From small places come BIG stories

Hotchkiss Colorado.  Less than 1,000 people lived here in 2000.  You would have to blink more than once as you passed through on State Route 92. This is farming country. Corn, beef, horses.  Traffic slows for two things besides the red lights in this town: pedestrians, which is a lovely Colorado thing in any size town, though drivers smile and wave at pedestrians who cross in front of them in Hotchkiss. The other impediment to drag racing through town is slow moving heavy farm equipment.

So this being said, what beyond the peace of the place, is this town's claim to fame.  How about a couple of its bathrooms?

I was on a walkabout in Hotchkiss today while Jim and Mona relaxed in the coach over lunch.  The town has a nice, easy to get into for 50 foot long vehicles, FREE PUBLIC PARKING LOT. Imagine that. And we'd  stopped for sandwiches.                                    
I was clicking some shots of the local town center: the early 1900's bank, hotel, etc, when I noticed the brand new looking Creamery Art Center.  I walked past it several times wondering what such an Telluride-looking type of place was doing in 'Mayberry RFD', Colorado style. I also kept noticing the group of four seated at the porch together enjoying some cold drinks.  They looked so relaxed together, and something told me I had to at least say, "HI."

First to respond to my introduction was Kelly, the relaxed guy in coveralls. I told him who I was, then noticed the blue VFW cap on the walker beside him.  Kelly said that belonged to his dad, Gordon, who'd fought in World War 2, Korea and Vietnam.  Kelly had been in Germany with the military in the sixties.

Gordon said he'd been in the air force in the latter two 'police actions' but since he'd been too young for the military in 1941 he joined the US Merchant Marine, a civilian and mostly unarmed branch of WW2 service that took huge numbers of casualties from storms and U-boats throughout the war.

Mom, Dere Lyse, whose name I soon learned was, like the rest of the men, of Irish descent, introduced her other son, brother to Kelly, Kevin.  They were sitting on the porch because Kevin is on the Board of the Art Center and it was a cool spot on a hot day to meet.

So I asked them all one of my favorite questions, "What is the one thing most interesting about Hotchkiss that I should not miss before I leave", and Kevin, and the three others, and the manager of the center, inside, and several others in the building who heard me ask about it also all concurred... THE BATHROOMS.  So they showed me both of them!


I've been in decorated bathrooms before.  The stepped design at Anne Maries in Royersford, Pa.  The Lititz, Pa. Sutter Inn's 'Bathing Betty', and a New York City chic new place that lasted less than a year with stalls of clear glass that faced the dining room.  They electronically cloaked themselves in milky opaqueness when someone went inside, at least most of the time.

But these bathrooms in the Creamery Art Center were symbols of what Hotchkiss was beyond it's productive farms, service clubs and churches. This was an American town that breathed creativity, artistic talent, and fun. And Gordon and Dere Lyse's boys were obviously enjoying their role in the middle of this cultural treasure in their home town.


It was a few miles farther north in mid afternoon when we pulled over after a harrowing, twisty pull up and over McClure Pass on our way to Aspen, Colorado that we met our next BIG STORY from a small place.


 The dirt pull off was big enough for us and in the beautiful Crystal River Valley. so in addition to stopping to check the CRV's Buddy Brake (it had begun blinking ERROR codes on the wireless receiver halfway down the steep grade) we all decided to stretch our legs and taut nerves with some  picture taking.  That's when we noticed lovely Hays Falls, hidden in the trees just across from the                                                       pull out.

And hat's when I got to meet Claudia, who along with some dear friends, were having what she called a 'nostalgic visit' to this beautiful spot.

You see, in the 1970's Claudia and her husband had lived in a home high up on the hill across the Crystal river, and the highway, and just across from Hay Falls.

They had taught school in nearby Carbondale and raised their boys here in this pristine valley. The boys had climbed, played, and run all over that falls and the surrounding hills.  Now Claudia had returned after many years away to revisit old memories with good old friends.

She lived in Massachusetts now, and taught at the prestigious Deerfield Boarding School above Boston. But the poignancy, indeed the sadness which joyful memories also bring, was in her eyes. Such truth in her words and face told me this quiet dale next to route 133 was the home of her heart.

As we parted she drove off south with her friends over the pass we had just traversed, and we headed north toward our campground of the evening in Basalt, Colorado, 20 miles west of Aspen.  But both of us, and all who traveled with us, knew we were simply traveling in time and space together. Each of us may have different destinations, but all of us are on the same journey.

