Seepage Road

There is a road just off of 149 (the highway also known as the Silver Thread Scenic Byway that follows the Rio Grande from Creede toward Lake City) that is called Seepage Road. It turns off of 149 at Hog Mountain near the Eagle's Nest. I went to the geocache on the little hill across from the Eagle's Nest last year. This year, I wanted to go up Seepage Road to find another nearby geocache named Bighorn.

The road is interesting because there are two old ponds that are no longer filled. Jerry told us last year that the lakes were drained to do maintenance on the dams, and that some government official would not allow the lakes to be refilled afterwards. There are big boulders in the valley that used to be underwater. The valley is very scenic with the open bottom and wooded south side and rocky north side. The person that placed the geocache called it Bighorn and said that there are many Bighorn Sheep in the area. We did not see any.

We parked at the lower "lake" and walked in. The site of the geocache looks like an old homestead or corral site. There's nothing left now, but you see little remnants of human habitation, like old tin cans and other trash and debris, well worn and weathered and almost invisible just under the surface.

Chef Le Phew

Kyle is not wearing a chef's hat. That headwear came from Zach's diaper bag. It was not used as something other than headwear prior to becoming Kyle's trendy fashion statement.

Wheels for Wheeler

We saw dirt bikes, ATVs, and a couple of Jeep Wranglers, but ours was the only pickup truck taking the drive back to Wheeler. We had to go really slow. One of the Jeep Wranglers had lost his clutch on the way up and was trying to nurse it back down. He must have succeeded, because we didn't see him stranded on the side of the road on the way down.

My engineering fantasy for this road was to come up with a little mobile rock crusher. The road was obviously graded at one time, but the bowling ball sized rocks had a habit of working their way to the top, making the going slow and very bumpy. Steve was continuously worried about his oil pan. My solution was to have a behemoth of a machine that had it's own rock crusher in it. You drive along and scoop all the rocks up into the machine, it crushes them down to gravel, and you lay down a nice smooth gravel drive behind you. I could retire up there and chug this machine up and down the mountain roads all summer.

Photos by Steve

Big Elk Herd

About half way back from Wheeler, when the sun was getting near the horizon, we were going down the edge of this open valley, we could see an enormous herd of Elk on the other side of the valley. It was one of those times when you see a few, and they start moving, and you see some more, the herd moving together, and then we saw three separate bands all coming together and moving together. I counted as best I could and there were more than 50 elk in the valley.

Multi-Media Man

He may not wear a cape or solve crimes with his surveillance equipment, but to those of us that want vacation documentation, Multi-Media Man is there to save the day.

Steve always finds some kind of silly-putty based material or gadget to attach his devices to the dash.

One with the Trees

It probably wouldn't have occurred to me to take this perspective, but Steve pointed it out. It ended up being a theme on Kyle's phone screen saver right away. The picture doesn't do it justice, that feeling that you are a little brother of the trees.

Pool Table

I was never clear about the Pool Table Mountain. The map I had didn't clearly point out which one it was. There were two candidates, ridges with tops that looked like they had been laid out with a ruler, straight as an arrow. I wonder now, when I look back at the pictures if the road wasn't on the pool table. It was flat and clear up there.

You look around when you're up there, and it's not clear if extensive areas were clear cut and logged out years ago (there are no stumps), or if a fire a really long time ago cleared it out, or if this is just an area where no trees grow.

Wagon Wheel Gap

This is what Wagon Wheel Gap looks like from above, on the Pool Table Road.

Mill Park

Must have been one of those mobile carnival things. There's no trace of it now. One thing those Carnies didn't understand: Location Location Location.

Pool Table Rodent

When travelling on Pool Table Road, you have to stop and pay a toll. This is the toll booth operator. Fortunately, he accepts a few cracker crumbs.

Pool Table Road

When you get to the top of the first series of switchbacks on Pool Table Road, there is a scenic overlook that gives a great view of the Rio Grande valley between Creede and Wagon Wheel Gap. This view is looking back toward Creede. When the La Garita and Creede calderas were first formed, they made a lake where Creede is now. Eventually, the rim of the caldera eroded away and the Rio Grande was able to flow out. This picture is looking through the gap in the rim of the lake that eventually opened up.

