ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK - Celebrating the National Park Service Centennial ~ "Travel Tuesday"

Happy 100th Birthday, National Park Service!

Since its inception on August 25, 1916, at the pen of President Woodrow Wilson (and 44 years after the establishment of Yellowstone National Park), the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our National Parks, National Monuments, National Memorials, National Military Parks, National Historic Sites, National Recreation Areas, National Seashores, National Scenic River ways, and more.

The third most visited National Park in 2015 happens to be in my home state of Colorado...

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

(a quick click on the line above will take you directly to the NPS.gov page).

I am also teaming up with... 

COTOPAXI

(again, a quick click will take you there)

They've allowed me access to some pretty great graphics for these two posts (too much photo overload for one).  As always, all photos can be clicked and clicked again (including the graphics), for enlargement.

"Cotopaxi is an adventure company that tries to get people outdoors and also, to do good.  We are a Benefits Corporation, which means with every sale we make, a portion is donated to world heath initiatives, and our travel backpacks help us make the biggest impact"...Cotopaxi.com 

RMNP is located in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, about 70 miles west of Denver.  Nestled between Estes Park and Grand Lake, the Continental Divide and its eastern and western slopes run through the park; the headwaters of the Colorado River begin here, as well.

The park is filled with awe inspiring mountain views, lakes, and varied environments (from forests to tundra) along with just about any type of western wildlife you could hope to see (that rainy day we spotted bear, deer, elk, and a large gathering of eagles - perched roadside, seeking shelter from the rain).  You'll also find easy access to back-country hiking trails and campsites, for those who want to get off the beaten path.

About a half mile into the entrance that day, we (and about 18 other cars) spied this sow bear and her two large cubs overturning boulders, on a hillside, in search of grubs.  The Park Service Rangers were quick to disperse the crowd - believe me, I was nowhere near these magnificent creatures to get this shot (and only had a normal lens on my camera, hence the bit of blurriness)...ALWAYS respect the animal life, and give them a wide berth!

The park encompasses about 266,000+ acres (or 415 square miles), and is one of the highest national parks in the nation - elevations range from 7,860 to 14,259 feet. Sixty mountain peaks over 12,000 ft. make for some breathtaking viewing.  And, 300 MILES OF HIKING TRAILS, for those so inclined!

For those who'd rather do their sightseeing from the comfort of the car, as we did that day (though we took many opportunities to hike some easier trails, or just pull off for photo ops), the Park offers Trail Ridge Road.  Trail Ridge inspired awe even before the first motorist ever traveled it.  "It is hard to describe what a sensation this new road is going to make", predicted the director of the NPS, in 1931.  "You will have the whole sweep of the Rockies before you, in all directions."  INDEED, you do!  We traveled in fog and low hanging clouds that day, until we reached our first pullout and paved hike...

A quick, easy trail that led to this beautiful vista...our trek started in the fog, and cleared as we approached the end (along with quite a few more folk who didn't seem to mind the rain that day - the backwoods trails will see you far away from crowds like this).

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect window of opportunity when that curtain of fog parted.

Trail Ridge Road (seen ever so faintly in the upper right photo) covers 48 miles between Estes Park and the town of Grand Lake, on the west side of the Park.  Eleven miles of this road take you above timberline (the Parks' pines stop at about 11,500 feet).  The road tops out at 12,183 feet in elevation, while winding across these beautiful mountain tundras.  

Pullouts are plenty, and there's the Alpine Visitor Center at the top, if you really want to stretch your legs (and lungs) - more on that on Thursday.

COTOPAXI - NATIONAL PARK PRIDE

Again, a click on the bold link will take you directly to Cotopaxi.com, where you can read more about what they are doing to promote our National Park Service, and helping you to get out and "Explore Your Park".  In need of a really great backpack?  Check out their "Gear for Good"  (go ahead and click right there, or RIGHT HERE).

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CENTENNIAL

And, one more link to entice you to make a trek of your own to this grand old Park - or one in your own neck of the woods.  Wherever it is, take the time to explore what it has to offer.  Been there before?  Go again!  Relive the memories, and make a few new ones!  Celebrate some of our greatest national treasures - 100 years strong!

