Ouray '09...part 3

We'd finally come to the day I was greatly looking forward to: the return trip up to Yankee Boy Basin at the base of the gorgeous Mount Sneffels! This is where we took our family picture last summer, but we weren't able to venture very far into any hiking forays for two reasons. First, Luke was barely 2 and we didn't want to push him. Second, there was still so much snow that the meadows were still covered and the vehicles were still a good 2-feet shorter than the pack. Knowing that the area was pounded pretty well during the winter, but then experienced a dry and very warm spring (just the opposite of us on the East side of the state), we knew the snowpack would be all but gone.

We loaded into the 4Runner and ventured out after breakfast. I was like a little kid, yet also a wee bit snippy because of the one part of the drive that I knew was going to cause me anxiety. Something about any road that is barely big enough to allow 2 vehicles in opposite directions with one side nestled into (yes, INTO) the mountain while the other side is a vertical drop of hundreds of feet into a raging river doesn't do my heart much good. I decided to study the rock formations next to and in front of me while trying to remember to breathe without hyperventilating instead of completely freaking out. It mostly worked, but Jeff had to give me a little ribbing. I threatened him with the one thing that he really doesn't like and is afraid of, but he only laughed at me. The bugger...

Once past the cliffs, I was fine. I love this landscape and could not believe the range of colors we saw in the wildflowers! They were spectacular! The pictures just don't do justice. In fact, they're rather bland and you don't get any sort of an idea of what we were witnessing. My wonderful in-laws gave me a pocket spiral book for identifying Rocky Mountain wildflowers last year. I nearly have the thing memorized I've used it so much. In fact, it stays in my 4Runner for easy access and use! Anyway, the only flowers I did not see or recognize from that book were the ones that are primarily found on the dry plains near my own house. Everything was blooming, from the paintbrush, to the columbine, to the larkspur, to the chiming bells, to the monkshood....all the way down to the little pink elephant heads! I couldn't believe it! THIS is what was hiding under all of that snow last summer!

We did not encounter near the water on the road as we did last summer, but there was still some. That makes it more fun, and Luke enjoys it. He did eventually fall asleep, but we enjoyed the ghosts of the mines. It's amazing how some houses still stand while others crumble, and how the blocks and belts remain completely intact and appearing ready for work while the building of the stamp falls down around it. While I love to crawl all over these beings, I am smart about it and was shocked to see people walking around inside a house that could collapse and fall at any moment. They were inside and taking pictures!! Amazing! I admit, I did want to stop and do the same thing, but Murphy's not nearly as kind to me and the house probably would've fallen on my head.

There other people up in the area were sparse this day. Unlike last year when it was a Saturday, and despite this being the same weekend (again) as the annual FJ Cruiser weekend, it was almost strange to not see all that many people! Kind of nice, too. More for us to enjoy around us and less to have to worry about on the bumpy road. We finally managed the climb to the middle trailhead for Mount Sneffels, our photo spot, parked and hopped out. Luke was ready to go, go, go! That was fine with me, but it was also time for some snaps of the camera. We spotted a nice buck on the hill across from us and watched through camera lens and binoculars. I can honestly say I've never before seen a deer with fat rolls, but this guy did! It was hard to figure out how he was able to walk, he was so fat!! Then it was time to take a little hike.

Oh, how I wanted to just take off and do an impromptu climb of Sneffels! Not going to happen with a 3-year-old (nor would I attempt that, he'd have a tough time with the altitude AND wouldn't be able to handle the hike), but that's okay. We opted for the hike to Emory Lake tucked neatly into the valley at the upper trailhead. It's an easy hike on a narrow trail and only about a half-mile long. Easy for all of us. And lovely! The lake is a typical dead alpine lake, and sparkling blue from the snowmelt, somewhat akin to a glacial lake. And COLD! I'd say it was probably somewhere between 35 and 38 degrees. Luke was just happy to throw rocks, I took a moment to sit and enjoy the quiet beauty, then wandered up a bit to catch a glimpse of the lower lake at Twin Lakes. And I do mean a glimpse. We took a few pictures, checked out the survey/altitude marker placed in 1933 by the San Juan Mountaineers (at 12,191.4 feet) before readying to head back to our vehicle for a picnic lunch. But wait!

Just then a group of 4 teenaged boys made it to the lake after summitting Sneffels. Typical of 17'ish-year-old kids (and something I, myself, have done...would probably do again!), they stripped down to their skivvies and jumped into the startlingly cold water. We loved it! And they were well-mannered, so it was even better!

We ventured to our 4Runner, had our lunch, met a retired couple from my dad's hometown of Moline, Illinois (wowza!), and were able to grab this year's family shot at the same spot overlooking Yankee Boy Basin as last year. It's not as good of us, but I'm still quite pleased with it. Such a special place for our little family!

Jeff and I have pledged and vowed to each other to make the climb up what I affectionately refer to as my "love affair," but we'll have to have some serious advanced planning since it's a 5-hour drive....well, actually, about 7-hours to the trailhead.....and will definitely have to camp before & after our climb. In the meantime, we're already planning for next summer's trip out to the Uncompahgre Wilderness. This time, Luke and I will be able to experience the 4-wheel trails, we may do more primitive camping, and hopefully catch fish again!!

