Well, today was fun, but did we or didn't we?

I'm such a lucky girl - Driver ALWAYS asks me, where do you want to go today, what do you want to do today?  Well, today, I tried to make it all about HIM.  (notice the operative word, TRIED)  Apparently, we are in an area of the country that is famous for (what else..) Pueblo Chilis.  Peppers, that is.  And we all know Dick likes his hot stuff almost as much as he likes his ice cream!  So when I learned there is a "farm tour" of about 10 family farms, I thought, we can do that!  We got the addresses and figured out where they all were, and headed out.  At the very first one, there were a lot of garden art objects, as well as flowering plants and produce.  I just HAD to stop to admire flamingo corner!  They were all so tempting, luckily, they were all priced way over our budget, so none of 'em got adopted today.

This was also the business where I took a dive and face-planted right into asphalt.  That's the "tried" part.  One moment, I was looking for Driver, and the next I was sending Bailey to look for him, while I laid flat on the ground, trying to catch my breath and figure out exactly how I was going to stand up.  What did Bailey do??  That little hussy, she went about 4 steps, into the store doorway, where it was shady, and SAT DOWN.  And watched me!  I was hoping that SOMEone would notice a stray leashed dog walking around the store all by herself and come wandering out, but, nooooo.  She just sat down and watched me!  I guess, since she stayed by me, she was watching OVER me, huh.  Anyway, Dick heard me calling for help and came running around the corner.  A few minutes later, and I was able to get up and get dusted off.  They took me back to the restroom (no public restrooms, so I guess I should feel privileged) where I could wash my cuts and scrapes with soap and warm water, then they got me a bandaid and a bottle of cold water (since they had no ice).  Despite a black eye (didn't take long!) and a pretty bad headache, I wanted to carry on with our day.  This was supposed to be HIS day, and HIS adventure!

We programmed the next farm stand, and we knew we were at the right place when we saw this sign post.  We went down the dirt road, and then the next dirt road, but it was apparent that this particular stand was not yet open for business.

The pepper plants were still all in the ground, and they were loaded with peppers, but none had been picked yet.  We wondered about the next field (below) which seemed to be much more sparsely planted.  

Closer inspection revealed this to be a field of hemp.  We've seen lots of dispensaries, but this was our first time actually seeing a huge field of it being grown, legally, and out in the open.  There seemed to be a workamper trailer over at the edge of the field.  Hmmmm. not particularly a job I want to apply for!

This is the manner of irrigation.  They pull water straight out of the Arkansas River, pipe it up to the fields, then they flood the fields, letting it soak in and drain right back out to the river.  The new method is to bury pipe UNDER the plants, then fill the pipes up with water and let it soak UP.  It must be working; the fields were all full of healthy looking plants!  We did find out though, that because there was so much rain throughout the Spring, the farmers were late in planting, which made the pepper harvest a little late this year.  

 This was the field from the third farmer.  The green, in the back, is all kinds of peppers.  The front 10 or 12 rows were all dahlia flowers.  They were gorgeous!  There were dahlia seeds for sale inside, but, being on the road, we didn't see any point in purchasing those.

It was hard to resist the hot & spicy olives though!

At our final farm stand stop, we found the Ken Williams Studio right next door.  The photo below was taken at the end of the Riverwalk a couple of days ago.  Turns out, this beautiful installation was done by the very same Ken Williams family!  See the cement walkway?  Well, yes, the stone pillars too.  That was all done by the husband/wife team along with their 4 daughters.  One of the daughters was in the studio working, and she showed us all around and explained how they stack the soft bricks, sculpt them, number them, and take them all apart only to reconstruct them again at the final installation spot.  They are currently working on 2 double-sided 40 foot tall entrance markers for the town of Pueblo.  There was a scale model of them in the gallery, and they were stunning!  I found a sink, a lamp and a tea light candle holder, all of which I wouldn't mind having.  However.  I still live in a camper, and none of that would fit!

After we explored the 6 room house-turned-gallery, we went over to the hubby's side of the business, and our primary reason for being there...PEPPERS!  They had two long planter boxes full of various varieties of pepper, and Dick really enjoyed looking through them.

Inside, they were picked, cleaned, and ready for purchase!

Roasted chilis are a big thing here, and they will roast them with or without garlic, and right there while you wait.

There was a whole room full of everything chili pepper!

