This was to be our first trip to the mountains in three years. Left Fort Worth on Friday the 26th and drove to . . . Halfway, Texas. Shan's parent's live here, halfway between Plainview and Olton. I kid you not. It's a good place to stop over on the way out west, and we got to spend some time with the in-laws.
Saturday we got up and drove first to Raton, NM, then on to Alamosa. I didn't even break out my camera. We saw some nice antelope along the way, which always makes my day. In Raton we went to the NRA Whittington Center, had a picnic lunch, and I shot a round of sporting clays. Shan doesn't shoot, but she is a great puller. I love that course. Always interesting with lots of varied terrain.
Spent the night in Alamosa, mainly because it was a good waypoint and they had a Hampton Inn. Our son Duncan works for a Hilton hotel, and we got good discounts the whole way at Hamptons. It's always good to see mountains. Even Alamosa was nice.
The next day we drove to Durango. Hwy 160 is a great road with some great views. Again, I didn't break out the camera. Too busy driving, I guess. This was our first time to stay in Durango, and it was very nice.
Monday we rode the steam train to Silverton. They have a new program, where you have a narrator who plays a character from the early days of the area. On the way up we had General Potter, who built the railroad, and on the way down a Durango Marshall (why can't I remember the name?) who was one of the first homesteaders in the Animas valley. If you ride the train, i recommend you book this tour. It was very interesting. Here's the marshall:
I posted a pic of the train in a curve. Here is the train in the station:
I haven't had a lot of time to edit pics, so I won't post any more from the ride. It was gorgeous, and pictures just don't do it justice.
The next day was for Mesa Verde. This was our fourth attempt to go there. we used to work a Navajo church camp in eastern Arizona, and three times we tried to go to Mesa Verde after the camp. Three times we had some difficulty and didn't make it. It is an amazing place. Shan wasn't able to do the hiking, so we didn't even try to hike to cliff palace. I could have done it, but the tour fills up fast and I would have had to leave her alone. This was a together vacation. She tried to hike to Spruce House, but couldn't do it. Hip trouble. I made that one and took a few pics.
The next day we headed for Arches National Park. We'd never been there, and it has long intrigued me. Instead of the direct, 2 1/2 hour trip from Durango, we decided to go up through Silverton and Ouray and have a nice, pretty drive. It was gorgeous, including Bear Creek Falls:
Unfortunately, I missed a turn, and it ended up being a longer drive than we anticipated. Still, it was a good drive, and I'd love to do it on my bike. It was also fortunate, because we got to Arches late and had lower temperatures and great light for some of the features. We should have gotten to the park earlier the next morning for early light, but we got a bit lazy. I already posted a pic of Balanced Rock and South Window Arch. Here are a few more.
Double Arch
Sand Dune Arch
Trail to Sand Dune Arch
Distant view of Broken Arch
North Window Arch
As I was walking back down from South Window Arch, the sunset just kept getting better and better
Thursday we drove to Taos (where they have another Hampton Inn). Our ultimate destination was Red River, but there was no chance of getting a place in Red River on this weekend. We love Red River, and we bought Shan her birthday present there, a beautiful Navajo pot (which I don't have a picture of right now). We also had tickets for Michael Martin Murphey's first show of the season. He has built an outdoor amphitheater on a site that used to be a guest ranch, up Bitter Creek Road from Red River. There's a nice trout pond, and it's a gorgeous place.
This show includes a chuckwagon dinner, and they had rigged an open tent in the event of rain. The show was marvelous. The last time we saw him in concert was at Lubbock Christian College in '76 or '77. He played some of of the songs we heard then, but the second half of the show was mainly cowboy songs, and he does those very, very well. It was a small band, just him, a bass player (who is also an outstanding western artist), and a very young guitar, mandolin, and fiddle player who was absolutely amazing. This kid, Shaun Richardson, is just 20, and he is one to watch. Murphey is 70 now, and he has a real heart for the west, the history, the culture, the people, and the land. Man, it was a great show. We hung around and got autographs and pics at the end. (Murphy is the one in the cowboy hat.)
Today we struck for Halfway, which is where I am now. Tomorrow we head for home, and I'll pick up my new puppy, Hannah, in Decatur. Here she is a few weeks ago.
A great trip for the two of us. Lots of time together in the truck, some great sights, good food, great music, laughter, love, joy. I love this woman. I do wish I'd had my bike for some of these roads, though . . .
Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to 
