Our Trip to Kansas 2011

Well hi everyone,  yes I know, long time no hear from.  Well isn't that the way life sometimes works but here I am once again sharing our travels with you.  This one is definitely a late filing.  These are pictures of our travels from last October.  We headed back to Kansas to see my family and did quite a few detours along the way.  This year my mom will be turning 93 and my aunt will still be a young 89 (only one of the three sisters still in her eighties so she still gets to have the title).  Anyway, our travels this year took us through Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah.    Some of the places we went to were repeats, who doesn't want to always see the Grand Canyon, and some of them were new.   Some of them were fun like Mesa Verde and some were very somber such as the Memorial in Oklahoma City.  But no matter what, it was a great trip and here are more than a few pictures for you to enjoy.

Our trip started off on a Sunday afternoon because we decided to head out and spend the night in Las Vegas.  I mean, it does have a great deal of meaning to us since we got married there.  Wolfgang should have seen what was coming when he found out that we were getting married in a casino with a castle theme, right!  So off we went.  We stayed at the Circus Circus because everyone has to stay there at least once in their life.

We got a bus pass and headed up and down the boulevard visiting the casinos.  We are not big gamblers but we are fabulous tourists so it was fun.

Heading down the big hill into Vegas.  When you see this, you think that you are almost there.  It actually takes about another 45 minutes but the excitement always begins when you start heading down this hill!

Who doesn't know this hotel.  It is famous for the fountains in front.  A must for all who visit.

Here I am on our first morning out.  Have to have a few pictures of the new Jeep. We have christined  it as "the old blue bird".  The minivan had to be put to sleep so we are now touring around in a little blue Jeep Liberty.

One of the first things we did on this trip was go and see the new bridge by Hoover Dam.  We have watched it being built over the last few years and it is finally finished.  It is truly remarkable and terrifying all at the same time.  This is on the way to Hoover Dam.

Lake Mead.  We didn't stop this year because the bridge was our target.

All right, here is a picture of the bridge from Hoover Dam.  It is unbelievable and yes for all of those who have experienced an earthquake, the first thing you think is, I wouldn't want to be on that bridge during an earthquake.  None the less, it is spectacular.

Here we are at the bridge.  The names used for this bridge are very meaningful to the people of Nevada.  Mike O’Callaghan was a longtime  Governor who died  in March 2004 and Pat Tillman graduated with honors from ASU and played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals before joining the Army. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 at the age of 27.  God Bless America!

Like the dam, the bridge spans between Nevada and Arizona.

OK, go ahead and laugh.  I could not walk across the bridge without anchoring myself by hanging onto this wall.  Even when other people wanted to go by, I wouldn't let go (even the old lady and the little kid).  They had to go around me.  I think that you should just all be impressed that I actually went out on the thing.

This is in the middle of the bridge where the two states meet.

Obviously, he didn't have as big a problem as me but don't let  this picture fool you,  the height will probably give everyone the willies!

The Arizona side is a walkers dead end.  Almost a bridge to nowhere,  but the freeway goes all the way through and it is great.  No more traffic on the dam or huge delays.

From the bridge looking done at the dam.  Yes, the fence is that low.  Below are a few more pictures of the dam from the bridge.

THE GRAND CANYON

It seems every trip we stop here but it is hard to pass up when you drive in the area.  So once again, we stopped and toured around. 

 

I know, I know!

This is pretty much it for me and bravery.  After this picture, Wolfgang had to come help because I couldn't move.

No matter how many times we visit, we always have a picture together.  It is beautiful and because the canyon behind is so big, we look fabulously small!

Don't you just love nature.  Talk about a couple of cute little butts.

This is the tower at the Grand Canyon.   It is called the Desert View.  It was our first time there but a really neat place to see inside and outside the view is fantastic.

This picture really doesn't show how beautiful it is inside.

This is actually a window.  We had perfect weather that day and the views were endless.

This is our hotel room at the Grand Canyon right on the edge of the canyon.  We couldn't afford the lodge but found this place instead.  Just kidding.  I just thought it was a cool little house.

