In planning our trip to the South West in October I knew we would be encountering some chilly, if not downright cold weather. Thus bringing along headgear was a must. Just a week or so before we left my dear friend Keo began a project called Handmade for Bibles. Her first project is handcrafted head warmers.
Besides being a craftsman extraordinaire, she is also dedicated to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In combining these two loves she has begun Handmade for Bibles where she sells personally handcrafted items to raise money for Bibles which are distributed to the many hundreds of thousands of believers all over the world who are just waiting to receive a Bible in their own language.
The head warmer I chose is solid taupe colored because it would go with just about every article of clothing I was bringing on my trip. Each crocheted head warmer is unique: they come in a variety of colors and styles and most sport a decorative motif on the side which adds to its style and charm. If you are like me and prone to ear aches in cold, breezy weather, the head warmer is a great solution as it wraps around the head and over the ears. Two buttons are strategically placed for closure to fit a variety of head sizes.
This head gear is great for hiking, skiing, biking, jogging or just keeping your hair back. They also make great gifts for friends and relatives. Stay warm and cozy this fall and winter whether you are traveling or just staying put with a stylish head warmer and at the same time give the gift of the Word of God to those who are waiting to receive a Bible in their own language.
Tags: Travel Accessories
Mesa Verde National Park is an experience you don’t want to miss. This park was on our way to Marble Canyon, our final destination this past Wednesday resulting in having very limited time to explore it. Make sure you don’t do what we did. We planned 3 hours at the park and spent 4 ½. To do it justice you need at least an entire day.
You’ll know why you need the whole day the moment you come around a huge bend on US Highway 160 heading west and see the 2,000 foot above the plain mesa looming into the sky – can you say oohh, aahh? Another reason you need more than ½ day is because this park is huge. When you make it to the park entrance there is still another 15 miles to go to get to the Far View Visitors center and this is a stop and look at the incredible vistas 15 miles. While you travel up from roughly 6,500 ft elevation to 8,500 ft elevation the drive is full of spectacular scenic pullovers and you will want to take plenty of pictures. Drive cautiously, the trip is steep, curvaceous and without guardrails in some places.
Far View Visitor Center is the tourist command operation for Mesa Verde. This is where you will begin the tour in experiencing the ancient culture and society of the ancestral Puebloan peoples – also known as the Anasazi, aka cliff dwellers. There are many different tours available in the park: self guided and ranger guided. Those that are ranger guided are an additional, minimal cost.
Because of the higher elevations remember to bring plenty of water to keep hydrated (we recommend the Sport Berkey portable personal water system), especially if you plan on exploring any of the cliff dwellings as some of these hikes are strenuous and involve some climbing up paved and unpaved trails as well as ladders. There are bathrooms at the Far View visitor’s center and some of the cliff dwelling locations.
Mesa Verde is the nation’s largest archeological preserve and it features 4,000 archeological sites, including an amazing 600 cliff dwellings of which only a few are accessible to tourists. In addition to the incredible indigenous cliff dwelling Indian history, there is a vast array of wildflowers, wild edible plants, birds and other wildlife that make their home on the mesa.
If you are looking for additional adventure or desire a longer stay in Mesa Verde national Park itself, you may want to consider the campground or the Far View Lodge. While there is a tremendous amount of opportunity for sightseeing, hiking and exploring in Colorado, if you are going to the Southwest, Mesa Verde is one national park that may be on your travel bucket list.
Enjoy the additional photos below:
Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings
Tags: Destinations, National Parks
In planning our trip to the southwest we considered some safety tips but really did not know some of the more practical things until we arrived and got some safety training from locals. What we learned is crucial information about maintaining health and welfare in traveling to higher elevations like the mountains of Colorado and the higher elevations in Arizona from lower elevations.
Coming from Florida we traveled from about 10 ft elevation to 6,500 ft elevation in Colorado Springs. No matter what kind of shape you are in you will have to adjust to the elevation change because there is much less oxygen at these higher altitudes. The Visitor’s Guide for Safety in Southwest Colorado states one can develop altitude sickness at altitudes as low as 5,000 ft. Therefore don’t expect to go out and hike a mountain or go for a 5 mile jog your first few days in an area where you have traveled above 5,000 feet.
The symptoms of elevation or altitude sickness, also called mountain sickness, are headache, nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. Though doctors are not exactly sure why people experience these symptoms it seems to be a result of the body adjusting to the changes in elevation, decreased oxygen and humidity levels.
