Watch clear through to the end. It only gets better. His hands, they become a blur!

Headed to ABQ, NM next week for one week of warm, desert-y bliss.  Temps are forecasted in the mid-60’s.  0% precipitation.  Perfect.  I wish I could leave now.

On the to-do list:

• Bike the Bosque with Amy in all the cottonwood splendor (hear the leaves are nice and golden)
• White Sands Nat’l Monument
• Knit by campfire
• Don my ”goth Girl”  Halloween costume for a party that night. 
• Eat green chili at El Patio, on the patio of course
• Ride the gondola up Sandia Mtn and hike the Crest (knee permitting, looking like more of a ride and short stroll than hike)
• Georgia O’Keefe museum – Santa Fe
• Find Dan Namingha’s gallery in Santa Fe
• Miriams Well visit – Santa Fe
• Spend lots of quality time with much missed friends

7 days

-5 Hrs travel each way

+ No set itinerary

= One helluva  good time to be had!

My goal is to finish the HEATHER HOODIE by this weekend.  Having a bummed up knee (sprained MCL, sigh) is keeping me from hiking and long bike rides on these glorious (and ominously final) fall days.  Makes me pout.

But, I’m making progress on the hoodie.

It’s this:

Now I’m here:

Trying out some new techniques.  Pattern called for it to be knit in three pieces and seamed.  I hate seaming (insert Gargmel-type voice here).  Knitting back and forth. Spliting where the armhole starts and working the fronts and back separately then 3-needle BO at the shoulder.

Measuring a fave sweater, looks like 15″ from hem to armhole should suffice.  In a couple rows I can separate the back from fronts and work each separately.  Just hope as this wool does not grow when blocked.  Yah, I swatched but did I wash the swatch? Nah. 

Hood follows (will make less huge than calls for) and button band added on last. 

Cabling without a cable needle.  Learning which way a cable slants depends on whether the stitches are held to the back or the front. Memorized a little saying, “To the left, to the front, to the right, that’s just back (wards!)”  Politics, who knew there was room for politics in knitting?  ;  )

Close up of the cable pattern:

Added waist shaping, something I’ve never done on my own.  Look closely under the second stitch marker from the viewers right edge and you’ll see an hourglass wave to the sideseam.  Hopefully, this will keep the bulky weight wool from making me bulky.  This yarn is sooooooo soft. Undyed, it’s the natural color of the sheep’s own sweater! 

Up next?  XMAS gifts.  Really want to start a new sweater but I have to be realistic.  Balls of yarn in wrapping do not make a thoughtful Xmas gift (to non-knitters, ah-hem.)

Part One is Here:   http://hfrank007.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/ut-sweet-ut-how-i-love-thee-part-one-of-two/

With two days of travel left, I considered staying on Cedar Mesa one more day and making the long push home the night before my next day scheduled at work.  I didn’t feel ready to leave.  Had one more destination on my radar, though, and decided to get there. 

Old house, Verdure, a former Mormon settlement:

I was headed north to the Las Sal mtns just east of Moab.  This caught my eye, though, and I veered off to leaf peep:

Never been up in the Manti-La Sal N. Forest.   From a distance I’ve admired this unassuming little mtn group.  The road up was closed by snow when I passed by last April.    Abajo, South, Horsehead and Twin Peaks reach no more than 11,360′ at the most (Abajo the tallest.) Still, their vertical from the flat desert floor is dramatic. The change in ecosystem is pretty nifty as well. 

I saw red.  I saw yellow.  I had to check it out.  It only got better as I went up.

I must mention, the brilliance of the leaves,with the sun filtering through, is not captured in these pics.  I was spellbound and dazed for most of a day up there.

PINK leaves!

Headed up a fire road:

Found, to my surprise, this!

