A Week With A Geek

While there have been numerous problems and complaints about Facebook, I have to admit that Facebook enabled me to locate my best friend from high school, Shelley.  Shelley and I spent the summer of 1971 working at a factory whose assembly line was staffed with women only and the two of us middle class white bread innocents got an education there that we could never have gotten in school.  Working the 4 PM to midnight shift meant meant we had a lot of energy to work off at the end of shift so we would go to the dance clubs after work (while Shelley continued her college education) and we partied hard for a while.  When we each got married we stood up for each other at our respective weddings but then drifted apart after Shelley's divorce.

Notices began to appear on FB about our 40th high school reunion and that's when Shelley and I saw each other's name and got in touch.  In 2010 Denny and I were due to pass through the area in Colorado where Shelley now lived, but when we arrived in town Shelley had to fly back to Ohio as her mother had suddenly passed away.  We managed a brief meeting the night she flew back into town and a breakfast the next morning as we were leaving but had no time to catch up. 

This year our visit was complicated by the fact that the High Park wildfire was burning out of control in Fort Collins, Colorado and my buddy had taken on the responsibility of providing a temporary home for half of the wolves and wolf mixtures of the Wolf Sanctuary that was located in the area of the wildfire.   Temporary dog kennels were installed on her property and her large outbuilding was converted into an air conditioned pen for some of the wilder wolves.  So when Shelley wasn't working she had a lot going on at home helping in the care and feeding of these stressed out, beautiful animals.

Denny and I also got to meet Shelley's newest furkids that she adopted last year; this is Beauty.  You have to love that face (the dog's, not Denny--hee!)

The geeky part comes from what Shelley does; she has a whole bunch of letters after her name and is co-owner and CTO of a company that is involved in technology and research.  Part of her job involves checking the company's product under an electron microscope.  Shelley allowed me to accompany her to see what an electron microscope can do.  Running on 100 kilovolts (that's 100,000 volts mind you) I watched as Shelley magnified some of the particles she was studying to the 105,000 power.  As she explained it "think of it as looking at a house that sits a mile away.  Now visualize being able to see that same house from 105,000 miles away--that's the magnification of the microscope."  Totally geeky.  What was fascinating to see was the shapes that nature created when gold was added to seed particles in solution; rods, spheres and in a new experiment that didn't work out the way she wanted the shapes ended up as triangles, diamonds and pentagons (second photo below).  Remember, these photographs are of invisible to the naked eye; the particles are magnified 6600 times in the second photo.  Mind boggling.

Shelley, who is a vegan, also introduced me to the vegan lifestyle in the form of several meals out where I tried a variety of dishes that were incredibly tasty.  I can see that with an effort you could eat quite well without having to resort to smoothies for eating your vegetables and fruit.  I don't think at this stage of the game I could ever convert Denny to the lifestyle but I can see perhaps adding a few more meatless meals to my repertoire.

Our week flew by, Shelley and I still didn't get caught up with each other but we made a dent in the last 35+ years that have passed since we hung out together.  It was a great week despite the constant threat of wildfires around us and the occasional pall of smoke hanging over us.

And the wolves are finally back home in their sanctuary.

This One's for Linda

I promised my blogging buddy Linda from New Mexico that I would post photos of the burros at Custer State Park in South Dakota.  I haven't gotten a post together yet so I thought I'd upload a short video that Denny took while I was busy getting in a little donkey lovin'.  Enjoy.

Rocky Times

Almost exactly two years and one month ago Denny and I drove into the Rocky Mountain National Park expecting to spend a long day there.  We arrived on Memorial Day weekend, expecting big crowds and traffic tie ups.  That didn't happen, basically because Trail Ridge Road, the main loop of the park, was closed due to snow.  Our exploration was limited to Bear Lake Road which was the only road open to us at the time.  I chronicled that trip in photos here. Two years ago we walked along a lake that was still frozen, this time around there was barely any snow at all on any of the mountain peaks in the park.