On top of Wheeler

Thinking that there must be a better view, we hiked around Wheeler to the top and went out to the edge up there.

While one view gives you a sense of how them material must have flowed when it was lava (or whatever it is that these eruptions brought, maybe hot dust), and the views of us on the edge are cool, the best views are from below.

Wheeler Geological Area

I had read about this area and heard it was a remote and unique place that was very hard to get to.

It's some kind of volcanic deposits from huge explosions 28 million years ago, which for some reason are only visible in this one tiny place.

It's hard to get to, and the journey is half the reward, but it's also unique and beautiful.

Wheeler Walk

This was on the path up to Wheeler Geological Area. The Aspens made a nice canopy over the trail, it was like being in a nature tube.

Disgruntled in Paradise

Few people are aware of the alternate hit by Jim-Bob Buffet, Disgruntled in Paradise.

I'm not sure if someone kicked this guy's cat or peed on his ice cream snow, but I do understand that he is not happy. He should move to a big city where he'll fit right in.

Cabin Cairn

Steve felt compelled to make a cairn next to the river down by the cabin. Kyle helped. I like it. It has a Dr. Suess kind of quality.

Coming in for a Landing

Our long shortcut down the unnamed road off the Bachelor Loop came out to a hill and a 45° path down to the highway next to the Airport. Just before we finished this leg, we all got out and walked so we could watch Steve go down the hill, as well as stand by to provide first aid. We were just above the airport and it felt like we were coming in for a landing.

Hobo Smackdown

On our long shortcut we spent a lot of time getting out and taking in the views.

Proving he's a chip off the old block, Kyle came up with possibly the most brilliant idea of his young life. He stated that they needed to come up with an event where hobos would fight each other for food money rewards. He called it the Hobo Smackdown. If he doesn't get a job as a rock musician in a band like Tenacious D, he should have no trouble having a successful career in Network Programming. I think the Hobo Smackdown can easily beat Dawg Bounty Hunter in all time ratings.

Creede from Above

Here's a view of Creede from our shortcut off the Bachelor Loop. The hill this was taken from is southwest of Creede, so you can see how it is nestled in the valley with the steep peaks on either side of the canyon beyond.

Project Baby Runway

Here's Andrea taking advantage of good light and backdrop to get some excellent photos for Zach's baby model portfolio. We missed getting him in the Bruno movie, but supermodel stardom is only a matter of time. His nickname can become Zachlander.

The Cool Long Shortcut

Coming down off the Bachelor Loop, we saw a side road that cut away toward the cabin, which would let us avoid going back through town. You might think this is a shorter route, but it turned out to be more hazardous, which took longer.

But it was also beautiful, with great overlook views of Creede and the Rio Grande valley, so we stopped to take multiple pictures.

Moose Sighting

We saw a cow moose and her calf on the Silver Thread the day before and then again on the Bachelor Loop. This one (calf not visible in the picture) looked almost black.

Photo by Andrea

Through the Looking Glass

Here's what Zach looked like backwards through my binoculars.

Mountain Baby Fashion

Mommy made Zach this fashionable hat, thus making him the height of Mountain Fashion.

Monumental

You've heard about the pyramid builders that anthropologists study when they find ruins in the jungle and speculate about the people that make them.

I got to witness some cairn-builders. Their primitive skills were on full display.

Dam Dangerous

Before getting kicked off the land after being informed it was private property, we couldn't resist getting a close-up look at this old dam. It was crumbling apart and breached at the bottom, but still standing. You wonder how it finally failed and why it didn't fall apart completely.

After getting home, I found a picture of people kayaking in the creek, with a caption that explained that they got through the hole in the base of the dam. Unbelievable. Actually, it does look kind of photoshopped. I wonder....

A Bridge Too Far

It doesn't say anything about unauthorized people.

Substitute Teething Ring

When Zach got fussy on the way back down Henson Creek, we had to find a way to pacify him. We used Steve's headband flashlight, which de-lighted Zach.

Collectibles

The perfect pine cone makes Andrea's fingers itchy.