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Show beautiful valley. I love these mountains here. A few miles before Cortez we pull up out of Valley and we get a splendid view looking down in. Stop at garage in Cortez and put chains on. It is here we discover one chain lost out and worst of all —all our petrified wood! On to Mesa Verde Park but we find steep grades and curves —surpasses anything ‘we are leaving Helen spys the (Galloway's) Franklin car parked on the street. Strange we should see them again. They were going to look around this P.M. and drive to Pike's Peak tomorrow. They had gone six miles before they discovered they'd missed Texas Creek —and no wonder! We reluctantly bid them goodby and speed on. Now we leave we've had. To make it worse we have a hard shower making it very dangerous. A truck ~ the mts. behind. Pikes Peak is the last to vanish. Soon the prairie broad and clear was stuck just before a 3 mi. hill. Men helped it start on, The Park is back from road 25 stretches before us again. Not many trees —but seems good to get into a really mi. and if wed known about these grades it would have been good by park. We reach agricultural country again. We spend the night at Limon after 142 mi. entrance and have to phone ahead to the authorities we are coming —and it is still 22 mi. to camp and slow slippery traveling. See a ruins and stop to explore it on our way Up and away at about 7 o'clock. So many many tourists at camping ground and on the —find road. “Tis very windy and dusty. After 20 mi. we drive into Bovina —Mr. Greve’s town, and get a piece of the engine soldered. They were getting ready to thresh thro’ here. Out it is Far View House —a Mesa Verde pueblo. Finally reach camp and after registering and going thro’ museum we pitch our tent and have supper. Up early —anxious to view sights. Start out with some other cars at 8 A.M. with a guide —a 15 yr. old boy. Visited Balcony House first then Cliff Palace —which was all we had time for. Can not attempt a description here, but we felt repaid for what we came thro’. The “Kids” had to hunt arrowheads around Far View house so they went on in other car while we checked out. Leave about 11:30 and retrace 25 mi. of these grades and curves —but ‘tis dry. now and we take chains off. We are glad to again stop and take in the beautiful view we get from our elevation —of the beautiful Montezuma Valley. We will go far, very far indeed before we see anything that will surpass that view, At one place we see Cortez in the distance in valley. At another angle and in another direction we see Ship Rock in N.M. also mts. in Ariz. and Utah. Highest point here is 8,775 ft. We are loath to leave it behind tho’ our road leads thro’ beautiful fertile fields and over real trout streams. We get into Mancos about 2 P.M. where we get lunch. No gas in town so we get it at Hesperus 16 mi. farther on —then on to Durango for the night. Had a blowout of Seibert we get pulled out of a mud hole —same as the rest. Now we see them | threshing and truckloads of wheat on the highway. It has been very windy and dusty all day. At 1:30 we cross the Col.-Kan. line. Badly hailed here. Stopped at Goodland to fix - tires —had bo't a new one at Burlington —also got ice cream cones —Phil got some gum! Now 40 miles on to Colby. Seems to be a pretty good country, lots of wheat raised and a town about every ten miles on the highway. We have seen lots of Nebraska cars ever since Colo. Springs and lots of Neb. men come up to say Hello. At Colby we got gas and eats —the dirtiest stores ever —and decide to go ten miles farther to camp —as it is only six o'clock —at a small village —Gem. No camp here so we drove down east and camped near a church where a Nebr. car is already camped —the one that was pulled out of mud same time we were. We hope this is to be our last camp as we are only some 265 miles from home. Up early and off on the home stretch. A vast sea of wheat fields thro’ here. See many ploughing and also smoke of threshing machines. Farther on ‘tis very dry. Came on west to Norton then turned north —crossed the Kansas—Nebraska line just in time to eat dinner in Nebraska. Found a nice little green place in the shade and so we enjoyed it better —had watermelon too. Then on to Beaver City (different place than Beaver City Utah), where we all had the directions wrong and had such a time getting straightened out so we were really going north. Then Oxford, Edison, Holdredge and finally Hastings at about 6:30 P.M. Here we get more supplies —talked to some more men who know men in C. C. ete. etc. Were undecided whether to drive on or camp here. The camp did not look very inviting so we compromised by driving out some three miles and making a camp all on our own on the grass at last and no rattlesnakes to hinder. Best night's sleep ever —only one