I will be back on Thursday with the remainder of the photos I  have for you, plus proof that I do own a great pair of hiking shoes, and didn't hike around in my cowboy boots this time.  Thanks to my dad for another well-thought-out day in the beautiful mountains of home.  Love you more!

A LOCK ON LOVE - FREMONT STREET EAST on "TRAVEL TUESDAY"...

While the weather is still enjoyable in Las Vegas, I thought I'd share a whole week (that's right, an entire WEEK of posts - all photos were taken on two separate "walkabouts" with friends - one overcast day, one sunny and mild) of THE newly renovated "hot spot" in town, and some of the fun things it has to offer for those who might think that Vegas is strictly casinos (or for those of you who live here, and are usually holed up inside due to oppressive temps).

Fremont Street East used to be the "wrong side of the tracks" - you NEVER went further than the main area of the noisy downtown casinos...those were "seedy" enough, but you NEVER ventured past them.  All that has changed over the last five years or so.  More about the entire area this week, but today we're just feelin' the love.

Sitting on the corner of Fremont and Seventh, in front of the Downtown Container Park, is the "Love Locket".  Erected by artist Nova May, in 2013, as part of the Life is Beautiful Festival art installations - a bare metal piece that has gathered lock upon lock/remembrance upon remembrance over the few years it's been in existence - filling both sides entirely.

January of this year found the sculpture vandalized, with one entire side being removed one night.  Down but not out, the side was replaced and a fundraiser to fill the new side was held in February, with proceeds from one hundred $10.00 locks sold, being donated to the American Heart Association.

Got a lock and a sentimental/personal reason of your own?  This is your place!  Try not to wait too long, because hanging metal locks on a metal sculpture, covered with MORE metal, in the middle of 120 degree heat can be quite tricky - do it now, while the weather is pleasant.

And there's SO much more to this area to love and explore.  Back tomorrow with what sets BEHIND this lock - might just be my favorite thing in Vegas, at the moment!  Happy Tuesday.

A TREASURE FROM THE OLD WEST - SANTO DOMINGO PUEBLO on "Travel Tuesday"

Neck, arm AND eye candy, all in one shot.  The large white necklace, and where it came from, is what this post is actually about, but the magazine shot doesn't hurt (and was done with my Mom in mind).  Hell on Wheels starts back up for a final season on June 11th - if you haven't been watching it all along, you need to look up the back seasons on Netflix, because you don't know what you've been missing!  Anyway, back to the neck candy - it came this week in my mail, and it's spectacular!

I talked a little in the last post about knowing who you are buying Native American jewelry (or other artworks) from, and someone commented about online buying being a bad idea.  I agree - buying valuable jewelry online would probably be the last thing I EVER suggest unless you really know what it is you're after.  My dad, who has collected Indian art and antiquities for 50+ years, peruses eBay and the online sites in his spare time, and has commented to me about an increase in newer pieces being made to look old in this market, as well.  Reproduction pieces seem to be the norm, anymore, and you have to beware with just about everything.

However, if you REALLY pay attention to detail, check a seller's feedback, and KNOW what you're looking at (research WISELY, in other words), there ARE honest dealers out there.  You just have to use your head.  Dad and I have both made fabulous eBay purchases...the best one I've made to date arrived this past week - a purchase made from someone selling off a small collection of personal items collected in the 60s in New Mexico.  They were ALL the real deal.

The necklace above (and below) was in that collection - a beautiful Santo Domingo White Clamshell Heishi and Natural Turquoise necklace.  It has, very obviously, been in a vault, on a peg for the past 50 years.  I would be very surprised if it has seen more than one wearing - it is THAT pristine!

I DID know what I was looking at when I stumbled upon the auction, but not exactly how spectacular, or substantial, this purchase was until it arrived.  This necklace was (and it HAS been verified to be authentic, already) crafted in the Santo Domingo Indian Pueblo in New Mexico (about 25 miles south of Santa Fe and 35 miles north of Albuquerque - or pretty much "smack-dab" in the middle) by one of their skilled artisans - the exact maker may never be known due to the age of the piece, but we have a pretty good idea from the way the jaclas at the bottom are attached.

There are ten strands of hand ground clamshell and natural turquoise heishi.  The turquoise jaclas (jaclas were actually worn as earrings by the Indian women - when not being worn in the ears, they were usually tied onto the bottoms of their necklaces) are connected permanently with what is known as a "squaw wrap", which you typically see at the neck of a necklace.  Each of the heishi beads measures approx. 3/8" wide by 1/8" tall - and, in true tradition, there are real, red coral beads at the tops of the jaclas.