This year there still weren't a lot of people at the park when we arrived mid-morning but I attribute that to the wildfires that were still out of control at Fort Collins and Colorado Springs; the area in Rocky Mountain N.P. was extremely hazy in many areas.  Denny and I were able to take our time driving up to the Alpine Visitor Center where we chose to turn around to head back to our campground so we could meet up with my friend Shelley in the evening.  It was hard to imagine that we were literally two miles up in the air at Alpine; I guess we had finally acclimated to the higher elevations from our recent weeks of travel in northern New Mexico and Colorado.  While at the overlook at the visitor center I offered to take some photographs of a group of Harley riders from Iowa; three couples and one gal on a trike who had spent the past two weeks traveling around Colorado before having to head back to their farms in Iowa.  Denny and I told them of our stint as rides operators at Adventureland Amusement park in Altoona, Iowa and how much we enjoyed the state and one of the men started talking about his farm equipment and how now farmers simply program the length and breadth of their fields and how much seed/fertilizer/weed control needs to be laid and the computers and GPS system take care of all the rest; the farmers don't even need to drive the equipment anymore--the machines do that for them.  Denny told him about having to stand in the hot sun tossing hay bales by brute strength into the back of a truck to take it to the barn for storage getting covered with itchy chaff in the meantime and how miserable that was when you're covered with sweat.  Times have changed, for sure.  Of course I just had to remind Denny that he was talking about an experience that occurred almost sixty years ago--the young man we were talking with wasn't even a glint in his father's eye at that point.  

Sometimes what we learn in our travels isn't quite what we expect, but it's always fun.

The Many Parks Overlook, looking towards the Alluvial Fan.

The waterfall in the Alluvial Fan area of the park.  This section was created in 1982 when an earthen dam broke releasing the waters of Lawn Lake.  29 million gallons of water were released which swept trees and giant boulders down hills and into the valley.  Fortunately a worker heard the water coming and notified park rangers who were able to clear out the campground that stood in the path of the raging waters.  Today you can climb up those boulders left behind and wander along the path of the falls.

The damage caused by pine beetles is evident in this photo; the thousand of dead and dying trees are what fuel the wildfires that are rampaging though the western states currently.  Notice the lack of snow on the higher peaks of the mountains within the park.

So many of my photos were hazy with smoke that I didn't bother to show them here.  Although Denny and I kept our eyes open for the bears, elk, antelope and big horn sheep  the only critters we saw were ground squirrels.  We enjoyed our day none the less and marveled at the difference in the park conditions between our two separate visits.  Perhaps the next time we swing by we'll try the autumn season--pre-snow, of course.

Lunch Among the Gods

One of the most visually striking areas we've explored is the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Denny and I had visited here years before when we stayed in the area for a week making sure we hit the tourist spots: the Air Force Academy, Manitou Springs, Pike's Peak and of course the city park known as the Garden of the Gods.  Donated to the city by the family of Charles E. Perkins, this four hundred and eighty acres has been, for the most part, left in its natural state.  In the summer tourist season it can be difficult to find a parking spot here but it's worth it to wander the grounds while ogling the many varied rock formations.  Here you can rock climb or take a trail ride or even explore the park by Segway if you want to be a bit more adventurous.  What you might find it difficult to do is find a picnic bench to enjoy your lunch while here; Denny and I ended up finding a hidden rock outcropping while we ate our lunch looking out towards Pike's Peak while a someone playing a bagpipe in the red rocks behind us serenaded us.  You just never know what you'll find while out wandering.

Just In Time For The Olympics

Having visited the Colorado Springs area in the past and seeing a lot of the standard tourist attractions like Pikes Peak, Manitou Springs and the Air Force Academy grounds Denny and I decided to take one of the free tours at the U.S. Olympic training center.

The guided tours last about 45 minutes and are lead by local athletes or Olympic athletes in training. Our particular guide this day was a young lady who is not an Olympic athlete but is a national ranking weight lifter in the 105 pound class who lives and trains in the area.

While you're waiting for your tour to begin you have the opportunity to tour the visitor center with its gift shop, Hall of Fame and displays of memorabilia.  To begin your tour you watch a brief video clip about the Olympics to get you excited about the experience, then you are lead outside to view a few of the buildings from behind closed doors and to be able to observe some of the athletes in training. 

Here at the Colorado Springs training facility the Olympic athletes are involved in the triathlon, fencing, pentathlon, wrestling, gymnastics, shooting, track and field, weightlifting, paralympic cycling, paralympic shooting, paralympic swimming and paralympic judo.

This is the indoor shooting range.  The two men to the right will be in this year's Olympics and they are practicing with air pistols.  The targets they are shooting at are the size of a silver dollar.  Incredible.  Click the photos to enlarge and note the men shoot with one hand in their pockets.

