11-15-07

Guard Dog, MT to AZ

I decided that I had better have a guard dog in the new doghouse while I was gone for the winter. My friend Mike Stevenson the architect recommended that I install an extra wide door (3’-6”) for the cabin when I told him that I intended to have a motorcycle in the kitchen. I decided that the Black Dog (R90/6) would be the best for this job. The Yellow Dog really wanted the job but the Black Dog got the jump on it and just rode right in the door without even having to watch out for the mirrors. It just felt to ‘right’ to have a motorcycle in there.

As you can see I have all the pine boards that will be installed on the walls and ceiling all tightly stacked up and banded to dry.

I finally got all my gear in the truck and pod, both trailers hooked up and ready to go. I had a final fitting with the hearing aid guy and after that I hit the road for the southlands around noon. The weather was good and the roads almost without traffic. Well, I did pick out the less traveled roads, as is my usual method of travel.

I worked my way on down to Saratoga and just had to stop and take a good long soak in the hot spring there. The big public pool that was open when Sheila and I were there last year was closed but the ‘Hobo pool’ was open as usual and when I asked a couple of women there said it is open all the time 24 hours a day. Wow, what a nice resource for this community. There seemed to be quite a few locals that come as well as some that come long distance for a soak. It was just SO good I decided that I needed to stay the night and have a early morning soak too.

I found a nice big parking area at what I thought was a closed bar out on the edge of town. The place was called the ‘Whistle Pig Saloon’ and for those of you that maybe don’t know, a whistle pig is a local ground gopher that stands up on his hind legs and gives off a whistle like sound. They are a favorite shooting sport for those long range shooting experts. Coyotes and the ravens like these shooting experts as they leave a field of feasting in their wake. After it got dark the beer lights came on over at the saloon and there were several pickups and a few cars that came that night. Everyone was quiet and they left me alone.

I got up at first light and made me a cup of tea and headed on down to the hot spring. There was no one in the pool but I could see from the wet spots that there had been some very early soakers but they were gone. As it got later and lighter, several more folks came in. The water is just the perfect temperature as far as I am concerned. It is not too hot to get in but it is too hot to stay in for a long time. Everybody seems to go in up to their neck for some time and then get up and sit on the edge for a while.

I made it on down into Colorado and finally noticed that there was a definite bump, bump, bump that was coming from the front end. I stopped several times and shook wheels and inspected the tread of the tires. I stopped in Walden and took another close look at what might be happening. I found the problem was in the tire tread, there was a section that must be a high spot and the tread was worn down in that spot. I’m not sure what causes this to happen but new tire is definitely on the menu.

I looked around the town of Walden and found a nice little parking lot next to a small motel. When I got out of the truck I noticed across the street a bunch of people yelling and clapping and looking my way. WTF? I walked over to see what was up. They were all appreciative of my little train. They loved the Airstream and it turns out they were bikers too. I ended up borrowing a little floor jack from them and a few blocks which made changing the tire to the spare much easier than that little screw jack that comes with the truck. I did have to unload everything in the back seat to get down to the lug wrench. It turned out to be a block party as it seemed like everyone that saw us and drove by stopped in for a visit and to have a beer or two. In this picture the spare is on and most of the people have left. I mentioned that I made some silver hair clips and one of the guys had me get out my stash and he ended up buying one for his wife.

When I returned the floor jack I went on up to the house and found that they had a couple of motorcycles in the front room. YEAH, they were a cool bunch for sure!!!

Yeah, an old Honda four cylinder chopper. The little bike is one that is used on the local sand dunes. They said that these dunes are the only ones left in Colorado that you can still have fun with bikes and dune buggies on.

When I told them that I was building a cabin and that I had made it so I could get a bike into the kitchen, they all cheered and thought that was ‘the way it ought to be’. They were a really nice group of people. The guys built log houses and they guys wife did some really nice artistic work with wood burning set and paint to make tables, doors and chairs that her husband makes out of scrap from the log home building. I was invited to come back and stop in anytime I was in the area. It is really nice to meet like-minded folks along the road.

I made it across the New Mexico state line and was just coming into Chama when I noticed a little car backing out of a driveway up ahead. I blew my horn,  and pulled into the oncoming lane but she didn’t see or hear me and hit the passenger side of the truck. It wasn’t a hard hit but it did some damage to the doors and the bed. Dang……

It was pretty dark by the time the cop made it there and wrote up an accident report. He gave her a ticket so I hope I will be able to get it fixed up on her nickel. I called the insurance company and it seems to be some sort of company that has a lot of Spanish speaking customers. The first couple of times I called I couldn’t understand what the tape message was saying and finally figured out that you have to push Two (2) for English. That is a real indicator that this is a really different kind of American company eh? I have always heard push ‘one’ for English.

I looked around and found a place to camp in town that was overlooking the train yards. I had been seeing these narrow gauge railroad tracks that crossed the highway and this is the main station for a tourist site that is a historical site. They evidently give steam train rides across the mountains.

This is heavy  snow country a guy told me and by the looks of this rig, I can sure see what they might be up against now and then.

I made it down off Trout Creek Pass and down near Buena Vista where I found a nice little pond with a nice parking area not too far off the highway where I spent the night. It was just getting dark and the damn deer were all over the road. In the morning I made it on down to Salida and pulled into Cactus Jack and Linda’s place. I had to get a tour of the new fire pit that he was under construction when I was here last year. They have used it several times and the dimensions seem to be about right. The stack on the fire helps make the smoke go on up and out of the eyes. It sure seems like a great place to hang out around a fire.  

The day was Sunday and after church ( I went with them ) we went up to their camp that is about 10 miles up in the hills above their house. This is the first cabin that they built and used for several years as the base camp but now they use as the cook shack. It is headed south and as you can see is a solar hog. 

This is the studio cabin that Jack had built for Linda.

Inside the studio is Linda’s treadle sewing machine and a little cook stove that Jack ‘built’ out of some stove parts that he had around. Linda used this little cabin for her fiber arts projects while Jack worked down in his shop.

A solar panel on the roof charges these batteries in the bay window box. Jack says that Linda often just curls up in the bay window with a book and soon is asleep. It sure looks like a place where a cat would be curled up in the sun. It is a really nice cabin and she has a sleeping loft above the work area. Jack designed the cabin to look like the old time miners cabins that were built in the area. I really like the steep pitch roof and wood exterior.

The west wall of the cook shack is done in pressed tin that was used on the ceilings of buildings in the Salida area.

Jack’s shop and the out house.

A really nice looking pile of the pressed tin that Jack uses in his art projects.

The south side of the shop.

We took a hike down the canyon and made it to one of the mining sites on their claim. They have patented mining claims that are ‘in holding’ in forest service land.

This is a lime kiln that is one of two on their property.

This is the area where the old timers were getting the limestone for the kiln.

A small log cabin that has seen better days.

On down the highway I went through a little town that had this interesting pack of cool little four-wheel rigs.

I finally made it down through Globe and down to the ridge where I usually camp on near the Windspirit Community. I made a quick run on down to see how things are going on down there. I had a good visit with Don and he said everything was doing well. They have had a very hot summer but the monsoon season was a very wet one and  I think he said it as a record wet one. It was fairly hot I thought but Don said that it actually was cooler than it had been. Tee shirt weather and shorts for those that do shorts.

I am off today to pick up my package from Mark Weeding who sent me my crash helmet that I forgot to load up when I left. I had it set out to pack but somehow didn’t see it. If I get a chance I will post this when I get to town.

Tomorrow I will head east for Florida to Tova’s place where Anna and Joanna will be visiting. It will take a week to get there which should be enough time to see some of the sights along the road.