This is a short post, because I am on my way home, and that is all that matters.
I am in Georgetown, which is near Lexington, and is where the Toyota plant is located. This is also the home of Bluegrass Hosta Farms, but the hostas are dormant and the nursery isn't open.
Driving in snow in Ohio is a lot more stressful than driving it in Colorado. There (Colorado) you just had to contend with the elements. Here (Ohio) not only do you have to deal with nature, but also with other cars and trucks--and their drivers. I passed one three-car accident North of Toledo, and I bypassed another accident in Dayton. South of Cincinnati it was finally just me and a few trucks. I'm glad to be going home.
Day 18 mileage: 345
Cumulative mileage: 5,135
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Madison, Wisconsin to Canton, Michigan
On Sunday, January 17, I made the trip from Madison, Wisconsin, to Canton, Michigan, and the home of my oldest son, Jeff, his wife Jennifer, and their children, Eric Charles, Sawyer, Kennedy and Cormick.
The drive involved the most harrowing incident on my trek. The weather was clear except for a stretch from the Michigan/Indiana state line to Kalamazoo, Michigan. In that stretch I was hit with lake effects snow coming off of Lake Michigan. The snow came in horizontal. Most of the way it was fairly light and my concern was more with accumulation on the I-94 interstate roadway than with visibility. However, I hit a patch in which visibility was reduced to almost zero. I reduced my speed, but kept going because I was afraid of being hit from behind. I kept the shadow image of the car in front of me. After about a half mile, visibility was restored. Shortly after that the eastbound traffic was signaled by a police officer to exit the interstate. The same low visibility that had affected me caused a series of pileups involving 65 vehicles (including 13 semis) and resulted in one dead and 14 injured. As it happens, I had stopped in Benton Harbor to get a deli sandwich. Otherwise, its possible I might have been in the middle of the carnage.
The highlight of the visit to Canton was a trip to the North American International Auto Show. Jeff and Jen had gone to the black-tie charity event last Friday, when the entertainment was Huey Lewis and the News.
Jeff, Cormick and I went to the public showing on Monday, January 18. This was the third time I had been to the show. Going with an industry expert like Jeff is particularly enlightening. Jeff has responsibility for U.S. marketing of Ford small cars: Fiesta and Focus. We spent a lot of time in the Ford exhibit, and Cormick took a turn at Ford's interactive race simulator. His primary interest was in the new Ford GT, as it was the first time he had seen it in person. He wanted his dad to borrow it from the Ford Garage so he could take a ride in it. Not gonna happen. Ford is making only 350 of the Ford GT, and they have been way oversubscribed.
The other vehicle of interest to us was the new Ford Focus RS, which is the souped-up version of Ford's standby small car. Jeff had brought the RS home a few weeks ago and the kids got to ride in it. It also drew a coterie of neighbors interested in looking at and photographing one of Detroit's latest hot products.
I stayed another day in Canton to avoid arriving in Hiawassee on Wednesday, when it is expected to snow there.
Days 15, 16 and 17 mileage: 495
Cumulative mileage: 4,790
The drive involved the most harrowing incident on my trek. The weather was clear except for a stretch from the Michigan/Indiana state line to Kalamazoo, Michigan. In that stretch I was hit with lake effects snow coming off of Lake Michigan. The snow came in horizontal. Most of the way it was fairly light and my concern was more with accumulation on the I-94 interstate roadway than with visibility. However, I hit a patch in which visibility was reduced to almost zero. I reduced my speed, but kept going because I was afraid of being hit from behind. I kept the shadow image of the car in front of me. After about a half mile, visibility was restored. Shortly after that the eastbound traffic was signaled by a police officer to exit the interstate. The same low visibility that had affected me caused a series of pileups involving 65 vehicles (including 13 semis) and resulted in one dead and 14 injured. As it happens, I had stopped in Benton Harbor to get a deli sandwich. Otherwise, its possible I might have been in the middle of the carnage.
The highlight of the visit to Canton was a trip to the North American International Auto Show. Jeff and Jen had gone to the black-tie charity event last Friday, when the entertainment was Huey Lewis and the News.
Jeff, Cormick and I went to the public showing on Monday, January 18. This was the third time I had been to the show. Going with an industry expert like Jeff is particularly enlightening. Jeff has responsibility for U.S. marketing of Ford small cars: Fiesta and Focus. We spent a lot of time in the Ford exhibit, and Cormick took a turn at Ford's interactive race simulator. His primary interest was in the new Ford GT, as it was the first time he had seen it in person. He wanted his dad to borrow it from the Ford Garage so he could take a ride in it. Not gonna happen. Ford is making only 350 of the Ford GT, and they have been way oversubscribed.
The other vehicle of interest to us was the new Ford Focus RS, which is the souped-up version of Ford's standby small car. Jeff had brought the RS home a few weeks ago and the kids got to ride in it. It also drew a coterie of neighbors interested in looking at and photographing one of Detroit's latest hot products.
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| Cormick on Race Course Simulator |
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| Cormick on Race Course Simulator |
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| Cormick Gazing At Ford GT |
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| Ford GT |
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| Jeff Beside Ford Focus RS |
I stayed another day in Canton to avoid arriving in Hiawassee on Wednesday, when it is expected to snow there.
Days 15, 16 and 17 mileage: 495
Cumulative mileage: 4,790
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Madison, Wisconsin
Somewhere crossing the plains of southern Minnesota I got tired of looking at snow. Its still a pretty blanket of white, and the challenge of driving in cold weather is still there, but I was ready for the trek to be over. Fortunately, I was on my way to my first of two stops to see my sons, their wives, and my grandchildren.