The necklace measures a total of approximately 21.5" in length - 15.5" from the neck wrap to the bottom of the white shells, and another 6" for the turquoise jaclas.  This beauty weighs in at 275 gms., or approx. 10 ounces - the equivalent of a can of Campbell's Soup!

I was told the 86 year-old woman and her husband purchased this in the 1960s, directly from the Santo Domingo Pueblo.  My Mom has beautiful pieces of jewelry from Santo Domingo as well, and I remember visiting it as a small child.  While the woman said she could remember very little detail, in all actuality with the time frame, it is very likely that it was purchased out of this iconic trading post, on the reservation.

While the bright signage was intended to attract tourists and was common at roadside trading posts and curio shops during the early 20th century (black and white photo is circa 1954), the post also served as an important source of food stuffs and finished goods for neighboring tribal residents of the Santo Domingo Pueblo.  President JFK was said to have visited the post in 1962 (see the small round sign on the post in the right hand side of the color photo - photo circa 1971).

The post was constructed in 1922, adjacent to the railroad and a small highway that would later become a short-lived alignment of Route 66.  This two-story building was constructed just north of an older trading post that dated to 1880, and was used as a warehouse by the owners of the new post.

The trading post was nearly destroyed by fire in 2001, and has undergone more than a million dollars worth of renovation.  NPS grants through the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program have helped provide stabilization measures in 2007, and a 2013 grant helped to restore the historic facade painting.  It is scheduled for a grand reopening this July 9th - click here for more info:

NEW MEXICO EVENTS

Also called Kewa Pueblo now, residents of the pueblo maintain their traditional religious practices and social structure to this day.  The pueblo has a long history of producing, trading, and sell crafts, especially jewelry and pottery.  You can visit the pueblo and still observe the traditional way of life there, even attending ceremonial events such as the corn dance, held every year on August 4th.  As with any of the pueblos, there are rules to be followed before attending.  For more information, check out: 

PUEBLO of SANTO DOMINGO/NPS.GOV or 

SANTO DOMINGO TRIBE

Bottom (color) photo is part of the modern day Santo Domingo pueblo...notice the ceremonial Kiva in the middle of the photo.  If you get a hankerin' to travel this summer, legendary Route 66 holds some pretty remarkable treasures throughout the American Southwest.  And me, I'm tickled to death to have my hands on this remarkable treasure of my own.  Plans are to keep it as pristine as it is now, but to love and WEAR it...gently.  This was made to be seen - after 50 years of storage, it's time!

And, I'll leave you with this...not all my SW jewelry is Native American made.  As I stressed in the last post, collect what "calls" to you - collect what YOU like - collect what you LOVE.

If it's important to you WHO made it, do a little research (these were made by an Anglo artisan in NM, and I loved them the minute I set eyes on them, so they're mine now).

PLEASE be cognizant of knockoffs, those selling them, and who they might be affecting with their dishonesty, other than you and your purchase.  There are true and honest artisans out there who would LOVE to sell you something made from their heart, without trying to pull the wool over your eyes!  Happy Tuesday...hope you do some travelin' this week - whether in a car or just wanderin' someplace wonderful in your mind!  XOXO

PINBALL HALL OF FAME - LAS VEGAS, NV on "TRAVEL TUESDAY"

I always talk about getting out, opening your eyes, and seeing what cool little secrets your town has to offer...somehow we missed this, and it's been open seven years.  BEST kept secret in Las Vegas, evidently.  The PINBALL HALL OF FAME (click on the link there for the O-fficial website).

In addition to looking at flowers in the Bellagio the other day, we did THIS.  We stopped to see what cool photos were waiting to be taken inside this non-descript building - that was all - we were going to photograph it.  We resisted temptation for about ten minutes before we ended up cashing in paper money for coins...lots of coins.  Spent over an hour inside - 10,000 square feet of fun - 152 different pinball machines (203 games in all, counting some arcade games).  You don't get that big a smile on your friend's face from just lookin' at flowers!

