Palo Duro State Park

Monday, April 29

"Nothing to make a shadow", that was the first thing to pop into my mind as we left the rolling green of northern Texas Hill Country and entered the plains area of the Texas panhandle. Flat....as far as the eye can see, the sky becomes so large it dwarfs even the modern day wind generators slowly rotating above the dwarfed farm houses and outbuildings. 

Sometimes it's a lone windmill, other times the entire farm seems to have been given over to "wind farming".  The book title I mention above was written by a woman recalling her very early days as a settler on the plains of South Dakota. I wonder what she would think of the Texas plains. Not much in the way of shadows here, even now.  

I can't begin to imagine the surprise of those who arrive from the eastern states so many years ago, traveling across the miles and miles of flat-flat-flat land known as the Great Plains, only to come upon this, an 800 foot deep canyon laced with layers of red and white with glistening rivers and creeks flowing through a small forest of trees and shrubs.

We're staying in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The Spanish name "Palo Duro", which translates to "hard wood" refers to the Rocky Mountain junipers that grow here. The canyon also contains mesquite (also a very hard wood), cottonwood, willow, western soapberry and hackberry. A variety of shrubs and other greenery fill the canyon floor, especially this time of year when many things are in full bloom.

The early development of Palo Duro Canyon as a park relied largely on the work of the Civilian Conservation Corp. First came the road, a fascinating and very steep involving many switchbacks. Then came the El Coronado Lodge. The building serves as the visitor center and gift shop today, but a photo tells of the rustic luxury of the Mission era when it was first completed.

The many retaining walls and stone bridges found throughout the park are also the work of the CCC. 

Palo Duro Canyon was formed over millions of years. of water erosion by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River with a bit of help from the famous the West Texas wind. The cliffs, gullies, layers of color and ever changing shadows are a joy to watch as the lighting changes during the day. Some of the formations have been given fanciful names, like the Lighthouse, taken as the symbol of the canyon. We also learned about the Sad Monkey, which can be viewed from the area behind the Old West Stables. 

Many years ago there was a small railroad that ran in that area, providing visitors with ongoing narrative about the canyon and it's history during the ride. The name "Sad Monkey was inspired by a rock formation, and the sprit is kept alive in the name of a mercantile just outside the park. The historical Sad Monkey Railroad is no longer running, a victim of regulations and insurance costs, it has been restored and sits on display in Neblett Park in the nearby town of Canyon. In 2019 a state historic marker was placed near the train display in the park. The tracks have been removed and bits of them are available on Ebay as souvenirs. 

The nearby town of Canyon (20 miles away) is worth visiting, if not for the train, then for a visit to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the beautiful collection of artifacts, art, and cultural presentations. This is truly a beautiful museum, with the most artistic, informative and professional presentations of historic artifacts, art objects, and the range of cultures in the area over time. I couldn't help taking a few photos, though it's difficult to truly present the experience without being there. 

The Native Americans knew about Palo Duro canyon long before the settlers arrived of course, they had been living in the canyon and hunting the abundant wildlife for generations. That fact and the desire for the settlers of the westward movement led to the Red River War. (more here Red River War) It was not just one simple battle, but part of a process over several years that led to the complete destruction of the Native American culture in the plains area. The Panhandle-Plains Museum does an excellent job of illustrating the complexities of the cultural changes of those times. 

The park is a network of trails and offers surprising things to discover along the way. We heard the turkeys long before we saw them, and it took some serious hunting to find the dugout style cabin. Wildflowers and shrubs we've never seen before decorate the slopes, and there are several small creeks crossing the trails. Horses, bicycles, dogs and humans are all welcome here. 

Our site is #90 in the Mesquite Camp area. It's a great site, with  couple of drawbacks. The first is, there is a giant dumpster placed exactly where a vehicle needs access to in order to make the swing when backing a trailer into the space. The second is that the shelter and picnic table assigned to this site are actually closer to the adjacent site than to this one. This is probably the result of changes in site design over the years, and we have a table of our own as well as the shade of the awning so all is well. We have lots of space and a great view to the canyon out the back window. 

The dogs are loving all the room for sniffing, and the many trails for our frequent walks. Though all the spaces seem to be occupied by evening this doesn't seem to be an especially busy time of year for the park.   

