New Desert Times

Ouray Colorado

editor — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 14:08:05 +0000

Ouray Colorado

The town of Ouray is located in the San Juan mountains of Southwestern Colorado. Surrounding towns include Montrose, 40 miles ( 64 kilometers) north. Northeast is Telluride 10 miles ( 16 kilometers) Red mountain pass to the south connect Ouray and Silverton and Durango.

The town began with miners looking for gold and silver in the 1870’s. Current population is around 900. Originally established by miners chasing silver and gold in the surrounding mountains, the town at one time boasted more horses and mules than people. The town was incorporated in 1876. At one time in 1896, the town had the largest gold mine in Colorado. Called the Camp Bird mine, the mine produced 1.5 million troy ounces of gold an 4 million troy ounces of silver. The mines crusher was sold in 1995 to a mine in Mongolia and it is still in operation there today. The entrance to the mine can be seen on the 4 wheel drive tour near Yankee boy basin and Imogene pass.

The first railroad , the Denver and Rio Grande, arrived in 1887. The last passenger train left Ouray in September 1930 and rail passenger service ended after 43 years of use. Main street is listed as a historic location in the national register. It contains many historic buildings from the 1870’s.

Ouray calls itself the Switzerland of the west. In summer there are jeep expeditions into the neighboring San Juan mountains. The jeep expeditions go up Black Bear road. Singer and ex mayor C W McCall made the road famous in his song Black Bear Road. The road makes many twist and climbs an makes the 4 wheel drive tour a challenge.

Ouray is called the Winter ice climbing capital of the United States. Many falls along the Uncompahgre trail are turned into a winter ice wonderland with the help of an installed sprinkler system. There is an annual week long ice festival with climbers from around the world arriving to try their luck on the winter ice of the waterfalls.

The nearest airport is in Montrose which is 40 miles, ( 64 kilometers) to the north. US 550 is the one paved road into and out of Ouray. The stretch between Ouray and Singleton is known as the million dollar highway from all the gold and silver that traveled over it in mining days.

The 1969 movie “True Grit” starring John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn with Glen Cambell and Kim Darby was filmed in and around Ouray.

If you ever travel through the area on US 550 be sure and stop in Quray for a visit. There is even a hot springs pool in town for you to soak and relax.

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I hope everyone enjoyed this week’s story. Before you go please be sure and check out our list of products on the right under our blogroll. Just click on any of the links that interest you and you will travel to that products website. Everyone have a safe and productive week and we will see you next week with a new adventure.

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouray,_Colorado

The Sand Dunes of Colorado

editor — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:15:50 +0000

Clorado Sand Dunes and Sangre Cristo Mountains

The Great Sand Dunes National Monument is a national park in southern central Colorado. It gained national park preservation status in September 2004. It became a National Monument in 1932. The dunes rise from the floor of the San Luis valley to a height of some 750 feet ( 230 meters). This makes them the tallest sand Dunes in the United States. The dunes cover some 19,000 acres ( 77 square kilometers) and are at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

The sand came from the stream and lake beds of the Rio Grande and the tributaries that supply the river. Prevailing westerly wind currents over the last 12,000 years deposited the sand grain by grain as the wind rose to climb over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

There are few plants to hold the sand in place in this arid region so the dunes form and reform over and over again. Several streams along the perimeter of the dunes erode part of the dunes flow down stream. The arid conditions cause the streams to evaporate and the sand is blown back onto the dunes.

The dunes appear dry and on the surface they are but if you dig less than a foot into the dunes you will find wet sand. It is this underground wetness that keeps the dunes from blowing away. The underground water is one of the main reasons the park was formed. If the growing thirsty towns and cities bordering the park were allowed to channel off the water the dunes would rapidly disappear.

The color of the dunes varies from light tan to dark black. The black portion is made up of magnetite, a crystalline black oxide of iron.

Not all of the park is sand dunes. The park also contains alpine lakes and forests as you climb into the mountains. There are 6 peaks over 13,000 feet ( 3962 meters). There are stands of Spruce, aspen, and cottonwood.

Mendano creek is on the eastern border of the park close to the visitor’s center. The eroding sand causes the stream bed to be constantly changing and sand castle building along the streams banks is a favorite activity with park visitors. The sand falling in the stream causes small underwater dams to form then dissolve. This causes waves to form sometimes up to a foot in height especially during the spring runoff.

In Summer the sand can reach over 140 F ( 60 C). In winter it can snow. The closest city is Alamosa Colorado. The park became much larger in recent years after the federal government purchased 97,000 acres from the Baca ranch.

