Scotts Bluff N M

Scotts Bluff Nat'l Monument is near Chimney Rock.  Both are near the North Platte River, and the pioneer trails (Oregon, California, Mormon, Pony Express).  Chimney Rock is a state historic sight, the Bluff is federal.

Oxen were the tow vehicles of choice on the pioneer trails.

You can drive to the top of the Bluff, quite a view.  

There are several trails to the top as well.

Chimney Rock

Chimney Rock

Picture taken from the visitor center.

The shape reminds me of The Spire in Dublin, Ireland, a tall aluminum needle, known affectionately as The Stiffy at the Liffey; also, The Erection at the Intersection.  Irish folks like to give things nicknames, especially lewd nicknames.  The well-endowed bronze statue of Molly Malone - also in Dublin - is another example: The Tart With the Cart, The Trollop With the Scallop, The Dish With the Fish, The Flirt With the Skirt.

Got lost in the moment there, sorry, must be the Irish in me.

C-Rock was perhaps the most significant milestone on the Oregon Trail, as it marked the completion of the first third of the journey.  We visited the Rock a couple days ago. 

Back in the Dirt

We don't typically make reservations for one-nighters when we're RVing.  We call our first choice campground when we start driving in the AM, see if there's room at the inn - or in our case, the campground.  We're usually lucky but sometimes not.  Yesterday was a not.

Original choice a was a motel/CG in Fort Morgan, CO: full up.

Next option down the road was Brush, CO, a municipal park: full up.

Next option was a piss-ant 'campground' in someone's back yard, near Sterling, CO, gave 'em a call: "Yeah, we have a space for you, 50 amp, no water or sewer, back in the dirt."  Back in the dirt?  What the hell, let's go for it.

So, here we are, back in the dirt.  $42/night.  Don't care about the cost, any port in a storm.  Got power so all appliances work.  Only one night.  Cool and dry in our RV, A/C on.  Life is good.

Artie tucked himself in by the fireplace yesterday morning, one ear sticking straight up.

Dwan Light Sanctuary

Located on the campus of UWC-USA*, near Las Vegas, NM, the Sanctuary opened in 1996.  It serves as '...a refuge from the hectic pace of daily living.'  So, it's a place to meditate, become one with everything, whatever - wu-wu stuff that's of little interest to Trish and me.

We were intrigued though, so we visited the place.  It has 2 huge window walls with large prisms set at various angles.  The ceiling has additional prisms.  One at a time please: only one person/couple/group is allowed inside at any given time.  We were told at the welcome center that if anyone knocked on the door while we were inside, to just ignore them.

*UWC-USA: United World College-USA is one of 17 campuses located on 5 continents.  Students, ages 16-19, from about 75 countries attend this 2-year residential school.  The schools' objective is "...to use education as a force to build bridges between people and cultures.'  A downright noble and commendable goal, say I.

The Montezuma Castle is the main campus building.  It was originally a luxury hotel, built in 1881.  I've stayed in worse places.

The Other Las Vegas

Above: 10' wood carving of a Campesino, historic Plaza Hotel in background.

Several scenes from the TV series Longmire were shot in this area.

Below: a typical tourist in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel.

Las Vegas, NM population is 13K, much smaller than it's infamous sister city.  We spent a couple nights there, a breather after 3 days on the road and overnight stops in Flagstaff and Sky City, NM.

Las Vegas is a Spanish word (duh!) meaning 'the meadows' - which is appropriate for the NM city.  It was once appropriate for the NV city, too.  It had many artesian wells and green areas when it was named in 1821 by Spanish explorers.

The highlight of our stop was our neighbor, Dot, pictured below.  Baaaaaaaaa!  We've seen lots of odd stuff on our travels but Dot takes the cake.  Owner has a sheep farm, said Dot was a twin, had to be bottle fed, was too young to leave behind when they started their trip in March. 

March?  Holy crap!  Crap being the key word.  Three months of living in a small RV with a sheep!  Don't even want to think about what that rig smells like inside.

One-Trick Ponies

Focused.  That's the one and only positive thing I can say about one-trick ponies.  Aside from that, they're b-o-r-i-n-g.

Say, the ponies, "That's my thing, that's what I do."  Well, good on ya!  But - did you ever consider that maybe, just possibly, virtually no one else gives a rat's ass?  Politics, religion, kids, food, dogs, clothing, whatever.  SOS.  Day after day.

The ponies publish their tricks on Facebook.  When I see a pony's name, I don't need to read the post to know the subject matter.  When I see a pony's picture, I instantly know the pony's name.  And, in both cases, I quickly scroll past the pony-post in search of something new and interesting.

I've FB-friended numerous people, college friends for instance, that I've not seen in 50+ years.  I was excited about reconnecting with them, getting updated on their lives, hobbies, travels, family, and so on.  In surprisingly many cases, as I eagerly scrolled down through their recent posts I quickly discovered that they were one-trickers.  I unfriended them soon after.  Sad.

So, here's a challenge to readers that happen to be ponies: learn a new trick for cripes sake!

  

Fun Metal Work

We recently returned from Aitkin, Minnesota where we attended a family funeral.  We had some spare time the day after the service and visited the historical museum and art gallery.  The gallery featured some creative metal work.  I love the stuff, took some pictures.

By the way, if you are ever tempted to stay at the Ripple River Motel in Aitkin, resist the temptation.  It comes highly unrecommended.  Upon arrival, the room lacked toilet paper, soap, coffee, glasses.  The towels were old and thin, Goodwill rejects.  The crowning touch was the floor, which hadn't seen a vacuum in recent history - nor did it see one during our 3-day stay.  The sheets?  Don't even want to think about it.  But the continental breakfast, holy crap!  A fantastic assortment of granola bars - and tepid coffee to wash them down. 

The place is old but does have an appealing rustic log cabin look.  And, it's in a nice setting, beside the river, lots of grass and trees.  It could be a pleasant place to stay - if and when the current management is fired and sent back to West Virginia, where they would surely be cast in the remake of Deliverance.