The book mentioned is  Nothing to Make a Shadow. Faye Cashatt Lewis. 1940

 More photos in the album, along with some explanatory notes. 

    

Fredericksburg with the family

Planning an outing this summer has been a challenge, primarly due to the unrelenting heat! We finally decided to just knuckle under and do it! 

Our grandsons are both fascinated with WWII history, primarily the weapons, ships, vehicles, etc. They're not quite into the biographies yet. We proposed a trip up to The National Museum of the Pacific War, in Fredericksburg. It's a little less than a 2 hour drive away, so even the boys don't mind driving for that long. We departed  mid-day on Tuesday, August 16 for the 4 day trip. 

Fredericksburg city has created a wonderful city park complex that includes a campground, and much more. It seemed like a perfect place for us, and we arranged a hotel room 6 minutes away for Kendra and the boys - knowing the pool would be a big hit. 

Steve drove the rig while I picked up the family in the van. When we're staying fairly close to home this arrangement works well. It gives us much more flexibility when traveling in close quarters like city attractions. It also gives us the option of going two seperate ways in smaller groups. By 4:00 we were all settled in. Kendra and boys were swimming and I was exploring the city park with the dogs while Steve took a much deserved break.  

The city planners did a great job, in my opinion, of arranging the design of the entire park area. It includes not only multiple types of athletic facilities, including a golf course, baseball fields, etc. but also a nature center with several very interesting hiking trails and group facilites all over the park. 

A short hike down one of the closest trails was the perfect way to get the blood moving after the drive. The dogs loved it of course, but were annoyed that I kept stopping to take photos. 

The "nature center" aspect of the park includes an emphasis on butterfly attracting plants, so I learned about some new natives I hadn't encountered before. There is no physical "center" as such,  but several plantings that feature special plants and landscaping features are scattered around the park.  There are several "twig" structures, ornate garden ornaments, and areas of carefully tended native blooming shrubs to attract both animals and humans. This twig enhanced ramada covers a comfortable bench with a view of the garden.  

After a swim the family came to the campsite for dinner and a bit of relaxing. The camping area is adjacent to the Gillespie County Airport, which is just busy enough to be interesting. With a few private planes and some fire fighting planes taking off the boys had airplane spotting as evening entertainment. Texas A&M Forest Service has a Fredericksburg office at the airport and houses several of their planes there, so during the high fire season, as we're experiencing now, they are quite active. Activity seems to stop in the late evening so noise isn't a problem.They have several of the Air Tractor AT-802F model, shown here at takeoff.

On Wednesday we went straight to the main feature, the Museum of the Pacific War.

 Fredericksburg was the birthplace of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who commanded Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II. Justly proud of the connection, there is a lot of support in the community for the museum. The museum is a complex that includes several seperately housed collections featuring not only the war but the man Nimitz himself. 

Part of the the museum is contained within the hotel that was owned by Nimitz's grandfather, and in which he lived for several years. The museum displays are interactive, appealing to young visitors, with several short videos and many examples of vehicles, weapons and equipment. Informational posters include historic details, for those who want to move slowly and absorb more of the history.

Some of the many displays are just too large to capture in a photo! further impressing the boys.  Jaxen especially has studied many aspects of WWII, so was really excited to see displays of specific battles he knew something about. Raylan was more impressed with the tanks, guns, planes, and the various Q&A interactive displays that he knew (almost) all of the answers to. 

We finished the day with dinner at the Auslander.  The restaurant is a fixture in Fredericksburg, established 20 years ago. The name means "foreigner" reflecting he fact that the community was settled by German immigrants. This restaurant serves a menu reflecting the area of Germany known as Bavaria. And excellent food it is! We really enjoyed our meal. 

The next day we headed over to the Pacific Combat Zone museum, which is part of the overall museum, but housed in a seperate building a block away. 

Displays here include a TBM torpedo bomber 

displayed as though waiting to be armed while on the hanger deck, a model of the USS Enterprise, the PT-309 named "Oh, Frankie" after the skipper of the boat met Frank Sinatra prior to shipping overseas.

There is also a large amphitheater for presentation of reinactments and other programs. 

We had seen all the displays in time for lunch, so headed back to camp. We had been looking at the Airport Diner across the tarmac from our site and decided to give it a try. 