“Blue Mtn ski area,”  defunct some 25 years now, was just a single swath for locals with a pommel lift to the top.  Per the ranger I spoke with in Monticello, he recalls a wooden deck and concession stand for hot cocoa.  It was “treacherous” for beginners since it’s fairly steep and, he reminisced, “hot shots” would barrel down and endanger less seasoned skiers.  No cafes, no boot dryers, no $12 hamburgers, just a good old-fashioned hill to make turns on. 

Remains:

Target practice, anyone?

Need a bird for Turkey Day?

Wrapped my way up between Abajo and Horsehead Peak.  Scrapped my hiking plans. Folks were hunting that weekend and I had no neon-orange to don.  I was nervous about that. 

Crossed North Creek Pass and lo and behold, the view:

I wanted to lie down in the middle of this canopy and just gawk:

Several avalanche paths sweep down Jackson Ridge. Some were completely barren, this with some new growth on it.  I wonder how many years it took for those aspen to establish themselves?

Crossed Indian Creek, just a little trickle.  The city of Monticello pulls water from it using the old fashioned cistern way of storing and moving it.  There were signs warning me to stay away from the “culinary watershed” which confused me.  A lot.  Indian Creek flows down into the same-named climbing area I frequent just north of here. It was cool to see its origin. 

Parked here and just sat a spell. Made coffee. Worked on a knitting project.  I had the world to myself for a while and it was a good place to be.

Reluctantly left. No camping up there. If there was, though…numerous bike/hike/motorcycle trails weave through this area.  I shall return.  I’m a convert.

Thought this was funny:

Uhhh…don’t pass on the right?

Finished the trip with a spin around the La Sal Mtns, a grouping just east of Moab. They’re a helluva lot bigger up close than I thought.  I’ve driven through Moab 80-bajillion times.  This was a welcomed detour.

The La Sal Loop Rd connects Moab with Castleton Valley along the skirts of the La Sals.   The transition from sandstone to mtn hillsides is interesting:

More fall color:

Road wraps around toward the CO River and behind Fischer Valley (home of the rightfully famous Fischer Towers) and Castle Valley (location of the famed Castleton Tower.)  Kokopelli’s bike trail comes through here as well. 

Castle Valley:

Dinosaur tracks the nice ranger guy told me about, high up on a limestone rim.  (Is that how dinosaurs became extinct?)  ;  )  There were quite a few, deep, my palm sits in the back of this one:

New places I found this trip, all will see me again.  Probably won’t return to the La Sals this winter (the road is at 8,000+ in elevation for most parts.)  Cedar Mesa, though, that could be a winter destination (with a warm sleeping bag for nights).    So many beautiful new sights.  Quality time with Mother Nature.

I love the desert.  Healing in many ways,  I was long overdue for a therapy session.  Two weeks ago I took the long way through Southern CO with a definite goal en route.  Should you pass through Pagosa Springs, CO, sit a spell in their famed, local hot springs.  All those tension rubber bands wrapped around you will loosen.  The 20-some pools are clean, vary in temps, contain different minerals and perch scenically above the San Juan River. Brave souls can dip into the river for a hot/cool contrast.

The entire circuit:

[googlemapshttp://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=golden,+co&daddr=US-285+S+to:US-24+W%2FUS-285+S+to:CO-112+W+to:bluff,+ut+to:monticello,+ut+to:US-191+N+to:moab,+ut+to:cisco,+ut+to:golden,+co&hl=en&geocode=%3BFXLoVwIdyl6w-Q%3BFWhjUAIdIKyt-Q%3BFaZUPwIdIKGp-Q%3B%3B%3BFSxwSAIduMR6-Q%3B%3B%3B&mra=ls&via=1,2,3,6&sll=38.393339,-107.374878&sspn=3.039447,4.927368&ie=UTF8&ll=38.393339,-107.380371&spn=4.132805,7.03125&z=7&output=embed&w=640&h=480]

Hiking the next day near Cortez, CO in a little branch of Canyons of the Ancients:

Nature’s drain pipes.  I find the sculpturing of sandstone fascinating:

And the sculpting of man-made objects:

Literally:

Crossed into UT and headed to the Valley of the Gods. I passed by last April with no time to stop.  This trip was ALL about having the time to stop wherever I wanted to.  

