wheels are what propel the cars.
Once we got above the treeline, the open pit gold mine in the distance became visible. This mining operation is a joint venture by AngloGold Ashanti an South African company and Golden Cycle Gold Corporation and they are extracting more than 300,000 ounces annually. Their cash cost to extract the gold is around $250 per ounce, today's closing price for gold was $1,776.40 per ounce. I guess they are doing OK!
Yes, that is snow on the ground. It was just above freezing and there was a pretty stiff breeze, but the sun was shining so everything was good!
The path is 1.02 miles from bottom to top, starting elevation is 6,574 feet and elevation at the top is 8,585 feet or an increase in elevation of 2,011 feet. The steepest grade along the path is 68% and the average grade for the entire path is 41%,that's 41 feet increase in elevation for every 100 feet you move forward!
This is the train we rode. It has two cars which are joined by a flexible boot so that both cars are open to each other where they are joined. There are also single cars in use on the line. The cars were made in Switzerland and use diesel engines to power hydraulic drive systems.
The train starts in Manitou Springs at an elevation of 6,570 feet and proceeds to the summit of Pikes Peak, an elevation of 14,115 feet, and a distance of about 8.5 miles which takes about an hour and forty minutes. The train stays at the summit for about 40 minutes then returns to Manitou Springs.
This is a picture of the cog wheel and gear rack that are used to drive the cars up and down the railway. The standard rails and wheels are used to carry the weight, but the cog wheels are what propel the cars.
Once we got above the treeline, the open pit gold mine in the distance became visible. This mining operation is a joint venture by AngloGold Ashanti an South African company and Golden Cycle Gold Corporation and they are extracting more than 300,000 ounces annually. Their cash cost to extract the gold is around $250 per ounce, today's closing price for gold was $1,776.40 per ounce. I guess they are doing OK!
Yes, that is snow on the ground. It was just above freezing and there was a pretty stiff breeze, but the sun was shining so everything was good!
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY - SEPTEMBER 20, 2011
We did a little shopping in Estes Park this morning and then headed south to Colorado Springs. We decided to stop at the United States Air Force Academy and take a few pictures. This was not on our original schedule but we had the time so decided to make the stop. As most of you know, my son Scot was in the Air Force for four years and served as a maintenance crew chief on F-16 fighters at Luke Air Force base in the Phoenix Arizona area. Though he didn't receive any of his training at the Air Force Academy he is aware of what an impressive place it is.
This is an exterior view of the Cadet's Chapel. The structure is made up of 17 aluminum spires. The dark pyramid shaped areas and the dark narrow vertical lines are actually made up of small rectangles of colored glass which create amazing lighting inside the chapel.
This is an picture of the interior of the Protestant chapel, which is located on the main floor. From the floor to the highest point of the ceiling is 99 feet. There are 3 other chapels on the lower level to serve the specific needs of Catholics, Jews and Buddhists.
There is a large aluminum cross suspended above the rostrum.
This is a close up of the rostrum and it's furnishings.
At the rear of the chapel is a choir loft and a huge pipe organ. The organ consists of 4,334 pipes, the largest of which is 32 feet long and the smallest of which is the size of a pencil. The organ was designed by the Holtkamp Organ Company and built by the M.P. Moller Company. There is a large mirror in front of the organ so that the organist can see what is going on at the front of the chapel.
This picture shows what the inside of the chapel looks like with late afternoon sun shining through the colored glass panels. This is all natural light, there were no lights on in the chapel at the time.
The chapel has pews to accommodate 1,200 attendees. The end of the pew is designed to resemble the end of a propeller from a World War I aircraft. The seat back is curved slightly from top to bottom and is capped at the top with an aluminum strip resembling the leading edge of a modern day jet fighter.
On a large plaza area about a hundred yards from the chapel there are several bronze representations of planes that were significant during World War II. This particular one is of a P-51 Mustang, one of my favorite WW II era planes. These representations had wingspans from about 8 to 12 feet long and fuselage lengths of about 10 to 16 feet long, depending on the type of plane being represented.
There is also a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of black pilots who flew in WW II.
