Emery is the oldest child of my elder daughter. After a series of trips with various family members he ended up in Kansas for a trip to the mountains with us.
The trip across Kansas was typical for July with excessive heat and high winds. Nevertheless we stopped and saw all kinds of things.
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| Steam engines in downtown Dodge City are open for viewing |
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| There is a nice stop to see the original Santa Fe Trail and wagon ruts from the many travelers |
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| Gotta stop to document the trip when entering the state |
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| Outside Canon City is a fun trail to hike known as the Tunnel Trail drive. This hike is over a trail thru many tunnels overlooking the river. |
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| A fun place to explore |
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| Emery took this image of Julie and me - I like the silhouette effect |
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| Enjoying Monarch Pass |
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| Gotta stop for a Mario's pizza in Gunnison, Colorado |
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| Next to Mario's is a sporting goods store which had adjustable walking sticks on sale. This was used all the rest of the trip on hikes |
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| Overlooking the remains of a dam at the Ute Ulay mine above Lake City |
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| Emery captured my image at the Ute Ulay mine. |
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| Exploring the buildings at the Ute Ulay mine |
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| This was the winter of massive avalanches, the remains of which are most impressive |
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| Most of the mine shaft openings are closed off for safety |
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| The "Hard Tack Mine" above Lake City give great tours and was a hit with Emery |
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| We went four wheeling to get back to some beautiful mountain valleys |
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| Enjoying our adventure |
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| Lightening hit a tree in our neighborhood and started burning. We ended up in the woods with the brush trucks to help put it out. Emery didn't know he was going to be fighting smoldering trees. |
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| We used this truck to fill the neighborhood fire truck with water |
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| Next day Emery got pretty wet refilling the truck tank with water from the lake. Our neighbors grandson helped out. |
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| Gotta check out the train exhibit at Cimmaron. Both the train and trestle are recently restored. |
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| The crew of the Durango and Silverton train guide the train as it backs into Silverton. |
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| We got to explore the engine |
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| Also checked out the rail cars in the storage yard |
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| Emery found out just how close the narrow gauge rails are... |
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| One of the last stub switches to be found |
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| Lots of old mining structures can be found |
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| Photographing the remains |
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| Ouray, Colorado is in a mountain bowl called the Amphitheater |
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| There is an overlook in the campground with a great view of the town |
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| Emery and Julie enjoying the overlook |
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| Gotta have ice cream when you go to Ouray |
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| Another bit of adventure was when we came upon a guy who failed to make the turn onto our access road. His car was nestled over rocks and was difficult to get up the embankment. |
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| The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is most impressive. Emery got some good shots. |
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| We got talking about diners and ended up at "Denny's" where Emery got a veggie burger. |
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| The observatory in Gunnison has a most impressive telescope |
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| We viewed the rings of Saturn and a nebula before the clouds set in and prevented further viewing |
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| We have found that the favorite part of the trip to the mountains is cutting, splitting and stacking firewood for winter. The log splitter is a hit and most enjoyable to operate. |
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| We are pretty well set for winter wood burning |
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| This is the railroad display at Cimmaron and the narrow gauge crane |
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| Emery reports he wants a red Mustang when it is time to drive |
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| We enjoyed several hikes. This one is along the old RR grade going to Vance Junction. RR grades are nice to hike as the grades and transitions are gentle due to limitations of the train. |
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| The Forest Service has done a good job of keeping the coal tipple at Vance Junction in reasonable repair |
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| The hikers |
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| Afternoon rain showers found us in a picnic gazebo at Trout Lake, a most beautiful location |
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| My Dad and I ate at this location and now are sharing the same with Gen 4 of the family |
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| The Trout Lake trestle is still standing. Not bad for a wooden structure in the mountains over 100 years old. |
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| Recycling at our local recycle center |
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| Hard to imagine, but our local thrift store (Six Points) had a Viking helmet for sale!? Just the thing for a Minnesota Vikings fan to wear while helping clear a fallen tree from the roadway to our cottage. |
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| Ready for the hike into the gorge at the Morrow Point reservoir |
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| Many steps take you to the reservoir for a boat tour through the cliffs |
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| They do provide places to rest along the steps |
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| Children under 13 all wear life jackets on the boat tour |
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| Lots of chances for good photographs |
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| The Ranger gives a detailed history of the canyon |
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| My favorite part of the trip is when they line up the boat with the Curecanti Needle used on the logo for the narrow gauge railroad that went thru the same canyon before the reservoir. |
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| The structure for loading the boat is rather high style and made for an interesting framing of Emery |
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| Looking down on Morrow Point from above |
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| Learning about the coke ovens at Redstone |
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| Emery's mother arrived via Amtrak to escort him back to Minnesota |
