SANTA FE ON WHEELES.

 Rolled into Santa Fe with time for an evening bike ride.  Santa Fe is an ideal bicycling environment due to its compact size, moderate terrian, and pleasant weather.  Once we tracked down the bike trail, we started coasting down a trail and as we came around the corner we found a three foot long snake laying across the trail.

 As we toured the SW I kept my eyes pealed for Volkswagens Buses.  All of the buses I saw were 80's or newer.   But this was a 83 that we came across at the Santa Fe Flea Market.

  Santa Fe has many great museums and galleries One that we really enjoyed was the Folk Art Museum  and we just missed the annual International Folk Art Market by about two days.

 Great costume, and lots of great ideas.

 Most impressive  sculpture in front of the Native American Museum”

Lots of info and displays on Georgia O'Keeffe in the museum.

















When we weren't checking out one of the many museums The Plaza is an unexpected and tranquil location for people watching and an impromptu car show.

 Susie checks out the paint job on this low rider.

 Great looking pick-up at the Silver Spur, on old route 66.

Hot little bug purred like a kitten.

GLAD To Be Back At GLADSTONE!

 We took a little side trip to Buni Vista on our way down to Santa Fe.

 Checkin out the new Tiki Bar on the newly expanded kitchen deck.

 Face to face with B0B.

 Not really interested in dirt surfing.


not my clip, but https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj-NPaVUNmw  it gives ya an idea.

Yes,  she found a place that fit just right!

Vic-TORREY?

 After being in Denver for about 24 hours Beau and I set out early Friday morning to hike a 14er.





The road to the trailhead is somewhat rough, so a good clearance vehicle is recommended.

We drove as far as we could and decided to call it quits and park the car.  So, our warm up hike started about 1 1/2 miles from the trail head to Grays peak.


Several Jeeps and other 4X4s passed us by as we hiked toward the trail head and there were actually many hikers already on there way up the well marked mountain trail.

One nice thing is with any luck and an early start they say you can hike both Grays and then hike across the saddle back to summit Torreys. 

 That sounded pretty good.  Beau has started his quest to hike all 53 14ers in the state of Colorado and already has 4 under his belt.  This was to be my first.

Although Beau and I did summit Gladstone Peak with an elevation of 13913, ranked number 67 of the Colorado Centennials and is part of the San Miguel Mountains where we've camped for years.

 If you stop at the sign and look at Gray's, you can see the main route, which is a series of switchbacks that utilize most of the face of Gray's. This is the "East Slopes" route. 

We proceeded slowly one step at a time.  I think I held Beau back a bit but it was a great opportunity for us to catch up with what's been going on.

Once we reached they summit we enjoyed the view, snacked, chatted with other hikers, had a beer and I popped a couple aleve  before making the call to save Torrey for another day and call the summit of Grays a success.

 Beau has been documenting each of his summits.

A shot of me and my first 14er no worst for the wear and tear.














Two happy hikers!

GET ME DOWN!

Potter's Mill will reopen the historic former grist mill that was turned into a popular restaurant and bed and breakfast in the 1980s, is scheduled to reopen under new management Aug. 1

The new place will be called Flatted Fifth Blues & BBQ at Potter's Mill. It will tie into the Mississippi River theme and feature Memphis and New Orleans food and jazz and blues music

For the last week Marty, Butch and I have been working on the 5th floor of Potters Mill or should I say the roof of the 4th floor. 

 After falling off of Kendo's while working on the gutters I been a little gun shy or working at elevation.

But, Marty appears to be good with it.

 Butch too.

So as Butch finished touching up the Mill sign, we got all the windows re glazed, painted and in on the North side.


And with that we're ready to reopen Potters Mill.

 That means no work...

Stop wishin!
              Go Fishin!

First stop.  Bailies Ford.

Then it's North to Backbone State Park to fish the upper end of the Maquoketa River.

 And finish up on Fountain Springs.

 We're working on getting our hiking legs back and using more muscle than just our scraping, painting and roof walking muscles.

 Remind me to put a stringer in my creel.

WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE WORK THIS MORNING?

With all the festivities of the 4th behind me and a beautiful day ahead of me.  I hit the stream early to see how the fishing is sense the passing of the June and early July storms.  The high water made many changes to the stream gouging out new holes and filling in others with creek gravel.  This morning I fished a  black and gold 1/32 oz panther martin.  I pitched it into a deep ripple in the shadow of a large bolder and thought I had hooked the bottom to the creek when to my surprise I saw the flash of one of the nicest brown trout that I've seen in years.  But I didn't set the hook and with a flip he was gone.  Still that's all it takes for me to have a good outing.
 
Here's another country boy rig.  When I'm along the trout stream rather than taking my fly rod apart or hanging it out my drivers window like Big Jim would do.  I flip it on top of the Jeep and strap it down with my hat.  Crude but effective.

 I hit the pond and caught a few bluegills on poppers and then made the switch to a wet fly.  What happened next was a whole new experience.  As a bluegill ran with the fly, a bass hit the bluegill and for a brief moment I had a rather large, Large  mouth on the fly rod.

Back down to the hole where I had missed the Brownie and this time I fished the fly.

Hooked him again and got it on film.  All before 8:00 am.

More Storm Damage.

 I grabbed a cup of joe and hit the road in the old pick up truck.

First stop, Steel bellies and Lils to check out the bee that have been swarming on  the side of their house.

The bees have been entering the walls so the plan is to offer them an alternative housing option.

 I set up a hive body with drawn frames and one with honey.  They'll either make the move or rob the honey.  We'll see what happens. 

 Next out to the cabin,

More storm damage.  The old tree with the rope swing came down in the storm.  Right on dad's old jon boat.

Can you say taco.

JUNE, WENT OUT LIKE A LION...LIGHTS OUT!

 As June came to a close a conga line of storms moved through the area.  With the forecast as it was I immediately went outside to check the web.

 The last storm passed through around 4:00 pm so Maxine and I went down to get the mail and inspect the damage.

 The grape arbor couldn't withstand the strong winds.

The garden got whipped around but that will bounce back.  And then....

 I saw the willow tree by the Bus.

 The kombi gods must have been smiling upon me as the tree just grazed the drivers side corner.

     
 The storm has passed.














As night approached and the electricity still out















Susie shelled snow peas by candle light as we listened to music on the i-pod.












By 10:00 pm still now power as we played cribbage.  Trying to conserve the cold in the fridge and yet I managed to quickly extract a beer with minimal loss of coldness.



The lineman rolled through around 1:45 am and by 3:00 the power had been restored. 

Can you say backup generator!