Welcome to Autinter!

Growing up in Central Texas on the edge of the Hill Country, I only knew two seasons: Summer and School! And quite frankly, I was satisfied with a Summer that passed reasonably quickly so that I could see my friends from around town. School Season had enough breaks to make it enjoyable, and I usually felt a mixture of relief and dread each May. But since then, we have lived in places with four seasons, and I learned to adapt to everything but Winter. Our wandering lives allow me to choose my seasons, and I choose two of them, 60 – 80 (Sprummer) and 40 – 70 (Autinter). There are exceptions, but by chasing 70 around the US, most of our time is spent in these two seasons. And I am delighted with this arrangement.

This week, we are heading South and moving into Autinter. Next week, we will be in the Panhandle of Texas and firmly in the grasp of the glorious Mid-Autumn of the High Plains. But I am getting ahead of myself. 

 

This week we celebrated the season of Autinter in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico. Come on along and enjoy this new season with us! We begin our week with a Chill and Chore day!

 

Like any home, there are always things that need fixin'. When we bought Koko four years ago, we discovered the door was temperamental. Actually, it was a PITA (Pain IN The A$$). It only seemed to catch if you held the handle just right, pulled just so, and didn't look straight at it. We learned ways to increase the likelihood of the latch catching, but we seldom got over 25 % of the time. We took it to the dealer, who informed us it worked perfectly. So, we learned to live with it. On the chill and chore day after being emboldened by repairing a drawer latch, I stared down the door! After taking the mechanism apart, I saw that everything should be working. As I put it back together, I pulled out my trusty can of Silicon Spray and gave it a good dousing. Lo and behold, it closed the first time. It has returned to its former ways once or twice, but another dose of silicon, and it returns to its new path. It now closes about 80+% of the time. Yep, I will take that as a win! 

 

After checking off my to-do list for the day, I discovered that the Cowboys game was being shown on the local station. Pre-JJ (Jerry Jones), I was an ardent fan. But his treatment of Tom Landry and refusal to allow his coaches to do their job turned me off. But last Winter, I watched a game with my Oldest Grandson and discovered he had a real passion for the team. We enjoyed watching the game together, and I resolved to give them another try. So, I turned in and watched the whole game while texting with my daughter and Oldest Grandson. Yep, it was fun. I may have to learn the names of the Boys and sharpen up some of my old football-watching skills. JJ be damned! They are my Grandson's team, which is good enough for me! 

One of the realities of Autinter is the return of rainy days. Cooler temps and shifting fronts mean the occasional day's plans will be washed away. This happened to us on Monday. We had a rather ambitious goal for the week and knew we could not pick up the hikes later in the week. But the forecast called for rain and wind and our outdoor hiking was cancelled. Instead, we got to enjoy Rainy Days and Mondays, but they did not have to get us down. Full timing allows us to return to an area in the future. We keep a list of things we do and want to do, checking off the things that fit into our stay. The rest become ideas as we plan for future trips. Leaving a place or activity undone is simply a matter of "Next Time," not “Never.”

 

”All Aboard for Silverton!” It took us two years to hear our conductor call out these words! But it was definitely worth the wait. We hit the peak of the Fall Colors this year, [purely by luck. This makes sense since we have chased Fall Colors all over the US and were usually 1-2 weeks behind the peak. But as you will see, we lucked into the Peak Season this year! The train was noisy and bumpy. We had a nice couple sitting in front of us, making the trip even more enjoyable. If we do it again, we will likely opt for a return by bus. Also, ensure you are on the right side seats going to Silverton and on the left side returning to Durango. Those were the best views. All aboard and enjoy the ride.

The Steam trains, now powered by oil, have been running on these tracks for over 100 years.

The tracks follow the Animas River up into the San Juan Mountains.

We pass ranch lands...

... large homes...

... and farmland...

… but the mountains call out to us.

The river drops away.

Our train keeps climbing...

...leaving the river far, far below.

Old maintenance sheds dot the tracks, reminders of days when it carried supplies to miners.

The River carries silt from far above.

As we climb the temperature starts to drop and the color starts to appear.

Marlene is enjoying the ride!

The mountains loom ahead.

Small, colorful meadows appear beside the tracks.

The river becomes a series of rough rapids.

Here life is lived in a world apart.

At roughly 8,000 feet the aspen appear in their Fall glory.

On we climb toward Silverton. Here the River was stained by a mine remediation project gone wrong several years ago.

Deeper into the san Jauns, the forest becomes more dense and foreboding.

Mt Sneffels, at 14,158 feet, towers over us.

At last, we entered Silverton for a two-hour lunch and then headed back down to Durango.

 

Our family went camping in Yellowstone in 1966. Dad drove The Million Dollar Highway, pulling a tent trailer with our new Pontiac Bonneville. I sat in the back seat with my older brother and spent most of the time with my eyes closed. My brother, unfazed by the heights, kept remarking about how far up we were, and he thought he saw a car at the bottom of the mountain in the last turn. Yep, he was an older brother. Marlene and I have made that drive several times, and those old feelings still bubble up, but I have learned to keep my eyes open, WIDE OPEN! This year, the fall colors made the drive very special. Enjoy!