It's a 1940's style diner, very comfortable and they've really set the mood with model planes suspended from every light fixture, and some wonderful watercolors of planes done by a local artist Lance Von Prum. You can see some of his amazing work here.

Unfortunately the light reflection makes a big hole in the one that was near our table, and Jax isn't really sad, he's just hungry!

On our final day we made a quick return to the Pacific Combat Zone in order to watched a presentation of a M2-2 flame thrower. 

The setting is very realisitic and gives the reinactors plenty of room to simulate actual battle. You can see the palm trees suffered greatly from our freeze last winter. 

A group of reinactors introduced themselves and their roles on the "combat assult team", descriping the actions they would take in actual battle. They then gave us a demonstration of the weapon's (literal!) fire power. The heat could be felt all the way back into the audience and the boys were quite impressed! I can only imagine what the operator feels while using that weapon.

Following the demonstration everyone scurried to the fire extinguishers. The two tanks of fuel carried on the operator's back were totally consumed during the short burts. In the time it would take him to load new tanks he would be very vulnerable to attack, one of the many aspects of team work that presentation covered.

Normally the reinactors actually do a simulated battle, 

but the weather was so hot and humid that they begged off, and I don't blame them. One last quick tour through the gift shop and it was time to depart. 

The trip home was uneventful, and I think we all had a successfful trip. The kids very much enjoyed the pool and time to swim, and as it turns out, a highlight was the snack machine at the hotel. They'd never used a vending machine before! Time to unpack the RV now!

more pics in the photo album here

Gulf Coast Trip

Flexibility - that's our theme song.......We had plans for a summer trip, reservations made and everything, but fate intervened....again!

Our youngest dog, Watch, had been having trouble with his back legs so we took him to the vet. He had done well on our trip to Goliad but suddenly seemed to be having more pain. The short story is, he needed bilateral TPLO surgery on both back legs for torn ligaments. By the time he had recovered the summer was in full swing and so were the fires raging all over the western states, where we were originally headed. So, another summer at home!  The surgery and recovery were a long haul, but he's as good as new now (maybe even better!) and able to travel. 

When Kendra announced she had promised the boys a trip to Corpus Christi to visit the USS Lexington and the Texas State Aquarium, and invited us along, we jumped at the chance!  

It was a super trip in spite of the heat and humidity, we have enough of that at home so it wasn't a big surprise. 

Our first outing was to the USS Lexington - the boys were so excited they just couldn't wait to try out the guns on display at the entrance. 

We knew the temperature would climb really quickly so we toured the flight deck first. The whole deck is covered with a variety of aircraft, many of which are on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.

The website for the Lexington has information on a lot of the individual planes, as well as the ship itself. One is currently being refurbished, and it was interesting to see the work that was being done on it.  There were opportunities to sit in, touch and pose with the aircraft, so lots of great photo opportunities.   

Touring the ship is a rich experience in history and what life on a carrier was like, but wow! are there a lot of stairs! 

Elevators are available in many areas for those who can't navigate the ships steep stairs, but the boys loved climbing the stairs as they have seen in movies and videos, comparing their preferred techniques with each other as they navigated the steep steps and railings. 

Getting all the way up to the bridge provide a bigger challenge than some of us wanted to tackle, but Raylan worked his way all the way to the top
- his reward was the ability to "adjust" every one of the many brass dials, knobs and wheels.

A quick lunch in the "mess deck cafe" gave us an opportunity to cool off before touring the below deck sections. The ship is a maze of small rooms set up to illustration various aspects such as sick bay, officers quarters, and displays of models of various military aircraft and ships, all contributed by military history enthusiasts.  The detailed work done on man of the models was very impressive!

A final touch for the boys was a session in the flight simulator, located on the hanger deck. The attraction's promo states "If you have nerves of steel, join the men and women in the Training Exercise “Screaming Eagles” and hope that it is just the eagle that screams!" I was a little concerned that the experience might be a bit much for little 7 year old Raylan, but he thoroughly enjoyed it, as did Jaxen.

By early afternoon we all agreed it was time to head back to camp and the cool comfort of the trailer. 

By evening the weather had cooled a bit and we enjoyed sitting outside, enjoying the view while the boys busied themselves in the sandy "beach" and playground down by the office. 

The following day we were up and out early as we headed for the Texas State Aquarium, again, we wanted to get ahead of the heat as much a possible. We started out with the dolphin show and when that was over we admired the many sculptures along the way - many made from recycled/found materials and some cast in bronze.

