Sure the weather is nice, the trees and flowers are in bloom, and birds are everywhere, but say you’re in a state park, next to a trout stream, and it doesn’t get dark until nine o’clock. You’re not going to go inside the house before dark, are you? And then you want to take a walk around the camp loop in the dark because the moon is so bright you don’t even need a flashlight. Now it’s ten o’clock and you haven’t even checked the evening’s email yet. Then, suddenly, it’s eleven o’clock and you haven’t taken a shower yet. I tell you, summer is exhausting. But I guess it could be worse. We could live farther north where the summer days last even longer.
Ridgway
Durango to Ridgway, sixty air miles. Drive out the park, turn left, and drive right there on highway 550, only eighty highway miles. We drove out the park and turned right. South on 550, west on 160, north on 145, east on 162, and there you are, Ridgway, one-hundred ten miles. One-hundred ten miles, and we didn’t drive over Red Mountain Pass. We looped around and went over Lizard Head. Lizard Head is steep on the north side, we smelled the brakes and pulled over to let them cool part way down, but it’s no Red Mountain. No string of steep fifteen mile per hour switchbacks on Lizard Head. So here we are at Ridgway State Park, the place we always get hugs from Danny and Jeannie, perennial camp hosts, but they’re not here this year. They moved on…, but not far. We can still go into town, Ridgway, and get hugged. We know where they are.
Durango
Another busy week. My brain is tired. We didn’t really get out and around much. No drive up to Silverton. We did get to wave at the steam train as it went by every morning. The weather is warm. We’re back to a little altitude, maybe 6,500 feet, so the nights are cool, fifty degrees. We saw the space station and space shuttle go by one night. The space station is about the brilliance of Venus, but much faster. It rose in the west, followed by the shuttle, and disappeared overhead a few minutes later, presumably in the earth’s shadow. It was going so fast, it must circle the globe about once an hour. Tomorrow, Ridgway State Park.
Durango
Had a nice walk on Father’s Day. Spent a couple hours in Sand Canyon. Saw and hear lots of birds. Got plumbeous vireo and gray vireo, both unusual birds for us. Got a walk in the Hawkins Preserve, which is administered by the Cultural Center Client. Got a long look and listen to a lazuli bunting at the edge of McElmo Canyon. But we’ve left the gang in Cortez behind. A busy time there. Worked with the Hospice organization last week. Worked with the Cultural Center this week. Finished up and moved on to Durango this afternoon. Tomorrow we start a new job here.
Cortez
Nothing like afternoon thunderstorm light on the cliffs of Mesa Verde outside our front window.