Madison, Wisconsin, has been home for Michael and Amanda for, I think, six years. They came here because Amanda had a fellowship to pursue her PhD in psychology at the University of Wisconin. Initially, Michael worked at software programming. Then he was accepted to the graduate program in geography at UW. They have thrived in their studies, with Amanda getting her PhD in December, 2013, and Michael getting his masters and finishing his PhD coursework and exams, with only his doctoral dissertation to go. Along the way, they bought a house and had their first child, Andrew. And so here I am in Madison, happily playing on the floor with my 3-year-old grandson in his parents' cozy little house.
Life is a journey.
Day 13-14 mileage: 430
Cumulative mileage: 4,295
Madison, Wisconsin, has been home for Michael and Amanda for, I think, six years. They came here because Amanda had a fellowship to pursue her PhD in psychology at the University of Wisconin. Initially, Michael worked at software programming. Then he was accepted to the graduate program in geography at UW. They have thrived in their studies, with Amanda getting her PhD in December, 2013, and Michael getting his masters and finishing his PhD coursework and exams, with only his doctoral dissertation to go. Along the way, they bought a house and had their first child, Andrew. And so here I am in Madison, happily playing on the floor with my 3-year-old grandson in his parents' cozy little house.
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| Michael and Andrew Practicing Soccer on Indoor Field |
Life is a journey.
Day 13-14 mileage: 430
Cumulative mileage: 4,295
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Rapid City, South Dakota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
This Winter Trek has taken a turn. No longer is it about observing unique scenery and braving adverse weather conditions. Now it is about logging the miles and making a couple of family visits. Today I crossed the great state of South Dakota with only a stop at a rest area and a stop for gas. The weather was clear and dry, with no ice or snow on the road. The plainzy landscape had snow--left over from the semi-blizzard one to two weeks ago. I made it to Sioux Falls in time to make the early showing of "The Revenant".
In two prior posts I have pointed out that I listened to the audiobook of Michael Punke's The Revenant. I wanted to see the movie while it was on the big screen and while the book was still fresh in my memory. I had a hard time following the first half of the movie because while the characters were mostly the same and some major events were the same, it didn't much follow the order in the book. The answer came at the end of the movie with a screen shot that stated, "BASED IN PART ON THE NOVEL BY MICHAEL PUNKE."
I can summarize what the book and the movie had in common thus: This is the story of Hugh Glass, a mountain man who gets mauled by a bear and then is left for dead by two men of his party who were supposed to stay with him until he died and then bury him. He didn't die and went after them. He caught up with his party, forgave one of the men, chased down the other one, but ended up not killing him.
The plot of the book is much more complex and ambiguous than the movie. The scenery in movie is beautiful and even breath-taking, and the acting is good. Leonardo DiCaprio has a good shot at the Best Actor Oscar, but I thought the best acting job was put in by Tom Hardy, who played John Fitzgerald, the bad guy. Hardy has received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
I am glad I both listened to the book and saw the movie.
Day 12 mileage: 380
Cumulative mileage: 3,865
In two prior posts I have pointed out that I listened to the audiobook of Michael Punke's The Revenant. I wanted to see the movie while it was on the big screen and while the book was still fresh in my memory. I had a hard time following the first half of the movie because while the characters were mostly the same and some major events were the same, it didn't much follow the order in the book. The answer came at the end of the movie with a screen shot that stated, "BASED IN PART ON THE NOVEL BY MICHAEL PUNKE."
I can summarize what the book and the movie had in common thus: This is the story of Hugh Glass, a mountain man who gets mauled by a bear and then is left for dead by two men of his party who were supposed to stay with him until he died and then bury him. He didn't die and went after them. He caught up with his party, forgave one of the men, chased down the other one, but ended up not killing him.
The plot of the book is much more complex and ambiguous than the movie. The scenery in movie is beautiful and even breath-taking, and the acting is good. Leonardo DiCaprio has a good shot at the Best Actor Oscar, but I thought the best acting job was put in by Tom Hardy, who played John Fitzgerald, the bad guy. Hardy has received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination.
I am glad I both listened to the book and saw the movie.
Day 12 mileage: 380
Cumulative mileage: 3,865
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Casper, Wyoming to Rapid City, South Dakota
My two objectives today were to travel through the Powder River Basin, which is the largest coal mining operation in the United States, and to visit Devils Tower National Monument. I accomplished both.
The Powder River Basin runs 120 miles by 200 miles in Montana and Wyoming. It provides 40 percent of the coal mined in the United States. The mines are open pits. It looked to me like about 50 feet of overburden had to be removed to get to a horizontal strip of coal maybe 5 to 10 feet high. The pit went down further, so I assume there is one or more additional coal deposits lower down, but I couldn't see it from the county road that I was driving on. I emphasize that I was on a paved county road at all times because during part of my drive a car suddenly appeared behind me, followed me for several miles (staying behind even when I reduced speed) and just as suddenly was gone. I have been reading John Grisham's novel on the coal industry, so my paranoia monitor was on high. The Powder River Basin is barren, rolling hills at an elevation about 4000 feet. It appears the primary surface use is raising cattle. There are also some oil or gas wells in the area.
The railroad circuit to support the mining operation is incredible. The track system heading south has four tracks. Some areas had three tracks and some had two. I never saw less than two. The coal trains are each over a mile long, with four motor units, two pulling and two pushing. From what I read they are DC power--low speed, high pulling power.