A journey to find, or to rediscover, the BIG stories in the small places of our world.

-Ken

Who ya' gonna meet? Guess!

You never know who you'll meet on any given day.  That was proved to us multiple times today!

 Today as I carried my ladder around the coach washing 2,000 miles of dirt off the windows I looked over at our neighbor at Ouray KOA and saw Ron.  Ron was letting some of the the air out of his jeeps tires preparing to take his wife, son and daughter-in-law and grandkids on an off road jaunt up into the Ouray Hills.

We struck up a conversation about his 40' Dynasty Coach and our 35' Alpine and before you know it he's telling me they have full timed for almost 8 years and I'm telling him I'm a retired United Methodist Pastor.

His comment to that?  "That's 110% OK with me!"  He's a Dallas, Texas, lifetime Methodist. Both of us were heading out to worship God in His creation today, and we did.


We headed for Telluride, Colorado and the San Juan Range of the Rockies.



Along the way we met some horses pastured with some cows.  The cows couldn't care less about us but both stallions seemed interested in having the paparazzi of the highway photograph them for posterity.

The beautiful gray came over and spoke with us about terms and licensing fees.  We couldn't come to an agreement on the percentage their agent should receive so...

That was the end of that discussion.

 In Telluride we took the free gondola ride up to the top of  one of the ski slopes.  It goes on over the mountain to the new upscale 'ski village' but we got off to tour some of the run starting points.

 On the way up we met Avery and her dad, Jonathan. Avery is a very wise and fun eleven year old who told us she was very happy with her new home, and the new skate board park near the town park and concert stage, and that her skateboard work was really improving, and that the 'Chocolate Truffle' in town had the best chocolate she'd ever eaten in her ENTIRE life... even though she knew she had only been eating chocolate for about 10 years.

We made the CT our destination when we got back to town. Jim found it first and brought us all a sample of some really fine chocolate!  TY Avery!



It was at the top, after we'd gotten off the gondola and Avery and Jonathan went on to their new condo, that we found CHURCH. We hadn't walked 50 yards when we found a small congregation of locals who worshiped each Sunday morning at the very top of their world.

I joined them for prayer and received a blessing in return.  When asked I requested prayer for safe travels as we were new full time RVer's in a big machine.  Pastor said all should pray especially for the others riding with me.  Now how did he know that, do you think?




When we returned from about 10,500 feet to 9,500 (town level) we walked to the large town park. Several times a year this field becomes home to the finest music of it's kind in the USA.  And no music venue at this park is more famous than the one held just a week ago right here; the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It was here that we met, sort of, the famous Doc Watson and Bill Monroe.

Well, I said 'sort of'' didn't I?  We found their labeled risers still stored under the stage.  

Hey!  That's pretty cool, isn't it?  Their very own feet touched those risers just a week ago.  It said so, right on the side.

'So what?", you say?  I say if it's the closest we ever get to meeting Doc Watson and Bill Monroe, then we met them this way and that's that.

Though I must admit, neither riser had any opinion on the direction bluegrass music is going in the next ten years.


From downtown Telluride we drove up the the base of the box canyon which is part of what makes the music venue so unique; its distinctive high walls, which resonate just enough when filled with the sound of music... these hills really do come alive!

At the end of the canyon those walls rise up almost vertically to the highest free fall water fall in Colorado: Bridal Veil Falls. At 365 feet in length these falls welcome climbers, or passengers of 4 wheelers, to a refreshing cool mist where they crash into the rocks at their base and the water continues down the almost vertical mountainside.



Its almost two miles up by rocky  1 1/2 car width road with an altitude gain of over 1,200 feet. As you rise with the road you see the remains of gold mining  from the 1800's along the hills and the vestige of the original burro road that took supplies and men up and down the mountain at about 1/2 a modern cars width.



Along the way I realized that while Jim was well acclimated to such a climb, I've only been at this altitude for several weeks and neither of us had brought water along.  Jim was OK, but as we walked I needed less distance between breaks.  When we got to the base of the falls I was getting parched when Jim saw the driver of a four wheel drive mountain tour with his party. And suggested I ask him for a bottle of water. So  it was time for another meeting...


Richard, of Telluride OUTSIDE was more than happy to help!  TY Richard!

Needless to say we made it back down the mountain fine, though our Facebook posts from the walk created some concern for a few:  Dave, the friend of Jim you met last week who lives in Denver, and Mona who was waiting for the two of us in the car at the base of the 4 wheel drive road,  and our daughter Jenn who found the fact that we hadn't taken water along and her dad is not quite the mountain man that Jim is, a bit disconcerting. Others began responding too and several raised prayers.
TY all for them!