This is at the Little Colorado River Gorge.  It is the closest I have ever been to the edge.

MESA VERDE

I learned about Mesa Verde when I was in High School and took a class on American Indians (OK, sorry, Native Americans).  Anyway, I always wanted to see the cliff dwellings.  Problem is that they really aren't near anything so they have to be planned stop.  This was my pick for a planned stop along the way.  So from the Grand Canyon, we headed up through the wide open lands of Arizona to Cortez, Colorado where we spent the night and then on to Mesa Verde.

Lots of wildlife.  This is just one of the coyotes we saw in the park.  I happen to think that they are really cool.

I think that this guy saw the Abby Road Album cover a few times too many.  Of course, it is in reverse.  Do you think that if he walked the other way, he would say "Paul is dead"?

These are all of the big cliff dwellings that you can visit .  We visited the Cliff Palace,  the Balcony House and the Spruce Tree House.  We were very lucky because the day we visited was the last day to visit the first two locations.  They were a little scary to visit but I would do it again in a minute, or two.

Here is Wolfgang standing in front of the Cliff Palace.  It was our first tour of the day.  This is before the endless steps down.

They look like movie sets don't they.  Of course, the first time I saw the real Matterhorn in Switzerland, I thought "wow, it looks just like the one at Disneyland".  A true chicken and the egg example.  Anyway, they are incredible and really well preserved.  Wear good flat shoes and bring WATER!

This is the inside of a Kiva or sweathouse. 

Climbing up and down ladders, stone steps and things without rails is part of the experience.  Just don't look down.

 

Wolfgang loved the ladders, etc.    It was "absolute, prima".

A view looking out from the dwellings across the Mesa.  Those are the Rocky Mountains in the distance.

Our second tour was the Balcony House and it is exactly that,  a little town hanging high up in the cliffs.  Ladder doesn't look too bad now does it.  OK, it was 30 feet high and hanging on the side of a cliff.  No stopping on the way down except to the bottom of the canyon.  Again, yes I did this.

Our guide.  He is a Native American and was really wonderful.  We learned so much about the Anasazi people from this man.  It was great.  He was leaving the next day to go hunting.  We did not ask if it was with a bow and arrow.

Here is Wolfgang going up the 30 foot ladder.  Two people at a time and remember always have at least three points of contact while going up the ladder.

So here is a great picture of that 30 ft. ladder.

OMG she is such a tourist!

 

If you look closely, there are little grooves in the stones where we had to place our feet.  Didn't look too bad but man did they have small feet!

To leave, we had to literally crawl through a tunnel to get to the ladder up.  I decided that there have been enough pictures of my rearend over the years.  Here is Wolfgang's.

This is the ladder up.  No more words needed.

Always a little wildlife to view.

We walked out through the forest to get a view of the cliff house we had just visited.  It smelled GREAT!

There it is.  You can see the next tour getting to the point where you had to crawl through the tunnel.  The first ladder is on the lower right of the picture and the ladder up is at the top left.

One of the locations, the Spruce Tree House  is actually low enough in the canyon that you can walk up and down the trail to it.  Sounds easy but it was a pretty steep path and at aver 6000 feet in altitude, it makes you breathe a little faster.

Here I am coming out of a sweathouse or a Kiva.

COLORADO ROCKIES

We headed over the Rocky Mountains through the back roads most of the time.  We had a goal - Fort Collins, Colorado where our niece Hayley is completing her Master's Degree at the University of Colorado.  Before we reached Ft. Collins, we drove a little road to Durango then through Silverton, Ouray and out to Colorado Springs where we stayed overnight before heading to Ft. Collins.  The weather was fantastic and the mountains were beautiful.  As you can see the passes were still covered in Snow from a storm the week before but everything was clear and dry for us.

Here we are at the first pass.  Had to take a picture in the snow.

This is a picture to remember.  Wolfgang gave the man his camera and put mine down on a bench and off we went.  Didn't know the camera was missing until I asked him for it.  Drove back but no camera.  Later we were walking in Silverton and here came this guy in a truck, spotted us from our pictures and I had my camera back.

