Leece's Most Excellent Spring 2019 Road Trip: Grand Teton NP

In which Bob the Yellow-bellied Rock Marmot makes an appearance, as does a moderately whacked-out Prairie Grouse.

There are a lot of photos of the mountains. They have an effect. You just can't stop snapping.

Most of our time at the park was affected (as opposed to 'marred') by 'unseasonably cold, wet weather.' A bright blue sky really makes the Tetons pop, but we got to see them in a completely different setting. The low-hanging clouds, mists and fog, added considerable drama to the landscape. And, we did get a few hours of intermittent blue sky, which was nice. The snow was still quite deep in spots, but down at the lakes level, the ground was pretty much clear.

We did some hiking, mostly around Jenny Lake and Lupine Meadows. Grand Teton, Middle Teton, South Teton, Nez Perce, and Disappointment Peak all overlook the south end of Jenny Lake, making for some spectacular views. This is especially true on the west side of the lake, when it seems you are looking straight up the mountains.

Picnic spots are a bit limited. We did not care for the small Cottonwood Creek picnic area, which was for the most part unsheltered. But, the picnic area at String Lake was a veritable paradise of forested magnificence.

Medano Pass

We stayed overnight in the campground by Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

The next morning, after a good camp breakfast, we entered the Medano Pass Primitive Road at The Point of No Return.

The rangers said the sand, being very dry, was soft and deep, so we dropped the tire pressure down to 20 psi at Point of No Return. The rangers were right. There were several spots where Wesley wallowed and slip-slid, but we had no real difficulties.

The road crosses Medano Creek nine times. This time of the year, the creek is usually very low, and this year was no exception.

We lunched on the east side of the pass, as the wind soughed through the trees and the perfume of spruces wafted over us.

Huckleberries and currants were all over - as was bear poop. We had bear spray with us, but sadly, we saw no bruins stuffing themselves in preparation for winter.

Leece's Most Excellent Spring 2019 Road Trip: Seedskadee

Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge is north and west of Green River, Wyoming. on the way to Jackson.

Looking out over the refuge, from the deck at the Visitor's Center. The Green River is in the distance.

Leece eyeballs a nesting bald eagle. The eagle eyeballed right back

Nearly forty years ago, we had a temporary radar site just west of Little America, WY. I spent some time fishing in this area. When I caught some suckers, I would toss them up on the bank, and bald eagles would swoop down and scarf them up.

Trumpeter swans, swanning about.

Leece's Most Excellent Road Trip 2019: Craig to Green River

We went west from Craig to the north end of Dinosaur National Monument and the Gates of Lodore. It was cold and drizzly, with snow at the higher elevations. From the Gates of Lodore, we visited Brown's Park National Wildlife Refuge. Both Lodore and Brown's Park would be worth visits in their own right, but we were pushing on through Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area to Green River, and only made brief visits.

Coming down alongside the Green River, with the Gates of Lodore in the distance.

Gates of Lodore. They rise several hundred feet above the Green River.

Looking west, along the Green River, in Brown's Park NWR.

Crossing the Swinging Bridge. The Utah line is about one mile to the west. The unpaved roads on the south side of the bridge cut about an hour off the trip to Vernal, as well as being quite scenic.

The Swinging Bridge, from the campground just to the west.

At the state line, CO 318 becomes UT 1364. 1364 is paved most of the way, except over the top of a low pass, about 7300 feet MSL. Though the unpaved section was quite slick and icy, we had no problems making it over.

Leece takes a shot at Sheep Creek Bay.

Overlooking near Sheep Creek.

Storm over the prairie, just south of Green River, WY.

Leece's Most Excellent Road Trip Spring 2019: Salida to Craig

Late in May we departed The Holy Land for Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We went by way of Salida, up to Craig, then over to Green River by way of the Gates of Lodore  , Brown's Park National Wildlife Refuge,and the Flaming Gorge. From Green River, we visited Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, and then on to Jackson, Wy. We spent four days in Yellowstone and the Tetons before crossing Wyoming through the Wind River country, to Scottsbluff National Monument, and back down to The Holy Land.

It was, indeed, a most excellent trip.

Coming up to Craig, we passed Mt Elbert, and then crossed over Tennessee Pass.

Mt Elbert, Colorado's highest peak

Another shot of Mt Elbert

At the Green Bridge Overlook, near Red Cliff

The world-famous Green Bridge

Fort Reynolds

Here's a bit of historical lore. There is a small marker on the north side of US 50, just this side of the Avondale exit.

It is often hidden by weeds so it can be difficult to see.