This is an exterior view of the Cadet's Chapel. The structure is made up of 17 aluminum spires. The dark pyramid shaped areas and the dark narrow vertical lines are actually made up of small rectangles of colored glass which create amazing lighting inside the chapel.
This is an picture of the interior of the Protestant chapel, which is located on the main floor. From the floor to the highest point of the ceiling is 99 feet. There are 3 other chapels on the lower level to serve the specific needs of Catholics, Jews and Buddhists.
There is a large aluminum cross suspended above the rostrum.
This is a close up of the rostrum and it's furnishings.
At the rear of the chapel is a choir loft and a huge pipe organ. The organ consists of 4,334 pipes, the largest of which is 32 feet long and the smallest of which is the size of a pencil. The organ was designed by the Holtkamp Organ Company and built by the M.P. Moller Company. There is a large mirror in front of the organ so that the organist can see what is going on at the front of the chapel.
This picture shows what the inside of the chapel looks like with late afternoon sun shining through the colored glass panels. This is all natural light, there were no lights on in the chapel at the time.
The chapel has pews to accommodate 1,200 attendees. The end of the pew is designed to resemble the end of a propeller from a World War I aircraft. The seat back is curved slightly from top to bottom and is capped at the top with an aluminum strip resembling the leading edge of a modern day jet fighter.
On a large plaza area about a hundred yards from the chapel there are several bronze representations of planes that were significant during World War II. This particular one is of a P-51 Mustang, one of my favorite WW II era planes. These representations had wingspans from about 8 to 12 feet long and fuselage lengths of about 10 to 16 feet long, depending on the type of plane being represented.
There is also a tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen, a group of black pilots who flew in WW II.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
NORTHWESTERN COLORADO AND ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK - SEPTEMBER 19, 2011
We traveled across northwestern Colorado and entered Rocky Mountain National Park from the western side near Granby Colorado, and traveled through the park to Estes Park Colorado on the eastern side of the park.
I always find old machinery interesting and just east of Granby I saw this old Caterpillar D2 bulldozer displayed on a pole. It was advertising a place that works on trucks and tractors. This is a very small bulldozer, about 8 foot long overall by about 4-5 feet wide.
We saw lots of aspen trees as we traveled across Colorado but saw very few aspen that have started to change color, these were an exception. We were told that the color change is about 2 weeks later than usual due to warm temperatures later in the season than usual.
This is a view of some of the peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park. The snow is likely left over from last year since the area TV channels are reporting that they have not had their first snowfall for the season yet.
We were lucky enough to see a moose grazing in a creek about a quarter of a mile off the roadway, just a few miles after we entered the park.
Here's another view of some of the higher peaks in the park.
I always find old machinery interesting and just east of Granby I saw this old Caterpillar D2 bulldozer displayed on a pole. It was advertising a place that works on trucks and tractors. This is a very small bulldozer, about 8 foot long overall by about 4-5 feet wide.
We saw lots of aspen trees as we traveled across Colorado but saw very few aspen that have started to change color, these were an exception. We were told that the color change is about 2 weeks later than usual due to warm temperatures later in the season than usual.
This is a view of some of the peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park. The snow is likely left over from last year since the area TV channels are reporting that they have not had their first snowfall for the season yet.
We were lucky enough to see a moose grazing in a creek about a quarter of a mile off the roadway, just a few miles after we entered the park.
Here's another view of some of the higher peaks in the park.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
KEMMERER WYOMING - SEPTEMBER 18, 2011
We only spent about 10 minutes in Kemmerer but saw a couple of things worth writing about.
J.C. Penney got his start in the retail business in Kemmerer in 1902, in a partnership with Guy Johnson and Thomas Callahan and a store called The Golden Rule. In 1907 Johnson and Callahan wanted out so Penney bought out there interest and moved his offices to Salt Lake City Utah to be closer to banks and railroads. In 1913 he established the J.C. Penney Company name and consolidated all his stores under this name.
This is the first store or 'mother store' originally called The Golden Rule.