The Powder River Basin coal fields were developed after pollution controls became important. It has a low level of sulfur dioxide compared to Appalachian coal, though its energy output is only two-thirds that of Appalachian coal. There are currently 15 active mines and they primarily provide coal to at least 50 power plants around the country.
Devils Tower was the FIRST national monument established by President Theodore Roosevelt after the passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. It is a 50-million year old oblisk that rises 1,267 feet above the surrounding plain. The tower is believed to be an igneous intrusion into the surrounding sedimentary rock, but no one is sure exactly how it was formed. As the magna cooled, it formed into mostly hexagonal columns. All this occurred underground, and the tower was not exposed until five to ten million years ago as the surrounding sedimentary rock eroded. Several thousand people climb the oblisk every year.
Day 11 mileage: 320
Cumulative mileage: 3,485
The Powder River Basin runs 120 miles by 200 miles in Montana and Wyoming. It provides 40 percent of the coal mined in the United States. The mines are open pits. It looked to me like about 50 feet of overburden had to be removed to get to a horizontal strip of coal maybe 5 to 10 feet high. The pit went down further, so I assume there is one or more additional coal deposits lower down, but I couldn't see it from the county road that I was driving on. I emphasize that I was on a paved county road at all times because during part of my drive a car suddenly appeared behind me, followed me for several miles (staying behind even when I reduced speed) and just as suddenly was gone. I have been reading John Grisham's novel on the coal industry, so my paranoia monitor was on high. The Powder River Basin is barren, rolling hills at an elevation about 4000 feet. It appears the primary surface use is raising cattle. There are also some oil or gas wells in the area.
The railroad circuit to support the mining operation is incredible. The track system heading south has four tracks. Some areas had three tracks and some had two. I never saw less than two. The coal trains are each over a mile long, with four motor units, two pulling and two pushing. From what I read they are DC power--low speed, high pulling power.
The Powder River Basin coal fields were developed after pollution controls became important. It has a low level of sulfur dioxide compared to Appalachian coal, though its energy output is only two-thirds that of Appalachian coal. There are currently 15 active mines and they primarily provide coal to at least 50 power plants around the country.
Devils Tower was the FIRST national monument established by President Theodore Roosevelt after the passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. It is a 50-million year old oblisk that rises 1,267 feet above the surrounding plain. The tower is believed to be an igneous intrusion into the surrounding sedimentary rock, but no one is sure exactly how it was formed. As the magna cooled, it formed into mostly hexagonal columns. All this occurred underground, and the tower was not exposed until five to ten million years ago as the surrounding sedimentary rock eroded. Several thousand people climb the oblisk every year.
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| Devils Tower National Monument |
Day 11 mileage: 320
Cumulative mileage: 3,485
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Grand Junction, Colorado to Casper, Wyoming
Holy Moly!!! Talk about Wind! Talk about Blowing Snow!
Wyoming is a whole 'nother kind of Winter. Its almost as flat as the Great Plains. The wind blows anything in its way. At 35 to 50 mph. Constantly. In Winter it blows the snow. You drive through it. Fortunately it is usually at ground level, but not always.
No pictures today; not much of what I would call scenic.
So I'm going to review the other thing I do on my road trips: read and listen to books.
Audiobooks:
Michael Punke, The Revenant. The movie is now out, but the book is still special enough to be read or listened to. Its a rough book. It is based on a mountain man who actually existed and relates events that either actually occurred or exist in legend. I liked it a lot.
Robert Littell, The Stalin Epigram. Another fictionalization of a real life. In this case, its the Russian poet Osip Mandelstam, who was arrested by the Soviet political police in 1934. At the time, the political police were still relying on extracting confessions that the accused recited in public show trials. Within a couple of years, Stalin and his henchmen had dispensed with confessions and merely held trials in which prosecutors recited accusations as statements of fact that were used to convict and condemn the accused. The novel's centerpiece is a poem that Mandelstam recited that was derogatory of Stalin. But the author indicates that what really infuriated Stalin was that even after torture and exile, he could not prevail on Mandelstam to recite a poem in which he sincerely complemented Stalin. It was a bit tedious.
James Carlos Blake, The House of Wolfe, A Border Noir. This is one of a serial on the Wolfe family, a criminal enterprise in Texas and Mexico that had its fictional start with a sea captain turned pirate who was supposedly hanged in Vera Cruz in the 1840s. This episode involves the kidnapping of a female member of the Texas Wolfe clan in Mexico and her recovery due to the combined efforts of the Texas and Mexico branches of the family. Smuggling and violence are the hallmarks of the Wolfes, and Blake's books are a fast read (or listen) and a lot of fun.
Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer. I am currently listening to this audiobook. The narrator is a South Vietnamese army officer who served as chief of staff to a general who was head of the secret police. Both are flown out of Saigon in 1975 just before the North's takeover of the city. The narrator has been a VC plant within the South's secret police and he is ordered to continue his surveillance and reports on the general's machinations in the USA. That's it so far.
Books on Kindle:
Martin Lynch, Mining in World History. I read this as a followup of my trip with Jeff last November to Southeast Arizona and Southwest New Mexico. We visited-observed-toured four open-pit copper mines. The book was every bit as interesting as the title makes it sound, but I feel I learned a lot.
State of Terror: The War Against ISIS. A compilation of Washington Post articles on ISIS over the past year.