Raylan was especially fond of the "found" items sculptures - colorful sea creatu
res made of plastic items like bottles, discarded plastic gardening tools, parts of games, all found along the beaches of the gulf. 

We stopped at one pool area and enjoyed petting the rays - they have an interesting texture and I had no idea we have four kinds here in the gulf! Unfortunately, with all the reflections, they are hard to catch in a photo. Jaxen has always had a fascination with sharks, so he was quite excited at the opportunity to pet baby sharks, as well as watching some of the larger ones swimming in the huge tanks.

I was able to capture the boys watching sea horses from inside a bubble - a novel experience and a really good way to watch the little creatures.

We really enjoyed all the displays of the smaller animal life too - all well done, and with excellent posting of information next to each.  As Kendra commented, we're glad the boys can read all that themselves now!  

We were still a little tired from the day before so called it a day a little earlier than we might have otherwise, and Kendra and the boys had to drive back home so the timing worked out well and we all counted it a very successful trip. 

While we were in Corpus Christi we stayed at the Corpus Christi KOA Journey. Steve had  researched several camping possibilities and settled on it.  The campground is situated  behind Mustang Island, so the water is calm and there isn't any surf.  

The campground has nice grassy sites, some with individual dog kennels and some with fire pits and extra paved patio space. The restrooms, showers and laundry facilities are nice too. We checked out the little camp store which has bait and beer (all the essentials you know!) and a few other grocery items. The staff are all very friendly folks, and we really enjoyed our stay!

Trinidad, on the Santa Fe Trail - Where Cultures Meet

Friday, August 19
It was 34 degrees when we woke up this morning - better than yesterday's 29 but still a might chilly for August. We packed up quickly (moving keeps you warm!) and were on the road by 9:00, our destination is Trinidad State Park.

What a beautiful drive from Molly Brown campground. We soon left the pine forest behind and found ourselves in lush range land, with ranches and rolling pastures dotted with cattle. That terrain evolved into sage and juniper, high desert, then the trees grew bigger and we were in forest again.
All of it beautiful, with interesting mountains in the distance. As we drew closer to Trinidad the rock grew redder, a nice contrast to the cloudy sky.

We were setting up in Trinidad State Park by around 3 P.M. and it was in the mid 80's. Siesta inspiring for all concerned!

After dinner an evening stroll around the immediate portions of the campground was very enjoyable, as we are still high enough that the evenings cool off quickly.

This is a very nice park, with several access points on the water for fishing and boating. We're staying in Carpios Ridge Campground, which has nicely graveled sites, most fairly level, some with a view of the lake, but there's no swimming for human or canine unless you can find one of the little muddy fingers of the lake.

In most places the shore is too steep to make swimming practical.  Boating, water skiing, fishing, hiking, etc. are all accommodated, so, sorry pups, maybe at the next stop! They've done a fairly nice job of spacing sites around the loops, but of all the campgrounds we've stayed in on this trip, other than Prineville this is probably the least private site we've had. There are a few trails around the edges so at least we have interesting walking spaces.

There are interpretive kiosks all around the park.
One, near the amphitheater, features a horno, a primitive oven used by Native Americans as well as the Hispanic settlers in the early days.
Other information kiosks tell of various aspects Spanish/Mexican colonial era, the pioneers, and the Native Americans in the area.


Saturday

Today is work day, and a bit of touring. Laundry first, before the two campground machines  fill up! and then a little time in town.

Trinidad isn't a huge town, the current population is a little over 9,000, but you can tell by the historic downtown area that it was once a very prosperous and bustling city. They are working at bringing back the historic section, with art galleries, restaurants and other interesting shops, but there are many vacant spaces and buildings in desperate need of restoration.

The Bloom Mansion

Originally a coal mining and shipping center, Trinidad had a bustling economy until the mining slowed down. The Wikipedia article on Trinidad has some very interesting information on the town and is defiantly worth the read, especially the section titled "Recent".

We had noticed signs for the Santa Fe Trail museum when we passed through town on our way to the campground, so decided that would make a good destination for the day. It's a good thing there was plenty of on-street parking, as the dark clouds decided to open up just as we arrived in town. Pounding rain, the kind that happens when the air is warm and the clouds are so full they just can't hold any more. Yes, we have an umbrella, and yes, it was safely tucked away in the trailer.