A fantastic old mining town that is pretty much just a tourist place but really great.  Lots of the old buildings are still there including the street where all the cathouses and bars were located.

After taking these pictures, I saw the sign that asked you not to climb on the train.  I told Wolfgang if we were questioned, we were to only speak German.

One of the original bars.  Love the name.

Wolfgang told me that there was a raccoon in the corner of this building.  When I saw it, I was sure it wasn't a raccoon.  One of the workman in the area told me it was a yellow bellied Marmot.  Cute isn't he.

The next town we came to was Ouray.  What a beautiful location.  This sign says it all.

This is a beautiful hotel that this couple bought and completely restored.  I kept thinking that my sister Jennifer would love to do the same.  They did an incredible job.  We wandered around inside until they asked us to either eat something in the bar or leave.  We left.  We still had a long way to go to reach Colorado Springs.

Wiesbaden is a town around our area in Germany.  We had to take a picture of this sign.  Strangely enough, it was posted in front of the local Brewery.  Coincidence?

Heading over the pass into Vail, we spotted this town and got off the freeway and drove through it.  It was spectacular.

When I saw this house, I had Wolfgang take a picture of it for my friend Barbara.  I think it would be her dream house if it wasn't located in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.

Heading down into Denver, we spotted a sign to exit for Buffalo Bill's grave site.  He is also famous in Europe because of his Wild West Shows so we excited and went to see it.

Here we are at our first family destination.  Ft. Collins, Colorado or as Wolfgang would like to say Fort Sollins, Sollorado.  You see, he says if we use a "C" for words like "Center" then this should be also the same sounding letter.  So we now call it Ft. Sollins.

Here we are with Hayley.  We went on a day trip and took a picnic with us.  What a beautiful area.  She has gone from completely flat Kansas to a beautiful mountain area.  It was a wonderful day.  We went on a hike and it just about killed me.  No air at 9000+ feet.  Of course, it was no problem for Wolfgang.

Here we are at our picnic.  Great location but a little windy.  The cabins in the back are available to rent during the summer but no bathrooms inside.  A picnic here was enough for Hayley and me.

Here we are on our hike.  It really was fun but man did I feel old!

LOS ANGELES TO KANSAS

Some of our pictures are from along the way.  I just thought it was easier to bunch them together and tell you what they are.

 

This is the back side of Monument Valley on our way to Four Corners

Had to buy gas along the way.  Reminds me of the gas stations when I was a kid and we traveled around America.

Wild horses

Four Corners is where four US states meet.  You can stand in all four states at one time.  Those states are Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.  It is the only place in the US where this happens and it is in the middle of nowhere.

This is like eating a flat Churro.

We love having picnics along the way.  We stopped at  a Market a few miles before and wanted to buy some wine for later.  Forgot that we were on a reservation.  No alcohol is sold on a reservation.  Interesting....

Second family stop on our trip was Kansas where we visited my sister Lorraine and her honey Bill,  niece Morgan (and her cat Mia)  and my mom and Aunt Carol.

This is a cork tree.  Yes they use the bark from these trees to make the corks for bottles.  Kind of creepy looking.

In Kansas you own the mineral rights on your land so oil wells can be found in the oddest places

The state capital and where Lorraine lives.

This is Lorraine's house.  She just sold it because the girls are grown and gone and she got tired of mowing the lawn.  Actually this is the governor's mansion.

OK, this is the town where my mom and Aunt Carol live.

Their house.

Wolfgang and I did a little weeding and cutting while we were there.  Best part of this story, after we bagged all of this we found out that there are special paper bags we were suppose to use for the trash.  Found this out from the neighbors the afternoon before we were leaving.  They were very nice and said that they would take care of it for us.  This is my mom.  Cute little thing isn't she!

KANSAS TO LOS ANGELES

Again, same idea, pictures of what we saw on our way back from Kansas...

One our favorite people in this world is Perry.  We just had to show him that there is a sign showing him where to go.  At least it isn't pointing up or down.