Currently reading:
Michael McCarthy, Ashes Under Water: The SS Eastland and the Shipwreck That Shook America.
John Grisham, Gray Mountain.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The First Circle.
Peter Annin, The Great Lakes Water Wars.
Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings: A Novel. the 2015 Man Booker Prize winner
Day 10 mileage: 395
Cumulative mileage: 3,165
Wyoming is a whole 'nother kind of Winter. Its almost as flat as the Great Plains. The wind blows anything in its way. At 35 to 50 mph. Constantly. In Winter it blows the snow. You drive through it. Fortunately it is usually at ground level, but not always.
No pictures today; not much of what I would call scenic.
So I'm going to review the other thing I do on my road trips: read and listen to books.
Audiobooks:
Michael Punke, The Revenant. The movie is now out, but the book is still special enough to be read or listened to. Its a rough book. It is based on a mountain man who actually existed and relates events that either actually occurred or exist in legend. I liked it a lot.
Robert Littell, The Stalin Epigram. Another fictionalization of a real life. In this case, its the Russian poet Osip Mandelstam, who was arrested by the Soviet political police in 1934. At the time, the political police were still relying on extracting confessions that the accused recited in public show trials. Within a couple of years, Stalin and his henchmen had dispensed with confessions and merely held trials in which prosecutors recited accusations as statements of fact that were used to convict and condemn the accused. The novel's centerpiece is a poem that Mandelstam recited that was derogatory of Stalin. But the author indicates that what really infuriated Stalin was that even after torture and exile, he could not prevail on Mandelstam to recite a poem in which he sincerely complemented Stalin. It was a bit tedious.
James Carlos Blake, The House of Wolfe, A Border Noir. This is one of a serial on the Wolfe family, a criminal enterprise in Texas and Mexico that had its fictional start with a sea captain turned pirate who was supposedly hanged in Vera Cruz in the 1840s. This episode involves the kidnapping of a female member of the Texas Wolfe clan in Mexico and her recovery due to the combined efforts of the Texas and Mexico branches of the family. Smuggling and violence are the hallmarks of the Wolfes, and Blake's books are a fast read (or listen) and a lot of fun.
Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer. I am currently listening to this audiobook. The narrator is a South Vietnamese army officer who served as chief of staff to a general who was head of the secret police. Both are flown out of Saigon in 1975 just before the North's takeover of the city. The narrator has been a VC plant within the South's secret police and he is ordered to continue his surveillance and reports on the general's machinations in the USA. That's it so far.
Books on Kindle:
Martin Lynch, Mining in World History. I read this as a followup of my trip with Jeff last November to Southeast Arizona and Southwest New Mexico. We visited-observed-toured four open-pit copper mines. The book was every bit as interesting as the title makes it sound, but I feel I learned a lot.
State of Terror: The War Against ISIS. A compilation of Washington Post articles on ISIS over the past year.
Currently reading:
Michael McCarthy, Ashes Under Water: The SS Eastland and the Shipwreck That Shook America.
John Grisham, Gray Mountain.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The First Circle.
Peter Annin, The Great Lakes Water Wars.
Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings: A Novel. the 2015 Man Booker Prize winner
Day 10 mileage: 395
Cumulative mileage: 3,165
Monday, January 11, 2016
Kanab, Utah to Grand Junction, Colorado
Southeastern Utah has some of the most incredible scenery in the world. Buttes, ridges, reefs, shelves, plateaus, on and on. The lineup of national parks alone is exceptional: Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capital Reef, and Zion. Plus the national monuments: Cedar Breaks, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges, and Rainbow Bridge. Plus 12 Utah state parks. I have traveled through the area five times, and I am always amazed.
This was my first time driving the length of Utah Highway 12. It is definitely one of the most amazing scenic highways in the country. And if you drive it in winter, like I did, you almost have it to yourself. I like the geology. I like the elevation, from 5000 feet to 9600 feet. I like the curves and the hills, both up and down. I like the numerous turnouts and scenic viewpoints--all of which had been plowed of snow.
That's enough superlatives. Here are the pictures. I think the snow adds an interesting element to the landscapes.
While Colorado has Chimney Rock National Monument, Utah has its own Chimney Rock in Capital Reef National Park.
Day 9 mileage: 400
Cumulative mileage: 2,770
This was my first time driving the length of Utah Highway 12. It is definitely one of the most amazing scenic highways in the country. And if you drive it in winter, like I did, you almost have it to yourself. I like the geology. I like the elevation, from 5000 feet to 9600 feet. I like the curves and the hills, both up and down. I like the numerous turnouts and scenic viewpoints--all of which had been plowed of snow.
That's enough superlatives. Here are the pictures. I think the snow adds an interesting element to the landscapes.
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| Bryce Canyon |
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| Bryce Point, Bryce Canyon |
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| Grottos from Bryce Point, Bryce Canyon |
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| Bryce Canyon |
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| Scene from Utah Highway 12 |
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| Snow, Utah Style |
While Colorado has Chimney Rock National Monument, Utah has its own Chimney Rock in Capital Reef National Park.
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| Chimney Rock, Capital Reef National Park |
Cumulative mileage: 2,770
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Cortez, Colorado to Kanab, Utah
When I left Cortez, the temperature was two degrees Fahrenheit. It was dry and the sky was clear, so my major concern was ice on the roadway. Fortunately, the road was dry and ice-free all morning.