We dashed to the museum, shaking off the water like wet dogs, and of course, the rain quit shortly thereafter. The Santa Fe Trail museum takes up an entire block and is a combination of homes, gardens and traditional museum displays.

The two restored homes in the complex can be toured with a guide, for a small fee, but the remainder of the complex is accessible for no charge. It's a pleasant place to wander the gardens (when it's not raining) and in fact the entire neighborhood is interesting, with historic buildings all around.

Among the museum displays we ran into a new term that, surprisingly, we had not encountered before........."Hispano" Though the word is Spanish in origin, it's meaning when used in English was established for census purposes in the 1930's.  Hispano refers to individuals of Spanish Colonial ancestry who have lived here for generations and maintained that culture. They did not cross a border to move to the area, the border was drawn around them. In Texas the term Tejano has a similar meaning for individuals of Mexican ancestry and cultural identity.

Fort Wooten is very close to the museum and immediately caught our eye as it's military design contrasts with the many Victorian era homes in the area.

It was originally design as a military memorial and home for community veterans groups, but never saw use for that purpose. It's now home to the social service agency. The gate to the courtyard is locked, but it's good to know the building is in use as that will help prevent vandalism and deterioration.

In the afternoon I explored one of the trails that leads down to the edge of the water. I didn't make it all the way, as when I turned around and looked at the trail I reminded myself that what goes down must go back up again! Watch reminded me too.

I have to go back up?
Why did we come down?

The trail is rough and fairly steep, but also provides an opportunity for some close up inspection of the geology here.

There's a fairly noticeable of (low grade) coal running along the side of the trail, and the red and buff colored sandstone layers sparkle like glitter in the sun, the result of a high mica content.

There's a lot to explore in Trinidad, more museums and shops, and there are some amazing sculptures along the main street.

We've enjoyed the relatively cool weather this altitude offers, so we'll be back!

Sunday
Time to pack up and head for New Mexico.

If the sunrise this morning is an omen, it's going to be a good day!

More photos here

Top of the Rockies Scenic By-way and Leadville, Colorado

Wednesday, August 16

What a beautiful day for driving. We woke up to the sunniest morning we'd had in several days (of course, now that all the photos have been take under clouds!)

We departed Rifle Gap State Park and wandered through the back scenic country. Beautiful ranches and smaller holdings all scattered across green pastures lined the roads. What a contrast to the sagebrush and rock formations we had driven through for the last two days.

Red Cliff Bridge

We continued on, eventually ending up on the Top of the Rockies Scenic By-way. We climbed in elevation until we hit the 9,000 foot zone, enjoying many glimpses of the road we'd just been on as it looped back and forth up the mountain.

Railroad tracks, remnants of mining activity in days past, including a mine and home for the employees. and few cabins scattered across the valley floor and on the slopes give scale to show how steep the mountains are in this area.

The gorgeous snow capped mountains in the distance provide a visual contrast and reminded us that it's going to be chilly up here on top of the Rockies!


It proved so when we stopped onTennessee Pass to take a stretch. The wind was biting, and this is August! We could only imagine what it must be like in winter. We soon discovered there were several military memorials to explore, and it seems they are here because the climate in this area was essential to their training.

One is the memorial to the 10th Mountain Division. After seeing Finnish troops overcome Russian forces in 1939 the head of the National Ski Patrol began pressuring the War Department to form a similar unit. There's an excellent summary of the history of the little known 10th Mountain Division, on the National WWII Museum website.

Another, the Norwegian Monument, provides the history of the formation of the battalion known as the "Viking Battalion" and a summary of their accomplishments and importance during WWII. The 99th infantry Battalion (Separate) was activated at Camp Ripley, Minnesota on August 15, 1942 as per written instructions by the War Department.

This unique elite unit was to consist only of Norwegians and Americans with direct Norwegian descent. Soldiers picked out for this elite unit had to have a working knowledge of the Norwegian language and preferably already knowing how to ski. The link at the beginning of this paragraph takes you to the official website and has the full history.

For the next two days well be staying in Molly Brown campground, near Leadville. Named for the famous "Unsinkable Molly Brown", it's a nod to the mining history in the area.