This is a residence hall.  This training center can house up to almost 600 athletes and coaches.  Once here, the athletes are provided with their room and board along with the training; only athletes that are in the top 10-15% of their sport will be invited to train here.

A brief aside; the grounds are beautifully landscaped and well maintained.  I noticed this "black" petunia with a yellow star inside.  Gorgeous.

Above Denny's head is the Olympic record for the high jump while Denny is stretching to show that his "wingspan" is the same as that of Michael Phelps, Olympic gold medal winner in swimming.

Female weightlifters and wrestlers do their strength training in this area.  Note the huge chain at the bottom of the photograph; the ladies pick the chain up and waggle it like the one gal is doing with the huge ropes.

One of the female athletes getting ready to do a clean and jerk. I have no idea of the amount of weight on that bar but I know I couldn't lift it!

More strength and endurance training.

The main walkway of the Olympic training center.  The flags lining the walkway are those of all the countries that compete in the Olympics.

Metal sculptures abound, all representing the various sports of the Olympics.

We were not allowed to entire the swimming complex but those red barrels in front are used for strength training.  Ropes are attached to the swimming by a belt around their waist; the barrels are weighted and the swimmer must swim across the pool with that weight as resistance.  I'd drown.

There is a pleasant outdoor seating area where you can have lunch or just sit and enjoy the activity going on at the complex.  There are always athletes wandering around (or limping in the case of several the day we visited) and there is much to read in the various informational pedestals placed around the grounds.

After touring the grounds of the training center Denny and I headed to the Garden of the Gods for our picnic lunch.  But that's for another post.

A Hot Time in Colorado

Today there is a pall of smoke over the town of Loveland and surrounding areas.  The news lists the various wildfires erupting all over Colorado; the still growing and uncontained High Park fire west of Fort Collins, Colorado Springs where people in Manitou Springs were subject to a mandatory evacuation yesterday after a wildfire spread to more than 2,000 acres of land engulfed and Estes Park where several historic homes burned down yesterday afternoon.  Denny and I had left Monument, Colorado which is the next town north of Colorado Springs on Friday and we're currently located about 17 miles east of Estes Park.  Out of the frying pan into the fire it seems.  While the Estes Park fire was contained, the other two burn unabated and the firemen are even losing ground at the High Park fire northwest of us.

Smoke from the High Park fire billows over the hills as seen from my friend's house in Loveland, Colorado.

As I mentioned in a previous post, my girlfriend Shelley has opened her land and her house to the wolves and the staff of the Wolf Sanctuary that is located west of Fort Collins and currently in the heart of the fire area.  Temporary shelters have been built for the more tame wolves and wolfdogs and misters have been purchased to try to alleviate some of the intense 100 degree heat we're currently suffering through.  Some of the wolves are adapting better than others, but all of them are traumatized by the move, the surroundings and the heat.

This is Rajan, one of the wolf mixes that is acclimated to humans.  He will eventually be used as a wolf ambassador to promote the cause of the Wolf Sanctuary.

Some of the kennel runs in Shelley's back yard.

This is one of the shyer wolfdogs who is rather traumatized by the situation of being moved and placed in a much smaller, strange environment.

Shelley and Rajan.

This is Vi and one of the wolves; Vi and her husband Frank operate the Wolf Sanctuary and both of them along with a cadre of volunteers are working desperately to keep the wolves healthy and calm in an unusual situation.

How can you not love a face like this?

Pax is curious but very nervous in her new surroundings.

Shelley, Denny and I went out for breakfast and to run some errands yesterday.  Bailey, Shelley's Golden Retriever, goes with her everywhere and was a bit tuckered out by the heat.  He's a lover.

To the north the High Park fire's smoke was still billowing but a little further to the south and west we had a bit of a nice sunset yesterday.

Frank and Vi have been unable to get any good answers as to the status of the Wolf Sanctuary from the people working the fire at this point.  They know that some of the outbuildings have burned down and have heard that the fire has started back up in some areas that had been under control so they don't know if any of the property will be usable once the fire is out.  If all of the trees burn down, there will be no habitat or shade for the wolves and a new home will have to be found for the sanctuary.  So they are not only worried about the current health and well being of all their animals but they have no idea whether or not there will still be a wolf sanctuary when the fire is finally under control.

If you would like to learn more about the Wolf Sanctuary, click here.

