Lonesome Laramie

After touring the prison, we decided to go to the downtown area of Laramie.  I think there were more people at the prison than all of their downtown area!  It's a very pretty and well preserved town, but how in the world can the businesses survive without customers?

 For over 60 years people in Laramie would say, "Meet me at the clock" and everyone would know what they were talking about.

Since Don is not enamored of window shopping, the "task" was left to Doris and me.  I was so glad that she was along as we wandered through the stores, eventually coming across this antique stove and cute stuffed moose.  He reminded me of Bullwinkle.

 I think one of the most beautiful buildings in Laramie is the local Catholic church.  The stonework is absolutely amazing.

I always notice the old paintings on the buildings, like this one for Chesterfield cigarettes.  I wonder, do they still make them any more?  In the 50 's and 60's, they were very popular.  Now, if you live in Colorado, they have been replaced by marijuana joints.  

 We found Don still sitting in the truck, waiting for us.  Time for some coffee at the local Coal Creek Coffee shop where the 3 of us shared a small piece of coffee cake.

The last stop was by the old Laramie train depot.  That was closed for a special event, but we did get to take pictures of the old snow train once used in this part of the country.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable day.  We had a history lesson at the territorial prison, Doris and I spent a little time in the downtown shops and enjoyed the scenery of southern Wyoming.  This is a view of the Snowy Mountain Range as we drove back to Colorado.

Wondering and Wandering in Wyoming

Our day trip took us to Laramie, the site of the Wyoming Territorial Prison, which was in operation as a federal prison from 1872 to 1890, and then as a state prison from 1891 to 1903.  We lucked out this day, not only was it the best weather we had in a week, but there was no entry fee for that day!  Score!

I guess this is what we might have looked like if we had the "pleasure" of having our picture taken with Butch Cassidy and other criminals.  I guess they wouldn't have had sunglasses those days.  Oh, well.

Don was walking along the porch to the warden's house as I took the picture  The house was built in 1875 by the prisoners for a total cost of $3000.  It had 4 bedrooms and stone was quarried out of the nearby river for the large basement.

Work in the prison was mandatory.  There were no workout rooms, TV's or even radios to listen to.  Rules were numerous, and prisoners could only talk to each other outside, and then it had to be related to the work they were doing.    They had to keep their cells immaculate, and air and dust their bedding twice a week.  They could write letters to loved ones only once a month.  However, they were allowed to smoke or chew in their cells!  I can imagine that was one place where smoke was as thick as an ocean fog.

Doris was ahead of me, and was checking out one of the cells used by the convicts.  I bet it was mighty cold in there at times.  In 1875 the convicts took out 700 tons of ice from the nearby river, and exchanged it for coal to be used to heat the prison.

Prisoners did escape, but if they were recaptured, it was not a pretty picture.  One document told of  Convict #182 escaping through the cellar.  When he was found, he was put in the dungeon and cuffed to the ceiling for 14 days and subsequently shackled with a ball and chain for another 6 months.  Yikes!

There was one story that had a positive outcome.  In June, 1877 Clark Pelton started his stage robbing career.  In November, 1877, he was arrested in Deadwood, South Dakota for armed robbery and served time in a St. Paul, Minnesota prison.  After that, he was tried for the murder of Adoph Cuny and sentenced to 4 years in the Wyoming Territorial Prison.  After he was pardoned, he became a successful businessman and merchant, owning a mining claim and a ranch.

He was a friend of the University of Wyoming, a member of various lodges and raised a family.  In fact, he was one of the first men in the area to offer shares in his company to employees!

The rest of the convicts didn't turn out so well.    Minne Huelett Snyder and her husband were convicted of manslaughter and during their imprisonment were not allowed to speak to each other.

Many of the inmates blamed their actions on their addiction to morphine, which was readily available at that time.  I guess some things never change (except now there are no ads for morphine!).

Look at the photo below.  How old do you think this guy is?  I guessed he was in his early teens, but the records showed William Nash as being 21 upon his arrival  He was arrested for check forgery.