My key objective was to take winter pictures of Monument Valley. The area, well known from many Western movies, is on the Navajo Tribe Reservation in Arizona. The tribe has incorporated it into a Tribal Park and charges a $20 per car fee for entry. Things looked good until I was very near the park, but then the cloud cover decreased to zero. In addition, the park attendant advised that the park road, which is not paved, was closed due to the recent rain and snow. At least they we're charging the entry fee and I went to the visitors center. The the best views are within the park, but I was able to take some pictures of mesas and buttes in the surrounding territory.
Day 8 mileage: 365
Cumulative mileage: 2,370
My key objective was to take winter pictures of Monument Valley. The area, well known from many Western movies, is on the Navajo Tribe Reservation in Arizona. The tribe has incorporated it into a Tribal Park and charges a $20 per car fee for entry. Things looked good until I was very near the park, but then the cloud cover decreased to zero. In addition, the park attendant advised that the park road, which is not paved, was closed due to the recent rain and snow. At least they we're charging the entry fee and I went to the visitors center. The the best views are within the park, but I was able to take some pictures of mesas and buttes in the surrounding territory.
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| Mexican Hat |
Day 8 mileage: 365
Cumulative mileage: 2,370
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Durango, Colorado to Cortez, Colorado via Telluride
I stayed an extra day in Durango to allow the final stage of the storm to pass through southwest Colorado.
Durango is a small western- and outdoors-oriented city that is most active during the summer months. It reminded me of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A major attraction is the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which is probably the best scenic railway in the country. It runs year round. If I had a bucket list, riding it would be on it, though I would prefer to ride it during the Summer. I had an excellent prime rib dinner at Ken and Sue's in downtown Durango. There appear to be several fine restaurants in town.
Today I traveled North from Durango up the San Juan Skyway to Ouray, Colorado. I crossed three passes on the 50-mile drive, with the Red Mountain Summit Pass being the highest at 11,100 feet above sea level. Mandatory traction control was required of all vehicles, including passenger cars. Because I did not have either all wheel drive or snow tires, in dutifully put on my chains. It took me about 10 minutes to install them. All the way over the three passes, I did not see chains on any other passenger vehicle. Ho Hum. I will say that I felt much safer with the chains installed, and since they kept me from driving faster than 25 mph, I had a very pleasant drive in the beautiful scenery.
Day 7 mileage: 245
Cumulative mileage: 2,005
Here are some pictures:
Durango is a small western- and outdoors-oriented city that is most active during the summer months. It reminded me of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A major attraction is the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which is probably the best scenic railway in the country. It runs year round. If I had a bucket list, riding it would be on it, though I would prefer to ride it during the Summer. I had an excellent prime rib dinner at Ken and Sue's in downtown Durango. There appear to be several fine restaurants in town.
Today I traveled North from Durango up the San Juan Skyway to Ouray, Colorado. I crossed three passes on the 50-mile drive, with the Red Mountain Summit Pass being the highest at 11,100 feet above sea level. Mandatory traction control was required of all vehicles, including passenger cars. Because I did not have either all wheel drive or snow tires, in dutifully put on my chains. It took me about 10 minutes to install them. All the way over the three passes, I did not see chains on any other passenger vehicle. Ho Hum. I will say that I felt much safer with the chains installed, and since they kept me from driving faster than 25 mph, I had a very pleasant drive in the beautiful scenery.
Day 7 mileage: 245
Cumulative mileage: 2,005
Here are some pictures:
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| Peak on San Juan Skyway |
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| Mustang with Chains in Silverton, Colorado |
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| San Juan County Courthouse in Silverton, Colorado |
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| Main Street in Ouray, Colorado |
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| San Juan Mountains from San Juan Skyway |
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Raton, New Mexico to Durango, Colorado
I'm now in a lot of snow. I'm now in Colorado. But I repeat myself.
I traveled over three mountain passes today, at successively greater heights and more hazardous road conditions. First was Raton Pass at 7835 feet above sea level, then North La Veta Pass in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at 9413 feet, and finally Wolf Creek Pass in the San Juan Mountains at 10,856 feet. Snow covered the area like a blanket, all fresh and white. It goes on and on for hour after hour of driving. I didn't have to put on chains at any point, and I did no sliding as I mostly drove at 30 to 35 MPH. It was an amazing seven hours of driving.
There was a national monument on the way and I wanted to check it out, but it was closed for the season. The monument was created by President Barack Obama on September 21, 2012. (Fox News claimed it was a blatant political ploy to secure the vote of the Southern Ute Tribe). The pinnacle is on land that was already in the San Juan National Forest, and is adjacent to the Southern Ute Tribe Reservation. Its significance is as an archaeological feature as site of ancestral Puebloan ceremonial activity. From Wikipedia:
"The construction of the Great House Pueblo at the top of the ridge, close to Chimney Rock and its neighbor Companion Rock, had a large ceremonial role in the later years of Chaco presence. As the moon makes its lunar cycle across the sky over a period of 18.6 years, it appears in a "lunar standstill" between the two rocks every 9.3 [years] for a period of approximately 2 years. Evidence suggests that Great House Pueblo was first built in 1076 during a lunar standstill and expanded and finished in 1093 during another."
The peaks (or rocks) caught my eye as I was driving by outside of Durango, and I snapped this picture:
I made that up about Fox News.
Day 5 mileage: 300
Cumulative mileage: 1,760
I traveled over three mountain passes today, at successively greater heights and more hazardous road conditions. First was Raton Pass at 7835 feet above sea level, then North La Veta Pass in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at 9413 feet, and finally Wolf Creek Pass in the San Juan Mountains at 10,856 feet. Snow covered the area like a blanket, all fresh and white. It goes on and on for hour after hour of driving. I didn't have to put on chains at any point, and I did no sliding as I mostly drove at 30 to 35 MPH. It was an amazing seven hours of driving.