As we waited to cross the street I looked at the instructions on the sign and it said "to cross push button". I looked for the button to push to get a 'walk' light but there wasn't any button. I told Jane I wished I had one of those big red EASY buttons from Staples to put on the pole.
Jane walked around the other side of the pole and said, here's the button!
Someone had used double stick tape to attach a red shirt button to the sign. Someone saw an opportunity to have a little fun, and took it. I love it!
J.C. Penney got his start in the retail business in Kemmerer in 1902, in a partnership with Guy Johnson and Thomas Callahan and a store called The Golden Rule. In 1907 Johnson and Callahan wanted out so Penney bought out there interest and moved his offices to Salt Lake City Utah to be closer to banks and railroads. In 1913 he established the J.C. Penney Company name and consolidated all his stores under this name.
This is the first store or 'mother store' originally called The Golden Rule.
As we waited to cross the street I looked at the instructions on the sign and it said "to cross push button". I looked for the button to push to get a 'walk' light but there wasn't any button. I told Jane I wished I had one of those big red EASY buttons from Staples to put on the pole.
Jane walked around the other side of the pole and said, here's the button!
Someone had used double stick tape to attach a red shirt button to the sign. Someone saw an opportunity to have a little fun, and took it. I love it!
B.A.S.E. JUMPERS AND WIND GENERATORS - SEPTEMBER 17, 2011
We drove into Twin Falls Idaho this afternoon and saw a really neat steel arch supported bridge over the Snake River Canyon. About a half mile from the bridge is the site that Evel Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon. He piloted a steam powered rocket cycle. The parachute deployed early and although he actually made it all the way across the canyon, the wind caused his cycle to drift back and land on the side of the canyon that he launched from.
This is a view of the golf course and other activities in the bottom of the canyon below the bridge. The canyon is any where from several hundred to a couple of thousand feet wide and roughly 500 feet deep in the area around Twin Falls Idaho.
This is a picture of the bridge, looking to the west. The roadway portion is about 1,500 feet long and the roadway is about 480 feet above the water.
When we arrived in the parking lot next to the bridge I noticed a sign on the visitor center that said "you can base jump today". To clarify BASE jumping involves a parachute in a backpack, a pilot chute which is held by the jumper and released shortly after jumping which in turn causes the main chute to deploy. BASE stands for Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges) and Earth (cliffs etc). Base jumpers must accomplish and document each type of jump to be considered a base jumper. There is also a category for base jumping at night. Base jumping almost always involves gaining access to the jump off point by illegal means and landing in an area without permission, and often results in legal charges and fines. The Perrine bridge over the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls Idaho is a notable exception. It is the only place in the world that base jumping is permitted and even encouraged every day of the year.
Jane and I walked along the top of the canyon on a scenic pathway and took several pictures of the bridge, canyon and river. We were returning to the bike when someone standing next to the railing on the pathway said that some jumpers were getting ready to jump. I went back down the pathway a ways so that I had a clear view of the bridge as well as the landing area.
That mowed patch of grass with a bulls eye painted on it is the landing area, 480 feet below the bridge and about 200 yards east of the bridge.
This is one of the jumpers, walking out to the jump off point. The other two jumped from the west side of the bridge and then drifted under the bridge to the landing site.
Here the jumper has just jumped off the edge of the bridge.
In this picture you can see the jumper has released his pilot chute, the small pink object about 10 feet above his head.
Here his main chute is deploying. In the next several pictures you will see him floating down and turning back upwind toward the landing area.
We have touchdown! From jump to landing is about 15 seconds. None of the three jumpers we watched actually hit the bulls eye, but they all landed close by and landed standing up.
This is Shoshone Falls. It is located in the Snake River Canyon about 4 miles upstream from the bridge in the previous pictures.
If you have viewed any of our previous vacation pictures, you know I can't resist a good wind generator picture. The thing that really got my attention with the windmills in this photo and the 60 or 70 others in the vicinity is that even though there was a very strong steady wind, not a one of them was turning. I did a little research on the internet but didn't come up with an explanation.