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Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park_and_Preserve

The St Louis Gateway Arch

editor — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:58:59 +0000

Gateway Arch

This week we traveled into Missouri. The city of St Louis was one of our stops. One of the first things you see when you get close to the city is the Gateway Arch also known as the Gateway to the West.

History

The arch is part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. It was designed by architect Eero Saarinen and engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947. Construction began in 1963 and was finished in 1965. The monument was open to the public in July 1967.

The monument is the tallest structure in Missouri at 630 feet ( 192 m) tall. The arch is 54 feet ( 16 m) at the two bases and 17 feet ( 5.2 m ) at the top. Two carbon steel reinforced concrete walls are covered with a stainless steel skin. the center is hollow and contains a tramway to the observation deck in the middle. There are also two stairways of 1076 steps each.

The two legs were built simultaneously. When the time came to join the two legs, the sun heated south leg did not align with the north leg so the fire department hosed down the south leg to cool it until the two legs met in the middle.

The tramway designer was Richard Bowser. He combined an elevator cable lift system with a gimbaled car system that is similiar to the way ferris wheel cars are attached to a ferris wheel. You can arrive at the central observation room from either side. The north side tells how the arch was made and the south side tells about the Mississippi riverfront of the mid 19th century.

Visitors enter the cars 5 people at a time. The tallest people sit in the middle because of the sloping ceiling of the cars. The cars have an egg shape. Eight cars form a train and there are 2 trains for a total capacity of 80 people. It takes 4 minutes to reach the top and 3 minutes to return.

The observation deck

When your train reaches the top, you exit and climb a slight incline. You are now in the observation room. 32 windows allow an East and West view of the city.

The arch like all public United States monuments has barriers to prevent terrorists from trying to knock it down with a vehicle and airport like security at the tramway access to the observation room.

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Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Arch

Carlsbad Caverns

editor — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 06:46:39 +0000

Carlsbad Caverns Entrance

Last week we were in Yuma, This week we headed east into New Mexico. We traveled into the Guadalupe mountains and visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The caverns are 18 miles (29 km) from the town of Carlsbad, New Mexico on State 62. Two third of the park has been set aside as a wilderness area to keep it in it’s natural state. The park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The majority of visitors arrive in the summer from memorial day until the 4th of July.

The main chamber is 4000 feet ( 1219 meters ) long and 625 feet ( 190.5 meters) wide and 350 feet (107 meters) high.

Most people visit the main chamber called the Show Room either by descending the narrow switchback trail or by riding the elevator. The main chamber is 750 feet (230 meters) down. Once in the main room there are six other paid guided tours that can be taken depending on day and time of day you arrive. The other tours range in cost from $7 to $20.

The many rooms and objects were named by Jim White who explored the caverns with his homemade wire ladder from the late 1880’s until he died in 1946. During his lifetime most people thought White was making up the stories about the caverns. Today the rooms and objects bare the names that he gave them in his solitary exploration. You will find on your tour, The big room, the kings palace, the queen’s chamber, the papoose room,the New Mexico room, and the green lake room. you will also find formations like, the rock of ages,the giant dome, the totem pole, the iceberg rock, the bottomless pit, fairyland and the Temple of the sun.

The caves were declared a national monument in 1923 by president Calvin Coolidge. the caverns became a national park in 1930.

New rooms and caves are continually being found in the area and now number 116. Some of the newer rooms are the Balloon Ballroom, the Guadalupe room (1966), the Bifrost room (1982), the Chocolate High (1993).

Some rooms are difficult to get to like the Balloon Ballroom. This room was first explored by tying balloons to a rope. It is in the ceiling of the main entrance hall. The Bi-Frost room in the ceiling above the lake of clouds with it’s many oxide stained formations

The new section is still being discovered there are many fissures in this room. The new section is east of the white giant and is parallel to the bat room.

In the 1950’s a cafeteria was built and called the underground lunchroom. It is close to the elevators.

The caverns are a place of mystery and awe. You can spend days here and not see everything.

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Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlsbad_Caverns_National_Park

Yuma Arizona

editor — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:32:46 +0000

Yuma Railroad Bridge

Yuma is a town of about 90,000 on the Arizona, California, Mexican border. The town was built at a natural crossing of the Colorado river. The original settlers were native Americans. The first Europeans to discover the are were Spanish explorers Hernando de Alarcon and Melchior Diaz in 1540. After Fort Yuma was built a town began. First it was called Colorado city then Arizona city before finally becoming Yuma in 1873.