But by far, the most infamous of all the convicts here was Butch Cassidy.  He first got into trouble at the tender age of 13.  He was smart, shrewd and he researched all of the places he robbed before hand.  Even the Pinkerton agency and all the law enforcement agencies couldn't outwit him.

The display on the wall marked all the different places he robbed.  Some were banks, others were train robberies.  He was active in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Montana and New Mexico.  He had a large network of friends who could hide him and give him cover when needed.

Below is a photo of a passenger train that was blown up in 1899 with dynamite. Only the safe and the train car were affected.  No passengers were hurt.

Here is a picture of him looking quite dapper.  Guess he had enough money to buy the best of everything during the height of his career.  All the other men in this picture were criminals, those being shot to death, hung from the gallows, committing suicide to prevent capture, and imprisonment.  Only Butch Cassidy's fate has never been confirmed.

Some say that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were killed in a gun fight in Bolivia.  The bodies were never identified.  However, his sister published a book in 1975, claiming that he returned home as the prodigal son to his family in Utah.  He joined his bachelor brothers and lived on a sheep camp on a mountain above the family homestead.

So, are you still wondering about what happened to him?  So am I!

Benson Sculpture Park

Don's sister, Doris, came over and stayed with us for a week and we thought we'd take the opportunity to show her the wonderful sculpture park in Loveland.  Not only is it a great place to walk around and see the plethora of statues, it is absolutely free!

As you can see from the above picture, Doris was multi-tasking! She was talking on the phone and enjoying the sculpture.  Isn't technology great?  Don grabbed a seat on the other side, probably to avoid the camera!

Even though it wasn't very warm that day, the bronze was very hot to the touch!    Doris didn't lean against it very long, and we were off walking to see the rest of the park.  The new sculptures below were added last year, and are called "Cotton and Clementine".  From the side view, it's a little hard to figure out the faces.

The "Taking Watch" statue with the cougar is made of Cor-Ten and steel, which is a little unusual, since the majority of those in the park are bronze.  This was also added last year.  The big cat looks a little sad.  Maybe it's been a while since he has caught anything.

I loved the details on this one.  It's called "Old Friends".  Somehow, I find it odd being friends with pigeons, who are such a nuisance everywhere.  Our former exterminator (the bug guy) called them flying rats!  Once they make a nest on your roof or by your house, it's extremely hard to get rid of them.  They will even make nests in the spikes designed to keep them out, as our daughter, Heidi, can attest to!

There were also many sculptures across the street, which Doris and I checked out while Don waited patiently in the truck (he was done and dusted, so to speak).  The whimsical statue is called "Book Peddlers".  The guy on top is balancing on books while the guy on the bike looks like he is having trouble peddling.

Another cute one of a cowgirl is titled "Pretty in Chinks".  I'm partial to the bronze sculptures that also have color on them, as this one did.   That being said, I could easily skip over the modern art sculptures done in stainless steel.  Most of them had us wondering how in the world they came up with the names/sculptures!  Made no sense to us three at all.

Last, but not least, is this wonderful depiction of a Grandfather and Granddaughter, titled, "Grandpa the Storyteller" by Victor Issa.  It was donated to the city of Loveland in loving memory of Pastor Tawfic Issa.  Also posted on the description is the reference to Bible passage John 3:16.

May or December???

The drive from Cherry Creek included rain , which turned into snow.  This is the view from our truck as we neared Boyd Lake State Park.  Was this really May???  It sure looks like the landscape when we visit in December for Christmas.  Were we in some kind of time warp?

Our site, right next to Ron and Patty, was waiting for us and so were they.  Homemade soup that Patty had made for us hit the spot.  There is something about soup and chili tasting extra special when it is cold outside.

Brr!  It was freezing and the wind was blowing so hard that the snow was going sideways.  Don pulled the trailer into the site so we could hook up to electricity, and that is all.  We never even put out the slides, making it very cozy (err....crowded) inside.  No TV was available since it was behind the bottom slide.  It could have been worse....we could have been in a tent.  And we are way, way too old for that to happen.