Capital building in Oklahoma City

I decided since we were going through Oklahoma City, we would stop and see the Memorial.  Wolfgang didn't know what is was but after visiting the site, he understood.

Originally, this was the street  where Timothy McVeigh parked his bomb.  At one end there is a sculpture with 9:01 and at the other end is 9:03.  The space inbetween represents 9:02, the exact time that the bomb detonated.

Where you see the chairs is where the building once stood.  The chairs are placed according to where each victim worked in the building and by floor.  The smaller chairs represent the children killed in the daycare center.

Each chair has a name.

The side of this building has not been changed since the day of the blast.  Chunks of concrete are missing and things that the rescue workers wrote on that day are still there.

This is the fence that was erected after the blast and has become a part of the memorial.  It is always changing because there are things on it from the original blast days to today when people bring things to add.

It is a beautiful memorial but sad to think about why it is there.

You know you have hit Texas when you see this giant cross.  Everything in Texas is BIG!

Yep, those are cows waiting to be eaten.

Wolfgang is always amazed at how the fields just go on and on.  The panhandle area is so flat it is weird.

Looks like we are in a real metropolis because of all the signs.

Five minutes later you are back to this.

The skies and sunsets are always beautiful in the middle of nowhere.

ROUTE 66

Now everyone knows about Route 66, including the Europeans so we had to experience it.  When I think about my family driving to Texas and back to visit my uncle's family and using this road, what an adventure it must have been.

 

OK, we had to make sure that we visited Amarillo because of the Tom Jones song, "Do you know the way to Amarillo".  It was a very popular song in Germany so hey, as I said we are great tourists, so we stayed the night in Amarillo.

OK this is why they do these things, giant boots, giant cows, etc.  for those of us that love to be tourists.

Along Route 66 in Santa Rosa, New Mexico is the Blue Hole.  It is a natural fresh water spring that we just had to see.  We enjoyed our afternoon picnic under the trees.  It is very popular for fresh water scuba diving.  I am not sure what you see when you are down below.

OK, let the real Route 66 adventure begin.  No turning back.

Wolfgang can't  relate to the look of this room but I think most men can remember sitting in a place just like it.

Standing in the middle of the road on Route 66.

Yes and this is probably how it always looked.  Can you imagine driving for days on a road like this. 

I loved this sign and while Wolfgang was taking a picture of the sign, farther up on the road was ....

A Big Horn Sheep.

We looked all over the Rockies for these guys and here they were on our way to Oatman. 

It is amazing how an animal so big is hard to spot on this hillside.

This is Oatman.  It is famous for its wild asses or donkeys.  They were left by the miners originally and are now part of the environment.  In Oatman they are the main part of the tourist trade and why you stop in Oatman.  The beasts are everywhere.

This took place in the middle of the road and everyone had to stop and wait.

 METEOR CRATER

We have driven by this location on quite a few trips but never stopped.  Our friends Andy and Barbara just loved it so we decided that we would stop and check it out.  It was fabulous.  I am so glad we did.

 

Wolfgang and a real meteorite.

Our guide.  A little odd but a great guide.  Made you enjoy everything he said about rocks which I think is pretty challenging.

 JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

The last stop on our tour happened because we drove another section of Route 66, tuned somewhere along the way and then ended up down by Palm Springs and 29 Palms so we decided to visit this park.  It was a beautiful day and a great ending to a wonderful trip.

All right, this is zoom picture of a snake Wolfgang spotted  below him while he was up on some rocks.  It just a gopher snake so no harm done.  We actually use to catch gopher snakes when we were kids.

These are Joshua trees.  When I was a kid they were everywhere when you drove through the desert but no more.

Doesn't the rock behind me look like the back of a Gnome?

Can you see the Horned Toad?  When we were kids we called them Horny Toads.  I was told that they spit blood from their eyes as a defense.  Have no idea if this is true but always thought that if it was, how cool!

Yucca

Palm Springs down below somewhere.

Subtle don't you think?

OK  so that is it and I am sure that there were more than enough pictures for most of you.  It was a wonderful vacation.  We saw some great new places, got to visit with the family that we love and enjoyed our time out on the open road.