I walked around Mawamba before breakfast taking pictures of the lodge and grounds. It’s a great place with so much to see and do, but after breakfast and a picture of Martha and her new boyfriend, we packed up and went down to the docks. A 30-40 minute boat ride back up the river and then transferred to a van to go 40 minutes up a gravel road through thousands of Chiquita banana trees. The story is they don’t pave it because the loaded trucks would beat up a paved road.
1.5 year old Greyson put a smile on everyone’s face
Turn up the sound!
We had a 2.5-hr. drive north and then west above San Jose to Tabacon Thermal Resort and Spa. We stopped at a nice restaurant for lunch, Rio Danta Restaurant, Guapiles. The hotel is an expensive place on the side of the Arenal Volcano – an active volcano, but it is again, a very nice hotel with an incredible hot spring, that has a beautiful stream coming down the mountain. Lots of pools are built all along it, so you can have your own pool with a cabana. The further up the stream you go, the warmer it gets. Ed had been here before and wanted to stay longer. OK, I’m a big chicken, but why push your luck on the side of an active volcano? No worries though, and a great resort.
We had a busy day at Mawamba Lodge. Breakfast was delightful in their pretty, open air restaurant with great food and service. Martha fell in love with our waiter, who was very nice. Next, we were taken by boat down the river to the village of Tortuguero. A walk through the cute, little village and we arrived at Tortuguero National Park, the third most popular park in Costa Rica.
There is a good path into the park, which goes a long way in this 19,000 hectare (75 sq. mi.) park, but wherever we walked, we had to walk back, through the village and another 15 minutes back to the lodge. A lot of people were walking in and out and were helpful in spotting wildlife. The park is known for the sea Green Sea and Hawksbill turtles that nest here on the beautiful beach. We didn’t see any turtles, but we saw a sloth and monkeys. They are having a problem with jaguars coming into the village and attacking dogs, but we didn’t see those either.
Walking through the cute, little village, we stopped to help a boy shooting a ball into a bucket, working on his basketball skills. I helped, but soon deferred to Ed who played basketball for his famous coach/father in high school. The boy appreciated the help with a big smile on his face. In a central park people ate their lunch while one group of men played dominoes. It’s a delightful little town.
After lunch, we went for a canal tour by boat. It was hot and the middle of the day, so we were lucky to see a fair amount of wildlife.
Monkey
We had a little time by the pool. We had all signed up (or at least we thought we had) for a night hike in the National Park jungle. Most were happy to relax by the pool, but Ed, Debbie and I went. We took a boat down below the village where our guide gave us all flashlights before warning us not to touch anything, not even the hand railing on a narrow boardwalk. There could be spiders or biting insects, so “don’t touch anything!”
Walking a 1-hour loop on a narrow boardwalk, we saw so many things, we could see why he warned us not to touch anything. I kept looking for jaguars in the trees, but with no luck. No bit snakes either, but we saw some crazy-looking bugs, spiders, the biggest being a banana spider. There was an owl moth that with his wings spread, it looked like an owl. It was a long day, but we were glad we went on this walk through the jungle.
The last things he found were bullet ants, which I never saw, being at the back of the line. He said it is the most painful bite you can get. On one trip a bullet ant fell on his hand and bit him. He said it was horrible, and his hand quickly began to swell. He quickly headed back to the boat and into the village, but the doctor was not there. He had to make the long journey to San Jose for treatment. “Don’t touch anything!”
Now that we are home, people ask what our favorite was, but I can’t say. I liked every destination, and all were different. Every town was different, and each had its own interesting parts. Although people said we would see a lot of rocks, every canyon, every ruin was different. We saw some amazing rock formations, formed by an ancient sea that covered the west for 34 million years. Talk about climate change!
We learned so much about the people who lived in the southwest 900 years ago, as well as a lot about the Indian tribes that followed. We saw so much incredible art work, and bought some. The people we met are so much a part of the fun. Sometimes, when we are preparing to go somewhere, I am anxious to get going, but I have learned to stop and listen when someone starts talking. They often have great suggestions. They come at odd times when you might not pay attention, like when I was pumping gas or shaving in a campground bathroom, or in a grocery store, or in a shop. Sometimes you hope you will see those people again, often exchanging cards.
