From Ouray, CO

Okay, so 42 pictures uploaded & we discover they're chronologically backwards. So if you want to be correct by the calendar, scroll to the bottom and view the whole shooting match in reverse.

Ouray, Colorado (today). We had no idea we'd end up here. But a flat tire and a high country thunderstorm landed us here. I love the randomness of our trips = no itinerary.

The pictures do absolutely no justice. This was the most hair-raising nail-biting road I've ever ridden on - the road between Durango & Ouray. 1500 foot sheer drops from the edge, no guard rails.

After a river bath. Stripping down & diving in.

Excitement! A trout in hand.

San Juan River rainbow.

Coloring in camp.

Three Abbey books accompanied us. Kerouac. The Red Tent. Green Eggs & Ham.

A bad habit we are trying to break = peeing in rivers.

Breakfast.

San Juan camp. A waxing crescent moon setting nightly.

San Juan valley. East of Pagosa Springs.

Natural hot springs on the Piedra River. Magical.

Cairn on the trail to the hot springs. Each rock deposited by a traveler, a symbolic lightening of the load.

"Horse poo good for your garden."

Typical mode of transportation.

Piedra River, upstream from camp.

Elk skull.

Exploring what's left of the carcass = mostly fur.

Berries everywhere!! Huckleberries here.

Snacked on wild raspberries all the while.

Learning.

Camp breakfast = homemade granola, Wildwood blueberries, Athens honey.

T-Bones by the river!!

Stonefly. River rocks. And an arrowhead found in camp.

From Pagosa Springs, CO

Gotta chance to get online - we're in a motel in Pagosa Springs - we'll be headed out tomorrow to find a camp spot near a trout river - Joe got a temp Colorado fishing license today. Some pics from the road:

a sumersault break on the long drive out - took us 2 1/2 days to make it out here

200 foot tall wind turbines in Texas - passed by hundreds of these

finally here

hit the backroads

our first campsite - evidently frequented by locals - Levi spends hours searching for metal & glass to pick up for recycling - Proud Mama of an obsessive recycler

first campsite = high mountain meadow, beautiful wildflowers

double rainbow the day we arrived

most intense rainbow I can remember seeing

this child wants nothing but PB&J and much to his Mama's dismay, suddenly doesn't want to eat the crust, which he calls the 'man part' of the bread?

campsite #1

lunch in Taos, NM on our 10-year anniversary - the most perfect lunch! - at Eske's brew pub - there was a sandbox in the outside eating area!!! Levi spent the entire meal playing while the adults sipped luscious beer & ate a perfect meal under breezy blue skies

Mediterranean sampler salad

remote campsite = 28 miles down a forest service road

morning coffee with a view

Levi catches his first trout with a little help

afternoon nap by trout river

We're outta here!

Finally packed - we'll pull out at daylight - New Mexico first then on to Colorado for lots of fly fishing. Gonna go check out Mesa Verde too. Will try to do some posts from the road. Cheers!

From Home

Just 2 days left until we leave on our trip - a few recent pics...

Eastern Box Turtle - Richmond Hill WMA

Joe's working on several hickory longbows from a tree he cut on Papa's farm (I want one too!)

Giant cypress along the Altamaha River - nice day in the field

I've been really busy in the kitchen this week making & freezing foods to take on our trip - three batches of blueberry granola bars, black-bean hummus, tuna salad, homemade pita bread, pimento cheese spread, egg salad, regular hummus, summer pasta salad, and two batches of breakfast granola - will be nice in the middle of nowhere to crack open the cooler to some homemade goodies



cutting out the last frames of honey - this is the last time I will do it this way (crushing all the comb) - next year I'm gonna get my hands on an extractor = you just cut off the caps & spin the honey out, and then return drawn comb to the bees = much more efficient

old building in Gordi, Ga near the Altamaha River