Valley of the Gods is like a mini-Monument Valley.   The buttes, columns and towers are dramatic.  A 17 some mile dirt road scratches the surface through.  Steep in parts, it’s still passable by passenger car but not in wet weather.  Unable to capture all its splendor in one pic, here, a few.  Also, this was mid-day light. Bright, harsh, it does not give you the detail of the rocks, a shame.

 An aerial photo, lifted from Wikipedia:  (Big thank you to the photographer, dsearls on flikr.com.  He has lots of cool aerial photos in his profile.)

Made my way through the  Moki Dugway, a dirt road that impossibly winds up the side of Cedar Mesa (pic posted last April but a new one here because I think it’s that cool) and camped up top.

After an evening of gawking at the San Juan Goosenecks below and seeing the sunset paint the dessert in gradients of orange to red, then finally midnight blue, I woke for a day of hiking.  (Mental note, fascinating road below noted from my perch that I must return to.  I now have some beta on it from a park ranger that shared some secrets.)  Cedar Mesa, amid the Grand Gulch Plateau, has a lifetime of opportunities for exploration.  Canyons, springs, and ruins marked on certain maps abound if you’re willing to look. 

 Slickrock. Looks like peanut butter, I think:

Made a point to stop at Natural Bridges National Monument, a neat little park home to three natural arches and worth a stop if you’re up there. 

Owachomo Bridge:

Reluctantly left the Mesa and headed north with a vague plan.  More on that in the next post. 

Spoiler alert!  This caught my eye and GREATLY changed my itinerary:

Look what happened last night! 

Last night I fell asleep expecting snow.   I felt like a first-grader the night before school starts, I’ll admit.  It’s not a lot.  One fluffy inch, if that, coats the tops of objects.  It’s only October 10th. 

It’s pretty, clean and new and I’m diggin it. 

Accompanying all this cold pseudo-winterness today I plan to:

• Bake bread. Yeast bread. This will be my first time.
• Put pot roast in the crockpot to (hopefully) compliment above mentioned bread.
• Knit like crazy.  With just 75 days until Christmas (yup, I counted) I’m feeling a bit panicky.  So many planned gifts, 75 days to go. Details on these projects after their gifting.   ;  )
• Go be a good little gerbil at the local rec center.  (Or maybe hike.)
• Watch House, MD episode online.  I’m hooked.
• Sit in front of the fireplace.

(NO, I am not pregnant.  Maybe my hormones are a little wacky?)

It’s getting cold.  My colder-weather wardrobe consists of a couple fleecy hoodies/zip-ups and jeans.  I feel schleppy, sloppy.  Before leaving NM last November, I purged a ton of clothing, stuff that was worn out and tired. Lo and behold, Mother Hubbard’s cupboard is quite bare. 

Today I went shopping.  I don’t shop for clothes often. In fact, when I do, I usually come home with predictable basics (such as black T-Shirts from the GAP) since trying on pants, underthings and anything with long sleeves is exhausting.  (I must don a dozen or more to find one of those that fits.) 

On the list for today and acquired:

• Jeans, dark rinse, very long for boots
• Black long-sleeved T-Shirt (yah…I’m predictable)
• Short sleeved sweater, like in fashion this fall, to wear over a long sleeved T
• Crisp, white button up shirt. 
• Ribbed T-Necks

I must have tried on 80-bajillion sweaters.  Knitting, my friends, puts me in contact with soft, yummy, wooly goodness.  Ready made sweaters, for the most part, and what I saw today, are crap-ola.  I kept looking at ‘em and replanning the design in my head.  “I could knit that with a different collar/sleeve/cable.”

No sweater made it home with me.

Which leads me to say, I’m getting that Heather Hoodie finished, dammit, within two weeks.  How else will I be satiated?

It’s this:

And it’s just what I’m looking for!