The color on these has been "boosted" - not a whole lot...just enough to pop!  The machines are vivid on their own (I just felt like color today).  They range in age from the 1950's through the 90's, and are ALL playable - at the OLD prices of 25 cents for the older games, and 50 and 75 cents for the 90's versions.  This is a non-profit corporation, so all proceeds are donated to non-denominational charities.

All machines housed in this building are owned by one man, Tim Arnold, who has an arsenal of pinball collectors that help him restore and maintain these fabulous machines.

Creature from the Black Lagoon - he was so misunderstood!

We saved the Dunk N' Alien game for the very last thing we played that day.  An arcade game that I'm guessing is probably unbeatable, save for a REALLY lucky shot.  The alien was spitting out insults at us as fast as we could roll balls up and in, trying to hit that swinging red target - LOTS of insults.  And we LIKED it - we were both laughing so hard it actually made playing the game difficult.  Fifty cents for nasty insults - BEST laugh of the day!

Two different Elvira games...I'm sure the Mistress of the Dark has one or two more in there, as well.

Look at THESE clowns!

Gene Simmon's disembodied head in the Kiss Army game.

Twilight Zone and outer space themed games.

Monster Rock, Jurassic Park, and Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The Big Hurt (Frank Thomas), Captain Fantastic (Elton John), and EVEL KNIEVEL!

"A far better return on fun than any Las Vegas casino environment, and the PHoF actually has windows and a clock in the room!"...PINBALL HALL OF FAME

The Wizard of Oz - this was a beautiful machine, though a little hard to play.  We're just not the "Pinball Wizards" we used to be, evidently.  Want to see this all for yourself?  Click on the links provided.  The doors are open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.  NO ADMITTANCE FEE - just a desire for fun, and some quarters to play is all you need!

But it doesn't have to be!  Get on over and make your own fun at the

PINBALL HALL OF FAME,

right here in River City Vegas!

OH, GIVE ME A HOME...TED TURNER'S WOULD BE NICE...Travel Tuesday

Where the buffalo roam...

Where the deer...

And the antelope...

And the antelope play (they both have neck stripes - I may have gotten confused). Disclaimer:  This one is a "stock photo" from a NM.gov site - the antelope were plentiful, but the car was traveling too fast for my own shot - they're out there, though!

 Where seldom is heard...

 A discouraging word...

Along the road that leads from the dinosaur in Taos to Cimarron, New Mexico (or as we like to refer to it, the "back way" home to Denver), there are some pretty spectacular sights to be seen.  Deer; antelope; the cliffs and palisades (think fences or walls around a fortress) of Palisades Sill.  The age of the Palisades Sill has been estimated at between 26 million and 34.7 million years...I wasn't too far off with the dinosaur, evidently!

Camping, fishing, hiking - all in one breathtaking spot.  For more information, click on the link!

CIMARRON CANYON STATE PARK, NM

And just down the road from that, we ran across THIS!

A glimpse of what life across the United States plains used to look like, on a far more minuscule scale.  Imagine these plains COVERED with dark brown, as far as your eyes could see!

This private herd of possibly 200-300 head of buffalo was awe-inspiring enough - it's hard to believe, and indeed sobering, that these magnificent beasts were almost obliterated from the face of this earth by man's stupidity and greed.

A highly electrified fence (buffalo need extremely sturdy fences to keep them where they should be - they can make short work of an ordinary fence in no time), and no tripod to rest upon, made my distance shots a little hard.

This is a beautiful, obviously well-cared-for herd - we were certainly glad we took the "back way" home.

And now, in researching my own photos, I find that Vermejo Park Ranch is owned by none other than media mogul, Ted Turner - 600,000 acres worth (or about 3/4 the size of the state of Rhode Island - what a shame, huh?!) of prime beauty, stretching from NM to CO.  "A TURNING POINT IN TURNER COUNTRY"

These were taken from the side of the lowly road outside the ranch (thankfully it wasn't snake season, as I was in some serious, knee-high weeds along that road)...I can only imagine the inside - this is as close a look as I'll ever be able to afford.  This was more than enough for me!

 A young bull, surveying his "wealth".  Here's to getting out and surveying some of your own wealth in the coming, warmer months.  More Travel Tuesdays to follow, possibly with just enough inspiration for someone to make their own plans.  There's SO much to see out there - time's a wastin'!

...and the skies are not cloudy all day!