Farewell, Sir...

I'm taking a brief break from telling of our annual Ouray trip to give homage to someone I liked. No, I didn't have a crush on him, though I did think he was cute. But I liked him very much. He was a kind person, a fun person, and a bit of a comic. He was also very driven and touched a lot of people.

Jeremy Clawson was 3 years ahead of me in high school. I never actually realized he enlisted in the army the year before he graduated, but he did. He served tours of duty in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and I'm sure in countless other and smaller campaigns that the general person wouldn't have a clue about. He also achieved commissioning in 2006, promoting from butter bar (2nd Lieutenant) to 1st Lieutenant within the last year. I have also learned he was one of the few who have been awarded the Bronze Star for his meritorious service in Iraq. For those who aren't military related, or just aren't sure what this means, this is huge. I mean HUGE. Jeremy undoubtedly put his life on the line to save someone else and was rewarded for it.

There is a lot of information regarding Jeremy's non-traditional college career that is equally impressive. He apparently uncovered a huge scandal involving the financial aid and athletics department at his school. This resulted in the athletic director being fired. I think that's a pretty darned big deal!

The things I, personally, remember most of Jeremy were the smile that could light up any room and cheer up any person. No matter what, he would greet you with a smile. He cheered for the underdog, and he never made you feel left out. Along with that, he was a goofball. He enjoyed life and just let it be known with goofy actions. In that manner, he always reminded me of my big brother. It left a mark.

Jeremy left us last week. Something happened that caused his death while on post in Oklahoma. Someone found his body on one of the firing ranges at Ft. Sill. It's been quite a shock to the Jordan High School Alumni, those who knew him in college, the soldiers he served with, and, of course, his dear, close-knit family. He leaves behind a wife and a daughter.

The military memorial service is set to begin in about 5-minutes, the burial in Kansas (where he lived) will be later in the week, and another memorial service for his Sandy, Utah connections will be sometime after next weekend.

I have placed Jeremy's blog from his time in Afghanistan at the top right of my own blog. Please visit and let the family know what a phenomenal man Jeremy A. Clawson was.

Ouray '09...part 2

We woke to a sparkling blue sky and cool temps, but it was perfect. I immediately started on breakfast because the guys were heading out as soon as they finished eating to ride the ATV's over Imogene Pass. Jeff didn't get to make this pass last year because his machine broke down. It was a silly and easy fix, but when you're 260 miles from home and don't have much of a way to look at it, you just chalk it up and find something else to do. That's how we all ended up in Yankee Boy Basin then, and we had full plans to do it again this year. Just not today. Anyway, Imogene is said to be a gorgeous ride that drops down into Telluride. Mileage is shorter than that paved way, but it takes longer because it's the old mining road, not maintained, and only available to 4wd vehicles. I like those better, anyway. Luke and I haven't done this pass, yet, because he's too young to do these technical rides and I don't have my own machine. We're working on a way to remedy things so we can all go next year, but it's a process barely in the stages of conception.

Once the guys left out Luke and I got dressed, cleaned up the trailer a little bit (dishes!), and headed on our way into the town of Ouray. It's so lovely there, even with the 90-degree heat. I had planned for us to take a tour into the Bachelor-Syracuse gold mine, so we stopped there first to make our reservation. Actually, I thought we'd head from there to spend the few hours until our reserved tour in Silverton. I chickened out once we made it onto the Million Dollar Highway. Something in my gut said not to go and I really don't like major highways that are narrow, winding, and drop hundreds of feet into river valleys with no guard rail for a little more sense of security. Funny, actually, considering I will travel on any back road that is narrower, less secure (at times), and drop hundreds of feet into river valleys with little problem. The exception to that is the Pikes Peak Highway. No thanks, I'll take the Cog or hike up the mountain instead!! (I should've bought a shirt that exclaims "I Survived the Drive Up Pikes Peak," but I didn't).

Instead, Luke and I stopped at the back road highway (highway?? Umm, okay) that leads to Engineers Pass. I threw the 4Runner into 4-low and started up. You should've seen the looks I was getting! I guess people are used to see a slight woman with a 3-year-old driving roads like this! We didn't get far up before I decided to stop and take a little hike. I wanted to see if the little trail I saw went down to the river. It didn't, but we cruised through a thicket of chokecherries and into a stand of aspen before we lost the trail. Must've been a deer trail, or something. But I got some cute pictures of my boy playing with leaves before we headed back to the 4Runner.

Once back up at our vehicle I snapped a picture of a train of FJCruisers heading up the pass. This was the weekend of their annual convention, something WE greatly enjoy, despite the fact we're not part of that. They loved that we made it where we were and invited us up to the pass with them. Sweet! I'm there! We loaded up and took off up the road. I didn't snap many pictures because I was driving, but it's a fun pass. Given the time, and that we were quite hungry, I turned around at the pass and headed back down. I love having a vehicle that takes us places like that!

We grabbed a bite in Ouray, walked around the town a bit trying to get an idea of something to bring back for our neighbors watching my old dog and our house, and then headed up to the mine for our tour.