car passed on that road to disturb us. Phil didn’t like the grasshoppers very well. Up earlier than ever —a hasty breakfast and on to Grand Island about 8:30. Stopped at filling station for gas & air. Country begins to look more and more familiar and still more so as we sail onward —soon we reach Irishtown and know our journey will not last much longer. We plan to play a joke on the youngsters and not tell them how near we are home until we arrive. Donna recognizes the neighboring places but Phil looks up in astonishment as we drive in about 9 A.M [August 21, 1921]. iy Camping on August I]. Children are standing ona rock behind the car. about goes ahead miles found 10 mi. out and wonder of wonders, only about 15 ft. from a lovely brook. Donna in wading. I wished we could camp there but we couldn't as the other car was expecting us at Durango. Found road being repaired so had to detour and last were tedious. Stopped at stores for eats then on to the camp grounds, where we the Galloways awaiting us. ‘Tis a beautiful camping ground —trees and grass and river and electric lights and they had located the choicest secluded spot of all. We feel pretty good when we get to a place like this. Ralph finds a man here —tourist in a Ford with the bantams— whom we talked to near Granger on our way to “Cal.” Bud made a camp fire and we roasted weenies and Albert,made the fudge which was good in spite of curdled milk! We all sit around camp fire and tell stories in fine style. The men threaten to get us out at 4:30 in morn. Listened to the river when we weren't sleeping. Up early —cool— could see our breaths. Leave soon after seven o'clock after getting a new tire. See beautiful irrigated fields. Wheat ready for the binder and oats ripening. A’ rich valley and cattle as fat as butter. Talk with a cowboy and eat lunch and hurry up to get over Wolf Creek pass before it rains. Don't find grades as bad as we anticipated tho’ at 3 oclock we had a good rain & hail. Didn’t put chains on. I am writing this as we go over “The Top of the World” -height 10,800 feet. I registered there in the Traveler's Register. Surely is grand —and we must be getting used to mt. roads for this doesn’t seem nearly as bad as we anticipated from reports. It rained and hailed when we were a few miles from summit and my fingers are so cold. Met eight cars during our ascent —too narrow to meet except on places provided. Lots of men at work up here on the road. The waterfalls are simply grand! After getting over the summit it. seems odd to see water flowing the other way (up). We look for a good place for the night and to fish and after some ten miles of descent, decide to stop at Twin Bridges camp where two cars are before us. This is right in the canyon and still very high —so damp we have a time making a campfire —which we need for warmth. Boys fish but catch no trout. Ralph bro't in two small ones which he didn't catch. We almost froze to death in the night —Mr. G. looked so comical coming out in his overcoat and stocking cap. We get ready to leave before they do —as it is so cold we start on ahead at 6:45. Bridge is white with frost as we cross it. It is about 10 o'clock before we get really warmed up. We go down, down, down and the view is beautiful —first town is South Fork, the Saguache where we eat lunch and wait for the Galloways. They don't come so we start on. Country has been mostly prairie but out of here we come to mts. again —going over Poncho Pass into Salida —good roads and they are making them better all along. Out of Salida we have a tire blow out and while fixing it, the G's ride up —with horn squacking. Visit awhile then we let them take the lead expecting to stop at Texas Creek for the night. We see a train go into a tunnel. We are dropping down all the time. Pass thro’ several small places. Reach Texas Creek about 5:15 but it is no town, no stores and no camp. We see no sign of their car so we drive on. This is a canyon drive all the way beside the Arkansas River. Finally we come to a camp called “Jack's Place” so we stop for the night —157 mi. Up early and on to Canon City —see the big penitentiary. Next is Colorado Springs. Ralph gets a shave and we have lunch. Get a big watermelon to eat afterwhile. Just as They averaged flat tires Only had been gone for more than six weeks and had driven a total of 4,251 miles. They about 131 miles a day; on their best day, the family covered 230 miles. The final tally of was six. two of the children are still alive. Helen, 95, is in a nursing home; and Donna, 85, is living on the same farm--it has been in the family for more than 100 years now. All four children traveled extensively around the country in their later years. No doubt they were all greatly influenced by this trip...OS This entire three-part-series will soon be available on the Zephyr web site. |