Last night I saw a Cirque du Soleil performance for the first time.  Called Kooza, it was breathtaking, exhilarating, fascinating, funny, and all things fabulous. 

There were tight rope walkers, a trapeze artist, people popping out of holes in the floor, audience volunteers disappearing into thin air, dogs (in costume) “peeing” on the audience, cannons shooting tissue paper into the audience, women  that fold in half, a unicyclist and a woman dancing on each other, and on and on.  Fascinating.  My admiration for the performers and their athleticism is huge.  They’re stronger than hell yet graceful and beautiful.  How do they do it?

It was a splurge. I have no regrets.  Often this question I ask myself when making decisions,

 ”When I’m on my deathbed, will I regret not doing this?” 

No regrets for this!  I’ll remember this experience.

I’ve become fascinated by ghost towns.  History of the west gets me thinking.  This summer I’ve read about and seen more of CO’s relics than ever.  I’ve been taking “Staycations” compared to 2008.

After driving over Mosquito Pass

(details here: http://hfrank007.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/mosquito-pass-trail-highest-pass-road-in-america/  ) 

I headed to Independence Pass, a paved route through Mt Massive Wilderness that tops out at 12,095 feet.  Getting close to snow season, this pass closes early so I knew I had just a bit of time left to see the sights.  Linking Leadville, CO to Aspen, CO, it’s a pathway between two VERY different towns.

Didn’t dally.  Wet, misty clouds pressed down.  I had a goal in mind.

INDEPENDENCE, CO – A Ghost Town

Short lived, as many gold boom towns were, I’ve learned, the lode was discovered here in 1879.  By 1882 1500 residents lived among 40 businesses.  Also called Mammouth City, Chipeta, Mt Hope, Farwell and Sparkhill, the city vacated by 1890.  Only $190,000 of profits led to its quick demise.  Life at 10,900′  must have been extreme.

Volunteers have restored a former grocery store and watch over the site.  The WPA planted thousands of trees on slopes across the valley to curb avalanches. apparently, these had been detrimental to some of the towns remains.  A quick trip down yielded a few pics.  I got hailed on (AGAIN) so didn’t linger as long as I’d have liked.  It’s getting close to winter, folks!

A grocery store, restored:

Amazing there’s any left after so many years in the elements.

Rest of the trip yielded a ride on the Rio Grand bike path from just shy of Aspen to Carbondale. Was a blast!  Will return for sure. 

On a funny note, had to fortify the underbelly of Trusty with chicken wire, while camping, that night. Chickenwire!

I’ve only heard of this being necessary in Canada!  Innitially pshawing the idea, I wised up.  Good thing.  A fellow camper wandered over the next AM looking for electirical tape to repair the alternator wire a PORCUPINE knawed ate for a midnight snack. 

This was a first!

Had an adventure over Labor Day weekend.  You may remember my sister, Karen visited.  After she left, I took off for some clear-the-mind-time. 

Mosquito Pass straddles the Mosquito Range, linking tiny little Alma, CO with Leadville, CO.  Topping out at 13, 186′ it’s the highest pass road in America according to the book I found the description in.  (Great series, the Colorado Trails Series by Peter Massey.) 

Supposedly, a group of locals disagreed on what to name the new trail over the pass.  When the meeting minutes were opened, they found a squashed mosquito on the list of proposed names.  Mosquito it was!  I love campy stories as such and want to BELIEVE this is true. 

Used by Native Americans originally, gold-miners started camps in about 1861 up there. 

Telegraph wires crossed the pass in 1878.  Famed Horace Tabor and investors built a toll road over the pass.  Freight and passenger wagons, est. at 150/day, crossed over.  Legend says the pass became known as the “highway of frozen death” from those trying to avoid the toll and walking over instead. 

Completion of local railroads ended the pass’s practical use.  Falling into great disrepair it closed from 1910-49.  Locals restored it.

Now, a yearly “Get Your Ass Over the Pass” burro race in July is held. I’d LOVE to see that! 