Bachelor-Syracuse was open from around 1850 (the start of the gold rush) until 1988. It produced gold, but there IS some silver ore, which is odd given the rock that the mine lives in. The tour takes you almost 1900 feet into the mountain, and it is quite chilly! It stays around 50-degrees year-round, not much unlike a cave, but with a breeze because of the air shaft (original opening to the mine). It's a wet mine, too, so the mine car travels the tracks through a stream that exits the mine the way we went in. It was cool!! We stopped at a rib and learned the history, saw exhibits and how mining tools from open to close were used, heard stories, and saw the silver in the ceiling of this rib that eventually became a blacksmith shop. I loved it!

We left the town once the tour was over because Jeff and Jason were back at camp. It was time to do more fishing. The night before didn't land us anything and we still had hope. After spending close to 2 hours on the inlet to the lake, we still didn't land anything. But we had fun. Back to camp for dinner and to hit the rack. Yankee Boy was awaiting us in the morning, and I couldn't wait!

Ouray '09...part 1

We had so much fun last year in the beauty of the San Juan Valley and Uncompaghre Wilderness that we decided to make it annual thing. This past weekend was it!

Jeff left a few hours before me because I had school the morning we headed out. No big deal, but you can't miss class in a short semester. Too much information missed and too big a risk of being dropped. That's fine, I knew it was an easy (and gorgeous!!!) drive, plus I knew I'd end up being right behind him. We wussed out and took our rig. It's heavy, Monarch Pass is steep, and my 4Runner is fast.

The first night was actually spent at the house belonging to our camping buddy's grandmother in Montrose. Nothing too exciting, but she has the only toy poodle I've ever actually liked. Sophie was cool. Made me miss my Red Dog, though. It was nice, however, and Luke & I were able to excitedly share our views of the elk and deer. That's the most elk I've seen in one place since Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Amazing! And the deer were respecting the road grazing right behind the guard rails in a few spots. Luke loved that. But the best story of the night? Jason thought he could make it all the way from our house to Montrose on one tank of gas. He was wrong! He ran out of gas and coasted 4 miles into town...then waited until Jeff showed up with a gas can. I'm not sure I'll ever let him live THAT down! Cracks me up.

The next morning we got ready and headed toward Ridgeway to set up camp. It struck me that the view was clear and the whole area didn't smell like smoke this year. We could see smoke in the air, but it was from a distance away. I believe it's from a lightning sparked fire to the North near the town of Fruita on I-70, but I can't prove that. It made for some spectacular sunsets, though! Anyway, our easy jaunt to the campsite was made, but we got there too early and had to wait to check-in. Whoops. No biggie, with the views in this area it isn't difficult to wait a wee bit.

Campsite set. Luke was having a ball running around between Jason's tent (purist! He was wise) and our trailer. Then we decided it was time to get ready for some fishing. I still needed my license. Now, you have to realize that the fact I'm even mentioning that is near blasphemy in my household. I grew up fishing, I love fishing, and it's a shame I don't get to do it very often since my boy came along! Still, it's nice that I could walk to the visitor center and get it there. No 20-minute drive into Montrose, or even 10-minute drive into Ridgeway to worry about it. Besides, I like the exercise!

This was Luke's first time fishing. Ever. Seriously, I am a bad, bad mom to do that to my boy! He should've had a rod in his hand about the same time I stuck him in the saddle. Too late now. He has his little "Lightning McQueen" rod and was bouncing, ready to go. We figured we'd be right on the river so we put his life jacket on, but he didn't mind. Guess what? They had 2 small ponds right on the river to fish, so he really didn't need it. I'm a bit paranoid, though, and I wasn't going to say anything. He fell in this lake last year and I'd rather not take the risk.

I cast for Luke the first few times. He actually caught a tree branch and pulled it in on one of these early casts and thought that was awesome. He decided to play with that for a while and I started my own fishing. Jeff came and took over at that point. My man taught my boy how to cast and, let me tell you! This child can outcast daddy!!! Seriously! I don't know how other 3-year-olds do when casting, but my child gets it out there!! And he loved it.

When we realized it was after 8pm and we hadn't had dinner yet is the moment we decided to head back to the camp. This is where the rig came in handy: I microwaved some brawts and we ate in quick fashion. Even still had some time to put them over the fire for a few seconds to get that campfire flavor!

End of the day our boy crashed out hard. We crawled into bed and stared at the stars through the ceiling vent. Saw a satellite, countless shooting stars, and fell asleep content in this awesome valley. We had big plans for the morning and were looking forward to it....

Mount Sherman

I Climb Mountains...What Do You Do?

I'm sure I'm skipping plenty of stuff, but this is what's on my mind. The first 14er of the season happened in the day before Father's Day. Memaw and Papa were visiting from Texas, thereby giving us a chance to get away and make our second attempt at climbing Mount Sherman.

I mention the name of the mountain for two reasons: so you know what I'm talking about and so you can watch South Park with a newfound knowledge. That place really exists, and it sits in the shadow of the 14,000 foot mountain. Funny, huh? Now when you see the cartoon you can know that one of the peaks in the background is a mountain that's popular for mountaineers.