I often think of my now-deceased sister’s comment on my trip with Kelly across Canada. We went to some very remote places and had some scary moments. Gayle said, “Angels are protecting you.” Every time I reach a destination, I thank God for delivering us safely, and a big thank you at the end of the trip.
A big thank YOU for coming along for the ride. We love your comments and knowing you are there.
There are always issues, and this trip had them:
Stink bugs in the refrigerator heat stack.
New fresh water tank had corn in it that stopped up the water filters and galley faucet.
Air conditioner tripped the circuit breaker, so we had to replace the breaker.
Of course there were the usual loose screws and cabinet latches that had to be tightened or replaced.
Reading light by the dinette dropped down twice, breaking a wire that had to be soldered.
Refrigerator wouldn’t come on twice.
Check engine light was on for the entire trip home. turned out to be an expensive fuel mixing valve
Summary
3 months and 5 days
10,600 miles
4,025 pictures
10 National parks
10 National monuments
1 National reserve
2 National historic sites
1 National natural landmark
5 State Parks
5 Loop Drives
5 Scenic Drives
1 President’s Museum
1 Service Academy
3 Halls of Fame
48+ hikes
Someone asked if we had seen all the national parks, but we have not. I have all the national parks and monuments marked on Google Maps, but we’ll not see them all, and the below list is just the US.
63 national parks
85 National Monuments
60 national historic parks
76 national historic sites
19 national preserves
10 national wild and scenic rivers
Again, thank you for coming along, A big thanks to Martha, a great travel companion, a great cook in a variety of conditions and a great path finder.
There is a “Search Box” on the upper right where you can enter a park, campground, town, river, etc, and it will take you to the posts that contain that item. Or you can click or search a category, like campgrounds. There are now 609 posts and 159 followers. I kind of wish I had merged the blog “Fish Across Canada” with this one. I took it down because it is costly, Kelly wrote “If The Fish are Bit’n” about it, and because we gave away a lot of information on some great trout streams.
It was a very pleasant drive on I70 from Oakley to Abilene. At first it was very dry in Colorado, then turned to irrigated to pretty lush, green, huge farms and a lot of sorghum in Kansas.
It was cloudy all day with no rain until we were an hour from Abilene. Then it started to rain pretty hard. Why it didn’t produce much-needed rain in Colorado, I don’t understand, but I guess that’s the way it is.
We pulled into the campground with no one in the office. Finally, we took a pull-through spot, filled out an envelope at the bathroom and put a check in it.
We settled back on a chilly, rainy Saturday afternoon and watched a good football game between Tennessee and Pittsburgh. Trains kept coming down the track close by.
In the morning we went to the Greyhound Hall of Fame. We were greeted by a nice lady and two greyhounds that were very sweet. She gave us a bit of history of greyhounds and their origins as hunting dogs that could run all day at great speeds. Their top speed is 45 mph, but can be outpaced over long distances by huskies. Like horse racing, racing dogs began with, “My dog can run faster than your dog.” That started hundreds of years ago and evolved to what it is today.
Our host said they make great pets, but they need exercise, and that means running. We walked through the exhibits for an hour. There were sections for the dogs, trainers and breeders. I enjoyed reading the names of the great ones like Dyna Double One, Balleyregan Bob and More Taxes. Also I was amazed at a skeleton in a glass case. The greyhound skeleton reminds me of a bird. It is so light and small, it looks quite fragile.
After lunch we went to the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Talking to our neighbor at the campground, he said that was the reason he was here, and that he had been to 12 presidential libraries. Eisenhower grew up in Abilene, then and still a small midwestern town. There are two big buildings on a campus-like setting, one is the library and one is a museum.
