Tom is a Wonder

Tom, our potted Golden Sweet cherry tomato plant is only one of the wonders we see from the galaxy of this life.  All of you who garden know exactly what I mean. And in my case, any plant God gives me to care for that I don't kill is considered a wonder/miracle by most who know me.  But Tom has blessed me with dozens of ripe yellow tiny balls of sugar since we gave him a home on our ride almost 3 months ago.

At Stratmoor UMC today, here in Colorado Springs, the Praise Team reminded Mona and I, and all present, of the huge wealth of wonder available for us to thank God for in our own world, let alone galaxy.

And to be reminded that none of what we have seen comes even close to what can be seen beyond the limits of our human eyes, Hubble Scope or not.












So I thought I'd just share a couple of the wonders of God's creation we have experienced since leaving Pennsylvania for Colorado on this new journey of ours. I hope you enjoy them.

I'm actually doing this to remind myself of what we have seen!

-Thank you Creator God!

We serve an awesome God.

-Ken

Going nowhere, and Everywhere at the same time

First, a big NO. NO, we did not go to Kit Carson today.  We are happily staying back at Stratmoor UMC tonight and through at least the middle of this week as the roof on the coach is re-caulked. The new reefer is due to go in on Tuesday. The new roof antenna for the WIFI system arrived and will be installed (TY Jenn & Chris!). The new vent cover for the bathroom fan is coming so we will be able then to have all three vents wide open when we drive or are in rain on warm days. And we are hoping the replacement custom front AC cowling arrives so it can be attached solidly to the roof.

More serious looking than I've EVER seen him!
GO KAREAM!

THEN, if all goes well, we'll head to Pueblo, then east toward Trinidad visiting the newly restored Bent's Fort compound, Eads, to visit and pay respects at the Sand Creek Massacre site, and finally Kit Carson.  Then east to arrive at Fort Leonard Wood in Southern Missouri to hopefully see our grandson Kaream graduate from Army Basics.

We were considering a week or so in New Mexico but we'll be there in early spring to see the desert bloom when we make our way back west next year.

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Today we went a bit west ourselves.  Look at my Facebook Page to see all the pics of the Florisant Fossil Beds National Park, Cripple Creek - where gold is still being mined in big amounts. And the Garden of the Gods, where we ended the day in warm evening light for a few pics of the red rock formations.

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But what I really want to tell you are the two enthusiastic ladies we met when we arrived at lovely Woodland Park, a town west of Colorado Springs about 30 minutes on route 24, just about 15 minutes from the top of Ute Pass.

Donna and Judy work at the Woodland Park Historic Museum and Gift Shop and while Mona was checking out the library across the street I went in to the museum to see what I might discover especially interesting about this busy and attractive small town.  I learned some cool stuff!

First, I learned that this quiet town today was a pretty rough and tumble place during prohibition and after.  It took federal agents to raid the 'stills in the hills' numerous times to even make a dent in their production.  And the casinos, gambling, and other colorful behavior of the residents meant this place was always busy.

Well, it was replaced with a much bigger place to hold the bad 'uns by the 1930's but you get the picture.

(NOT Woodland Park)

In addition to being a center for crime and punishment Woodland Park had at least one Tuberculosis Sanitarium with its share of TB huts for the contagious patients to live in while hopefully recovering from the dreaded disease.  I told Donna and Judy that I had actually found two of them in Fountain, CO, the other day on display and they laughed and told me to spend a little time looking into people's back yards anywhere there used to be a sanitarium. They are EVERYWHERE, even though almost 100 years old.

 When the TB fad died out (sadly, TB didn't. There is still no drug cure for the disease) people took the cute and simple huts by the dozens and turned them into everything from motel cabins to garden tool sheds.

So now I'll be driving through back allies in towns all up and down the front range looking for tool sheds that are actually old TB huts to photo!

-Ken

Meet Christine!

The Colorado Mining and Industrial Museum, located just north of Colorado Springs, Co, along I-95,  promotes the value of above and below ground mining when done safely for all concerned, including healthy long term effects on the environment.  And one of the museum's strongest mine promoters is the woman who was our guide today.

Meet Christine!

 Christine's hour long tour of the indoor displays at the museum include a 20 minute movie about many kinds of modern mining in Colorado.

But its the hands-on machinery that she and the other guides turn on for us to hear and see operate that makes the show. And all of it is at least 100 years old.

From hammering air drills to the big Corliss Engine she runs with compressed air from lines throughout the museum she keeps her charges well informed and well entertained.

Christine doesn't just speak machinery either.  She knows how to speak CHILD

From teaching us all how to pan for gold (gold is mustard colored, Fool's Gold is the shiny stuff).

To letting the kids push buttons to make things 'GO' Christine made a lasting great impression on everyone!

The museum has lots outside to see too, like big and little train engines, diggers, and a full working mill, the Yellowjacket, which was moved and restored from its original mine site in the mountains nearby.

 And what would any attraction trying to get the attention of children be without some cute furry beasties around?

Like BURROS!

Of course, at this museum the burros are actually two of the regular working staff as they are used on special weekends throughout the year to illustrate the value of the mule and its cousin, the burro, to the history of mining the world over.

But the kids and I just enjoyed watching them be cute, furry, burros.

 -Ken

PS: no pics of Mona in this museum.  She soaked up the first rays of sunshine we've had in over two days and read outside while I followed Christine all over the museum.

PPS: The coach is mechanically ship-shape and we head out tomorrow for East Colorado and the tiny town of Kit Carson.  The town my Great Aunt Ella's family homesteaded to in the 1890's, and the town where they lived after losing the farm.