North - Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota

A collage for the day - and - oops! I forgot Wyoming (Freudian. I think!) - Busy-fun- Deadwood a bit of a disappointment - too many casinos for me...LOVED the 'Sturgis Poulation' sign - so many bikers everywhere we go! Especially significant is the pic of James with his buddy, Gutzom Borglum. He did quite a research project on Mount Rushmore, the Borglums and Doane Robinson in fourth grade. We did NOT explore the Wind Cave itself - more time than we were willing to spend.
We are spending the night in Rapid City- they have these amazing Presidentail statutes throughout the do downtown area. Very cool!

Boulder!

Enjoying Pearl Street

What a relaxing day! We

• visited McGunkin's Hardware store - always a good stop in Boulder - http://www.mcguckin.com/
• had lunch at Boulder Cafe - good meal, snarly waiter - http://www.boulderdowntown.com/go/boulder-cafe
• Enjoyed Luke, lovely weather and LOADS of street thee-a-ter
• visited Celestial Seasonings - coolest ticket for the factory tour - a packet of tea!
• and ended our day in Denver, preparing to say au revior to Poppa Bear

Luke! and one of his Favorite people!

There he is, captain Lobster, AKA Luke, with cousin James. We had a lovely dinner at Crook's Palace. It is the oldest saloon in Colorado, with an AMAZING selection of Ice Cream flavors! I could not believe how wonderful popcorn ice cream could taste - along with chai, tequila and peanut butter and jelly. Good times!

Central City, the old west and the trip catalyst

When we decided to travel to Colorado, Joanna (pictured left, in red) was our inspiration. She is starring in one of Central City Opera company's summer selections. James and I were able to see her performance yesterday afternoon. Wow- Brava! I still want to see her perform in 'The Daughter of the Regiment'.

What, perhaps, was even more...exciting, shall I say? was the drive in. Some roads appear to be at a 45 degree incline - yowsers! Her summer residence is at the top of one of these mountains. The town itself, and the neighboring Blackrock, are casino towns, with much original architecture in place.

At the Grand Canyon, James let his true feelings show...
Have you ever heard the 'Blessing Way' - a Navajo ceremony- a prayer, really -
In beauty may I walk.


All day long may I walk.

Through the returning seasons may I walk.

On the trail marked with pollen may I walk.

With grasshoppers about my feet may I walk.

With dew about my feet may I walk.

With beauty may I walk.

With beauty before me, may I walk.

With beauty behind me, may I walk.

With beauty above me, may I walk.

With beauty below me, may I walk.

With beauty all around me, may I walk.

In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, lively, may I walk.

In old age wandering on a trail of beauty, living again, may I walk.

It is finished in beauty.

It is finished in beauty.
 
That, indeed, is the 'Amen' to today.

The Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge RR - departing Durango - July 26.

What a magnificent day - with great promise. We purchased tickets for the bus ride to Silverton (guided tour) which would bring us to Silverton. We then could take in the ambiance, stroll and eat and take the train back down. Did I mention the horrific rain storms the night before? In this part of the country, that can lead to some powerful changes in local topography. In this case, it meant a rock slide, blocking the track. This meant a ride back in the bus - with a full refund + an earlier start on this leg of the journey. All in all, not bad!We dined at Grumpy's , but should have followed the recommendation from our driver and gone to Mother Cluckers. Silverton - **** Charming, with great things to see and do.

Mesa Verde - Amazing

Hundreds of years ago, somebody decided that this would be a great place to live. If you look closely, you can see some of the people on tour here.

Rain! We had loads of it - it the desert! Lightning strikes were so close that well.. we are happy to be telling how close they were without being hospitalized. Today - The Durango-Silverton RR. All Aboard!