Morning Clouds over the Colorado National Monument

Wonderful morning clouds over the Colorado Monument. The clouds and light in the valley and on the monument are different at all times of the day and never the same from one day to the next. These clouds were very interesting.

Roads Less Traveled

We are back in western Colorado, we went on an amazing adventure with neighbors ML and D. (Brave souls they were! Little did they know that we can't resist finding out where an unknown road leads!)
We initially took off into Utah to see the petroglyphs and pictographs north of Thompson Springs, Utah; in the Sego Canyon. An amazing collection of native art from as long ago as 2,000 years; to as recent as the 1880's, before the Utes, the last Indians that inhabited western Colorado and Utah; were put onto reservations.
The outdoor art of the picotgraphs and petroglyphs, on the sandstone cliffs represent spiritual visions, clan symbols or records of events.
The first photos are the rock with numerous pictographs from the Barrier Canyon people that lived in the area as long ago as 2,000 years. We wondered at some of the figures who have heads with antenae and appear almost Martian like (did they see outer space beings or did the creators of Martian figures use these these as a basis for their science fiction!).


The next panel is a combination of the Barrier Canyon art with art with the later Fremont that lived in the area from 600 to 1200AD. The first photo is the cliff from a distance and the second is the closeup of the art. Some of the Fremont art is superimposed over the older Barrier Canyon art.


From the petroglyphs we followed the Sego Canyon along the creek a ways, on foot.

Coal was discovered in the Segpo Canyon in the 1890's and mining operations were started. All have been abandoned and Sego is now one of Utah's ghost towns. We first came to a Sego Cemetary on a hill. It was so peaceful and very typical of an old west cemetary.


We continued on up the Sego Canyon to the ghost town. Remants of numerous bridges were evident, although we only saw one that had any timbers left on the road bed. During the mining days the road and bridges served as the road to remove coal from the canyon. Now there is little traffic and the bridges were left to deteriorate and you now cross the creek bed on the road is many places (not a place to be if a sudden downpour were to come up!).
The next photo are of the remaining bridge structure.

The next photos are of one of the old mine entrances and the store and company headquarters form the mining era of the Sego Coal mine.



At this point we were about 5 miles or so from I-70 and this will be the last time we see a vehicle of any kind until we get back close to I-70. We had seen a road sign for Segers Canyon 8 miles at a fork in the road when we were heading up Sego Canyon and the start of the road looked very interesting. Oh, we couldn't resist this one!
We started up the one lane dirt road and wound our way up to the top of a mesa, with breathtaking views of the canyon below and the mountains in the very far distant horizon.

From this point we literally dropped into the Segers Canyon on what farmer Ken thought must be about a 30% grade. The road again crossed the creek bed several times, until the road became the creek bed!

Wonderful beauty and great fun.
Several times we questioned if we should turn around and go back the way we had come or keep going and try to get out. The road came out of the creek bed and we followed it across a plateau, until it was obvious that it was more of a ranch road and we could see a few tracks of other vehicles having been there at some point. We did finally come to the old highway and found access to I-70. Once we were traveling bakc to Colorado on I-70, the comment was made that it was really boring!
Having always thought we would turn around and go back out of Segers Canyon, the way we had come; I didn't take many photos. We definitely have many wonderful scenes etched in our minds from our adventure.
As always, remember to take the roads less traveled! You never know what beauties of nature await you!

Take a walk through the garden with me!

The garden at the farm, has grown like the Garden of Eden this year. The arbor entering the garden has a climbing rose on the left side as well as a clematis on both sides.

A decorative sweet potoato vine flanks each side of the arbor and climbs a garden tower to form a pyramid of foliage. (Yes, there are huge sweet pototoes and we eat them when the seaosn is over. They are not like the typical sweeet pototoes you buy in the US, but less sweet and don't kep the winter like the ones you are probably used to).
You can also see the colorful flowers to the right of the arbor inside the garden.

This is the mass of flowers seen to the right in the last photo.

Farmer Ken is busy picking tomatoes!

This basket is typical of the abundance that we enjoy for most of the summer! We have tomato salads most everyday (that is salad without lettuce, but also includes some squash, peppers and whatever else we think will taste good/sometimes eggs or bacon bits).

We have also benefited from the second patch of sweet corn. Despite the extreme heat during polination, he ears still tasted good even though small and not all full of kernals. The deer and racoons got the first patch, so we hope they enjoyed it!

Danish Cousins & Cool Moth

We had visitors to the farm from Denmark last week. Farmer Ken's cousin had been to the farm as a child and was interested in seeing the farm again, as well as some of the western United States, that she remembers from her childhood trip. Ken showed them the fields of soybeans and corn. We looked for fossils in the limestone on the "goat farm" and wehad great Nebraska farm produce and steaks.


The photo below is a very cool moth that was on the window frame. VERY large/probably about 3" long.

HC LOVES Corn!

HC came for the day Tuesday and we picked corn and cooked and ate it for lunch. Grandpa dn HC cleaned the corn. A great summertime treat!




Some summer phlox and contrasting yellow butterflies make a spendid sight!

HC has been back Wednesday and this afternoon, after his mom took him to the doc yesterday and found out he has strep and can't go to day care until tomorrow. He is still his cheerful self, but sleeps alot more and has some cough (Farmer Ken and I were already exposed, so figured it wouldn't make any difference at this point!)
Farmer Ken is cleaning out the last of the soybean storage bins, after the semi was here this week hauling the soybeans to market. Disappointing prices, but at least they are sold and we don't have ot worry about them keeping in the bin.

Colorado Peach Pies for Farmer Ken's Birthday

I made a double crust peach pie and a peach custard pie from the Colorado peaches we brought back, for Farmer Ken's Birthday. The pie crust recipe on the Lauritzen Recipe blog (click on the link on the right side of this page) works great for a 2 crust pie and a one crust pie AND the crust is fabulous!


Is your mouth watering yet?
We came back to over 4 inches of rain that had fallen overnight and that morning. It should help alot, but came after over a week of 100F temperatures adn days with winds to 30 mph. We were thankful for the rain!

Crag Crest Trail on the Grand Mesa

Today Farmer Ken and I got up close and personal with the Grand Mesa! We hiked the Crag Crest Trail which starts at 10,150 feet and ends up a narrow trail on top of the Crag Crest (a long ridge with drop offs on both sides) at 11,189 feet; with the most unbelieveable views. While other farmers are tending thier fields and worrying about the lack of rain in Weeping Water, we are exploring God's vast nature. The first photo is upper Eggleston Lake.

The photos below are some really cool, brightly colored mushrooms along the trail!


The next photo is on top of the Craig Crest looking out over the view on the right.

The next photo is Farmer Ken and farm wife on top of the world on the Crag Crest.

Pretty good for native flatlanders!

Nature's Beauty

Warm days in Colorado and the monsoon brings some light showers to the Grand valley as well as fleeting clouds in the morning.

This amazing hibiscus flower is about 6" in diameter. Notice the buds in the photos that is tightly twisted before it unwraps and bursts into the large flower.