World United States Colorado Pueblo

FULLTIMING WITH SUE, JOHN AND ARNIE Summer 2009 - Westward over the Mountains

Pueblo, CO Jun 14, 2009

It is GREAT to be back on the road!!

We finally got launched on Tuesday and headed north on I-35 into Oklahoma. Along I-35 between Denton and Oklahoma City there is a scenic area of the state. It is most interesting near Turner Falls. On the first day we only went about 200 miles as we turned west just south of Oklahoma City onto I-40 and spent the night at El Reno.

We covered more territory on the second day as we headed northwest on highways 270 and 412 through the Oklahoma panhandle and then turned north on highway 287. About 20 miles south of Lamar, CO we passed a 258 unit windfarm. Most of the turbines were located on the land of one farmer whose family still resides in the small farm house and farms the land beneath the windmills. We learned that one blade of a windmill is longer than the wing of a 747 aircraft. We spent two nights in a Passport America campground a couple of miles south of Lamar.

On Friday we headed west on route 50 toward I-25. On the trip along route 50 we took a slight detour to spend a couple of hours at Old Bent Fort near Las Animas. The fort was the largest structure west of the Mississippi from 1833 to 1848 when it burned to the ground. It served as a trading post for Mexican, Indian and U.S. traders. It is named after one of the traders who built the fort. It was an interesting visit.

We ran into another peacock inside the fort. He was strutting around and I decided that he was looking for his girlfriend. I later came across her "hiding" in a small hidden area in the second story of the fort.

The fort was manned by about a half dozen folks in period attire. We spoke with several of them. I have included a photo of a young woman dressed as a Mexican woman during the period of the fort's existence.

We hit I-25 at Pueblo and headed north a few miles to the KOA where we have spent the weekend. Last night we attended mass at the local cathedral, built in 1912, and then drove to the local riverwalk for dinner. The riverwalk has been constructed along the Arkansas River that runs through the middle of Pueblo. The area includes a music pavilion and a small water taxi that tours the river. It is sort of a mini version of San Antonio that appears to be relatively new and still developing.

I've been able to resume my running and have gotten in a couple of decent workouts in Lamar and here. After this morning's run, the three of us headed out to Lake Pueblo State Park located a few miles west of Pueblo. The lake was formed by the construction of a dam on the Arkansas River and is a relatively small lake in the middle of desert country. The surrounding area is straight out of a western movie where your canteen is critical to your survival. It is crisscrossed by bike-hike-horse trails. We hiked for a couple of hours including a stop for lunch on a table rock.

Tomorrow morning we will head west into the Rockies for our next stop at Canon City. We will be heading only about 40 miles west but will gain a couple thousand feet in elevation. We plan to spend a week in Canon City.