We set out from the house about 3:30AM on Saturday morning. Yes, that's early. Yes, it's tough to get out of bed at 3AM. Yes, it is worth it. It's so interesting to drive along Highway 50 West and see the lights of Pueblo behind you, Colorado Springs just behind to your right shoulder, and the lights of Woodland Park glowing above the mountains at nearly exactly your right shoulder. Oddly, I never did notice if I could see the lights of Canon City (Canyon City, there's a tilde above the middle 'n') in front of us. But it was worth talking about. It took the 90 minutes we had planned to meet our climbing partner in the gas stop town of Hartsel, in the mountains to the West of Colorado Springs, Northwest of Pueblo West. It's actually a fun stop, but nobody was even blinking at 5AM. Too bad, the sunrise was beautiful! The mosquitos were annoying, but the sunrise was gorgeous. I had to beg the guys to get going again (though the total time stopped couldn't have reached 20 minutes) because my poor bladder needed a break and Fairplay was another 25-minutes away. Thank goodness it's a lovely drive because I was able to distract myself!

We pulled in to grab a bite to eat and have that pit stop before the 15-minute drive up the dirt road to the trail head. I think we probably took longer than we wanted to, but it was still a good stop to have. Actually, it was probably wise to take that wee bit longer because it was very cold, not above 45 degrees. That's not a big deal, except we knew we still had a decent amount of snow to contend with on the mountain. When it's warming juuuust enough to cause a tiny bit of melting during the day, then freezing back at night, you get some nasty ice. We didn't feel like falling on our butts due to being dumb with ice.

The drive up to the gate at at the trail head is so enjoyable. You pass old mines, you see some incredible vacation and hunting homes (some good, some bad, all livable), you see a ton of beaver ponds and lodges, and you see scenery that looks like it's straight off a post card. The flowers that were blooming were ones I have always really wanted to put in my yard, but can't. They won't survive here. Still, the delicate little purple irises are some of my favorites. I caught a silhouette and had to do a double take. I couldn't figure out why someone would put a statue of an elk in this area. Duh, it wasn't fake, it was a real elk! Make that a small herd of 6 elk! And look at that! There are 6 mulies (those are mule deer) with them! Jeff would've missed them if I hadn't pointed them out because he was doing what a driver should: paying attention to the rough dirt road. It was a fantastic start to the morning.

Once parked we geared up and set off. We weren't the only ones with this idea today; there were already a handful of cars and more coming. Nice! We started up the trail with the thought that the first half-mile always being the toughest. In the case of this mountain, that holds true. We stopped a couple of times because of huffing and puffing. One stop I mentioned that I couldn't wait for the pika to come out of hibernation. Silly me, I figured with our very cold and wet spring that they'd hang out underground for a while longer and was immediately met by a cute face and round ears barking at me! Yeah, I looked like an idiot, but the guys nicely laughed it off. The marmots were still sleeping....that meant our packs were safe if we decided to drop them at snack break and summit.

Once past this first bit we had a small part that leveled out and allowed us to get to the Hilltop Mine and form our next plan of attack. This is a mine that produced lead, zinc, copper, gold, and silver at the elevation of 13,000 feet. Yes, men worked AND lived here to work this mine, though the 3 toughest months of the winter saw them down in Leadville (on the other side of the peak) or Fairplay. If I remember correctly, this mine shut down around 1893 at the end of the silver boom, though it's been about 1 1/2 years since I looked this info up (and it took some serious searching!). We only took a moment to admire the fact the bunkhouse and shaft tower are still standing before figuring out where we would make our climb to the ridge. The normal route had a large snow field with an impressive cornice on it. We knew that the trip reports posted on 14ers.com stated the snow was still up to waiste deep and we feared a little avalanche, so we chose the winter route. That meant a much tougher hike, literally a scramble up the mountain. Sweet! It was also at this point that we decided to stop and have a snack. It had been about an hour, and you tend to burn approximately 6000 calories on these hikes. Aside from making sure you take in a massive amount of water, you need to be sure you eat Michael Phelps amount of calories, too.

There was a father and son who caught up to us and chatted for a few minutes. Dad waited for his wife while son (he was 12) went on. Holy moses, this kid was a tank!! He climbed his first 14er at age 8, and he was climbing in water treads today (look like a cross between a sneaker and a sandal) and no socks. I couldn't help but wonder if he was cold at summit, but never got the chance to ask. Being that he was a kid, I doubt it. But he definitely ran circles around every single adult there. Impressive!

Snack break over, we began our tackle of the winter trail. Thank goodness for trek poles, they saved us from doing what the climbers who didn't have them did: grab rocks and hope they didn't roll down the mountain. The trail was mud, which normally would make one cringe, but it actually helped me. Jeff went first and did a bit of slipping. Not bad, but enough it slowed him down. I was in the middle and managed to catch up to Jeff a few times without knowing it until I nearly stabbed him in the foot with my poles. Our buddy brought up the rear. It was good for me because I could see where Jeff was slipping, find my own footholds, and still keep up without slowing down Jason. One more rest once we reached the ridge, took the camera out and kept it at the ready, made sure we were prepared for the snow and knew exactly where the cornice was (so we wouldn't fall through and die!), then we headed up toward the summit. Silly men sent me first with the instructions of "just don't go too fast and get too far ahead." I fell right into my rhythm, worked up to the next "flat spot," turned around in the fog and saw...........nobody. Great.