The other campgrounds in the area are also named for local historic characters. Baby Doe and Silver Dollar are right next to us. The Wikipedia article on Leadville does an excellent job of covering the history of the area, as well as many of the famous personalities, so I won't try to repeat all that here.

Our campsite is spacious, and surrounded by pine trees. It's only a short hike to Turquoise lake, so after getting set up the pups had an outing, but no swim as the air and the water this time of day are chilly.

Thursday

I was 29 degrees this morning. . . wow, are we ever going to have a hard time adjusting to Texas temperatures!

Today is tour Leadville day. No particular destination or shopping list in mind, except of course, a quilt shop. There's only one in town, Mountain Top Quilts, and it is a hybrid antique and quilt shop - quite fun to rummage around in!

There are books, handcraft related as well as western history and a few kids books, yardage (short cuts and folds) kits, yarn, completed quilts - some new and some vintage, vintage clothing, glassware, and.... well, you get the idea. Lots of fun to browse.

Leadville has done a fine job of retaining and promoting their mining history while also accommodating more modern tourist interests such as the winter sports, craft brewing, and antique collecting. Main street sports several original buildings with the old fashioned plaster and brick facades and some very interesting murals, and  many of the side streets are a wealth of beautifully restored little Victorian frame houses.

The setting is beautiful, with the snow capped mountains behind the church spires and ornate building roofs, and we actually had a bit of sun to show of the beautiful clouds. Those clouds seem to come and go quickly here, and with a "high" in the 50's it cools off quickly when the sun disappears.

After the quilt shop we stopped at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum. Oh my goodness, what an amazing collection of fantastic mineral samples, mining equipment, dioramas explaining gold mining history, life size scenes depicting coal and hard rock mining, famous people in the industry - wow! This is a stop worth making for those at all interested in the history of mining and children will get a lot out of it too, as there are hands on activities, videos, and the dioramas and scenes clearly explain the processes and history. The facility houses four stories of exhibits and photographs, as well as a research library. We only made it through two floors before our brains were full, and our tummies empty.

Soaking up all that history and information made us hungry, so we asked for recommendations and decided on the Golden Burro. Good food and reasonable for where we are. Steve had the best tamale he's had in a long time, and my burger was good too. The place has been in business for 75 years, so they must have something going for them.

Back at camp the dogs were anxious for a romp, so into the woods we went. We had a nice leisurely walk down to Turquoise Lake for a short but enthusiastic swim session - it's never long enough to suit the dogs, though.

And we take one last look at the lake before we head back to camp to begin the packing up.
We depart in the morning for Trinidad State Park.

Yeah! We made it to Nevada

Whewww! It's hot here! Should be no surprise, but when you've been up in the forested mountains it does come as a shock.

At the entrance to the interpretive center

We had originally planned to space out the distance over two different stops, on our way to Minden, but with the heat we decided to condense it to just one. 'Might as well spend the day in an air-conditioned truck! We did make time to stop along the way at the California Trail Interpretive Center, near Elko.

The temperature prevented us from exploring the trails around the center, but we did enjoy the inside. Life size dioramas and other historic displays, short videos, very knowledgeable docents, and a variety of beautiful artwork make this a stop worth devoting some time too.

Back side of the statue

Much of the information is presented in a hands-on format so it's great for kids too.  If you're really pressed for time a pull-off with several information kiosks is located just before the center, off to the side of the highway. 

The artwork, dioramas and murals depict the local tribal life as well as the pioneers. 

Our last night on the road, for awhile anyway, is the New Frontier RV Park, in Winnemucca, NV.  This was a rather unusual RV park in that at least half of the area was filled with brand new, very nice workforce housing units. It appeared some of the occupants are miners or other similar jobs, but many appeared to be otherwise employed. There's huge growth in the area in all kinds of services, so apparently the standard housing hasn't kept up with demand. The park is quite new, and very nice, with large spaces. 'Mostly graveled sites, with a little grass here and there, and a small fenced dog run, so the pups weren't thrilled. It had been a long day in the truck, but we made-do. We had dinner at the nearby Wingers and called it a day. 

Saturday, June 24 - We made it!  We pulled in to the Finch Estate in the early afternoon, and promptly settled in. Now it's time to start getting ready for the big Happy Birthday American party!!

Nevada welcomed us with one of her famous beautiful sunsets!