The1850’sthrough the 1870’s brought a steamboat landing called steamboat crossing. Steamboats going up and down the Colorado river would stop there. Yuma was also the main military supply center for most of the forts in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico. The building called the Quartermaster Depot is now a museum.

The Southern Pacific railroad reached Yuma in the 1870’s and steamboat popularity began to decline.

Yuma holds the Guiness record for being the sunniest place on earth as well as one of the hottest. Average temperatures in July are 107 F ( 21 C ) The hottest temperature recorded of 124 F ( 51 C ) occurred on July 28 1995. The coldest temperature of 13 F ( -11 C ) occurred in January 2007. This wiped out nearly 95 % of the citrus crop for the year and permanently killed many of the trees especially the lemon trees. Yuma is also one of the driest cities with only about 3 inches of annual rainfall. In 1997 Hurricane Nora made landfall at the mouth of the Colorado river and followed the river north bringing over 3.5 inches of rain and knocking out power to most of Yuma.

There are approximately 90,000 people in Yuma and the city has a high unemployment rate of around 20 % due mostly to the fact that agriculture is a seasonal job. Only El Centro has a worse unemployment rate of 26 %.

Historical buildings in Yuma include the Quartermaster Depot and the Territorial prison. The prison once held many of the most notorious outlaws of the territory. Yuma also has a Kilgren pipe organ at the Yuma theater. This was one of the most expensive and elaborate pipe organs ever built.

Yuma serves as a spring training ground for many different baseball teams. Even the Padres were here from 1969 to 1993.

The main natural attractions of Yuma are the sand dunes to the west and the Colorado river. Both are popular with the recreational vehicle crowd. Yuma is a nice place to visit but with the extreme heat in the summer and the lack of rain it is not a place that i would want to live in year around.

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resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuma,_Arizona

Casa Grande

editor — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:02:30 +0000

Casa Grande mountain

We left Mexico behind and journeyed back to Arizona. Halfway between Phoenix and Tuscon is the town of Casa Grande. Named for the old ruins and the mountain in the distance, the town was originally named Terminus and was founded in 1879. It was where the railroad ended.

Today Casa Grande is where interstate 8 ends as it merges into interstate 10. The first real growth of the town came in the 1930’s when the economic program called the New Deal funded a dairy and cotton farm collective. One of the towns founders was Thompson Rodney Peart. Peart Park, Peart road, and Peart Center are named after him.

In the last couple of decades the town has grown and become kind of a suburb to both Phoenix and Tuscon. Many people live in Casa Grande and commute to either Phoenix or Tuscon. Casa Grande now has a large outlet center on the south side of the town. Built on 100 acres of land there is over 1 million square feet of wholesale retail space.

In years past Casa Grande was the winter training ground for the San Francisco Giants. The Francison Grande hotel and Golf resort was where they trained. The hotel’s pool is shaped like a baseball bat and ball.

The area is arid desert and receives about 10 inches of rain a year. Temperatures are moderate in the winter High 65 low 38 in January and downright hot in the summer High 105 low 78 in July.

Average home prices are in the mid $200,000 range. Most are western ranch style homes. Casa Grande has a small 2 runway airport about 5 miles north of town. The runways are 5200 ft in length and designated 5 and 23.

Casa Grande is beginning to come into its own and is a long way from the sleepy Interstate rest stop of 20 years ago. We spent about a day exploring the town and countryside. The women spent the day looking for bargains at the outlet center.

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Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Grande,_Arizona

Puerto Vallarta

editor — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:58:38 +0000

Puerto Vallarta Fisherman's wharf

We left Mazatlan early in the morning and drove south. After many scenic stops we arrived in Puerto Vallarta in late afternoon. Puerto Vallarta is a town that sleeps during the day and comes alive at night. The town is on a bay and is the destination of several cruise ship lines. There is a nightly pirate ship cruise on the bay as well as fireworks that makes the night great fun.

The main part of town is along a cobbled wharf or way and after Sunset the clubs that line the cobbled way come alive with the may different bands and singers. The festivities spill out onto the cobbled way and fun and dancing is everywhere.

After a night of clubbing and dancing morning is the time to rest. Later in the afternoon you can go to old town and shop in the many shops and markets . Later you can take a ride on one of the small boats in the bay and go snorkeling among the schools of brightly colored tropical fishes.

Later you can have dinner at any of the small or large restaurants or cantinas then it is time to start another night of clubbing and dancing.

Accommodations in Puerto Vallarta vary from large hotels to small hotels to golf course communities where you can rent a whole house. Each small community of 6 or 7 houses has a small central square and shares a patio and pool. When you tire of the clubs and nightlife you can stay home and meet your neighbors. The people are from all over the world and old friends leave and return home and new people join the festivities.