Lucky for me there were two other climbers there. One was heading down, one heading up. The upward bound climber had been all over the world and was interesting to listen to. The one heading down was from Boulder and immediately let it be known he was a bit full of himself. Either way, it was nice to know I wasn't alone while I waited. Our buddy caught up first, Jeff took a few shots thinking we were at the summit, then appeared to us. I gave him a little teasing and took off for the summit leaving him disappointed. He thought he was being all artistic.

It was only a matter of minutes later that we reached the summit, dropped packs for a moment, ate some more high-calorie bars, QUICKLY took in the scenery around us, gazing at Leadville and Turquoise Lake below us, Mount Elbert (on our list for the end of the month) flanking Mount Massive to our West (I believe), and had a little celebration before the fog rolled back in. We signed the log (a staple at the top of the 14ers, those who climb sign it), packed back up, and started our decent. The clouds spotted us with some freezing rain, grapple snow, and wind, but we worked down. We had already decided not to take the same winter route down and traversed our own trail over the rocks near the normal route, taking care to skip the snow field. We DID have to go through some snow, just not that one we feared would start an avalanche (seriously, not a single person traversed that trail this day). The trip reports were right, there were plenty of times we sank to our waists in that snow! There was one moment that I stopped at hip level with the knowledge of it being at least 6 inches deeper. I plopped down on my side because my knee started to roll. Thanks, I'd rather be a bit wet than need to be carried off the mountain!

A few people decided to glissade (slide) down the snow field, but they were few, indeed. The snow was just soft enough that glissading was a stupid move. That planted them right at the edge of Hilltop, just as we came out in the same place but in a safer manner. Then we marched on down back to our vehicles. The climb down was much rougher on me and I learned I do need some new hiking boots. My ankles need better support. But it was exhilarating to have completed this hike! We downed some not-so-good-for-you drinks (Coke, DP, gatorade!) and headed to Fairplay for some fat food. One of the best burgers I've had and wonderful sweet potato fries at a little place just on the edge of South Park, Colorado. We giggled a bunch.

The drive home was uneventful, but just as beautiful. We were so tired, yet we managed to stay up over 20 hours that day and only went to bed because we knew we had to get the rest. We slept late on Father's Day, weren't nearly as sore as we expected to be (my butt was very sore! But the rest of me was fine), and somehow managed to recover fairly well. We were tired, but it was a good tired. It left us looking forward for more.....

Happy Cousins....

Then We Came Home....

The day after our Mount Vernon visit and early Mother's Day dinner was fairly quiet. It poured buckets all night, then again throughout the day. My parents were flying out on this day so we all just kind of had some family time before they left for the airport. I stayed back with the boys so my brother and sister-in-law could have a wee bit of quiet time on the way back from the airport. By now it was only a few days before David was to leave for Baghdad, and it was only fair for them.

It was a bit interesting because of the different ages and the different levels of patience the three boys all hold right now. One was fairly interesting in hitting the other two for no particular reason, one was interested in telling me when the first was hitting, and the last was just trying to figure out what he could do to stay out of trouble. It was actually kind of funny because they all would look at me like they were complete angels, but I could see the devil horns poking through. All-in-all, they were very good, though, and we had some fun.

It continued to pour through the night and I had hopes that I'd be able to make a quick stop to Stratford Hall (Robert E. Lee's birthplace) before I had to head to the airport the following day. It didn't happen. By the time the plantation opened I would only have had about an hour...and it was still pouring. Oh well, it's good to spend a little more time with my brother and his family, anyway.

Luke and I packed our brand new suitcase (that's a story! Had the original one shredded on the way TO Virginia. Airline replaced it) and prepared to leave. We managed a few pictures of the three boys together at the same time and did some laughing. Then it was time to head out. The drive to Dulles was uneventful, just wet. Luke slept most of the way. It was raining hard enough, though, that we were absolutely soaked through just from dropping the car and walking to the shuttle bus. That made it a bit cold for us, but we survived. We made it home fine and were happy to be home again, though it was a bit sad to leave such a wonderful place so full of American History behind.....

Mount Vernon Part 2

Okay, so now we've left the mansion and settled into our wanders around the grounds. It's amazing to think that this place used to be 8000 acres. It's now just a fraction of that (forgive me, I can't remember off the top of my head, but less than 1000). The Mount Vernon Ladies Association was able to buy the property shortly after the Civil War for $200,000. Makes you realize just how much of a treasure this place is considering $200 would've made you wealthy then. Anyway, it's a good thing they did. The farm was in disrepair, despite remaining in the family and being lived in.

