Arletta and I abandoned our usual Fourth of July activity of going to the parade at Wamego Kansas, having supper with the Slagles, and watching the fireworks there. Earlier in the year we received word that Jerry and Pat Pearson were going to observe their 50th wedding anniversary at Creede, Colorado on July 5. Since the festivities started at 1:30 pm on the 5th I knew that even the Chrysler 300 could not get us there in time if we waited until the 5th to go.
So Arletta and I chose to take a weekend off from church and left town on the morning of the 4th of July. One thing about it—there wasn't much traffic in western Kansas. We drove for miles without seeing but an occasional pickup. One thing that did surprise us along the way was the obvious lack of any activities relating to the 4th of July. No family barbecues or picknicks, no parades or special events. We did learn later that over 13,000 people jammed the little burg of Creede for the big parade held there. The next day they had a traditional miners' competition, even though the mines around Creede have been closed for years. We enjoyed our journey through Western Kansas and relaxed a bit on our way to Colorado.
At La Junta we began the trek on highway 10 across Eastern Colorado to Walsenburg. The scenery was definitely different. Now we saw a car only about every 30 minutes. The road was straight and you could see for miles from one hilltop to the next. Not long after we left La Junta we saw the majestic Colorado Rockies and began to speculate on what peaks we were seeing. I am guessing that we were way off on our identifications. But it didn't matter. It was home and it was beautiful.
Leaving Walsenburg we took Highway 160 to Alamosa. A fabulous drive that we could not remember having been on before. In a while we were in the famous San Luis Valley. This valley has been famous for generations for melons and potatoes. When I was a small boy in Leadville, trucks would come to Leadville from the San Luis Valley selling potatoes. We could buy 100 lbs for $10.00. But you had to be careful. Sometimes the bottom of the bag was full of dirt. If we did get dirt my mother used it for her plants.
The history of this area is fascinating. I learned about the Baca Grant while studying Colorado History in high school. On the east side of the San Luis Valley is the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains. The name means "Blood of Christ." The mountains were dubbed that when the early explorers saw them in the alpine glow of sunrise and sunset. In the southern end of the valley is the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. The valley is watered by artesian springs. When I was a boy and we traveled this way, one could see geysers shooting 50 feet into the air of the water coming up from the tremendous pressure of the water underground. I did not see any geysers this time. I would guess that the water used to irrigate and raise those fabulous potatoes is being pumped.
Much of Mt. Blanca (over 14,000 feet tall) and the area south of the dunes belong to either the Sangre de Cristo Grant or the Luis Maria Baca Land Grant #4. The history of this land begins in the 1530s when Cabeza de Vaca walked across the Southwest and claimed much of it for Spain. The Baca Grant was given to the heirs of Cabeza in 1821. After 1821 people began to settle on the grant without permission. In an effort to protect the settlers the U. S. government offered the Bacas land equivalent elsewhere. The Bacas chose two parcels in New Mexico, two in Arizona and one in Colorado, which became known as Baca Grant #4.
We stayed overnight near Monte Vista at the Movie Manor Hotel. In a separate blog I'll tell about the place.
On Saturday morning after eating breakfast we started for Creede, Colorado. Traffic was heavier because of all the people heading for the mountains for the day. We sa
w one family from Garden City, Kansas that brought 12 ATVs to ride. In that area there a myriad of roads designed for four-wheelers. We had not been to Creede before. The scenery was spectacular even according to Colorado standards. At one point we saw mountain sheep scaling a cliff going up out of the canyon. It was a sight to behold to see how effortlessly these animals clung to the side of the mountain and just kept going up. We saw the old rail lines that supplied equipment and supplies to the mines at Creede and hauled the ore out. An occasional railroad relic could be seen along the way.
Because we had two extra hours we decided to go on to Lake City, set deep in the mountains of southern Colorado. We had to climb two passes to get their. The second one—Slumgullion Pass—was steep both directions. We fell in behind a tourist from the flatlands that was obviously scared to death and driving along at 15-20 mph. Then it started to rain and these people simply panicked and pulled off the road. Again, spectacular scenery that stirred our hearts.
Around 1:15 we arrived back in Creede and the festivities were already going. Jerry and Pat were excited to see us. It turned out that I was the only relative on Jerry's side of the family that came. All of his children and grandchildren were there and several friends. I was the only family. We received the royal treatment as a result.
Jerry was one of my young boy heroes. He lost his own parents when he was a teenager. An old family friend, Gus Peterson, took him under his wing and helped him through high school. Jerry was drafted to go to Korea almost as soon as he graduated from high school. But before he left, he got a job at the Leadville Fish Hatchery. When he returned from the war he got his job back. Jerry would work for the Fish Hatchery system at Leadville, Creede, and finally Hotchkiss, Colorado. He retired at Hotchkiss where he and Pat now live. After my family left Leadville in 1952 I didn't see much of Jerry. I knew he got married. I knew his wife before he did and we have pictures to prove it. She was and still is a very sweet lady.
On the way home on Sunday, we stopped at Alamosa to go to church. We knew that we would surprise a special couple there—John and Gerri Del Tondo. We knew this couple from Grand Junction days. They were always active in the church and have been so while in Alamosa. They were stunned to see us. I have no idea how many years have passed since we last saw each other. They hadn't changed a bit.
Finally, after lunch, we began the trek back to Manhattan. The plan to wash the car was set aside when we saw the black rain clouds everywhere. Our plan was to stop in Ordway and see my aunt who lives there. But when we got to Ordway her name was not in the phone book. I did have the number on my cell phone and tried to call. The immediate response was, "this number is no longer in use. It has been disconnected." So sadly we started north to Limon where we would catch I-70 and go home. To the west the sky grew very dark and we knew we in for a storm.
There were times when we could barely see the road due to the heavy rain. Fortunately no hail was falling, but rain by the bucketful. We came to one bridge where the water was almost up to the road. I chose to go on, but I am guessing that it was not long until that bridge was gone. We stopped at Limon for food and petrol and then started east. Soon we hit another classic gully washer. Several times I slowed to 25 mph to be able to see ahead. It is not wise to stop or pull off the road because somebody may be following only your taillights and when you stop they plow into you. We did not get out of the rain until after Colby Kansas. At a rest stop near Colby Arletta took over the driving. We stopped next at Hayes for more fuel. I assumed the car would be a filthy mess. Instead it looked like it had been through a car wash, sparkling and clean from stem to stern.
We arrived safely in Manhattan at 1:30 am Monday morning. The zoo was glad to see us and we were glad to see our bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment