Traveling

[O Really]

Trip to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest was good and worth the stop. This Petrified Forest actually isn't as good as the one in California, but it's still an impressive and very large park. Got to the overnight in Grants NM, http://www.grants.org/ expecting little of the RV park not far off the freeway in the middle of nowhere and found it was in a lava field from a nearby volcano, and the entryway ran you past a volcanic "bubble." There are several interesting geologic and historical sites close by. But the park also has its own BBQ restaurant, with delivery to your site. And it was very good - ribs and tri-tip - what a nice surprise after a generally dusty day.

On to Santa Fe tomorrow, for about a week.

[Ulysses]

[O Really]

I can't say it's exactly what we were expecting from Santa Fe. Wind was generally miserable all along the way, but then there was big lightning, more wind, and outside temp sensor reporting 48. So we're going along on I-25 and the semi in front of us started slowing - and slowing. Suddenly, like a line across the road, the ground turned white. Solid white. Followed the truck through slush for about a half mile, and, like another line across the road, the white was gone. Looked like snow cover, but turned out to be hail.

https://www.krqe.com/weather/what-is-go ... ather-day/

Great place to stay in Santa Fe, though. When the weather breaks, it should be a fun week.

[Vrede too]

I can't say it's exactly what we were expecting from Santa Fe. Wind was generally miserable all along the way, but then there was big lightning, more wind, and outside temp sensor reporting 48. So we're going along on I-25 and the semi in front of us started slowing - and slowing. Suddenly, like a line across the road, the ground turned white. Solid white. Followed the truck through slush for about a half mile, and, like another line across the road, the white was gone. Looked like snow cover, but turned out to be hail.

https://www.krqe.com/weather/what-is-go ... ather-day/

Great place to stay in Santa Fe, though. When the weather breaks, it should be a fun week.

Check out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande_Gorge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rio_Grande_Gorge_Bridge

Plus, Taos is cute and the Taos Pueblo is cool.

[neoplacebo]

I can't say it's exactly what we were expecting from Santa Fe. Wind was generally miserable all along the way, but then there was big lightning, more wind, and outside temp sensor reporting 48. So we're going along on I-25 and the semi in front of us started slowing - and slowing. Suddenly, like a line across the road, the ground turned white. Solid white. Followed the truck through slush for about a half mile, and, like another line across the road, the white was gone. Looked like snow cover, but turned out to be hail.

https://www.krqe.com/weather/what-is-go ... ather-day/

Great place to stay in Santa Fe, though. When the weather breaks, it should be a fun week.

If I was out in that area, I'd make a trip to the old Carson City mint. Before the Denver mint was established in 1897, the one in CC was integral to the economy of the entire region. As a long time coin enthusiast, it would be high on my list of western sites to check out. An 1879 or 1889 Carson City silver dollar in mint condition is worth thousands today. But just about any US coin with the CC mintmark commands a premium over coins from San Francisco or Denver or Philadelphia or New Orleans. I also want to visit the old New Orleans mint; for a brief time, the Confederacy minted some coins there until they ran out of the silver planchets. Those coins are also very valuable

[Vrede too]

If I was out in that area, I'd make a trip to the old Carson City mint. Before the Denver mint was established in 1897, the one in CC was integral to the economy of the entire region. As a long time coin enthusiast, it would be high on my list of western sites to check out. An 1879 or 1889 Carson City silver dollar in mint condition is worth thousands today. But just about any US coin with the CC mintmark commands a premium over coins from San Francisco or Denver or Philadelphia or New Orleans. I also want to visit the old New Orleans mint; for a brief time, the Confederacy minted some coins there until they ran out of the silver planchets. Those coins are also very valuable

Carson City, Nevada is about 1100 miles by road from Santa Fe, NM. It's also very far to the west while I believe that the O Reallys will be heading north from Santa Fe. Otoh, Denver is only about 350 miles by road due north from Santa Fe.

... The ... still operating ... Denver Mint is the single largest producer of coins in the world.

The Denver Mint tours and gift shop are closed until further notice. We regret any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming you at a future date....

FYI:

Nevada State Museum, Carson City

The Nevada State Museum in Carson City is one of seven Nevada State Museums operated by the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. The primary building of the Museum is the former Carson City Mint. The exhibits include:

* The world's largest exhibited Columbian Mammoth, found in the Black Rock Desert
* The silver service from the USS Nevada

Historic Carson City Mint



Take a walk through time at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Your first step brings you into the former Carson City Mint building where coins were minted from 1870 to 1893 – – 57 issues of silver, all bearing the distinguishing “CC” mint mark. On display is the formidable Coin Press No. 1 and a complete set of Carson City Morgan dollars.

[O Really]

The best way for us to get to Carson City would be on a Lake Tahoe trip, taking the 80 over the mountains from Sacramento. But you have to make an effort to get there. It's not on any reasonable route from any point A to any point B. I had no idea the mint would be so interesting, though.

[neoplacebo]

The best way for us to get to Carson City would be on a Lake Tahoe trip, taking the 80 over the mountains from Sacramento. But you have to make an effort to get there. It's not on any reasonable route from any point A to any point B. I had no idea the mint would be so interesting, though.

Doh! I didn't realize you're a thousand miles from Carson City. But never mind that; I'm even further away. Hell, I'm far out.

[O Really]

Santa Fe is a very nice town. Vibrant and arty old town section, lots of good food, entertainment, culture. It's not very big as cities go (about 80K or so), but has most everything you'd need to shop for. Traffic isn't much, and drivers seem pretty courteous, at least by Florida/California standards. Some probably find the weather to be good - mild summers, not horrid winters, but the wind gets tiresome, particularly when combined with the less than 5% humidity and dust.