And crickets.  Crickets! Nope, we didn't buy any of these either!

Outside, there were lots of varieties of watermelon, yellow, seeded, seedless, you name it.  We did buy one of the seedless green ones, and it is DELISH!  Of course, we only kept half of it; the other half went to the park owner to share with her husband and grandson.  

After that, we hurried home, because we wanted to get there before the rains came.  Our campground is located directly in the path of that sheet of rain on the left.  We made it home in time, but somehow, we only got a few drops of rain and a bit of wind from the storms.  We are truly blessed.  Monument, several miles to the North, and where we were oringially SUPPOSED to be staying, got hit hard.  Really hard, with lots of hail and wind.  We are truly blessed.

Oh, but wait a minute!  You want to know all about our visit to the hot springs, don't you!  I bet you are dying to know if we went skinny dipping too, don'tcha.  Pervert!  😄😏  Well, let's see.  I checked all the reviews and found Desert Reef was the more favorable option.  On the way to the spring, we found this sand and gravel operation.  

It got bigger and bigger, and we finally found a company logo - Holcim, the largest cement manufacturer in the world!

And exactly how is this product transported?  Why, on the Rock & Rail, of course!

The little town of Florence, CO, where the spring is located, and where we ate a quick and tasty lunch, has some interesting architecture and bills itself as the antique capital of the state. 

But, you didn't read this far to look at buildings, did you!  See that little bitty sign?  THAT's how we knew where to turn!  We had been warned that the GPS may not be accurate...it was, but we were relieved when we saw the sign at the entrance to the dirt road.  Relieved not that it was a dirt road, but that there was a sign, since the road was dirt!

A mile and a half down this dirt road, and after one slightly wrong turn (yeah, can you believe that?  There were lots of people living on this dirt road, and at one of the turns in the road, there was a driveway, so, naturally, we went straight.  Straight into the front yard of some random family.) we came upon this wooden bridge.  And another sign saying "Yes" so we knew we should proceed.  Slowly.

Another quarter mile, and we passed through the gate to the spring and found this little building.  Sort of non-descript, eh?  Well, we were here, so let's go see!  Not you, silly, YOU didn't pay your entry fee!  Yes, we went in.  Yes, there were lots of sights to see.  Most of the visitors this morning were ummm....tan-line free.  Take that any way you want, but, yeah, most of the bathers were nekked as jay-birds.  Us?  Well, we kept our suits on and took the plunge.  No recording devices or phones were allowed in the swim area, so you'll just have to take my word for what we saw and what went on.

The pool was really pretty, and the view was breathtaking, as promised.  There was a shaded area right by the pool and a Quonset hut that served as a party room.  It had tables, a 'fridge, microwave, towels and a fan.  It was lighted, too, for evening events.  The water was warm and comforting, and there was a manmade (of natural rocks) waterfall, where they filled the pool with the hot water from the spring.  The deepest part of the pool, by the waterfall was the warmest, about 90 degrees, and about shoulder deep.  We just kind of kept to ourselves and chatted about our adventures so far.  A younger (!) couple came, and they also kept their suits on.  So, that made about 6 of us, total, with suits, and probably 8 or so without.  We relaxed for about an hour, then went on into Florence to grab a bite to eat.  When we returned, we were the ONLY ones with suits on, but that's OK.  Some things just aren't meant for public viewing, and it didn't seem to bother the others either.

Doggie was waiting for her dinner, back at the camper, though, so we knew our remaining time there would be short.  We were talking about leaving when all of a sudden, we saw a bolt of lightning on the horizon.  Yup, it was time to leave!  Once people found out we were exiting the pool due to the lightning, everyone else hopped out as well.  Chickens!  

On our way back down the dirt road, we stopped to take this picture of the spring.  Yes, the water here was warm too. All in all, a very relaxing day, wooden bridge excepted.  heehee  So, tomorrow morning (Friday), we move back up to the Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs.  Now that we have toured the actual Academy, we will have lots of time to concentrate on the features and sites of the area.  We do plan to visit Cripple Creek (no mine tour for us; Fed regs prohibit doggie, and I darn sure won't go without her!), Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Wind, and Manitou Springs.  Funny story - when the dude first told us about Manitou Springs, I thought he had said MANATEE Springs.  LOL, we had a good laugh at him, thinking there'd be manatees up here!!  Guess he had the last laugh though.  

Downtown Pueblo and RiverWalk

Soooo, yesterday was Monday, and as you may know, most museums are closed on Mondays.  I think it's because they're open on Saturday, so they make up for it by closing Monday.  Well, it was promised to be a scorcher (and it was, setting a record at 102 degrees) and I knew we couldn't be out and about too awfully much in that kind of heat.  We both had business resolve and phone calls to make, and that took up most of the morning.  Dick made his dental appointment for Tuesday (today), and called the insurance company to figure out why they are billing for another $24, I talked to Newmar about the crack in the floor, my father (I know, miracle of miracles!), and a rheumatologist out in Phoenix.  My calls actually took the longest, since the new doc wanted any and all lab tests and results faxed to him.  THAT was a chore and a half!  Last bone density was done in 2017, that part was easy.  It was dealing with that awful corporation, Florida Cancer Specialists, that began the run-around.  I'll spare you all the gory details, and tell you only that I got my name and reputation cleared, AND supposedly, William faxed the results of the bloodwork they did back in December.  Hopefully, the new doc won't lose it by the time I get there!   Newmar gave me a couple of repair shops we could go to when we get to Phoenix and Tucson, so we'll deal with that down the road, when we are closer to Arizona.  After all that, we looked around for something else to do, and we spied with our little eyes, a DIRTY DUSTY PUPPY DOG!  Our neighbors on both sides had left, so we hauled out the table and shampoo and set to it!  And here's the result: 

Then we were ALL tired and we just hung out in the camper, chillin' as best we could.  So the dental appointment was for today, at 3 p.m.  After breakfast, that gave us about 5 hours, travel time included, to wander around and see the sights.  We started at Hotel Vail, which was built in 1911.  It was luxurious for its time, and it was purchased by the Pueblo Housing Authority in 1979.  After extensive remodeling, it was ready for occupancy in 1984, and is now housing for the elderly and disabled.  It is said that the historical features were kept intact, but we couldn't enter it to verify such rumors.

Across the street was the museum we intended to visit, El Pueblo History Musuem, a community museum and story.  Outside was this majestic eagle sculpture, surrounded by beautiful Mexican tiles inlaid in the cement foundation.  You can see that it was presented Henry Reyes, of Pueblo, CO, by the citizens and authorities of sister city, Puebla, Mexico, in 1992.  

Inside we found a few rooms, each with a themed display.  The room about the ever-moving border and displacement of residents probably contained the most actual artifacts.  These Commanche moccasins really caught my eye, surprisingly, not because of the elaborate beading, but because of just how small they were!  I would have to say in today's sizes, they'd be no more than a woman's six 5!  They were really tiny!

Pike's Peak, also now known as America's Mountain, was named for US Army Brigadier General/explorer  Zebulon Montgomery Pike, even though he never reached the summit. He was killed by an explosion during the War of 1812, and showering stones from the explosion dented his scabbard.  Personally, I failed to see said dents.  ???

Outside was an archaeological excavation of an adobe placita ("little plaza") that was found on the grounds.  This settlement stood on the northern bank of the Arkansas River, which was long known to be the geographical boundary between the United States and Mexico.  This was an important trading post for Native Americans, pioneers, Mexicans and Europeans until 1848, when most inhabitants departed for the California Gold Rush.  You can see the adobe brick walls below the grid lines of the dig, in the photo below.

Touring those displays didn't take too long; it was a pretty small, but important, museum.  It also had dioramas relating to the Children of Ludlow, and the Colorado Coalfield Strike and Ludlow Massacre.  The young man who was tending the admissions desk admitted that he was born in Pueblo, had gone all through school in Pueblo, and had never heard of this important event until he started working at the museum.  It was definitely a story that needed to be shared and repeated, and every single worker today should be thankful for the sacrifice made by those pioneer miners and over 9,000 children who endured the strike.  After we had seen everything inside and out, and looked at all the trinkets in the shop, we still had about 2 hours to spend before the dentist appointment, so we headed a little farther south, to find the RiverWalk and the Pueblo Heritage Museum.  Along the way, we spied this beauty of a building.  Signs indicated it was the Pueblo Depot.  We found a place to park nearby and walked up to the building, with the idea of taking a picture for your enjoyment.  We were pleasantly surprised to find A Little Bite of Heaven, a charming little bakery and gelato retailer, on the ground floor.  Dick didn't want any (whaaaaaa???) because he didn't bring a toothbrush, and he didn't want to visit the dentist with dirty teeth.  So we kept walking and came upon the front door.  You know I tried it.  And it OPENED!  It opened to a magnificent foyer area, filled with glass display cases, with lots of railroad-related artifacts, postcards and newspaper articles.

The woodwork and stained glass inserts in the transoms were just beautiful examples of the craftsmanship of the times (1889-1990). 

 

Dick pointed out that it was the time before nails were used, showing me the wooden plugs that were used instead.  I've never actually seen that technique in a still-standing building.  

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And, I'm going to guess that all these doorways and casings were hand carved.  No CnC machines in those days!

Again, we had the pup with us, and she always, ALWAYS gives me a tug, just as I'm clicking the shutter, so, sorry for the blur! But, please, no singing, no dancing, no swearing.  This is a respectable house.  No fun either, if you ask me!  That sign was a bit odd, since it was posted right on the threshold of the bar area/waiting room (for Americans only, as you'll see in a bit). 

The bar was impressive, for sure.

As was this sideboard.  See how tall it is?  Notice, you can't see the ceiling!  

Looking outside, you can see a covered veranda, complete with ornate ironwork, and the train tracks behind the parking lot, complete with a coal train moving down the tracks.  

For all my quilting peeps, check out the Grandma's Flower Garden floor tiles.

The sign said, No Public Restrooms, so I was surprised to find this inside.  I could not resist taking a peek inside.  Yes, the pup came with me!

Inside I found marble sinks and wooden benches.  

Even the stalls had beautiful wooden walls.  Not very sanitary, but they sure were pretty.

Back out in the hallway, we found an early horseless carriage.  No other signs or identifiers, sorry.

Attention: Immigrants.  Your waiting room is behind the baggage depot.  We never did find it, but I'm sure it was nowhere near as opulent and ornate as the "American" waiting room we just left.

This room would make any model train aficionado swoon.  It was filled with models of all sorts.  I'm guessing they aren't the type made for playing with - I'm pretty sure they are scale  models of cars at are, or were, actually in use.  

The door to the train room is marked Union Pacific Railroad, Suite A, Rio Grande Yard, LLC.

Check out the metal steps leading to the second story....I wonder how many thousands of feet have trod these same steps, and what are all the stories of the people that have come before me?

Once upstairs, we noted we were in the office of the Pueblo Public Defender.  Several employees were up there, working hard, and we were asked 3 times if we needed help.  I know we were intruding, but we just couldn't help ourselves.  When we told them we were just admiring the building, we were told, people do it all the time, and to take our time.

 So we did.  :)

Outside, the flowers in the front were spilling out of their buckets and appeared to be well cared for.

When we could finally tear ourselves away from the Depot, we saw the Arcadia Building, just across the street.  It was built in 1901, as a hotel, by Italian investors.

Just down the street, I saw a sign that said Neon Alley.  I had read about it, but pretty much all I knew was that it existed in downtown Pueblo.  Further research would inform me that it's "the greatest assembly of neon art West of Times Square and East of Las Vegas." 

As we were admiring the neon art, though, we kept a close eye on traffic.  Even so, we almost got run over by a gent in an SUV, who was obviously in a hurry, and obviously oblivious to the fact that there were pedestrians in his path of travel.  Speedy travel.  To his credit, he did stop, roll down his window, and apologize profusely.  And sheepishly.  He even thanked US for watching out for HIM.

We found ourselves back behind the Depot again where this antique Mercedes was parked. Again, no identifying marks or informative signs were evident. 

There was also this beauty.  This is Santa Fe 2912, built in 1944. She sometimes saw service in the Pueblo area, and provided rapid service between LaJunta and Los Angeles.  According to the website, they are collecting funds for restoration, which sort of surprises me, because she's in much better shape that the locomotive we saw in Amarillo.

Can you see what Dick is gazing up at?  Any guesses?  That is the marker for the high water line, from the flood of June 3, 1921, when the water reached 10 feet, 6 inches.  That's a lotta water!

We still had about an hour to spend, so we headed toward the RiverWalk. As we approached a stop sign, we were privileged to spot this triangular building, The McLaughlin Block, built in 1891.  It originally contained a hotel, 2 saloons, 2 restaurants, a barbershop and a shoe shop.  There was also a garden out front, that has never been unearthed after the flood of 1921 filled it with debris and mud.

As we approached the beginning (or the end, if you will) of the RiverWalk, we came across this adorable sculpture of children playing with garden hoses.  As we were sitting there admiring it, the water came on!  It really was charming, and later on, as we walked by it, we saw a lady playing in the water, cooling off.  Couldn't blame her; if we didn't have someplace else to be, we probably would have joined in the fun!

I'm thinking this might be a pleasant way to spend some time - it's a narrated boat tour, for about $6 a piece.  What a bargain, eh??  Another day, perhaps.  And perhaps not, as our time here is growing short.

We walked up the river just a bit, and came across The Center for American Values.  It was HOT.  The dog was ready for a break, and so was I!  And the sign said FREE, so, in we went.  Boy, were we in for a surprise.  The walls were lined with photographs of all the Medal of Honor recipients, in the settings of their choice, each with a saying or quote of inspiration.  We were greeted by the docent, who graciously explained the mission of the display, and let us know the only other place you can see these photos is the Pentagon.  We were truly honored and humbled to be in their presence.  The docent played a welcome video for us, which showed several recipients explaining what they did to earn their medals and how they felt at the time of sacrifice and courage, and how they felt when they received the medal itself.  There was one old guy that was telling about his medal ceremony, and how it took place in Hitler's stadium, where there was a huge Nazi swastika flag that could be seen for miles.  The engineers of the unit were able to hang an American flag over the swastika flag, signifying how America and democracy prevailed.  Just after they (he and 3 others) were presented their medals, somehow, that swastika flag was blown to bits.  He never really explained what happened to the American flag, if it went up in the explosion, or if it had been taken down...  but you could hear the satisfaction of and pride in a job well done in his voice.

It was truly a moving and humbling experience.  Again, we were presented with an opportunity to view a small piece of the World Trade Center.

Here are a couple of photos and quotes that inspired me.

There was also an interactive kiosk, where you could touch an icon of any of the photos, hear the stories of the recipient, often in their own voices.

During our visit here, Bailey was laying at my feet, just chilling.  For the most part, I was able to relax in one of the oversized chairs, so we were both ready for the hike back to the car.  Remember that dentist appointment?  Yeah.  Well, we got there in plenty of time, and they gave us an estimate of anywhere from 70 to 90 bucks, depending on what they had to do.  OK, not great, but OK.  Dick filled out all the paperwork, and we sat down to wait his turn.  We were STILL about 30 minutes early, so we both got to read a couple of magazines in full.  For SOME reason, Dick kept showing me pictures of food (knowing all the while that I was hungry!!).  Finally, they called his name, and he got to go in the back, while I kept reading all the latest gossip about movie stars I know nothing about, other than their names.  And sometimes, not even that much.  After about an hour, he came out and I could hear him discussing the bill over at the reception counter.  I heard a hundred and eighty something, and looked over at him - he had paled considerably!  The clerk was kind enough to explain and itemize it for him, and there really was no option but to take out his new credit card and hand it over.  I mean, really, what are ya gonna do???  Not pay it?  I think that would be considered Theft of Services, and while he does like to eat 3 times a day, I'm pretty sure he'd rather not do it in a holding cell.  And I can't drive this big bus, at least not out on any roads, with traffic, passing or oncoming, and oh yeah, don't forget the HILLS around here, so he'd better not do anything to get locked up!  

Just as we were arriving back to our rig at the campground, we got a phone call from Nancy, the park owner.  She was letting us know that there was a power outage, and she was calling everyone with a pet, to see if there was anything we wanted her to do.  She volunteered to come to the camper, break a window or call a locksmith, whatever was needed.  How sweet is that?  Could be expensive, but it was 102 degrees, and RV's can become ovens in no time flat, so she was calling all pet owners to advise us of the outage.  Thankfully, we had the puppy with us, so no problems there.  We fired up the generator and turned on one A/C unit, and closed all the shades, and we were fine.  The outage didn't last long, and they came around to let us know power was restored.  Yeah!  Now it was finally time to start on dinner!

Tomorrow, the hot springs are open.  We still haven't decided on what to wear (or NOT to wear), and they are forecasting severe storms for the afternoon.  We'll see what happens and let you know!

Till next time!