The San Juan Mountains awaits us as we follow and old Ute Trail.

With peaks over 14,000 feet, the San Juans offer dramatic landscapes.

The Summer has come to an end and the land prepares for the onslaught of Winter.

Gray skies above dark gray mountains inspires awe!

Yet the bright yellow of the valleys remind us that Winter is still a "not yet."

Aspen adorn the hillsides and shimmer in the Autumn Breeze.

Mountain lakes reflect the crystal clear blue of the skies above.

A few Summer holdouts are doing their best!

In the hills above Silverton the colors invite the artist's eye to celebrate the light.

A path into an Aspen Grove is an invitation into a magical realm.

The earth is covered in gold.

The gold and blue sets off the deep green of the pines. Delight fills the soul!

The golden light reaches up to the heavens carrying our hopes and dreams with it.

Bear Creek Falls as we approach Ouray.

A Stellar's Jay cleaning up after some picnickers.

Red Mountain

Yankee Girl Mine on Red Mountain.

Nature astounds!

Nature surrounds!

A couple of old beaver Ponds.

A mountain glory reflected in the meadow.

Nakai is enjoying her trip into the San Juans.

Lasting images offer..

...a living promise to all who pause and receive the gift.

  

The Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum in Ignacio, CO, was a fascinating experience. They told the story of the Southern Ute Band in Colorado. The museum is well laid out, allowing the attentive patron to walk through their story with exhibits and videos from tribal members. It speaks of the early days when "the people" traveled from the mountains in Summer and onto the lowlands in Winter, gathering their food and hunting for game. It speaks of the life they shared as part of the land, not master's over it. The story became darker after the arrival of Europeans, whose main task was to "Kill the Indian and Save the Soul." It spoke of broken promises, harsh missionaries-run schools, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It shared the story of the native men and women who worked with the Federal Government to bring a better life on the reservation. Wisdom prevailed among the Indian Leadership, and they had a prosperous life on a fraction of their ancestral lands. The tribe is recovering their language and traditions and providing their people with an education for the modern world. They allow gifted students to earn a Ph.D. if they promise to return and help the reservation into the future. I am quite impressed with how the values that the Ute learned from their tribal dances and stories have prepared them to deal with life in the 21^st Century. Thank you. The rest of us have much to learn from you and your journey thus far.

It came time for us to leave Colorado and head to New Mexico. We chose a new route, HWY  371, through the Tribal Lands of the Navajo. Northern New Mexico includes the Navajo's ancient lands, where they have lived for thousands of years. Today, however, US Government policy will not allow them to travel as they did for most of this time, moving from Summer near Navajo Mountain and Winter in the plains around the Four Corners Area. Instead, they have become corporate farmers, investing in irrigation and other modern methods to grow vast fields of crops. They work together and share together in the profits. Problems remain, but the tribal lands along HWY 371 show they are resourceful and hardworking people who, like their cousins to the North, will find their way in this new Century.

After four hours on the road, we pulled into Grants KOA in Grants, NM. This campground is beautiful, sitting beside a lave flow. The campground fills every night and, for the most part, empties out every morning as travelers are on their way somewhere else. We have four nights here to explore as best we can.
 

The area around Grants is called El Malpais, the badlands. They were so named by the Spanish, who, when traveling through the area, found that the sharp and jagged lava would not allow their horses to move through the area. They had to go around or spend time finding a path through the extensive flows. Most flows are from cinder cones and vents that pop up here and there. The Volcano, Mount Taylor, sits at the edge, but it did not exude lava. Thousands of years ago, it was an explosive eruption and scattered volcanic rock throughout the area. Most of the lava is from the lava tubes and cinder cones that poured out across the landscape, 24 feet thick in some places. It creates an eerie feeling as we walk through it. Strange shapes and crunchy trails keep the senses awake and aware.

 

Our stay in Grants ran into a few unplanned events. Our Slide out on Koko decided that it needed some TLC. I called a Tech who said it was a pinched wire, but he could not fix it. The slide still works, for now. So, I am looking for other techs who can help with it. At the same time, I came down with a head cold and spent a day blowing my nose. Some days are like this whether you are on the road or not. It becomes more complicated when you live in your rig and need service. This will not be resolved this week, so I will keep you posted on our progress. The head cold is better on the second day, so I must ride it out with my friends NyQuil and DayQuil.

 

I celebrate the pleasant Autinter weather that is with us for the foreseeable future. I will be working on getting Koko fixed and resting up so that we can enjoy exploring Tucumcari, the Texas Panhandle, and points beyond. Glad you are along with us. Enjoy the road; it leads to the tomorrow that we have yet to imagine.

 

Bob