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| Approaching Wolf Creek Pass |
There was a national monument on the way and I wanted to check it out, but it was closed for the season. The monument was created by President Barack Obama on September 21, 2012. (Fox News claimed it was a blatant political ploy to secure the vote of the Southern Ute Tribe). The pinnacle is on land that was already in the San Juan National Forest, and is adjacent to the Southern Ute Tribe Reservation. Its significance is as an archaeological feature as site of ancestral Puebloan ceremonial activity. From Wikipedia:
"The construction of the Great House Pueblo at the top of the ridge, close to Chimney Rock and its neighbor Companion Rock, had a large ceremonial role in the later years of Chaco presence. As the moon makes its lunar cycle across the sky over a period of 18.6 years, it appears in a "lunar standstill" between the two rocks every 9.3 [years] for a period of approximately 2 years. Evidence suggests that Great House Pueblo was first built in 1076 during a lunar standstill and expanded and finished in 1093 during another."
The peaks (or rocks) caught my eye as I was driving by outside of Durango, and I snapped this picture:
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| Chimney Rock, right, and Companion Rock, left |
I made that up about Fox News.
Day 5 mileage: 300
Cumulative mileage: 1,760
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Woodward, Oklahoma to Raton, New Mexico
Today I finished crossing the Great Plains. The drive seems flat, but over a distance of 250 miles the elevation increased from 2000 feet to 5000 feet.
On the last third of the drive, a series of scattered "hills" appeared. They are actually mountains because their elevations are 6000 to 8000 feet above sea level. They are part of over 100 ancient volcanic vents located in the northeast corner of New Mexico between Clayton and Raton. Volcanoes in the middle of a tectonic plate are very unusual. Apparently, in this area the earth's crust spread and thinned, and a magma hot spot was periodically able to push to the surface. This process began about six million years ago. Three series of volcanoes formed in this area. Erosion has cased most of the older two series to be reduced to ridges and hillocks. The last series started two million years ago and only ended 40,000 years ago.
One of these newer volcanoes, Capulin, was designated a national monument by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Its age is believed to be 60,000 years. The volcano consists of a cinder cone and about 25 square miles of lava beds. As a national monument, the volcano is protected and maintained by rangers of the National Park Service. In 1925, a road was carved in the cinders along the side of cone, so I was able to drive to the edge of the cone. The inside of the cone is not much to look at, other than to evaluate the forces that created the volcano. Here are some pictures:
The National Park System was established by Congress during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. The legislation provided for the establishment of national parks and national monuments. A new national park required specific Congressional action. A new national monument could be established by presidential order and did not require Congressional approval (though, of course, annual appropriations require Congressional approval). This distinction has been of major importance because there are many more national monuments than national parks, and generally the protection afforded can be more quickly obtained. For example, The Grand Canyon was declared a national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, and didn't become a national park until 1919. The Wikipedia entry says this:
"U.S President Theordore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon in 1903. An avid outdoorsman and staunch conservationist, he established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve on November 28, 1906. Livestock grazing was reduced, but predators such as mountain lions, eagles, and wolves were eradicated. Roosevelt added adjacent national forest lands and redesignated the preserve a U.S. National Monument on January 11, 1908. Opponents such as land and mining claim holders blocked efforts to reclassify the monument as a U.S. National Park for 11 years. Grand Canyon National Park was finally established as the 17th U.S. National Park by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919.[17]
Tomorrow, January 7th, should be an interesting drive. Snow will be falling, though most of the way it will be light, at one to three inches. However, I have to cross the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with North La Veta Pass at 9413 feet above sea level. I have to cross it to get to Durango, Colorado by tomorrow night. I won't know if I can get across the pass until I get in the area. If I can't I'll retreat and stay in Walsenburg or Pueblo.
Day 4 mileage: 330
Cumulative mileage: 1,460
On the last third of the drive, a series of scattered "hills" appeared. They are actually mountains because their elevations are 6000 to 8000 feet above sea level. They are part of over 100 ancient volcanic vents located in the northeast corner of New Mexico between Clayton and Raton. Volcanoes in the middle of a tectonic plate are very unusual. Apparently, in this area the earth's crust spread and thinned, and a magma hot spot was periodically able to push to the surface. This process began about six million years ago. Three series of volcanoes formed in this area. Erosion has cased most of the older two series to be reduced to ridges and hillocks. The last series started two million years ago and only ended 40,000 years ago.