To aid your adjustment and avoid altitude sickness drinking a lot of water is a must. If you are hiking the recommended amount is 1 quart per hour (carry the Sport Berkey and use a water bottle sling). Even if you are not hiking, to avoid dehydration due to the more arid environment in the mountains of the southwest drink lots of water, avoid alcohol as it dehydrates the body, get plenty of sleep, and eat healthy foods like fresh produce and complex carbohydrates.
Another major safety tip has to do with the sun. It never occurred to us that being 6,500 feet closer to the sun would make that much of a difference. But with the atmosphere being thinner this results in many more UV rays coming through and your skin is the target. We definitely noticed the difference and Alan who was wearing a hat the first day we hiked, got sun burned on his face. This never would have happened in Florida. After that initial burn, we decided to heed our friend’s wise advice to use sunscreen even though we were also wearing hats.
So bring a hat, sun glasses and at least 15 SPF sun screen. Use sunscreen liberally before going outside for more than 20 minutes. And remember, the sun does not have to be shining in order for you to need sunscreen since the UV rays are deceptively more dangerous on an overcast day.
UV rays can also cause snow blindness. The symptoms of which may show up after several hours of exposure to the sun and may include watering eyes, eyelid swelling, and a gritty sensation in the eyes. So sunglasses that block 100% of UV light can help you avoid this possible high elevation danger.
Having a good quality moisturizer for the face, body and hands will be your best friend on a trip to higher elevations. Coming from the very humid climate of Florida we anticipated dry skin, but not to the extent we experienced it. It was necessary to apply face and hand moisturizer several times a day. I found Oil of Olay’s fragrance free complete formula with sunscreen to do the job well. A Burt’s Bees Lip Balm with Sunscreen was also applied liberally several times a day.
If you will be doing any amount of hiking the Visitor’s Safety Guide for Southwest Colorado also recommends the purchase of a hiking license for $1. Having a license will ensure that the cost of search and rescue services are covered should an unforeseen accident occur.
A final tip for traveling to higher elevations came from a fellow traveler we met this morning at the Cliff Dwellers Lodge in Marble Canyon. This Oklahoman who was sightseeing the great canyons and mesas of Arizona on his motorcycle and was also a bicycle enthusiast reminded us, “Don’t look where you don’t want to go.” The ultimate elevation safety tip is to drive with extreme caution up and down the mesas and mountains. One can easily ascend and descend from 4,000 ft to 9,000 ft or more and the scenic vistas are absolutely amazing tempting the driver to take his or her eyes off the road. Be safe and use the scenic pullouts to stop and enjoy God’s awe inspiring handiwork.
Being aware before you travel will help you have a safer and more enjoyable trip in the Colorado and Arizona areas.
Tags: Destinations
Thursday Sept 29th was the third day in our great trip west. In 2 1/2 days we made it from Florida to Mid Kansas. Hays, Kansas to be exact. All the reports received from friends traveling through Kansas were rather negative: get prepared, psych yourself up because it is a long trip and it’s boring. In our opinion, Kansas was beautiful. In this trip review for travel to Kansas we’ll give several reasons why if you are traveling to the great Southwest United States you might want to consider going through Kansas.
Kansas is known as the sunflower state among other nicknames. Driving along I-70 in late September you are apt to see many wild sunflowers and Black-eyed Susans. Since it is also known as the wheat state you can expect to see gently rolling farm lands and blowing wheat fields. But don’t expect to see amber waves of grain in September- the wheat harvest begins in June.
Although it was too late for wheat, the rolling tall grass prairies are a spectacular site. The hills roll one into another as far as the eye can see buttressed up against the blue sky horizon. At one time there were 140-170 million for acres of tall grass prairies in north America, now only a mere 4% remain and the largest continuous tallgrass prairie land is in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. I-70 takes the traveler right through this most unique ecosystem that hosts 650 varieties of wildflowers, many of which are edible and medicinal in nature.
Wind is also in abundant supply on the rolling prairies of Kansas. In fact Kansas wind resources rank third in the nation averaging for example in Dodge City at 13.9 miles per hour. Driving across I-70 can feel more like a wrestling match with your vehicle than a site seeing tour. Despite the downside of being a windy state, the upside is wind turbine power. The stately white windmills planted in the hills and plains of the Jayhawk State will hopefully, one day, be part of the answer to the nation’s energy crisis.