When we arrived in the parking lot next to the bridge I noticed a sign on the visitor center that said "you can base jump today". To clarify BASE jumping involves a parachute in a backpack, a pilot chute which is held by the jumper and released shortly after jumping which in turn causes the main chute to deploy. BASE stands for Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges) and Earth (cliffs etc). Base jumpers must accomplish and document each type of jump to be considered a base jumper. There is also a category for base jumping at night. Base jumping almost always involves gaining access to the jump off point by illegal means and landing in an area without permission, and often results in legal charges and fines. The Perrine bridge over the Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls Idaho is a notable exception. It is the only place in the world that base jumping is permitted and even encouraged every day of the year.
Jane and I walked along the top of the canyon on a scenic pathway and took several pictures of the bridge, canyon and river. We were returning to the bike when someone standing next to the railing on the pathway said that some jumpers were getting ready to jump. I went back down the pathway a ways so that I had a clear view of the bridge as well as the landing area.
We have touchdown! From jump to landing is about 15 seconds. None of the three jumpers we watched actually hit the bulls eye, but they all landed close by and landed standing up.
This is Shoshone Falls. It is located in the Snake River Canyon about 4 miles upstream from the bridge in the previous pictures.
If you have viewed any of our previous vacation pictures, you know I can't resist a good wind generator picture. The thing that really got my attention with the windmills in this photo and the 60 or 70 others in the vicinity is that even though there was a very strong steady wind, not a one of them was turning. I did a little research on the internet but didn't come up with an explanation.
Friday, September 16, 2011
COOL & RAINY TO WARM & SUNNY ALL IN ONE DAY - SEPTEMBER 16, 2011
When we left Jackson this morning, the temperatures were in the upper 40's with heavy overcast skies. About 30 minutes later it started to rain so we stopped and suited up in our rain gear, this first photo will give you an idea of what that looks like. We rode for about 3 hours in moderate to heavy rain. Then it started to warm up a little and clear up too. We took our rain gear off about 2 PM and enjoyed partial sun and temperatures in the mid to upper 60's for the rest of the day.
We passed through some beautiful farm country but didn't get any pictures because of the rain. In the part of Idaho we went through today, wheat and alfalfa were the most prominent crops, we saw some potato fields but not as many as we expected.
Early in the afternoon passed by an area with warning signs that only authorized personnel were allowed. The property was part of the Idaho National Laboratories which I had never heard of. I met a man at a service station who worked there and he told me that they are the largest nuclear research facility in the country, they employ about 10,000 people and most of them are bussed to and from the facility because it is out in the middle of nowhere. They have a fleet of about 150 busses which are used for this purpose. He said they just completed construction and delivered to NASA, a plutonium battery power pack which will power the new Mars rover which is to be launched in November. The battery is about 2' x 2' x 3' and cost the U.S. taxpayers about $120M. It will power the rover which is about the size of a minivan, for the next 20+ years. It will have enough power to move the vehicle up to 35' per day and still have enough energy left to operate the systems onboard. The current Mars rovers are very small vehicles. They are powered by solar panels and can only move several inches per day. One of the two current rovers is lost in a crater and the location of the other one is in question, so this new rover is expected to provide much more information than the current units have.
In Driggs Idaho there is an old drive-in theatre and they have one big Idaho spud on display, the picture pretty much says it all.
We stopped at Craters of the Moon National Monument, a 750,000 acre area of volcanic craters and mounds of lava. It is believed that volcanic activity first ocurred here several thousand years ago and that the most recent activity was about 2,000 years ago. The picture above is a mound of very small pieces of lava.
This picture shows a large field covered with larger pieces of lava. In some areas there is some vegetation in others there is none at all.
This picture shows a large chuck of lava. It's really not very attractive no matter what form it's in!
In our travels we frequently see unusual or odd architecture, I'll let you decide which this is. We were unable to determine whether this house was occupied or not. It was on a road that had many large nice homes scattered across a large area, many of them with horse pastures and barns.
We passed through some beautiful farm country but didn't get any pictures because of the rain. In the part of Idaho we went through today, wheat and alfalfa were the most prominent crops, we saw some potato fields but not as many as we expected.
