Fishing, Day 2, John's version

John likes to show a little leg while crossing the river.

Bachelor City Visit

There is a ghost town northwest of Creede that was called Bachelor City. There is only one broken down remnant of a cabin left, but it was a bustling city 112 years ago.

Here is Jerry demonstrating to the rest of us what happens when you stir up an ant hill. This is the Animal Tales Blog, after all.

The result was completely surprising, maybe because it was a ghost town and the ants had some remnant of the spirit of the old time miners that lived and died here.

Just kidding, they ran around trying to hide their eggs like ants everywhere do.

Moose Sighting

Fortunately, Jerry's sharp eye awarded us with a genuine moose sighting. This cow moose was grazing on water plants in a beaver pond. After she sighted us, she warned her calf and she herded it to safety.

They were about 60 yards away, so we didn't have to retreat from a protective moose attack. She could have stayed around and posed for the photo shoot, but she had to disappear in the woods.

Scary Mountain Hunting Mans

These are the guys that are going to come up to the area to kill the Mule Deer we just saw.

Mule Deer

Here were the mule deer we saw just below the continental divide during the return trip.

Return from the Edge of the World

Here we are coming back down the mountain, coming across the area where we bottomed out our rental trucks (sorry Budget!) and spotted 4 huge mule deers.

Official Photographer of the 2008 JDL Mancation

Here's Steve documenting our first mountain peak, next to the cairn on top of the 13er.

Larry's on top of the World

Here's a Larry version of the last picture.

Heaven's Skyline

Here's a picture of Warren at the top. Behind him is Uncompahgre peak, a 14er in the Alpine Loop West of Lake City.

13er

We saw from the end of the Jeep trail that the peak of a 13,000 foot peak was just "a walk in the park" away.

Here is my self portrait moments after reaching the top. I was still out of breath. The blue spot to the right of me is Larry, coming up behind me.

Beyond Bachelor

We went up past the end of the Bachelor Loop to find the trailhead for the San Luis Peak. To the west was a really steep 4WD trail, and so we decided to see where it went.

It went right up to the continental divide, an unexpected bonus trip.

OLD Graffiti

We did not write this on the walls, it was already there.

Ghost Cabins

This is a cabin that was surrounded by wild raspberries. Here John & Dale are sampling the goods.

Jerry heard that the cabin was full of elk last winter when the temperature here got to -30°F for over a week. There was much evidence of their winter visit. I knew they were not M&Ms.

Bachelor Loop

The Bachelor Loop is where all the mining took place in the mountains above Creede.

The Right Stuff

You probably remember those scenes in movies where the studly men come out, suited up for their missions, with steam or fog or some other special effect?

This is our version.

John, Warren, & Steve prove that they have the right stuff.

Shopping in Creede

Before leaving from Kansas City, Cole asked me what I got him for his birthday.

I considered going to someplace in Kansas City for something, but it just didn't seem like a good idea with Colorado coming up.

So presents for the folks back home mostly come from San Juan Sports in downtown Creede Colorado.

You don't get to see what they are until we get back, so be patient.

Touring Creede

Here is Jerry getting ready to give us the nickel tour of Creede.

Note the distinctive rocks at the end of the town.

Cabin Companions

While we are hoping to see a Yeti on the Mancation, and we have heard that there are Mountain Lions nearby, we will settle for less spectacular forms of wildlife.

This little guy insures that no scraps of food remain anywhere near the cabin for other scarier scavengers.

Fishing on the Rio Grande

This is the view from the deck of the cabin. Fishing in the Rio Grande is not something you have to prepare for more than rolling out of bed and walking down to the shore.

Here, Dale & Warren show the rest of us that vacation does not mean slacking off on fishing.

2008 JDL Mancation

Here's the cabin we stayed at in Creede Colorado for our first get together in almost 10 years.

Jerry provided the cabin and the rest of us showed up hungry.

Stay tuned for more exciting postings of our adventures and misadventures.