While we were busy preparing to meet Richard and his bottled water Mona met a smaller friend down near the car. A Pika, cousin of the prairie dog and chipmunk, came near and proceeded to pose just for her.

Jim and I saw no wildlife other than a few birds. But the falls, and the view, was thrilling.

The way back was gorgeous under the early evening sun, and then, just when we thought our meetings for the day were over, we met a small herd of young elk, all females but one short horned buck, just relaxing in a field waiting for us to take their pictures.

Wonderful, wonderful day.

Then we met John Wayne.

Well, the spirit of the man was surely present in the town and region in which  he filmed his one Oscar winning role, TRUE GRIT.  

In tiny Ridgeway, on the way home from Telluride to the KOA Campground, we had a good dinner at The True Grit Cafe which was built after the movie was made against one of the prop walls from a building used in the film on that site.  As described on the back of the menu, we also sat on the porch for dinner across from the hanging tree used in the film.

 We never expected to meet a Hollywood star in Ridgeway, but then, we never expected to meet those bluegrass musicians in Telluride, either.

You say we didn't meet anyone at either site, just remnants of what they did?  I ask you, is it better to shake the hand of a movie star or singer, or dine next to his hanging tree?


One final meeting, and this amazingly busy day was over.

We met an ice cream cone in the old mining town of Ouray, just a couple of miles from the campground. It was dark, but this Sunday night the tourists were out and about as we drove in and one IC shop was ready to sell us just what we wanted.

And Mona met a bookstore.
Closed, but she never met a bookstore she couldn't strike up a conversation about, this time, with Jim.


-Ken

On the way: Salida to Ouray, CO.

 Today we enjoyed Salida, Colorado's ART WALK Saturday.The town has a great location any day but we really enjoyed the open street music and the art.

The meandering river walk is truly pleasant and the Cambodian Restaurant is great.  Hand made EVERYTHING!  Mona and I enjoyed the fresh veggie spring rolls.

Imagine a dozen marimbas, all made of wood, all played by well trained unpaid volunteers.  Made of wood?  I asked the maker how they were tuned.  He said, "You shave a little off till you get the right pitch." "And if you shave off too much wood?" I asked.  "You add a little back." He said with a straight face.  "How?" I dumbly, actually seriously, asked. "You use a wood stretcher." He said with complete candor.  I think I asked the question he gets asked the most. And it got answered his favorite way.

 One other reason we enjoyed our visit was that we got to see Jaime again at his shop, and Mona got to have her hair cut, for the FIRST time, by a man.

She liked the result but said her good friend and adult lifetime hairdresser, Debbie Boyer of Lancaster, Pa,

 is not replaced, only missed.  But Jaime, you did a good job!!!

Next stop was the top of Monarch Pass where we met a wonderful couple, Ann & Jerry.  They live in Denver and are taking some time off to bike into Western Colorado.

I approached them to ask for a photo of the two of them with their impressive Harley Vulcan.  And they said they were just admiring our coach across the highway.  We are now an official Mutual Admiration Society.

 Coming down from Monarch Pass heading west is amazing enough.  And then you hit the Blue Mesa Reservoir and this fantastic feat of nature by God's hand.


Formed by volcanic eruption eons ago and erosion of the softer soils around the hard lava creates a cathedral like effect.

While Jim photographed from all angles Mona and I just sat nearby and contemplated the Maker's joy in giving us such a world to discover.

Our final stop, at about 6:30 pm, was our campground just north of Ouray, Colorado.  the gateway into the Telluride Valley. We are staying at a very comfortable KOA for these two nights. 

And one thing that makes it so comfortable is Dave and the crew he works with!  You see, this KOA has a wonderful creek side restaurant and tonight was their weekly BBQ.  We enjoyed chicken fried steak (It was good but Mona says NOTHING touches her cousin Charlene's!) and the most delectable brisket I think I've ever had.

 After that great meal we needed a walk so we traipsed about the area taking pictures and sayin' 'HI!' to folks we met.

We watched the last of the sun on the snow covered mountaintops.

The moon is a sliver tonight, so Jim is out as I type hoping to grab some great shots of the milky way.

 Mona and I are hoping to catch a few shots of serious shut eye.  This retirement stuff can be TIRING! And most enjoyable.

-Ken

PS:  Jim returned just before I toddled off to bed and this was the result of his night time trek: