Jun 23, 2009

Santa Fe Dreams...

Now then, that first night we camped in Brush, CO, at the City Park which, with compliments of the town, was free the first night. It did have a shower, primitive, but what can you expect. When you're poor you rough it, and I don't mind roughing it once in awhile. But the real blow was that a Spanish clan of people were having a party and they did not cease their loud music till nigh onto midnight. But I think most of slept comfortably onward from there. Poor Mom, though. She did not find the camper we borrowed rigged for her back, so she did not sleep very well.
We arose, tiredly, at probably about six-thirty or seven and did all the normal things one must do to get on the road again. We were supposed to have been in Colorado Springs the day before, but due to weather and fond, old memories we did not. So onward to Colorado Springs and New Mexico! Our first camp ground. Small, but nice and roomy at the same time.
In the camper, the girls slept in the east end and the boys in the west.
Mom and Dad got the separate little beds.


Breakfast midst the packing. It was handy to have all the food in the back.
I got a back seat the whole way and the food was accessible at my convenience.
But whenever anyone else wanted some, I obliged that, too. :)

Darling, dearest! My pal!


Ready to go! Did Billy and Bananas sleep well? Note: Colorado was humid and wet. It rained.
But then again, whenever the Updike's go camping it always rains. :)


So, once on the road, the hitch to the camper started groaning every time we
turned a corner. It could not be helped of course, just another thing
to add to the delight of the day! :D ;)
Picture:
Mom uses a deserted oil rig as a restroom and Dad locked her in.
;)


I can't remember the name of the town, but we stopped to get a picture with one of our relatives.
Pershing. Yes, we are related through him to General Pershing of WWI.


She is related to us somehow through my grandmother.

Here is the graveyard.

It may sound terribly frightening for me to say this but,

I like cemeteries!

The exposure on my camera did something different with
the natural cloudy day. I did nothing.

Same with this one. I like it a lot! I wish it would to do it again!

Onward! Ever onward, the stalwart soldiers drive!
Searching for that bounteous land, the land for which they strive!

Beautiful flax along the roadside! I really felt like a tourist when I crossed to the other side of the highway to get a picture of them! :D


When you're tired of your book, and tired of sleeping, and while you're not taking pictures of yourself or the scenery, you take pictures of your book and pillow. :)

There they are! Do you see them? The mountains far away in the back ground?
I'd never seen something so beautiful in all my life as those mountains.
All of the sudden I wanted, with a terrible desire, to wake up
every morning and be able to see those snowy peaked wonders off in the distance.
Now I know how Heidi felt!

Wild Colorado territory! If I didn't live in South Dakota and could choose any place in the world to be my home,
other than on a rocky cliff above the ocean in Maine,
I'd pick Colorado. :)
But I'll change my mind, I'm sure, if I ever go to Montana.


Dad: Oh, you'll want a picture of this bridge coming up! I did. :)

More mountains, glorious mountains and CO prairie.
It was wild and dangerous, just like SD prairies, yet
it was different. It had a different feel to it.

And more mountains! I loved the mountains! :D


Now, I'm a country bumpkin, so I can't help but take pictures of cool, miraculous buildings such as this, even if it is just some kind of office.The banks in RC are the closest things I've seen to sky scrapers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not deprived! I'm happy just the way I am! :)

Ooooh! More mountains! :D


I hadn't seen an A&W or KFC in a long time! Pictures! Smile! Wave!

And like typical tourists, we went to Garden of the Gods.

It was worth it! Very spectacular rocks, everywhere!
I loved how the green and red of the rocks contrasted together to
create such spectacular beauty!
A photographer's dream! If you like photographing nature, like I do. :)

The kissing camels! Sorry it's kind of blurry, it was pretty far away.



The green, the brown-red, and the gray sky made such a perfect picture!

The rain added terrific atmosphere!

I loved it there, too, as you can see. :)

More beautiful rock formation!

An attempted picture through the window.
Another one.
On our way, we went through a winding little village that,
with every turn, brought you to something new to see.
It reminded me of a little Alpine village in the Alps somewhere.
Especially with the glorious Pike's Peak up there.
We wanted to drive up it, but we didn't have time.
Dad wanted to drop by Summit Ministries is CO Springs to
see his old teacher, Dr. David Noebel.
It was the queerest thing, we had to drive up this street incline and drive
down and around this street and came up in a small parking lot that had to be the
back entrance. And no, thank heavens, the picture is not the parking lot.
It was just a little gorge in between the dorms and looked so artistic.
I loved the cramped little quarters feel it had.
All the students had been told to go home early, because of a case of Swine Flu.
Scary!
Up above the little gorge, gray skies.

The hallway when you first walk in from the back way.

So on our way again, we drove for awhile and decided it was time for lunch.
This was a fountain outside of a Burger King. Truly, a Burger King!
After awhile, we started getting close to New Mexico land!
Alright, so I had fun taking pictures of things that were just out of the ordinary to me. :)
Getting closer!

And it starts to rain. :( You're supposed to be warm, sultry New Mexico! :D

Too tired for words, picture taking of one's self is most amusing!

And of others, too. Note: If your subject looks tired and sweaty
it makes for a very natural looking shot! ;)

A towering mesa as we close the gap in between the state lines!

A little town in passing. Everything was turning very south westernish by now!
Hills, rolling hills covered in scrub brush and trees, surrounded us on both sides as we sped down the highway. Valleys broke away like this one...

And this one! And at random, the sun poked its sleepy head out of the clouds!
The the walls of dirt and rock rise up...
Then came the green hills once more! And then....
We are there! New Mexico! Land of Enchantment! Filled with
wonder and excitement! Beautiful and wild!
Beautiful! So beautiful!
Then back upon the road, the hills and trees surrounded us.
"Will you keep a candle burning, will you help me find my way
You're my chance to break free
And who knows when my next on will be
Santa Fe, wait for me!"

We got a picture by it, but not on my camera.
Then as we departed, the wild rolling mountains suddenly gave way and we broke out upon
a gold plain filled with sunlight from above. Red mesas glimmered and the mountains
stood blue and rugged! Glorious!
We stopped for a rest and a picture with some of the locals. :)

The locals....

It was very south westernish. (Words escape me!)

This is what the rest area was called.

The very first New Mexican sunset I've ever seen. :)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Kayla, I drank in every word of your post! Beautifully expressed! Love to you and your fam! :)

Emily said...

Yay, a post! I loved the last picture especially--just marvelous!

I've been thinking about you and mean to send you a nice, long email sometime soon. :) Love you so much!!

Laura said...

Love all the pictures, Kayli dear. You have such a good photographer's eye. :)

Anonymous said...

sure!! enter my contest!! i will be glad to have you enter.