During the power outage we cooked dinner at the neighbor’s house since our generator does not power our stove. We had a very nice, sociable meal. Our generator runs our furnace, TV, refrigerator and some lights so we are good; toodstove adds some additional warmth. Outside temp is 6.
Jim, B3, Crabbie and Mary
Kathryn played volleyball in the Huntsman Senior Olympics accompanied by BillieJo and Dakota. After the volleyball games they took a tour of the nearby National Parks: Zion, Bryce, and Capitol Reefs. They took horses to Bryce Canyon and rode a challenging zip line ride.
Our Amish neighbors took advantage of the nice weather to process hay.
From the El Paso airport we drove to Carlsbad Caverns and arrived in time to witness the thousands and thousands of bats and swallows exit the cave for their night time meals. The next morning we walked into the caverns via the Natural Entrance. The caverns includes a large limestone chamber, named simply the Big Room, which is 4,000 ft long, 625 ft wide, and 255 ft high at its highest point. The Big Room is the largest chamber in North America and the 31st largest in the world.
White Sands National Park is completely surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range. The park covers 145,762 acres in the Tularosa Basin, including the southern 41% of a 275 sq mi field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals.
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is created to protect Mogollon cliff dwellings in the Gila Wilderness on the headwaters of the Gila River. For thousands of years, groups of ancient nomads used caves above the Gila River as temporary shelter. In the late 1200s, people of the agricultural Mogollon culture made it a home. They built rooms, crafted pottery and raised children in the cliff dwellings for one or two generations. By approximately 1300, the Mogollon had moved on, leaving the walls behind.
Truth or Consequences is the county seat of Sierra County with a population of ~6,000. The unusual place names is due to renaming itself in March 1950 after the Truth or Consequences radio show. We enjoyed the hot springs for a 1 hour relaxing soak.
Finally we spent four days at the Geronimo Trail Guest Ranch in the heart of the Gila National Forest. a private ranch located in the middle of millions of acres of protected national forest land.
Starting in June we experienced air in our water lines, which after investigation turned out to be due to our well not re-charging fast enough. After 40 years of supporting family and livestock it was time for a new well. The well was drilled to 260 feet resulting in a lot of water, but also some particulate matter in the water. Two months of flushing the water cleared up most of the water. More filtering would be necessary in the future.
Tom and Debbie visited for a few days. We hiked the Trenton Falls trail and toured Fort Stanwix and Fort Klock.
Known as “the fort that never surrendered,” Fort Stanwix successfully repelled a prolonged siege in August 1777 during the Revolutionary War. For thousands of years the ancient trail that connects the Mohawk River and Wood Creek served as a vital link for people traveling between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Ontario.
Fort Klock is a fortified homestead one mile east of St. Johnsville. The stone structure has walls over 2 feet thick and is heavily loopholed on every side for defense , windows could be covered by sturdy wood shutters. A spring bubbling up in the cellar provided fresh water to the occupants. The self contained Fort Klock was utilized during both the French and Indian war and the American war for independence, as a place of refuge for family and neighbors. The home remained in the Klock family through the 1950’s.
Matt & I planned a day trip paddling the County Line Flow. A short gravel path leads from the 4 vehicle parking area to the south shore of County Line Flow. One can paddle the flow but are not allowed to step onto the shore except at the put-in. Paddlers are allowed to get out along Fishing Brook upstream of the flow. The transition from the flow to Fishing Brook took a little scouting but paddling the brook was very rewarding.
Kathryn got recruited to join a Women’s 65+ volleyball team playing in the Maryland Senior Games. Over the course of the year she played in the nationals in FL, state qualifiers in NY, MS, PA MD, NJ and the Huntsman Senior Olympics in Utah..
My John Deere 2020 Tractor (circa 1976) developed corrosion around the rear tire valves – not an unusual situation due to the fact the tires are filled with calcium chloride. Casenovia Equipment recommended MAX TIRES for the repair.