Cty rd 12 passes numerous small mines and the former stagecoach stop of Park City.  Just before turning up hill and switching to a 4WD road South London Mine appears.  Est. in 1874, this mine, paired with North London Mine (more on that later) yielded millions of dollars worth of ore.  Cabins and bunkhouse ruins still exist as does  parts of a 3,000′ tram that replaced a traditional chute. 

South London Mine in a BIG setting:

The road pushes up a hill.  Looking down valley, a glimpse of South Park in the distance:

The landing, barren and ringed with peaks, all 13′ers. This doesn’t do the view justice.  My little point and shoot knows no wide angle:

North London Mine appears.  Seems to be barely stuck into the rocky hillside:

Mine shafts between North and South London Mines merge underneath the mtns, totaling more than 100 miles of tunnels.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned about CO history from this summer’s adventures it that miners lived hard and short lives full of danger with little monetary reward.  Investors and owners got the goods.  Hard life.

Bits of debris:

Road moves past. Was the most technical I’ve driven in “Trusty” yet.  (Still searching for the perfect name for my truck. Trusty and Girl seem to fit so far.  

 Looking up:

Look at this guy!  Alien planted here to take over the world?  Haven’t found it in my plant book.  Anyone recognize this oddball plant?

Reached a little saddle.  Gated road looks to head down South Mosquito Creek to the East.  Rotten pic but it was pretty.

Narrow shelf road continues up.  Was hard to tell where the true top was but what a ridgeline!

Viola!  Made it.  Look at all that graffiti. A sad testament to societies need to leave its mark:

Of note, a Methodist Preacher named Father Dyer carried mail, on snowshoe, at night (more stable snowpack) across the pass for $18/week.  I sure hope that was good money back then.   A memorial stands at the summit.

Looking west, Leadville sits below with the Mount Massive Wilderness (and Independence Pass Rd, my next foray) in the distance.  Had a snack .  Sat and enjoyed the solace/space/views.  Was lucky for great weather.  Got hailed on in Alma the afternoon before and didn’t want to linger and push my luck for too long. There were clouds building up a bit.

Looking north-west:

Road winds down. Real purdy. I think that’s Mt Sherman in the background, not positive:

Some low plants, only a handful of flowers seen:

Had these guys not moved, I wouldn’t have spotted them:

See em?  Didn’t move much at my approach.  Good thing ptarmigans (I think?) are so well camouflaged.  Not too bright.

Made it down and parked in a broad valley with a view.  Made breakfast and coffee (cup #2) and relaxed. 

Diamond mine on the way out. There were many others to see as well:

Road dumps out in Leadville, becoming 7th street.   Leadville’s an intriguing town. Once a hotbed of mining wealth, it boasted 19 hotels, 82 saloons, 38 restaurants, 21 gambling houses and 36 brothels.  Easy money=lawlessness.  It was considered one of the roughest towns in the west.

Pic of part of downtown, lifted from Wikipedia, squashed, sorry!

Break time in an underground Leadville Mine Tunnel.  Pic from Wikipedia.  An interesting study of people, I think:

Estimates place the population at 20-40,000 at Leadville’s peak, which blows my mind.  Doc Holliday and the “unsinkable” Molly Brown (a titanic survivor) were residents.  The Great Houdini and Oscar Wilde frequented the Tabor Opera House. 

Mining crashed, including the local molybdenum mine, the Climax Mine, which at one point produced 75% of the world’s molybdenum.   The town plummeted into poverty. People left, houses were torn down for firewood.  During prohibition, booze was a mainstay income for some. 

Today, a few thousand live there.  I’ve noticed a revival of sorts in my 10 years of passing through.  Younger folks are moving in, raising families, drawn to the clean, outdoor lifestyle.  I don’t know what one would do for work, though.  Main Street seems more cleaned up.   It apeals to me in ways, but would be isolated and, probably, lonely for a single gal. Winter…brutal…at 10,00o+ feet. 

Thoughts to ponder as passing through.  On to stage two of the trip, Independence Pass.