We wandered down the South Lane outbuildings and were able to look into the laundry, storage for George Washington's linseed oils, paints, etc. Talk about a fire waiting to happen!! We saw the yard the laundry was dried in. The stable was in the English tie-stall style (that means the horses would've been cross-tied in halters in a narrow stall, long enough to lay down, but no turning around. Still used in places today, but I much prefer a box stall) with the tack placed on racks high on the wall posts of the stalls. I, of course, loved this. Washington was such a horseman; he trained his animals himself, participated in fox hunts, helped found a couple of hunts (Piedmont Hounds, for example), bred and raised very fine racing stock, and made sure his horses were better taken care of than himself. There is actual documentation that his 2 mounts from the Revolution (Blue Skin and Nelson) not only lived their retirement until death here, but that he saw to it their teeth were brushed daily. Ironic, isn't it? Considering Washington only had one of his own teeth left and used scores of poorly fitting dentures (NOT WOOD!!)....

The stable also had an 18th Century coach that was a neighbor's. It is here because it is said to be identical to the Washington Family coach, but that one was lost many, many years ago. A riding chair is here, as well. Interesting buggy! The stable burned and many of most valuable horses were lost while Washington resided on Mount Vernon. He had it rebuilt in brick. It's an incredible building.

The back of the stable is the mule shed. Washington is the reason the United States has mules. He imported a couple of donkey jacks for the specific purpose of breeding them to horses to make mules. They replaced his work horses in a short time, and he was able to sell mules to others for work animals. It's hard to believe the many things this man contributed to modern agriculture!

We wandered on down the hill and viewed the old family tomb. It now stands empty, but it is a sight to behold! Washington had it in his will that a new tomb be constructed because this one was deteriorating too quickly. The new tomb was constructed well after his death, but it is on the spot he clearly said it should be. Both he and Mrs. Washington's sarcophagus' are made of marble, and nearly the entire family is entombed here.

Weird story about the new tomb: I have already mentioned the George Washington died in the house. What I don't think I mentioned is that he basically suffocated to death from a disease called Quinsy (this is controversial, but it's official). When I took a moment to step up to the gate and pay my respects to this man who so intrigues me, my throat immediately closed up and I started hacking for breath!!! As soon as I stepped away and officially out of the tomb enclosure, I was fine. Grabbed a bottle of water and gulped some down, but was able to breath again before the water. Freaky, huh?

We were running out of time, so I am sad to say we missed the circular/treading barn, the slave cemetery and memorial, greenhouse, most of the gardens, and so much more. For that very reason I will be going back someday. Well, for more reason that that, but still....

The weather was kind to us since it rained on us during both our drive up and our drive back to Fredericksburg, but we had cloudy and dry skies for our visit to Mount Vernon. I'm happy about this! We even were rained on while waiting an incredible amount of time for our table! We did have a great dinner and a good drive home. It was a lovely ending to a fantastic day.....

Mount Vernon

Popes Creek & Potomac Play

Mount Vernon Part 1

It took a little while to get moving the morning after the party. Everyone was slow moving, though I don't remember what exactly was going on. I know we all tried to sleep late, so that was part of it. It was Saturday, and it was raining...again, or still (really only had the brief respite part of Friday and part of Thursday), but I was undeterred. The two reasons were because Mount Vernon was the one thing dad said he wished we could've done back in 2004 when we all had a vacation in D.C., and because it was George Washington.

We finally got it together, grabbed a bite and took off for the hour drive North. We had rain, and more rain, and more rain, but the clouds parted a bit once we arrived. Woohoo! It was wonderful! We decided to do the mansion tour before wandering the rest of the grounds. Since we had planned to meet my brother and sister-in-law back in Fredericksburg for dinner and the line was approximately 30-minutes long, it just made sense. Besides, it didn't seem that long! We were there with a high school group from Illinois, and the conversation was entertaining. Even my almost-3-year-old was entertained!

We were almost to the mansion when a reenactor came through. He was Dr. James Craik, from Scotland, and George Washington's personal physician. He received some interesting questions, though I couldn't catch all the answers. He came closer to us and I asked how long he'd been the physician. The answer was "since General Washington was about 22-years-old," and he started to move on. Leave it to me to bust out with "Oh, so about the time of Fort Necessity!" I don't know if I've ever seen someone skid to a stop and whip about so quickly before in my life! The Battle of the Great Meadows was not a good one for Washington (for those who don't know, it was his only surrender, only his second firefight, a total foible, and led to him retiring his commission in the Virginia Militia shortly afterward.) Dr. Craik was left behind with the scores of wounded and made it pretty clear it wasn't a good subject for the good doctor to talk about. But I thought it was awesome to catch his attention, the attention of a couple of historical interpreters, and the high school kids & teachers ("What are they talking about?" "Shh, listen, you might figure it out!" "Maybe we should ask her....").

Just a few more moments and we were let into the formal dining room, the first room you enter on the tour. It is done in classic 18th Century style, with the perfect touches of a man who loved farming. The table was set with what could now be considered odd food. Nothing of an animal was left to waste, so you're greeted with a large cow's tongue. Yum. Then it's back outside to the veranda where you have a spectacular view of the Potomac River. The far side is free from buildings and distraction; the land is protected in order to preserve the accurate history of Mount Vernon. I thought that was awesome. At this point I also split from my parents because my little boy was getting restless. We were given permission to hang out and let him run around on the grass while my parents finished the tour, then I'd cut back in when they came out. What a fantastic policy put into place here! For the record, this is what they do for ALL parents with little ones! If the kiddos get bored and would rather run around, they can do so and the parents can split the tour.