The museum is nicely organized in chronologic order starting with his childhood, sports and activities in a small town. It was very interesting how his whole life prepared him so well for the job he would eventually do in WWII. Then on to the presidency and all he accomplished. I was tired just walking through, I can’t imagine a man continuing at such capacity for so long. For some reason the museum closed early that day, but I had filled up with information and was ready to call it a day. I thought it was a great museum and would go through it again. We have the big picture now, so if we went back, I would take four or five days divided into growing up, West Point and early military, WWII and the presidency.
Eisenhower childhood home
Beautiful campus grounds
Museum
Abilene train station
Abilene train station
Downtown Abilene
A trip on the Abilene and Smokey Valley Train would be a fun thing to do here, but we didn’t allot time for that. Also popular is a tour of the Seelye Mansion. Dr. Seelye started the Seelye Medical Company in 1890. We walked around town, which is very nice, but it was all closed up on a Sunday. There is also a highly-rated Heritage Center and The Great Plains Theater.
It was a nice drive on 94 and 40 from Colorado Springs to Oakley, Kansas. It was pretty flat and very dry as we made the turn onto 40. 94 was a bit rough and narrow, but still tractor-trailers were making time at 65 mph.
We missed the turn at Kit Carson somehow, and went south for 20 minutes until we figured it out, but that cost us 45 minutes.
We set up in High Plains Camping near I70, which is a nice travel campground. They spread everyone out nicely. The people are very nice, and the showers good.
Trying to settle on a place to eat, we drove up to Buffalo Bill’s Bar & Grill where five trucks were parked outside. The overhead sign was falling apart, and the front door wasn’t very inviting, so we turned around and went to “The Bluff”. We were early at 6:00 and walked into a big dining area that was vacant except for one table with 8 men and women in deep conversation. As we passed, I asked if that was the City Council. They laughed, saying they could solve a lot of problems, and they invited us to join.
We smiled and took a small table two tables away. It was a shame, because I could barely catch a comment or two of their conversation, and they did seem to be addressing some of the local issues, one being marijuana and Colorado being so open.
We were a bit nervous about the place, and it was a while before a waitress came over. Martha ordered a beer and I ordered a $5 screwdriver with Absolut. Martha ordered a steak and I smothered chicken breast with cheese, onions and mushrooms. Their slices and grilled potatoes were great and so were the green beans.
As we sipped our drinks, people started coming in. It’s a small town (pop. 2046), and they all knew each other. One lady came in for a take out order of 8 boxes! There was a big take-out business, and the two men in the kitchen were hopping. Thankfully, another waitress came in, because the place was filling up.
It was the right choice. The food was good and the people very nice. It had a homey feel in a small town. I liked it! We drove back to camp where Tres Hermanos restaurant, right beside the campground, was busy. Looked like a good place. I would liked to have visited the Fick Fossil History Museum, but we were heading home now. Oakley is a nice, little town. Next time I’ll sit in with the “City Council”.
Colorado Springs has an Olympic Training Center, which would have been a lot of fun to see, but we couldn’t go. We did go to the Hall of Fame though, and it was very cool. It’s a museum also, so there are lots of pictures and stories of famous athletes. Like most museums, it is difficult to take it all in.
The coolest part was a group of demonstrators where you compete against other visitors. There is a two-lane track to test your speed. There are three simulators – a soccer goalie, a bobsled run and a downhill ski course. That was good for some laughs 😊
We went for a visit to the Broadmoor Hotel, an iconic, beautiful hotel in Colorado Springs. Passing by lovely Pauline Chapel, we we went to The Penrose Heritage Museum just across the street from the hotel. It is mostly a carriage museum, but also has cars and motorcycles owned by the original builder and owner, Spencer Penrose.
We have two carriages and a sleigh in our garage, so I was very interested with all the carriages and a few sleighs, all in immaculate condition. It would be so much fun to drive these!
Penrose bought 500 acres including a hotel in 1916 with the goal of building the finest hotels in the United States. The history is quite interesting, and a good summary can be found at https://usrepresented.com/2022/09/06/broadmoor/.
