Tuesday, November 12, 2013

I thought it would be fun to post a few photos for our very quick train trip.  I so enjoyed the train trip….Terry not so much (way, way, way too slow for him). I could do it again, just to see the scenery.  It is scenery you never see driving in a car, especially on the interstates. We met people who were traveling from the east coast to the west coast…four days and three nights of travel.  Some purchased sleeping cars and some slept in the seats of the regular cars.

The food was good, but extremely expensive.  $12 for a hamburger with chips, $3 for a drink, although water, ice tea, and coffee was part of the meal.  We only ate one meal on the train, but if you purchased a sleeper all of your meals were included—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

I’m always amazed at the engineering feats of those back in the late 1800 and early 1900. We rode on rails laid at the turn of the 1900’s the skills of those men to accomplish such a feat is stunning.

The trip from Grand Junction to Denver has several tunnels in it…I really can’t remember now – somewhere around 40-50, which is sort of cool.  And all of this created way, way back when, when the tracks were first laid.

Glenwood-Springs

 

This is Glenwood Springs, Colorado…the river, the interstate and the pool are all in front of that beautiful building

GrandbyGoing to Denver we went to Granby then on to Frazier and Winter Park.  At Frazier and Winter Park we had an hour and a half stop waiting for repairs further on down the tracks.  Winter Park and Frazier have really grown up over the last 5 or so years…lots on new buildings, mega mansions, and condos.  I was surprised.  We also had to stop again for thirty minutes which made the train get in 1 1/2 hours late.  Coming home we had no stops and arrived on time in Grand Junction.

Denver-fog

Leaving Denver we could see the inversion that had settled down over the area.  It was extremely cold in the city.  We were there only one night, but since we were right on the 16th Street Mall the cold didn’t stop us from having a special time just for us.

Snow-in-the-canyon

There was snow in Glenwood Canyon on the way back, but it only reached the top of the canyon

View

To be truthful I enjoyed just looking at the highway and NOT driving on the highway! 🙂 🙂

Red

The corn harvest is starting to wind down today or tomorrow we will be finished.  HOO RAY!!  The weather has been beautiful the whole time.  After the combines messed up and all of you put for your collective thoughts Terry was able to fix the thermostat and move steadily forward.

The motor is now using oil so he will have to change it out or over-haul it.  That will be the next project…that and checking fences.  Thanksgiving is the beginning of pheasant season…we have NOT had any pheasants for several years now (the DOW planted fox in our area so the ground birds became yummy fox food).  But hope prevails as he saw two roosters and a hen while he was combining, we hope they are making a come back.

Even though we post the place there are those who don’t care they arrive leaving open gates and tearing down fences in the hopes of MAYBE finding something to kill.  With all that in mind we will head out and check and repair and post signs…sometime very soon.

Your farming friend,

Linda

 

Monday, October 14, 2013

I am so disappointed!!!!  We had a stunning rainbow last night right in our front corn field.

I took the photos —PERFECT!

I down loaded them and LOST THEM…sob! sob!

Only this pale other end survived…

SmallI guess this is better than nothing.  But if you could have seen the other….

WOW!

Parts

After a few couple more stops we headed back.

Our trip back was fast…we decided that we would just hit the interstate and head home as fast as we could go.

Across-NE

On thing about the interstate — it’s boring!  Miles and miles of the above.

Since Terry worked as a Line Foreman for our REA for 37 years we always look at electric poles, sub stations, transfer stations, you name it…stuff no one else sees but really does exists.

Lines

These wires are created special for areas that the wind whips through so power isn’t lost.  Or at least they hope it isn’t lost.

Trucks2-I-80I-80 is an major road from one coast to the other…therefore, we met lots and lots of semi’s.

Kearny-Neb

We spent the night in Kearney, Nebraska.  One thing about about Nebraska there is lots, and lots of history in this state.

Heading-into-Denver

It was good to see Denver again!

Heading-Home

 

When we started out of Denver we could see storms ahead of us.

Tunnel-1

It was raining and snowing up to the tunnel and then at the tunnel the sun was shining (go figure)

Storm-on-TunnelThe other side of the tunnel was wet and nasty.

Glenwood-Canyon-2Glenwood Canyon was still beautiful but wet.

End-of-the-day-1Boy, was it nice to get home again.

Your friend in Colorado,

Linda

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, October 13, 2013

We took a flying trip to Norfolk, Nebraska as Terry needed some combine parts and a bracket for the suitcase weights for one of the tractors.   Since we were both ready for a short trip off we went.

Our-green-desertThe desert between us and Grand Junction is extremely green. ( You can see Wild Horse Mesa in the background — it is the last green bowl shaped mesa just before the blue sharp lines of Grand Mesa)

We have had and are still having lots and lots of rain.  Very nice for making the world fresh and lovely.

BookclifsWe got to Grand Junction as morning was coming into full-light.  This is a very quick photo of the Book-cliffs which surround Grand Junction on one side.

Glenwood-Canyon

Glenwood Canyon was beautiful waking up to a day of full-speed-ahead traffic.

TunnelDriving through the Johnson side of the Eisenhower tunnel.

We live 5 hours from Denver.  At this point we are about two hours away.  This a horrible mess come ski-season.  The traffic slows to a 30 m.p.h. or LESS crawl on Sunday afternoon as people try to come back from a weekend of skiing.

Taking the back roads and staying off the Inter State

Eastern-ColoradoThis CAN BE a bleak trip, but we enjoy the farms and ranches.

It was sugar beet harvest

Sugar-beets-1And soybean and

More-corncorn harvest.

All the way from Colorado to Norfolk.

We cheered and clapped and gave everyone two thumbs up for being able to get their crops in.

Nebraska

That night we stayed in Ogalla, Nebraska

Getting up early the next morning we we found lots of  salvage yards

BY-row

along our route.

Just what we were looking for!

Continued tomorrow….

Your friend on a California Mesa Farm,

Linda