My parents came back out and were visibly touched. They just kept saying "you'll see." So, I was off to finish the tour, entering back into the foyer. Typical of the Federal Style, the doors open directly across from each other to allow a wonderful cross-breeze in the summer, and a stylish illusion. This was also part of the original 4-room house that George Washington expanded on...even so far as rearranging it so the stairs were in a different place! It was stunning, and I was shocked to learn the wood wasn't walnut. It was just stained to look that way in order for Washington to save some money. Here you also see into the family dining room, one of the bedrooms, the music room, and a study. Then it's up the stairs. I would love to name drop, but I realize probably the only people reading this that would recognize names like the Marquis de LaFayette are those who have either travelled to places where it's a commonly known name & history, or live in those places (Erma, you're one I'm thinking of!). Anyway, there were some HUGE names in history who stayed in this home. Upstairs you see the guest rooms they took temporary residence in. Sometimes Mrs. Washington had beds brought down from the third floor to house people in the upstairs hallway! The room that stood out most for me was the one under the staircase. It was teeny, but obviously comfortable.

We walked through one of the bedrooms to the private quarters of Gen. and Mrs. Washington. This was touching. I'd always heard the bed looked short, but never appreciated it until now. In honesty, the beds in the Biltmore Estate appear short, too, because of similar construction. Anyway, this bed was specially made to hold all of Washington's 6 foot 2 inch frame (yes, he was that tall. I don't know why we generally only hear about how tall Lincoln was). Amazing. It was also in this bed that George Washington died in December 1799 at the age of 67. The same age as my dad. That's hard to grasp! But this room was more than that. It was where Mrs. Washington planned everything and ran the household. She taught her children and grandchildren their schooling here. Upon his death, Mrs. Washington closed this room up and moved into the third floor. That is only open to the public around Christmastime.

Down the stairs, the very stairs that Gen. Washington would go up and down each day, ducking his head at the bottom to keep from bonking it, holding the same railing....I don't know how many times I've stepped in his footprints, but this was.....this was....chillingly different. The bottom on the stairs holds his study/library. It's a bright room with an entire wall that is shelving closed in glass paned doors. Some of his books are still here. The chair he used during his presidency is here. And so many other things he used to make decisions. You could see why he chose this location, and you could almost hear him thinking.

It was back outside and to the kitchen & larder. It's amazing to see how people cooked and "kept" food 200 years ago! Ingenious, and definitely unhealthy (no wonder there was so much food poisoning!). I scooted out to the back lawn to meet back up with my son and his grandparents now and understood what touched them. It touched me, too.

There was more, much more of the grounds to see, so we didn't sit long. Down the lane and on to the outbuildings we went.....

Party Time!

Be patient with the slideshows, they're being slow in fully loading. There are more pictures, it just has to catch up. Blah.

We now had made it home from Popes Creek and were getting ready for the promotion party. I tend to freak out over these things. At my house is one thing, at anyone else's house is another thing. Can't explain it. But we managed to help finish getting things ready a bit and started seeing people arrive. I have no idea how many were there, but it was a lot. At least to the introvert I am.

The boys all wandered outside to play with the loads of kids who were coming. Luke was in heaven because most of the kids were much older than him. He likes older kids. He ran, and played, and ran some more. Then he started chasing the balls the older kids were softly hitting with a bat. I think maybe he spends a wee bit too much time with the dog! Joking, he was just having fun trying to catch them and then taking them back.

I had fun meeting all sorts of new people. My brother, David, introduced me to another person who is into sailing. I'm not "into" it, but my husband is and I've learned a fair amount from him and our buddy, so David thought it'd be fun for me to talk to someone like that. He was right! Dad spent most of his time with an old "Thud Driver," (that would be an old F-105 pilot) which was really cool since those are the planes that got him started in his career, and that David and I have a passion & tons of memories of. He was one cool guy, too!

It finally came time for most everyone to leave, but a few hung around for a while. The kids went to bed, we hung out in the kitchen and talked until it was way past bedtime. Okay, so it was only like 10 pm for my body, but it was late enough. Considering I had another George Washington day planned for the morning, I wanted to be well rested. I heard rumor that David, Mary, and the buddies who stayed on a while were up until around 2 am, but I can't confirm that. I was sleeping in the nice, cool, quiet basement (it was perfect!) and crashed out hard.

It had threatened to really dump some serious rain on the party, but God was ever the kind one and had the storms skirt this portion of King George. Then He brought the sunshine out for the party. It was fantastic! Everything my big brother deserved....

Popes Creek, Westmoreland County, Virginia....

After a mighty long delay, I am officially back in business! I apologize, and have learned my lesson. NEVER take a 3-credit course that is part of your degree program in 4-weeks! Holy moses, talk about a TON of work!! At any rate, I am successfully finished with that course and happily writing on my new Macbook.

So, on to the remainder of our trip to King George:

This was the day I was very much looking forward to. The trip to Popes Creek. Why was looking forward to this, and what is it, you ask? Easy, easy answer: I was looking forward to it because I am a student of all things George Washington. He and his life (flaws and all) completely fascinate me! And this was where he was born.