New Mexico traffic engineers seem to totally love roundabouts, and despise straight lines. They like the "weave' intersections where everybody swerves back and forth for no particular good reason, except as maybe a "traffic calming" device. And they also love my most despised intersection, the 'all stop." They're not too bad in a low-traffic residential area where two, two-lane streets cross, but yesterday I ran into one where a four-lane street intersected with multi-lane outlets of strip center parking lots and even for a guy who learned to drive around DC and has spent many hours in city traffic, that was scary. Try keeping up with "your turn" with filled multi-lanes in all directions and knowing that some of them are probably older than me, some are probably teenagers, and some were probably stupid enough to vote for Trump - and I have to rely on them to not run me over.

All in all, though, it's a good place.

[Ulysses]

The best way for us to get to Carson City would be on a Lake Tahoe trip, taking the 80 over the mountains from Sacramento. But you have to make an effort to get there. It's not on any reasonable route from any point A to any point B. I had no idea the mint would be so interesting, though.

Doh! I didn't realize you're a thousand miles from Carson City. But never mind that; I'm even further away. Hell, I'm far out.

I cruised through Carson City on my motorcycle around 1990, on my way to SLC. Might have stopped off for a fast food burger. That's all I remember of CC.

I do remember at one point along that trip running into an irate old geezer in a camper shell truck who tried to run me over in a parking lot. I had no idea what his problem was. Did I pass him at high speed on the highway? I dunno. That's what bikes are for, for God's sake. I managed to avoid his wrath and get the fuck out of there in one piece.

[O Really]

So we got to Colorado a couple of days ago, arriving at the tiny town of Blanca, at the base of Blanca Peak https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanca_Peak
It's in the San Luis (pronounce the "s") valley, an area of great beauty with wide open flat plains surrounded by very high snow-capped mountains. We took the road trip around the area, visiting San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado, along with seeing the oldest church in Colorado. When they say "old' they mean 1850ish. For somebody with half a family from England, and who formerly lived on the east coast, that doesn't seem very old, but whatever.

Around the upper Rio Grande recreation area, we got to see one of the herds of wild horses, and a wide variety of birds.

We'll be visiting Great Sand Dunes national park https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm and taking a ride on the Cumbres & Toltec scenic railroad
https://cumbrestoltec.com/

We also ran across "Cano's Castle" made largely of beer cans, hub caps, and other scraps. https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/11786

[neoplacebo]

Not many people know it, but Cano was the father of the Coneheads and sent them forth from this very place.

[Vrede too]

And tomorrow we're off. Picked an unfortunate day to drive two days through the desert. 101 in Quartzsite today.

Looks like you just missed this. If I was closer I would travel to see it.

‘Extremely rare phenomenon’ reported among centuries-old cacti in Arizona desert

A hint of crazy things to come may be playing out in the Arizona desert — and it involves a giant species of cacti.

Saguaros, which can live for centuries and grow up to nearly 80 feet, have erupted in blooms that appear to be spreading like a rash across their prickly skin.

It’s happening in the Sonoran Desert and experts suspect it’s an example of how the warming environment is impacting even the oldest of plants.



...

Saguaro National Monument outside of Tucson is way cool!

[O Really]

And tomorrow we're off. Picked an unfortunate day to drive two days through the desert. 101 in Quartzsite today.

Looks like you just missed this. If I was closer I would travel to see it.

We saw some saguras along 10 going toward Phoenix, some with normal blooms - no mutants, though. That's pretty spectacular.

[O Really]

Today's adventure:
https://cumbrestoltec.com/

Great trip on antique train through the mountains. Opening day, so there was a lot of hoopla and costumes as well as some cool trains. A lot of people around make a sport of following the trains off-road on ATVs and setting up tailgate grills 'n beer at the mid-tour stations.

[neoplacebo]

Looks like somebody stole the "rock" sign and the "train" sign. Damn.

[O Really]

Cherry Creek State Park, Aurora, CO. One of, if not the best urban parks we've ever seen.

https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/CherryCreek

[Vrede too]

Cherry Creek State Park, Aurora, CO. One of, if not the best urban parks we've ever seen.

https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/CherryCreek

Depending on your fitness, Longs Peak is one of the more accessible 14K peaks in the country. I was young, but I was a smoker. Consult a different guide. I remember huffing and puffing, but I don't remember anything "technical" as I scare easily. It was later in the summer, so maybe the lack of ice was the difference.

Concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheatre are magical.

Other cool things that might be on your route:

Bighorn Mountains
Beartooth Mountains
Wind River Range
Madison Buffalo Jump State Park
Lewis and Clark Caverns
Bannack, Montana
Berkeley Pit - not "cool", but fascinating, as is the town of Butte.

[O Really]

Thanks - we've seen/stayed at the Lewis and Clark Caverns, and have seen the Big Pit. On this trip, we'll go to Buffalo Jump and past, but not into the Bighorns. Wind River will be another trip down past the Tetons. Other than Yellowstone, I haven't traveled in Wyoming before. I guess I always thought if it was any good place to be, more people would live there. Total state population is about twice Buncombe County. We'll see.

[Vrede too]

Thanks - we've seen/stayed at the Lewis and Clark Caverns, and have seen the Big Pit. On this trip, we'll go to Buffalo Jump and past, but not into the Bighorns. Wind River will be another trip down past the Tetons. Other than Yellowstone, I haven't traveled in Wyoming before. I guess I always thought if it was any good place to be, more people would live there. Total state population is about twice Buncombe County. We'll see.

It's very harsh most of the year, not so bad in Summer. Not sure of your route and you may have already passed by, but the 146th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn is June 25–26. There are two reenactments - a large, elaborate, White CofC organized one outside of Hardin, MT and a smaller Indian organized one actually on the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, which is a full day's worth of way cool any time that you go. I preferred the latter.