The 4 major crops of Kansas are corn, wheat, soybeans and sunflowers. In our travels across I-70 we saw acres and acres of a plant that looks like short corn. In doing a little research it seems that this is not corn at all but a grain called sorghum which is used for both human and animal consumption.
Our final destination for the day was Hays. To our pleasant surprise we discovered that Hays is known as a town “Where history walked the streets.” In the late 1800′s Hay’s hosted a number of famous and infamous characters like Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok. General George Custer and his men also spent time in these parts and you can learn about it all, along with the history of the Voga Germans and how the town was finally tamed by some God fearing men and women at the Ellis County Historical Society Museum.
On day 2 of driving across Kansas to our destination, Colorado Springs, Colorado we discovered that the rolling prairies became plains. Miles and miles of flat corn, sorghum and soybean fields. Still, we agreed that we did not find it boring, but fascinating to be able to see as far as the eye can see acres upon acres of crops. What made this leg of the journey even more enjoyable was stumbling upon the Prairie Museum of Art and History in Colby just off I-70. Their living museum provides an opportunity to see what prairie life was like up close and personal by exploring their hands on exhibits of a 1930′s farmstead that includes a prairie house, a sod house, one room school room, church and more including the largest barn in Kansas pictured at the top.
For us, travel to Kansas and through Kansas on I-70 helped us to appreciate even more those who pioneered the west. The sunflower state is filled with the history of the American West. Don’t miss Kansas in your travel to the Western US, there’s too much Americana to appreciate.
Tags: Destinations
Who says it’s difficult to eat healthy while traveling? An iPod or smart phone comes in real handy when you want to find uniquely healthy restaurants. That’s exactly how we found Linda’s Local Food Cafe – Durango Colorado’s best kept restaurant secret.
Linda is committed to contributing to the health and wealth of her community by serving real food from local farmers as much as possible. This is the kind of eatery we want to support. It’s a win win situation for everyone. Eating at Linda’s you will be supporting your own health as well as the health and wealth of the community. Not to mention the food is outstanding.
Linda serves fresh, whole foods which she rightly refers to as “real food.” We appreciate this philosophy. Her menu items are all made from scratch with organic and local ingredients when available. For those looking for a vegan restaurant in Durango we recommend Linda’s as well.
We enjoyed several vegan specials of the evening which included Summer Squash Soup, the Market Salad and the Vegan Plate. The Summer Squash Soup was $4 and we got a generous, aromatic bowl full of chunky summer squash, leeks, onions, and parsley simmered in a chicken stock base. The Market Salad was amazingly fresh. It honestly tasted like the chef just went into the garden and picked the assorted leafy greens, carrots and cucumbers. This $8 salad tossed to perfection with a honey orange dressing was a real hit with us. The piece de resistance was the Vegan Plate for $9. It was a large dinner plate filled with South Indian Dahl; curried eggplant with potatoes, okra and greens; jasmine rice; and a small side of the Market Salad.
Alan and I were both hungry when we arrived and felt fully satisfied after sharing the above three menu items for dinner. Who says eating healthy when traveling has to be difficult or expensive. This local, made from scratch, whole food meal for 2 cost us $22 total. You can’t beat that.
Least you think Linda mainly caters to vegans, guess again. Her menu boasts fresh Mexican tamales, burritos and more. For a little extra you can even enjoy your burrito with a freshly made corn tortilla. She also offers a full breakfast menu – think farm fresh egg burritos and omelets, local herbal teas, coffee, and Horchata (a sweetened Mexican rice milk). For those who want to enjoy a cocktail or beer with their health food you’ll find Linda serves locally brewed beers and spirits – if you like Bloody Mary’s try the Local Mary made from organic vodka and fresh local tomatoes.
Linda partners with and has a passion for supporting local farmers. All of the meats she uses are locally sourced and thus she uses only humanely raised poultry, beef and pork in her recipes. She has a goal to incorporate more and more local produce into her menu items.
Linda’s Local Food Cafe is nestled just 1 block from the historic downtown area next to Albertson’s at 309 West College Drive, Durango, Colorado 81301. The best kept secret in Durango Colorado.
We were looking forward to coming back yesterday evening trying some other items on the menu at Linda’s, but unfortunately the weather predicted the next day for our 350 mile drive to Marble Canyon Arizona included 50 to 60 mph winds. We missed one more dinner at Linda’s but we already know her restaurant will be a hit with organic food lovers, so stop in if you live near Durango or are just passing through like we were.
Tags: Food