One of these newer volcanoes, Capulin, was designated a national monument by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Its age is believed to be 60,000 years. The volcano consists of a cinder cone and about 25 square miles of lava beds. As a national monument, the volcano is protected and maintained by rangers of the National Park Service. In 1925, a road was carved in the cinders along the side of cone, so I was able to drive to the edge of the cone. The inside of the cone is not much to look at, other than to evaluate the forces that created the volcano. Here are some pictures:
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| Capulin Mountain at Capulin Volcano National Monument, New Mexico |
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| Road to Cone Top, Capulin Volcano |
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| Capulin Volcano Inner Cone |
The National Park System was established by Congress during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. The legislation provided for the establishment of national parks and national monuments. A new national park required specific Congressional action. A new national monument could be established by presidential order and did not require Congressional approval (though, of course, annual appropriations require Congressional approval). This distinction has been of major importance because there are many more national monuments than national parks, and generally the protection afforded can be more quickly obtained. For example, The Grand Canyon was declared a national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, and didn't become a national park until 1919. The Wikipedia entry says this:
"U.S President Theordore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon in 1903. An avid outdoorsman and staunch conservationist, he established the Grand Canyon Game Preserve on November 28, 1906. Livestock grazing was reduced, but predators such as mountain lions, eagles, and wolves were eradicated. Roosevelt added adjacent national forest lands and redesignated the preserve a U.S. National Monument on January 11, 1908. Opponents such as land and mining claim holders blocked efforts to reclassify the monument as a U.S. National Park for 11 years. Grand Canyon National Park was finally established as the 17th U.S. National Park by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on February 26, 1919.[17]
Tomorrow, January 7th, should be an interesting drive. Snow will be falling, though most of the way it will be light, at one to three inches. However, I have to cross the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with North La Veta Pass at 9413 feet above sea level. I have to cross it to get to Durango, Colorado by tomorrow night. I won't know if I can get across the pass until I get in the area. If I can't I'll retreat and stay in Walsenburg or Pueblo.
Day 4 mileage: 330
Cumulative mileage: 1,460
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Springdale, Arkansas to Woodward, Oklahoma
This is the day I crossed most of Oklahoma, from East to West, including the panhandle. I was pretty good. Cold, but good. On the easterrn side of the state, there was a hilly scenic drive on US Highway 62. The middle of the state was fairly flat. And a little northwest of Oklahoma City, snow started to appear on the ground. In the western part of the state, there was slight blanket of snow everywhere. I have traveled cross country several times, and I think Oklahoma is about the most scenic way to cross the Great Plains.
One of the things I like most about my road trips is listening to audiobooks along the way. Over the past two days I have listened to The Revenant by Michael Punke. It is the basis of a movie of the same name starring Leonardo DiCaprio coming out this month. Its rated as a historical fiction, but I classify it as a survival fiction. I consider Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea as the first survival fiction I read. The similarity is the overcoming a series of extreme adverse situations in a hostile environment with an ambiguous outcome. I have heard that DiCaprio has done an outstanding job as the lead character, Hugh Glass, who was an actual mountain man who was terribly mauled by a grizzley bear, and then was left to die by two men who had agreed to stay with him. All I can say is that this is certainly a different role from anything I had seen DiCaprio do before. The book is great, and is certainly worth reading or listening to even if you see the movie.
Day 3 mileage: 345
Cumulative mileage: 1,130
One of the things I like most about my road trips is listening to audiobooks along the way. Over the past two days I have listened to The Revenant by Michael Punke. It is the basis of a movie of the same name starring Leonardo DiCaprio coming out this month. Its rated as a historical fiction, but I classify it as a survival fiction. I consider Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea as the first survival fiction I read. The similarity is the overcoming a series of extreme adverse situations in a hostile environment with an ambiguous outcome. I have heard that DiCaprio has done an outstanding job as the lead character, Hugh Glass, who was an actual mountain man who was terribly mauled by a grizzley bear, and then was left to die by two men who had agreed to stay with him. All I can say is that this is certainly a different role from anything I had seen DiCaprio do before. The book is great, and is certainly worth reading or listening to even if you see the movie.
Day 3 mileage: 345
Cumulative mileage: 1,130
Monday, January 4, 2016
Memphis, Tennessee to Springdale, Arkansas
Very smooth driving today in 33 degree weather. Northeastern Arkansas was very flat, with evidence of flooding in the vicinity of the rivers. The White River has a very large relief basin and it was full of water. I spent the afternoon traveling through the Arkansas Ozarks, which is always a pleasant drive. This is the fourth time I have traveled in the Ozarks. While they are old mountains like the Appalachians, they are very different. The Appalachians are granite and metamorphic schist, while the Ozarks are limestone and sandstone. That's all the geology for today.
I checked out the Mississippi in Memphis. Like much of the Mississippi, the river at Memphis is at flood stage. The flood crest is not due to reach Memphis until the end of the week. The city has a nice riverview park outside of the levee, just south of downtown. Below is a picture showing the river up to the park. It also shows the levee that protects the downtown area of the city. It appears to be 30 ro 40 feet above the riverview park. I suspect the flood at its crest stage may inundate the park, but there is no possibility of the river exceeding the height of the levee. However, like a chain, a levee is only as strong as its weakest part, so there is always room for worry. This reminds me of the book I read about the flood of the Mississippi Delta (which is located in the State of Mississippi, and is not in fact the delta of the Mississippi River). The book, by John Barry, is Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America. It is a great popular history read. The levees broke that time and over ten feet of water inundated hundreds of square miles for several months.
Day 2 Mileage: 355
Cumulative Mileage: 785
I checked out the Mississippi in Memphis. Like much of the Mississippi, the river at Memphis is at flood stage. The flood crest is not due to reach Memphis until the end of the week. The city has a nice riverview park outside of the levee, just south of downtown. Below is a picture showing the river up to the park. It also shows the levee that protects the downtown area of the city. It appears to be 30 ro 40 feet above the riverview park. I suspect the flood at its crest stage may inundate the park, but there is no possibility of the river exceeding the height of the levee. However, like a chain, a levee is only as strong as its weakest part, so there is always room for worry. This reminds me of the book I read about the flood of the Mississippi Delta (which is located in the State of Mississippi, and is not in fact the delta of the Mississippi River). The book, by John Barry, is Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America. It is a great popular history read. The levees broke that time and over ten feet of water inundated hundreds of square miles for several months.