Walking around the lobby, I was struck by amazing art work. I have since learned they have one of the largest collections of western art. I could have wandered around looking at the art for a long time. Maybe we saw 5% of the resort. I would love to come back to walk around more. I would have to find some kind of deal as the rooms are listed at $600 plus the usual resort fee, plus the taxes, but they are completely booked next week for its 784 rooms.
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs is dedicated to professional rodeo riders, livestock, equipment, clowns and events. Opened in 1979, it has historical exhibits, stories of over 300 inductees and displays of saddles, ropes, lariats and outfits. I learned that lariat comes from the Spanish, La reata or lasso. It is a light rope, usually of leather or hemp, used to catch livestock or tie grazing animals.
We first watched a 15-20 minute video showing all the events and history of rodeo. Then we toured the museum.
I wanted to pick up one of the saddles to see how heavy they were, but they were anchored in place. They look heavy, maybe up to 60 lbs. This article notes that a working saddle needs weight to remain stable under stress. They also distribute the load over a larger area, therefore applying fewer pounds per square inch. https://www.western-saddle-guide.com/saddle-weight/
I also enjoyed the outfits, shirts, hats and chaps. Rodeo has certainly brought out more flare to the dress. Having been in the southwest all summer, I tried to picture what it was like on a cattle drive for a couple of months. You would have only one outfit, a raincoat and bedroll. That outfit would have to be pretty versatile.
Then I looked around for my old hero, Gene Arnette, who roped for a time, but he didn’t make the Hall.
It was a beautiful morning at Cheyenne Mountain State park as the sun rose over Colorado Springs.
Cheyenne Mountain behind our campsiteYou feel like there should be buffalo on these beautiful grasslands
Cheyenne Mountain has quite a story. Deep within the granite is a NORAD site built during the cold war. The Broadmoor has a resort up there and a zoo. An antenna farm sits on top. There is a host of luxury housing areas. Cheyenne Mountain State Park has another park on the mountain, and North North Cheyenne Cañon Park has 20 miles of trails and seven waterfalls. We need to go back for another week just to explore the mountain! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheyenne_Mountain
Across the highway from Cheyenne Mountain State Park is Fort Carson. It is very cool to hear the bugle calls in the distance, although I was usually asleep before taps 😊, but I was up long before reveille (wake up call).
The Air Force Academy is the youngest of the service academies, starting in 1959. The Academy sits inside 4,630 acres that was formerly Cathedral Rock Ranch owned by Lawrence Lehman of the famous Lehman Investment family. The price was $300,000, or about $65/acre. It is a gorgeous setting at the base of the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains. “140 different parcels were eventually purchased to make up what is now a nearly-18,500 acre government property.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force_Academy)
We stopped beside the runway where they practice flying and parachuting. It would be fun to watch that some time. They had several airplanes on display. Martha thought one might have been one her father tested in the wind tunnel at Langley Air Force Base where he worked as an engineer.
Rampart Range with Cheyenne Mountain to the south and Pike’s Peak to the northWhat a great place to learn to fly!
We went into the Visitor’s Center, watched a movie and poked around while we waited for a guided tour given by a graduate of the school. He gave a nice tour, but we couldn’t go into any of the buildings, and we were disappointed they didn’t march to lunch. I think it was too hot.
I wondered what it would have been like to go to school here in stead of VMI. It certainly is a gorgeous setting, but our guide said they never saw much of it. Their lives were busy with school, chores and physical fitness. Their rooms were assigned by squadron, not by class as it was at VMI.
A lot of money was spent on the facilities, and their sports complex is top notch. The school design is very modern with a lot of glass and aluminum. Entering class size is about 1,200, 20% of whom don’t graduate.
AFA’s mascot is a gyrfalcon, a powerful and highly skilled flyer
1st barracks
Polaris Hall center for Leadership Development
Harmon Hall, offices conference rooms
New barracks
Fairchild Hall academic building
Billy Mitchell, instrumental in many ways
Polaris Building pointing to the north star
Harmon Hall, 90 offices, conference rooms
Ravens are highly skilled flyers, able to soar to great heights, fly upside down and do rolls
