Our Notebook

Glade Park

The Colorado National Monument is spectacular, but if you take another route up and back, you can find some really interesting scenery in a place called Glade Park.  It’s a favorite of Terry’s, who discovered the place when he was working as a surveyor for Drexel Barell.  He has hidden several Geocaches in the vicinity, and given the quality of cell service, should be able to deploy a Munzee or two.

Stu and I rode  there today.  Click on any picture to enlarge it; click again and it will shrink back to its original size.

[singlepic id=78 w=320 h=240 float=]

The Glade Park Store has been in the same crossroads location for 100 years; it’s the real thing, with soft drinks, snacks, and everything the neighbors might need.

[singlepic id=67 w=320 h=240 float=]

Across the intersection is a house that must be occupied by a very, very interesting person.  The outdoor stairs lead to an observatory (!):

[singlepic id=68 w=320 h=240 float=]

and in the back yard, you’ll find an old bridge, painted shocking pink, which will take you from the second story of the house to the roof of a perfectly restored Rio Grande Railroad boxcar.  How did the boxcar get up here?  The nearest tracks are probably in Fruita or Grand Junction, and I wouldn’t think that transporting it up there was a trivial job.

[singlepic id=69 w=320 h=240 float=]

and a phone booth that still bears the manufacturer’s brass identification; it was made for Mountain Bell Telephone by Western Electric.  No phone, but we tried:

[singlepic id=70 w=320 h=240 float=]

[singlepic id=71 w=320 h=240 float=]

The road continues to Utah past a perfect arch.  The top is white sandstone, the bottom is red.  It looks like a candy cane.

[singlepic id=72 w=320 h=240 float=]

Across the road is a rancher who must have a windmill fetish; there are probably ten of them.  Although it was breezy, none were blowing.

[singlepic id=73 w=320 h=240 float=]

About eight miles from the Utah border, the road turns to gravel, so since we didn’t have the right kind of tires or machines, we turned around.

[singlepic id=74 w=320 h=240 float=]

Stu expressed his opinion of a homemade cattle guard.  Unlike his, which are designed to meet all the standards and look good, this one looked like the amateur hour.  A horse would break its leg trying to walk across this one.

[singlepic id=75 w=320 h=240 float=]

Driving back.  Such boring scenery!

[singlepic id=76 w=320 h=240 float=]

[singlepic id=77 w=320 h=240 float=]

 

 

 

1 Comment

  1. w0det

    Looks like a neat trip Steve. If you would have turned left at the store i and went south a few miles you would have went past Jerry Flecks place k0du. You may have know that already..
    73’s
    Don
    W0DET

Bad Behavior has blocked 5 access attempts in the last 7 days.