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| Mississippi River at Memphis Riverview Park with Levee in Background |
Cumulative Mileage: 785
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Hiawassee, Georgia to Memphis, Tennessee
I started out at 9 AM from home near Hiawassee, Georgia, looking at a leisurely 400-mile drive to Memphis, Tennessee. The drive took about eight hours and the weather was fine all the way.
The so-called Winter Storm Goliath occurred between Christmas and New Years and caused (and is causing) considerable flooding in the Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio river system. The Hiawassee River and TVA Lake Chatuge are part of this system. Lake Chatuge is half in Hiawassee/Towns County, Georgia and half in North Carolina. It was formed by the TVA construction of a dam in North Carolina in 1940. Chatuge Dam is operated by the TVA to generate electricity, to provide recreational opportunities, and for flood control. During Winter the lake is usually maintained about 10 feet below its "full" level, and then gradually raised in Spring to "full" by June 1 for recreational use of the lake. Then in September and October it is dropped back to its Winter level. I assume TVA manipulates the opening and closing of the discharge pipes to the dam's turbines to manipulate the water level. Significant rain during WS Goliath brought a lot of rain to the area and filled up Lake Chatuge above is "full" level, and feeder creeks flooded and caused road damage.
On my way out of town, I decided to check on the status of Chatuge Dam, as I had never seen the lake this high. Chatuge Dam is an earth-and-rock-filled dam with a concrete spillway that discharges at about eight to ten feet below the top of the dam. I had never seen any water in the spillway. As these pictures show, the lake is flood-full and a few inches of water are being discharged over the spillway.
Hiawassee River discharges into the Tennessee River, which combines with the Cumberland River and pours into the Ohio River, which then merges with the Mississippi River. I had assumed that TVA was actively engaged in flood control on its upriver dams to reduce downriver flooding. Active flood control, to me, would mean closing the discharge pipes on the upriver dams. As I indicated, Lake Chatuge is flood-full and water is passing over the spillway. But when I crossed the Hiawassee River about a quarter-mile below the dam, it was full, meaning the discharge pipes were fully open. I conclude that the rainfall and river flow has been so great that all TVA can do in the way of flood control is to passively allow the lake to hold as much water as it can, and discharge the remainder downstream. If this is the case throughout the river system, then WS Goliath taxed the flood control aspect of the system to its capacity, and any more rain in the near future is likely to cause more downstream flooding.
Tomorrow I will be crossing the Mississippi River and traveling in Arkansas. The river at Memphis is above flood stage and has not yet crested. The worst of the flooding has occurred in Missouri, and will be to the North of me.
The other thing I noticed on my drive was the substantial amount of ground-level green across North Alabama and North Mississippi. I think this is a reflection of the mild winter so far, plus the recent rain followed by relatively warm temperatures.
Day 1 mileage: 430
The so-called Winter Storm Goliath occurred between Christmas and New Years and caused (and is causing) considerable flooding in the Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio river system. The Hiawassee River and TVA Lake Chatuge are part of this system. Lake Chatuge is half in Hiawassee/Towns County, Georgia and half in North Carolina. It was formed by the TVA construction of a dam in North Carolina in 1940. Chatuge Dam is operated by the TVA to generate electricity, to provide recreational opportunities, and for flood control. During Winter the lake is usually maintained about 10 feet below its "full" level, and then gradually raised in Spring to "full" by June 1 for recreational use of the lake. Then in September and October it is dropped back to its Winter level. I assume TVA manipulates the opening and closing of the discharge pipes to the dam's turbines to manipulate the water level. Significant rain during WS Goliath brought a lot of rain to the area and filled up Lake Chatuge above is "full" level, and feeder creeks flooded and caused road damage.
On my way out of town, I decided to check on the status of Chatuge Dam, as I had never seen the lake this high. Chatuge Dam is an earth-and-rock-filled dam with a concrete spillway that discharges at about eight to ten feet below the top of the dam. I had never seen any water in the spillway. As these pictures show, the lake is flood-full and a few inches of water are being discharged over the spillway.
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| Chatuge Dam Spillway, near Hiawassee, GA |
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| Chatuge Dam at Flood-Full, Adjacent to Spillway |
Hiawassee River discharges into the Tennessee River, which combines with the Cumberland River and pours into the Ohio River, which then merges with the Mississippi River. I had assumed that TVA was actively engaged in flood control on its upriver dams to reduce downriver flooding. Active flood control, to me, would mean closing the discharge pipes on the upriver dams. As I indicated, Lake Chatuge is flood-full and water is passing over the spillway. But when I crossed the Hiawassee River about a quarter-mile below the dam, it was full, meaning the discharge pipes were fully open. I conclude that the rainfall and river flow has been so great that all TVA can do in the way of flood control is to passively allow the lake to hold as much water as it can, and discharge the remainder downstream. If this is the case throughout the river system, then WS Goliath taxed the flood control aspect of the system to its capacity, and any more rain in the near future is likely to cause more downstream flooding.
Tomorrow I will be crossing the Mississippi River and traveling in Arkansas. The river at Memphis is above flood stage and has not yet crested. The worst of the flooding has occurred in Missouri, and will be to the North of me.
The other thing I noticed on my drive was the substantial amount of ground-level green across North Alabama and North Mississippi. I think this is a reflection of the mild winter so far, plus the recent rain followed by relatively warm temperatures.
Day 1 mileage: 430
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