Montrose County Fair

We have made several trips to the county fair. The three big events that I wanted see (or be involved in) were the rodeo, the antique tractor pull, and the chili cook off. I have pictures of the first two. The winner at the chili cook off, however, was determined by the people's choice. As one of those peoples, I elected not to take any pictures (because I was too busy slurping up chili). I have not yet found out if my choice turned out to be the overall winner, but I personally judged it three times.

So, let's go to the rodeo............

Nice thing about a rodeo is that they always have pretty girls with flags....


and of course cowboys on their horses........


and more cowboys on their horses.....


and more cowboys on their horses.....


but unlike the pretty girls, the cowboys usually end up picking themselves off the ground.


Nice looking horses... but on to the antique tractor pull.

There were pretty tractors (pulling for the cure to breast cancer).....


there were funky tractors........


there were rusty tractors......


but when alll was said and done, there was only one champion tractor.
And it was driven by a 70+ year old women who was the only driver whose tractor managed to pull more than 100% of the tractors weight. Okay, so maybe there is something to say for girl power!

The Sound Democrat Mill

The Sound Democrat Mill was built in 1905-06 to process the ore from the Sound Democrat Mine and the nearby Silver Queen Mine. The mill sits in Placer Gulch just above 12,000 feet and operated until 1914. Although in operation for a number of years the mill processed only $20,000 in ore concentrates. Incidental lead, silver, and zinc kept the mill running because the expected gold was slow in showing up. The ore concentrates were taken from the mill to Animas Forks, and then loaded on the train for shipment to the smelters in Durango.

For those of you who have visited Durango, the train ride which the ore took was similar to the train ride you can still take today between Durango and Silverton on the historic Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway.

We made the trip to the mill on our quads with a group.


The mill has been partially restored and although not anything like it was, it is structurally sound and can be entered safely.


Much of the old heavy iron equipment is still in place...


including the crushers and a couple of weathered old mill operators.


Can you imagine the work involved in getting this heavy equipment into place. Sure were a tough bunch in those days!!!

Dennis Weaver Memorial

There is a monument to actor Dennis Weaver located near Ridgway, Colorado. He was a long time resident and well respected in the area. The land and monument were donated to the town by his surviving family.

Dennis was an environmentalist. His house in Ridgway was built partial below ground level for added insulation and most of the materials used were recycled.

Hey, Mr. Dillon, I'm aheadin' to the Long Branch Saloon to take a peek at Miss Kitty and get me a sarsaparilla, can I get yew one too?
By the way, as an item of interest, this wooden carving was stolen a day or so after we were there. No, you won't find it in the back of my truck (please don't lift that tarp).

You can click on the picture to enlarge the print.


What a well designed and pleasing monument.


You can click on the picture to enlarge the print.


We built a little shrine too.......harder than you'd think to get those rounded creek stones to stack!

Last Dollar Road

I am addicted to Last Dollar Road. It is a wonderful scenic drive. I have published pictures taken along this road before. But, I drove the road again and here are more pictures of its grand scenery.


The sky is big and blue, and the grasslands are lush.


The flowers are thick.


The aspen are tall.


The animals are friendly.........


and the women are eye catching (no, I didn't reverse the captions).


And you can see the city of Telluride across the valley, with the ski area behind the town.


This is a fun and eye pleasing drive in spring, summer, and fall. But, we have had the good fortune to meet a land owner along the road who is going to take us on a guided tour of his 2,500 acre ranch on our ATV's. Be assured that pictures of that ride will be published soon (mid-August).

Atop The Grand Mesa

Okay, for your geology lesson.......The Grand Mesa is part of the Rocky Mountains, but was harder than the surrounding rock. Erosion of the softer rock around the mesa left this flat top mountain standing 5,000 feet above the surrounding valleys. It is the world's largest mesa with an area of over 500 square miles. The mesa is covered in forest, grasslands, more than 300 lakes, and it is a sportsman's paradise.

The mesa is cooler than the surrounding countryside because it ranges in altitude from just under 10,000 feet to just over 11,300 feet. It gets both more snow in the winter and more rain in the summer as well. This makes it a popular destination in the winter for outdoorsmen and hunters, and a cool and relaxing spot during the hot months of summer.

We recently drove the mesa with a friend and I submit to you the following pictures.

From up on the mesa the sky is beautiful and clear.


There are plentiful lakes (and swampy areas and mosquitoes too).


Endless wild flowers.


The occasional waterfall (the tree is actual near me, the waterfall is about a half mile away giving a deceptive appearance, the waterfall is actually quite tall).


Tricky roads.


And ferocious animals (they'll steal a candy bar right out of your hand).


To keep this summer in perspective you should see our cottage.
We left our fifth wheel travel trailer in Mesa, Arizona, and we are using the Lance camper that we used on our Alaska trip of two summers ago. Good thing the weather is such that we can spend most of our time outdoors.