In the morning you can have a continental breakfast by the pool and then play a round of golf at the local course. Before you know it your vacation time is over and it is time to wish Puerto Vallarta a fond farewell and return home refreshed and ready to take on life’s challenges.

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Mazatlan

editor — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:35:06 +0000

Mazatlan

This week we traded the east coast of Mexico and Monterrey for the west coast of Mexico and Mazatlan. We crossed over the desert and Mazatlan looked like a jewl by the water as we drove into town.

Until 1829 Mazatlan was just a small fishing village inhabited by native Indians. Machado, a Philippine banker arrived and by 1836 the fishing village was a commercial port of about 5000 people.

Mazatlan is also the second city to be aerial bombed from a biplane during the Mexican revolution 1910 to 1917. The bomb was a couple sticks of dynamite wrapped in leather with a bunch of nails. The bomb killed a couple people.

During the California gold rush miners would land on the east coast of Mexico make their way to Mazatlan and sail to San Francisco. The American Army occupied the city briefly during the Mexican American war 1846 - 1848.

Mazatlan put up the first lighthouse called El Faro in 1879. The lens was crafted in Paris. Today the lighthouse has a 1000 watt revolving light.

The movie industry discovered Mazatlan in the 1940’s ,1950’s, and 1960’s with stars like John Wayne, Gary Cooper, and John Huston.

Hotels and resorts sprung up. During the 1970″s Mazatlan went into decline as newer cities like Cancun, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta came into their own. Now that the century has turned, interest has returned and all the old resorts houses and hotels are being modernized and restored.

From sun warmed beaches to divers that jump off of tall cliffs, Mazatlan has a little of everything.

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resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazatl%C3%A1n

Monterrey Mexico

editor — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:24:56 +0000

Monterrey Cathedral

We left San Felipe and headed east into northern Mexico. The first major city we came to was Monterrey the capital of the Mexican State of Nuevo Leon. This town has much to see from the pink marble governors mansion to the glass museum, Museo del Vidrio to the largest shopping center in the world, plaza Fiesta de San Augustine, with over 350 shops. Silver and leather shops are everywhere.

Monterrey is surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains and is at 1740 feet (500 meters ) in altitude. There are many caves in the mountains and some of them have tours. Early Indians left many cave paintings to be enjoyed.

There are restaurants everywhere and you have your choice of traditional Mexican food or everything from Italian to Chinese and everything in between. If steak is your pleasure there are many fine steak houses. Most of the restaurants have shows and entertainment in the evenings to add to your dining experience. The area specialties are cabrito which is mesquite roasted baby goat and Arrachera which is marinated flank steak. Homesick for your favorite chain restaurants? Most of the major chain restaurants are here as well.

Looking for nightlife? Bario Antigua is the center of nightlife. There are many clubs with everything from Salsa to full theater productions.There are jazz and piano bars and even rodeos.

If museum exploring is your thing, Monterrey has many museums. Museo del Acero is the science museum, and there are history , art, glass, transportation, anthropology, and culture museums as well.

Metro Monterrey has about 3.9 million in population and the central Monterrey has 1.33 million people. the city was founded in 1596 and is the third largest city in Mexico.

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San Felipe and Puertecitos

editor — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:10:18 +0000

Baja road

Traveling south of Mexicali on Mexico highway 5 you arrive in San Felipe about 120 miles later. San Felipe is on the sea of Cortez in the northern part of the Gulf of California. The last 19 miles to San Felipe is a paved 4 lane highway. San Felipe is a popular spring break destination. The town has many hotels and restaurants several gas stations and an airport.

History

The area was discovered in 1535 by Cortez and the area was named in 1746 by father Konscak. The town was officially established in 1925 as a fishing camp. The town grew slowly until the 1960’s when hotels and nightclubs opened. One of the newest is the Rockodile club and a giant crocodile sign advertises this club as you approach San Felipe.

When you have seen San Felipe and want to get away from the noise and people a nice trip is Puertecitos. This town is located about 90 kilometers south of San Felipe at the end of the paved road. Puertecitos is on a small peninsula with the Gulf of California on the east and Puertecitos bay on the west side. The bay contains a hot springs. The hot springs is best enjoyed at about mid tide. At high tide it is about the same as the Gulf of California. At low tide it is too hot and will burn you. The town consists of about 200 dwellings and is a mixture of expatriots from the US and local Mexicans. Puertocitos is what San Felipe was before it was developed. It is a great place to relax and unwind. There are several campgrounds and a small hotel.

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Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puertecitos