Random Post from the Past--July 1999

While awaiting the Dell computer tech, I decided to look through some of the old files on the laptop I'm using in the meantime.  I discovered some of the files from my original Yahoo geocities website which was my first attempt at "blogging" about our travels.  Yahoo has since eliminated the Geocities websites so I'm going to dust off a few journal entries at random as soon as I can get the external hard drive hooked up to find the photographs that originally accompanied this particular post.  As a side note, Roo was our 1994 Bounder motorhome that was our first "full timers" mode of transportation.  Although we purchased it new in 1994, we only lasted a year in it as full time travelers as we discovered the roominess of fifth wheel trailers in November of 1998 and purchased our first one in December of 1999.

		July 1999
	We turned Roo's nose towards New Hampshire next.  Our campground was the Twin Mountain Motor Court & RV Park, Twin Mountain, NH.  We had a beautiful view of the mountains, plus a steep trail led down to a wide stream behind the campground where Mouse and I could watch fly fishermen entice trout.  We spent our entire week here driving, going up to Conway to see the sales tax-free outlet shops and take a sightseeing train around the mountains, playing golf in Bethlehem (where there were granite bounders in the middle of one fairway!) and visiting Franconia Notch State Park and seeing the famous Great Stone Face immortalized by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  When people ask about our favorite places, the White Mountains of New Hampshire immediately come to mind.  Every roadway has a crystal clear stream tumbling over granite boulders running beside it, with waterfalls and cascades appearing along side the roads suddenly.  I can't even begin to imagine how beautiful it would be in the fall! The covered bridge at Franconia Notch State Park. A wayside waterfall; all along the roadways in the area of the White Mountains in New Hampshire you'll discover small waterfalls and granite filled creek beds bubbling over with crystal clear water.  Men fly casting fascinated me as it was the first time I had ever seen anyone fly fishing. Crawford's Notch--just a beautiful stop on a day long sightseeing trip.  Of course I wish I could take the photographs all over again with today's much better digital cameras. The walk up to "The Flume", the waterfall at White Mountain National Park in New Hampshire.   At the top of the Flume. The Whirlpool, a very large natural catch basin of mountain spring water at White Mountain National Park. I was thrilled to see "The Great Stone Face" of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel and crushed when several years later the "face" slid off the side of the mountain despite the best attempts of man to anchor the rock. While we wanted to stay longer, the lure of lobsters pulled us into Maine.  Our first stop was the Red Barn Campground in Holden, ME.  Lots of kids here, but a nice, clean park convenient to Bangor (it was here that ignorant Buckeyes learned to pronounce the capitol city as Bang-gor instead of Bang-her).  Lots and lots of lobster.  Lots.  Messy, wonderful lobster.  We did do the obligatory drive to Bar Harbor but were so turned off by the crowds that we made an immediate one block loop through town and headed back to explore Acadia National Park, which was much less crowded and certainly more scenic!  We just aren't into crowds and touristy little craft shops.  Part of that is that we have no room for knick-knacks and wouldn't pay the prices they charge anyway.  Golf that week was at Herman Meadow Golf Club in Bangor.   The Bar Harbor Lighthouse. It was time to head into Canada, where Denny made the mistake of telling Canadian Customs that we were full timers.  We were immediately pulled over and subjected to a very thorough search of both Roo and Sassy.  Needless to say, I was very unhappy as I had to hold a struggling, frightened cat in my arms outside while they were searching inside as we didn't bring a cat carrier with us since Mouse didn't travel outside the rig.  I finally threw her into the car, but had to drag her out when they wanted to search the car- did I say that there was also a drug dog involved?  Not a pleasant experience.  I discovered later that the custom's officers assume that all full time RVers carry guns.  Thank goodness Denny didn't mention he was a retired police officer!  But we had left his pistol with our oldest son, knowing that guns weren't allowed in Candad.  Then we had to pay duty charges due to having too much booze; we should have told them to confiscate it as it would have been cheaper to buy new!  A very educational border crossing. We spent a week in New Brunswick at the Heritage Farm Campground in Mactaquac, New Brunswick.  A nice campground that accepts the Passport discount and is near to golf courses.  We visited King's Landing where the employees dress the part of early settlers and act as if it's really the late 1800s on a farm.  The horse-powered saw was fascinating and we learned how ingenious man can be.  It is definitely worth stopping to see if you happen to be in the area.  And now I'm wishing I had taken more time to elaborate on the places we visited back then, but I was more interesting in living what we were doing than writing about it. I'll be inserting more of these early journal entries at random.  Now it's time to step away from the computer.