Month: October 2016

Kansas was under water millions of years ago. Kansas has 4 different types of limestone. Tuesday was Nicodemus NHS, where freed blacks came to KS to homestead. A volunteer at Nicodemus is directly related to the Williams family that started to build their dream in 1877 in Nicodemus, the promised land. Only 19 people now remain in Nicodemus.  Then was Fort Larned, the Guardian of the Santa Fe Trail. Happy to learn it was midway on the Santa Fe Trail in 1859 to protect mail and travelers also dealing with Indians.

Tallgrass Prairie and Brown v. Board of Education were yesterday.   At Tallgrass Prairie, I toured the house and barn, both of which were huge! The house had a shelter and a room which piped in cool spring water to act like a refrigerator and the flow was sent to a fountain and then to the gardens. The woodwork in the house was amazing and in wonderful condition. Best was their outhouse- a three-seater, with curtained window and vent. Brown v Board of Education had a video presentation that played 3 different yet integrated screens on two sides of the huge auditorium, which was well done. Many rooms showed our history in dealing with equality issues-USA has come a long way, with more to do, of course. A geothermal system is under the playing field which heats and cools the huge building.

Today was Fort Scott in KS, Harry S. Truman NHS in MO, and Homestead Natl Monument of America, in Nebraska. I was amazed at the level of cruelty for punishment at Fort Scott and that the soldiers really built the fort. The Homestead act of 1862 gave 160 acres to those meeting the requirements. It began the American dream. The Act was repealed in 1976 for the lower 48 states and 1986 for Alaska. PS-I was amazed to see Lynn Street on the same post as Truman!

Hoping your dreams/hopes are realized daily!

After getting new side mirror installed and oil put in, it was off to Clolrado Monument, which takes about an hour to drive through. When I stop at the pullouts for pix and experiencing the beauty before me, it takes twice as long! But time has little meaning to me these days , other than the rising and setting of the sun. Indescribable; so I’ll let the pix speak for me. Black Canyon of the Gunnison is overwhelmingly powerful-I could feel its strength with 2,000 foot drops and vertical rock cliffs. In 1909 the townspeople plus 400 workers put in a tunnel through that superhard rock to move water from the Gunnison River to the parched desert land. I can’t even imagine usingnpick axes to break up that rock-but they did it! Grand Junction CO is the confluence of the Colorado And Gunnison Rivers, powerhouses in their own right. The 2 men who explored the Gunnison River, which extends 26 miles (I think) through the rock powerhouses, to figure out where to put the tunnel weren’t sure they’d live to complete the task; they did it! In Luke 19:40, Jesus speaks that the rocks will cry out-today I got to understand what that might be like; I never had any idea what that might mean before today. The roar of the river must have been deafening to the explorers. Beautiful skies today with air temp up to 72, but the sun always feels hot to me out here. Hope the pix can give you some idea of the massive strength in these two places. Enjoy the present-life is such a gift.

Mesa Verde and Hovenweep pix plus

Mesa Verde is captivating! No wonder the Pueblo Indians created cliff dwellings there! The view from the highest point of 8,572′ was all-around amazing-all 360 degrees. Mesa Verde means green tableland; so lush! Besides the scenery , the cliff dwellings are awesome, displaying the artistry and supreme building skills of the Pueblo people. Beginning around AD550 extending 7 centuries, they flourished in Mesa Verde eventually building stone communities around 1200. They were no longer there in the late 1200s-where did they go? No one knows for sure. Then today at Hovenweep NM, I witnessed more of their skills at building villages clustered around water sources. They left Hovenweep, too, at the same time as residents of Mesa Verde left. To walk the trail envisioning what it would have been like to live in these places is entertaining, indeed. On the way to Hovenweep this morning 2 deer appeared from nowhere, perhaps behind an oncoming vehicle, one of whom killed herself and took Pearl’s driver-side mirror with her. Tomorrow is scheduled the replacement mirror. I am grateful that the car Pearl and I are just fine

Pix aren’t as good on this LG with SmartTalk, but the unlimited plan for talk/text and data Is only $45 month + taxes

Learning much about fossils and the implications for the earlier life forms millions of years ago-fascinating stuff I’ve not pondered before. Very peaceful driving through the Nebraska today. At Scott’s Bluff I drove through the only tunnels in Nebraska of which there are 3! Scotts bluff was part of the Oregon Trail, California Trail, Mormon Trail, and the short-lived Pony Express. The wind was whipping about as you’ll notice on the video of flowers. A notice on highway that wind was 35 mph or more! The heavens put on quite a show on 25S through Nebraska as the sun set, but camera couldn’t capture it’s true artistry. The best is NE lottery ad-play is good. Go play! I love it! Let’s all play!​

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Just finished Wind Cave Tour-winds can travel at 30-70 mph through cave, from high to low pressure area. Installed air cave before door to stabilize wind in cave. Amazing box formations -95% of world’s in this location. Only one small natural entrance found by Cowboys in 1880s when wind knocked their hats off. Then to MacDonald family as caretakers when mining company didn’t find valued minerals. Then to NPS. 

Jewel Cave this morning had formations I had not seen before. Beautiful! Below, upon, in, and above this earth is amazing stuff! Off to hot springs in Black Hills of SD! May your day be blessed!

Head amongst the clouds, it was! An amazing sight! Jackson Hole WY had an awesome Visitor Center with Natl Elk Refuge, too. Some 25,000 elk winter there! A red fox presented itself by Jenny Lake, too! Then deer, too! The skies presented the mountains in such changing and beautiful ways, I couldn’t stop taking pictures-must have taken 30 shots! Be filled with joy & peace!