Fort Reynolds was named after Major General John Reynolds, who was killed at Gettysburg.

I did a little research on the fort and some of the people who were associated with it. It was an adobe fort that existed near the location of what is now Avondale. Constructed in 1867, it was in commission until 1872.

It was first occupied by F Company of the 5th United States Infantry - the 'Bobcats'. By the summer of 1868, Captain Charles A. Curtis was in command of Fort Reynolds. According to FindAGrave, Captain Curtis retired from the army in 1870, and had a distinguished post-service career. The source cited shows three different biographies with some conflicting details, but in one area they are all in 'agreeance:' Curtis was an accomplished and very active individual.

Other known commanders include Captain Simon Snyder and Captain H. B. Bristol. The timelines regarding the occupancy of the fort are fuzzy at best. Captain Snyder was an interesting fellow, too. His wife died in 1874, leaving him as a single father with a young daughter, Lillian. This is described in "The Young Troopers: Stories of Army Children on the Frontier"by Paige Ramsay-Palmer, in the chapter entitled, "Single Father." There is a photo of Captain Snyder in the book, taken in 1880's. Captain Snyder was eventually promoted to Brigadier General and commanded a division during the Spanish-American war. General Snyder died in April, 1912, and is buried in the Charles Evans cemetery, Reading, PA.

Captain H. B. Bristol retired from the army in the spring of 1879. In addition to commanding Fort Reynolds, he had participated in the forced relocation of the Navajo in 1864, as noted in "The Long Walk: The Forced Navajo Exile", page 65. Bristol commanded four companies of infantry in Sheridan's southern plains campaign of 1874-75 (The Red River_War). He commanded Fort Sumner during the summer of 1864, according to "The Civil War in New Mexico."

Unfortunately, Fort Reynolds was apparently not considered a very significant part of the history of the 5th, and there is almost no mention of the establishment in the official unit history. In the nature of a rabbit trail, we find that Daniel Butterfield was Colonel of the Regiment for a time. Butterfield is most famous as the fellow who came up with "Taps", deriving it from the British "Tatoo", another military bugle/drum signal.

There was also a company of the 7th US cavalry here at Fort Reynolds, for a short time. The 7th, as you will recall, is famous for Custer's Last Stand.

The first known reference to an earthquake in Colorado was on December 4, 1870. The report consists of an account of bottles on a shelf, one inch apart which were knocked together violently. This incident took place at Fort Reynolds.

Troops were sent from Fort Reynolds to help contain "The Christmas Day War" in Trinidad in 1867. 

The marker is by the side of the road, almost hidden by weeds, just this side of the Avondale exit off US 50. There is nothing left of the fort.

Santa Fe Farmers' Market

We also hit the farmers' market. Despite the time of year, there was a remarkable amount of veggie goods available, in addition to some absolutely outstanding bread works, and other goodies.

Warping the Kromski

Leece warps her Kromski loom.

Santa Fe's Museum of International Folk Art

The museum of folk art is on Museum Hill, which is also home to the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art; the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture; and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. And, the Santa Fe Botanical Garden is on the Hill as well.

We spent a good part of the day here. It's well worth a visit.

Santa Fe

Earlier this year we went down to Santa Fe.

We stopped in at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Excerpted from the Wiki article on the cathedral:

The cathedral was built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobe church, La Parroquia (built in 1714–1717). An older church on the same site, built in 1626, was destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The new cathedral was built around La Parroquia, which was dismantled once the new construction was complete. A small chapel on the north side of the cathedral was kept from the old church.

Influenced by the French-born Archbishop Lamy and in dramatic contrast to the surrounding adobe structures, Saint Francis Cathedral was designed in the Romanesque Revival style. As such, the cathedral features characteristic round arches separated by Corinthian columns and truncated square towers. The large rose window in front and those of the Twelve Apostles in the lateral nave windows were imported from Clermont-Ferrand in France. The towers were originally planned to be topped with dramatic 160-foot (49 m) steeples, but due to lack of funds, these were never built. The north tower is a single row of bricks taller than the south tower. The cathedral was built from yellow limestone blocks quarried near the present site of Lamy. A 2005 addition to the upper façade of the cathedral is a small, round window featuring a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. It is a stained glass replica of the translucent alabaster window designed in the 17th century by the Italian artist Bernini for St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

The Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi was officially elevated to a basilica by Pope Benedict XVI on October 4, 2005, when it was named the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

There is paid parking available in the cathedral parking lot, behind and to the right of the church as you stand looking at the main entrance. Parking otherwise in this area is a crapshoot.