In May 2014 we did our wonderful trip to Montana and in August, it was time to take another road journey from Cleveland, OH to Nebraska for my high school reunion and then proceed into Colorado to view the splendor of that State. If you care to see what we saw on our first stop, click on video/gallery above and off you go. Additional tourist sites to follow:

VIDEO: ( 14 1/2 mins ) President Hoover's Birthplace and Museum, West Branch, Iowa

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/President-Hoover-8-31-14/i-3HF8xqZ/A

Photo Gallery: President Hoover’s Birthplace and Museum

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/President-Hoover-8-31-14/i-3HF8xqZ


Additional info regarding the museum:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoover_Presidential_Library_and_Museum

You’ve seen the Hoover Birthplace and Museum and now it’s time to ride the rails of the Durango & Silverton Railroad:

Penny and I had heard so much of the beautiful scenery seen while riding the Durango and Silverton Railroad, it was a must visit by us when doing our thing in Colorado. Plus, having 30 years of railroading in my blood, I was anxious to ride a train pulled by steam once again.

Want to see what we saw? Then click on below link and it's "ALL ABOARD!"

VIDEO: Riding the Rails of the Durango & Silverton Railroad ( 19 mins )

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/Durango-Railroad/i-TFBgTV8/A

Photo Gallery:

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/Durango-Railroad/i-TFBgTV8

Durango & Silverton Railroad Website:

http://www.durangotrain.com

Cheers! Ray & Penny

You’ve been to the Herbert Hoover Birthplace and Museum and have seen the beautiful scenery while riding the Durango Railroad and now it’s time to see Silverton, Colorado…

Photos only of what we saw in Silverton, Colorado and does not include any film footage. The voice you hear is that of our bus driver as we returned to Durango. The railroad gives you the option of riding the rails in both directions or doing the bus on the return leg. We chose the bus to have a different experience.


Video: Silverton Colorado (7mins )

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/Silverton-Colorado/i-7r5tDkq

Cheers! Ray

Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings, Colorado

You’ve been to President Hoover’s Birthplace & Museum, rode the scenic Durango Railroad and visited the town of Silverton, Colorado and now it’s time to visit the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado:

Mesa Verde National Park is a U.S. National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest archaeological preserve in the United States. The park was created in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt to protect some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the world, or as he said, "preserve the works of man". It is the only cultural National Park set aside by the National Park System. It occupies 81.4 square miles (211 km2) near the Four Corners and features numerous ruins of homes and villages built by the Ancient Pueblo peoples, sometimes called the Anasazi. There are more than 4000 archaeological sites and 600 cliff dwellings at the site.
The Anasazi inhabited Mesa Verde between 600 to 1300, though there is evidence they left before the start of the 15th century. They were mainly subsistence farmers, growing crops on nearby mesas. Their primary crop was corn, the major part of their diet. Men were also hunters, which further increased their food supply. The women of the Anasazi are famous for their elegant basket weaving. Anasazi pottery is as famous as their baskets; their artifacts are highly prized. The Anasazi kept no written records.

By the year 750 the people were building mesa-top villages made of adobe. In the late 1190s they began to build the cliff dwellings for which Mesa Verde is famous.
Mesa Verde is best known for cliff dwellings, which are structures built within caves and under outcroppings in cliffs — including Cliff Palace, thought to be the largest cliff dwelling in North America. The Spanish term Mesa Verdetranslates into English as "green table". It is considered to contain some of the most notable and best preserved archaeological sites.

VIDEO: Mesa Verde National Park - Colorado ( 18 1/2 mins)

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/Mesa-Verde-Colorado/i-C2W5TVm/A

Photo Gallery: ( 7 pages )

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/Mesa-Verde-Colorado/

Mesa Verde National Park Website:

http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm

Cheers! Ray

Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum, Ignacio, Colorado

You’ve been to President Hoover’s Birthplace & Museum, rode the scenic Durango Railroad and visited the town of Silverton, Colorado, traversed the Mesa Verde National Park and now, let’s take a tour of the Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum:

Video: Touring the Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum ( 6 mins )

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/Ignacio-Colorado/i-2snVWGz/A

Website:

http://www.succm.org

Cheers! Ray

The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado

You’ve been to President Hoover’s Birthplace & Museum, rode the scenic Durango Railroad and visited the town of Silverton, Colorado, traversed the Mesa Verde National Park, The Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum and now, The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado.

ViDEO: The Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa, Colorado ( 5 1/2 mins)

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/The-Great-Sand-Dunes/i-2qWbMT7/A

Photo Gallery ( 2 pages )

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/The-Great-Sand-Dunes/

Website:

http://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park_and_Preserve

Bishop's Castle


You’ve been to President Hoover’s Birthplace & Museum, rode the scenic Durango Railroad and visited the town of Silverton, Colorado, traversed the Mesa Verde National Park, The Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum,The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado and now Bishop's Castle: (Unusual and reminds me of the Watts Towers in L.A.)

VIDEO: Bishop Castle( 13 mins )

http://ray-penny.smugmug.com/2014-Vacation/Tech-Reunion-NebrCol/Bishop-Castle/i-LnBDMXv/A

Bishop Castle started as a family construction project situated in the Wet Mountains of Southern Colorado in the San Isabel National Forest located North West of Rye, Colorado. The castle is named after its constructor, Jim Bishop.
The Castle is located in south central Colorado along a paved public road, State Highway 165, approximately 13 miles (21 km) southeast of the junction of State Highways 96 and 165. This road is part of the Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway, and Bishop Castle is shown on the official map.
Construction of the castle began in 1969, when Bishop began construction on a family cottage, which he decided to surround with rocks. Several neighbors noted that the structure looked something like a castle. Bishop took this into consideration and soon began building his castle. He had bought the land when he was fifteen for a price of $450.In 1996, he was challenged by the local and state government over unsanctioned road signs that pointed to the site. They settled the dispute by issuing official road signs.

Interesting website about Bishop's Castle
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2047

Cheers! Ray