Early in the afternoon passed by an area with warning signs that only authorized personnel were allowed. The property was part of the Idaho National Laboratories which I had never heard of. I met a man at a service station who worked there and he told me that they are the largest nuclear research facility in the country, they employ about 10,000 people and most of them are bussed to and from the facility because it is out in the middle of nowhere. They have a fleet of about 150 busses which are used for this purpose. He said they just completed construction and delivered to NASA, a plutonium battery power pack which will power the new Mars rover which is to be launched in November. The battery is about 2' x 2' x 3' and cost the U.S. taxpayers about $120M. It will power the rover which is about the size of a minivan, for the next 20+ years. It will have enough power to move the vehicle up to 35' per day and still have enough energy left to operate the systems onboard. The current Mars rovers are very small vehicles. They are powered by solar panels and can only move several inches per day. One of the two current rovers is lost in a crater and the location of the other one is in question, so this new rover is expected to provide much more information than the current units have.
In Driggs Idaho there is an old drive-in theatre and they have one big Idaho spud on display, the picture pretty much says it all.
We stopped at Craters of the Moon National Monument, a 750,000 acre area of volcanic craters and mounds of lava. It is believed that volcanic activity first ocurred here several thousand years ago and that the most recent activity was about 2,000 years ago. The picture above is a mound of very small pieces of lava.
This picture shows a large field covered with larger pieces of lava. In some areas there is some vegetation in others there is none at all.
This picture shows a large chuck of lava. It's really not very attractive no matter what form it's in!
In our travels we frequently see unusual or odd architecture, I'll let you decide which this is. We were unable to determine whether this house was occupied or not. It was on a road that had many large nice homes scattered across a large area, many of them with horse pastures and barns.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
JACKSON WYOMING AND THE TETON'S AREA - SEPTEMBER 15, 2011
The day started off cold, 41 degrees and heavy fog which didn't lift until about 11 AM. We drove in to Jackson and got a light breakfast and then spent about 2-1/2 hours shopping. We got a sandwich for lunch and then headed back up the road a few miles to get some pictures of the Tetons in better light than we had yesterday.
Another picture taken late in the day but the clouds and the lighting make it interesting.
This picture is of the Moose, Wyoming post office. I thought it was interesting that someone in the Postal Service had a sense of humor, note the little sign to the left of the moose's backside that says "head" inside. Moose is located a couple of miles from the entrance gate to Grand Teton National Park. The visitor center is located there and it is not terribly uncommon to find moose wandering around near the visitors center or on the banks of the Snake River a couple hundred yards away. We weren't lucky enough to spot them today though.
This is a picture typical of 'downtown' Jackson, the city park is just to the left out of the picture. There are lots of shops and galleries on the streets around the park.
At each corner of the park there are large gateway arches made out of antlers, a popular place for tourists like us to take photos.
In the picture above the first wide peak area on the left is South Teton. The next peak is Nez Perce. The next peak is Grand Teton. The next peak is Mt. Owen. The last peak on the right is Teewinot Mt. The spell checker didn't like several of these names, but they are correct.
This is a close up of Grand Teton, at 13,770 feet, the tallest in the Teton range.
This is some of the Teton range with Jenny lake in the foreground. The water in Jenny lake is crystal clear.
There are lots of places in this area that fishermen find irresistible, these happen to be fishing on the Gros Ventre River which runs through the valley on the east side of the Tetons.
This picture is of Jackson Lake which is at the northern end of the Grand Teton National Park. It was taken late in the day so the Teton's are silhouetted, but I thought the reflections were interesting.
Another picture taken late in the day but the clouds and the lighting make it interesting.
This picture is of the Moose, Wyoming post office. I thought it was interesting that someone in the Postal Service had a sense of humor, note the little sign to the left of the moose's backside that says "head" inside. Moose is located a couple of miles from the entrance gate to Grand Teton National Park. The visitor center is located there and it is not terribly uncommon to find moose wandering around near the visitors center or on the banks of the Snake River a couple hundred yards away. We weren't lucky enough to spot them today though.
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