My goofy little nephew, JT, decided he wanted to join Gramma, Grampa, Luke and me on this trip, so we all piled into my big brother's mini-van and made the quick trip toward the coast to visit this wonderful place. Have I mentioned just how much I love the Virginia countryside? Seriously! It pretty much doesn't matter if it's a 5-minute ride, or a couple of hours, it always passes quickly and is enjoyable because of the beauty and history in this place. Approximately 30-minutes later we were at our destination.

This place is now part of the National Parks system, yet so few seem to know about it. The parking lot was all but deserted when we arrived. I think one other vehicle was there and 3 school busses were pulling out. Wow, that's kind of sad. Hey, that meant we had more time to just ourselves!! So off we went.

Luke and JT were the typical little kids: they were ready to run, run, run! Thankfully they listened and only ran around when we let them in areas they'd be safe and not hurt anything. We started up the trail to the house. It's a bit of a surprise, though, since the house isn't accurate. Archeological excavation has shown the house that was built for tourists to see is actually on the foundation of an outbuilding. A barn, or something. Oh well, it has some cool stuff (Augustine Washington's wine bottle, now over 300 years old!) and is a very good representation of the houses of that time!

The grounds have been restored and kept beautifully. I don't think the garden had much done with it this year, but sometimes that happens, especially in years of recession. One can't complain too much. The asparagus was very much in seed, but there was one stalk that was perfect for picking & eating. Guess what I did? Yup, I snapped it up! That one stalk somehow lasted through the remainder of the trip, survived the plane trip, and the drive home from Denver without being refrigerated! Not something I would typically do, but....We ate it a few days later with some fresh wild asparagus from our area.

We were able to wander the grounds, see the animals, look inside all of the out buildings, slave quarters, kitchen....everything that was open. It was so lush, green, and gorgeous! And the view looking over Popes Creek to the Potomac starting its flow into the Atlantic Ocean? Oh my...what a fantastic thing to see! That's something one could sit on their porch and peer at each day, for sure!

The highlight of these grounds for me was the foundation of the house George Washington was born in. When he was born the house was still a 2-room home (later expanded to 4-rooms). You can walk on the foundation outline, step inside what would've been the house (grass inside the outline), and just imagine what it was like for Mary Ball Washington to birth her first child (she was Augustine's second wife, making GW his 4th child, 3rd living). The house burned in 1779, long after the George Washington left the place (he was 3 when they moved), but the legacy was left. You used to be able to step INTO the foundation, see how it was built, and have a bigger experience, but tourists began stealing the rocks and bricks. How sad. The Park Service then filled the foundation in and made sure the artifacts would never be able to leave the property again (exception being archeological exploration, of course).

Being with an almost 3-yr-old and almost 4-yr-old prevented me from taking the time I wanted while exploring, but that was okay. The boys were having fun, and that made it worth it. We left for the gift shop (even if you don't buy, it's always a must...I'm a dork), spent a small amount of time looking at stuff, and made our way to the Potomac River and Washington Family Burial Plot.

Just down a dirt road at the entrance to Popes Creek is access to a lovely little beach (that occasionally gets crab pots washing up on it....despite them being small and for blue crab, that is PERFECT for this Deadliest Catch nutjob! Thanks to the park ranger for letting me know & see what he was carrying!) that we let the boys play on. That was part of this trip: I promised Luke the day prior that I'd let him play in some water, either the Atlantic or the Potomac. JT wanted to play, too, and I'm not one to say no to something like that! Well, with other parental permission, of course. Holy crikey, was that water COOOOOLD this time of year!! I knew it was cold, but it was even more shocking than I'd remembered! The boys didn't care, they wanted to go deeper. I do say no to that. Up to their butts was far enough. We played, threw rocks, searched for shells (found some GREAT ones!), and splashed around for about 30-minutes, then it started to rain. Time to get out of the water. Silly JT said "wait! I need to wet my hiney!" Huh? Okay. He proceeded to squat down to get his hiney wet, stood up and said "okay, we can go." I busted out laughing while he made his way to Gramma and Grampa waiting with towels. Leave it to my son, who had already started up the beach, to run back to the water and follow suit. What goofy kids!!

This was still on what was part of the farm. Well, actually not Augustine's, but a brother's place, now private property that's been kept open for the public to see. Just at the top of the beach and into the trees is the burial plot. Excavated in the early 1900's (I'm sorry, I don't remember the year!! Bad History Major), they actually were not able to identify all the members and placed them all in one tomb. They know the names of who was buried there, just not the identities of the remains. George Washington's parents are buried here. How reverent! Mom and I spent a little bit of time here while dad stayed with the boys in the mini-van. They were tired and wanted a movie. At such a young age, I can't say I blame them. It was time to head on home now.

This wasn't the end of the day, but this is a LONG post, so I'll break it in two. My big brother's party was this night, so I'll touch on it in a bit. For now, I'll leave everyone to ponder the first 3-years of George Washington's life. Bear in mind we really don't know much, if anything of his childhood! Who could've known what a figure he'd become, and there wasn't the recording means we have now. He did NOT chop down the cherry tree (that was made up for romantic notion by an author around the time of the Revolution), but I'm sure he did have offer some mischief. I'm sure we all know of children like that....