The next days saw much  better weather.   Here are the views from our kitchen window on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Winter, Spring and Summer all within 3 days! That is Colorado weather for you.  If you don't like it, just wait until tomorrow....or maybe even the same day.

I was really thankful when I found my hiking boots that had waited several years for me in the trailer.  My tennis shoes sure wouldn't have kept my feet warm and dry, that's for sure.

The best part was that I had a chance to build a snowman (or should I say snow woman)!  I couldn't have done that back in Phoenix, even in the winter.  Isn't she cute with the flowers on her head?  In her former life, I think she was a hippie flower child.  At any rate, she didn't last long.  By the next morning, she had completely melted.

Moral of the story:  Live your life to the fullest each day, for you never know what tomorrow may bring.  If you're made out of snow, the sun will turn you first into a slushy, and then into plain old cold water.

Surprise!

We all know the weatherman can be wrong 50% of the time, and still retain his/her job.  This time, the weather predictions were wrong.  And not in a good way.  The snow came in one day early, leaving us a bit unprepared.  Ugh!

This is what our site at Cherry Creek State Park looked like yesterday afternoon.

The campground sure looked different this morning!  This is a view out our back window.

And here is a view from our slide:

Good news:  it is nice and warm inside our rig.  We both can drink our coffee and enjoy the views.
Bad news:  we have to be out of our site tonight.  The campground is completely full, which means we have to leave by noon, unless someone cancels and we are lucky enough to get their spot.  Otherwise, we will have to travel up to Loveland on the interstate.  Right now, we have to wait and see what God has planned for us.

Lovely Lathrop

After our first night in Albuquerque, we headed north, and made another overnight stop at Lathrop State Park.  It's located near the small town of Walsenburg, in southern Colorado.

As we approached the state park, we had a wonderful view of the snow covered Spanish Peaks.  The Ute Indians named them Huajatolla (pronounced Wa-ha-toy-a), which means two breasts!

Before we even drove to our site, I had to get a picture of the fountain at the Visitor Center.  Don waited patiently in the truck, as usual.  After all these years, he has become used to my stopping to take pics of things that catch my eye.

We settled into our site in Loop B.  I took pictures while Don filled up the fresh water tank.  Sounds fair to me....

At this point, it was warm, with just a slight breeze.  As the day progressed, that would change.  We had a short window to explore before the temperature would drop and the wind would increase in velocity.  We walked over to Huajatolla Cove, which is part of Martin Lake.

Nearing the water's edge, we heard splashing.  As you can see, almost half the fishes' bodies were showing above the very shallow water.  This would have been the time to go retrieve our fishing pole.....if we had one.  We probably could have just skipped the pole and scooped them out with a net.

As we headed back, I turned around and noticed how the lake had changed, taking on a more ominous look to it.  Behind it, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains looked like they were about to be enveloped by the darker, black thunder clouds.   We did wind up with heavy rain and gusty wind later on in the evening, making us thankful that we were snug and cozy inside our tiny home.

Summer Time, and the Livin' is Easy...

A few weeks ago, the temperature in Phoenix was in the triple digits.  To be more specific, the thermometer on the back porch showed 109!  Yikes!  We knew then it was time to head for cooler country for the summer:  Colorado!

We transition from our stationary home:

to our tiny mobile home:

Each has it's own good points and drawbacks.  The trailer lets us escape the stifling Phoenix heat that seems to last well into October.   We also leave behind yard work, cable TV, a large kitchen and an extra bathroom, etc. 

 Summer in Colorado means more time outside, enjoying campfires with our friends, Ron and Patty Schorr, re-connecting with other camp hosts at Boyd Lake State Park, plus being much closer to our other two children and grandchildren.  Cookie baking will be put on the back burner until we get home again.  The oven is way too small, and there isn't a lot of counter space.  Don always seems to be able to get his granddaughters to make him chocolate chip cookies before we leave, which he watches over like a hawk!

 If you have a chance, stop by to visit us at Boyd Lake, or maybe we can meet somewhere for lunch!  Hope you have a great summer.  I know we will!