Flowers

Some flowers from me to you and if you even thought of smiling-this post has been worthwhile.

RIP Mr. Jennings Osborn

 Unfortunately, I only met Jennings Osborn once, but he's not easily forgotten. He was a very down to earth person that really enjoyed making others happy. For years, I took my kids by his house on Cantrell Road to look at the lights-even when traffic was bad and his neighbors were complaining-but it was such a sight to see. Later, he sponsored the "Every Man's BBQ" down on the river-and it was something to see too. Lots of great people having a good time all because one man like to see others happy. So tonight when I get home around 2 am I'm turning on my Christmas lights in his honor and I know if I look up he'll be smiling.

More animals

Animals on the trip

The first picture is a mountain goat taken at Mount Evans.

The second is a bull Elk at Estes Park.

The third is a mormet but the picture isn't zoomed-sorry.

The fourth is the bull elk again-I'm proud of this picture (and I can't figure out how to delete the second)

The next is an elk cow at the Grand Canyon and

the last are wild horses at the Grand Canyon.

Johnny Cash... "I've been every where man...I've been every where..."

There's an old Johnny Cash song in which he tells

the truck driver that he's been everywhere and

that song has been  playing in my head all morning. In the past

seven days... I've seen the Royal Gorge, Garden of the Gods,

Pike's Peak, Mount Evans, The Independence Pass,

the beginning of the Arkansas River, Mesa Verde, Dodge City,

the four corners, the Grand Canyon, the painted

desert, the national bridges monument, Estes Park,

the Grand Canyon, the largest meteor crater,

the Valley of the Gods, countless Indian nations, and

had a short visit with my oldest friend. The following

pictures are from the National Bridges Monument

then Mesa Verde

then the Colorado River at Independence Pass

then the Grand Canyon.

Moose

Leaving a small town between Ouray and Durango, we can upon a traffic jam. Dwight said it was probably a "bear jam" meaning that people have stopped to view some sort of wildlife. It doesn't necessarily mean there's a bear. In this case, he was right. People had stopped to view two very large moose. It was my first time to see one in the wild. They make elk look like toys and the antlers are unbelievable.These particular moose were as black as night and it was funny that so many people, besides us, had stopped to take pictures.I hope to post another one soon-a little closer up but we also have good pictures of mormets, chipmunks, elk, mule deer, lizards, mountain goats, and wild horses.

First Major Tourist Attraction

The first major tourist attraction{and we stopped lots of places before this-more about them later}was the Royal Gorge. The bridge is one of the highest suspension bridges in the United States-and it's beautiful. A flag from each state flies on the bridge. The bridge itself is made of steel but the bottom is made of wood-that makes funny noises when you drive across it. The bridge sways and you can feel the swaying when you stand on it. You look down into the Gorge that seems to drop forever-people at the bottom look like ants scurrying around.We took the Incline Railway to the bottom. The railway is incredibly steep. At the bottom you get up close and personal with the Arkansas River. It's powerful. White water everywhere and so cold it will blow your mind. It's also the cleanest river at that point-so is the air. It smells like nothing and it feels good just to breathe deep.