The yellow brick road is flat, very flat

August 4, 2008

Leaving La Veta.

We decompressed.
We got our strength back.
We were inundated with historical, geographical, and social information.
We were spoiled with friendship and quality conversation.
We didn’t worry about where we were going to stay the night.
We didn’t think about what or where we were going to eat.
We did laundry.
We felt at home.
We didn’t want to leave.

Getting in the car was hard for Neil and me. But, after we wrangled the kids into their seats, they seemed surprisingly comfortable and ready to go. That honeymoon didn’t last long. Before long Eleni’s broken record of “I want to go home” was back again (and we didn’t press her whether she meant La Veta, Colorado or the blue house back in Madison).

The change in terrain as we headed east was dramatic; we went from rocky to flat and flat and flat and more flat.

Somewhere along the way, we followed the Santa Fe Trail backwards and tried to imagine how the flatness might drive one slowly insane. Today, we at least had old rusted out cars and trucks, vacant hotel rooms, irrigation machines, and John Deere tractors heading straight for us on the two-lane road, whereas then, they had the flatness.

Neil and Alex went here on my relatives' recommendation. They did not come out with the anticipated cowboy boots!

While Eleni slept, I sat in the parking lot and took photos of cars

We called our neighbor’s parents who live in Dodge City, Kansas. We thought we would dutifully say hello and stop in for tea or something simple. I guess we underestimated mid-west hospitality because Lou, our neighbor’s father said, “We’ll expect you for dinner and you are invited to stay with us.”

“Well, I’ll talk to talk it over with my husband” I replied.

“If you want to pay $130 for a hotel room, well that is all right, but you are welcome to stay with us. I don’t think you need to talk it over.”

Well that settled that. Now we just had to figure out how to get to Dodge City ASAP. That took a while.

A cattle car which we'll talk more about later

Kansas is the 5th most oil producing state in the States

Haystacks that looked like loaves of bread

We listened to The Wizard of Oz on audiotape. Dorothy’s predicament went to our heads as every dust storm on the horizon begged the question, “Is that a tornado?” We drove parallel with a thunderstorm that you can see in this photo - but we never felt a drop of rain.

The elevators and stockyards

More on this later, too.

Flat.
Ruts! We found some! Nine miles west of Dodge City, there are some authentic, over one hundred years old (at least!) Santa Fe ruts!

Lou and Judith were waiting for us at their door! We bundled out of the car and the kids hopped into their water tub outside.

The way we are on vacation

July 31- August 4

Four days with my Mom's cousin and family in La Veta, Colorado

Who was this Kit Carson character anyway?

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Leaving Taos, New Mexico

While Neil did the laundry, Kirsti, Alex and Eleni visited the Taos Pueblo (Neil visited this three years ago). Hundreds of years old (perhaps even 1,000), it is considered the oldest continually inhabited community in the US. The Mission was built by the Spanish in 1598, but little remains as it was burned in the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. Because it was successfully led by Pope, the Pueblos were free and independent until the Spanish reclaimed the land in the 1700s. 

The kids were especially intrigued by the rooftop entranceways complete with ladders. After the Spanish Conquistadors (part I), doorways were introduced.

I would have taken photos, but I had a moral dilemma when I purchased our tickets. In order to take photos, you have to pay an extra $5 and promise not to use the photos for, among other things, educational purposes. Well, I know this blog isn't necessarily the goto spot for information, but there is a certain educational aspect to is. So, I didn't take any photos.

We joined up back at the hotel. While Neil finished the July 30th blog entry and the kids watched Arthur on PBS, I slipped out to investigate how Kit Carson was presented in Taos. Whereas he was hated and despised in Canyon de Chelly, I wondered how he would be revered (if at all?) at the local Kit Carson Museum. 

I took this photo just before you turn on to Kit Carson road.

Although he was rarely present due to his mountaineering, his job as an Indian agent, and his time in military campaigns, this was Kit Carson's home in the mid-1800s. 

This was the outside courtyard where people would congregate.

Another photo for you, Tyler! Even though Kit Carson was basically illiterate, it did not prevent him from raising in the ranks of life rather quickly. He spoke several languages, knew the terrain well enough to escort Fremont through several passes, and was a respected Field Commander. He was accepted into the Masons. In fact, they are largely responsible for keeping his home preserved and his memory as untarnished as possible. 

The guide in the museum, who was part Navajo and had reason to dislike Kit Carson (she said members of her family spoke of him as if he were alive today - anything that went wrong was "Kit Carson's fault" and she had a Pueblo friend who refuses to set foot in the museum), presented a fairly positive picture of a man in a rather exciting and complicated time in American history. After all, added to his own children, he adopted Navajo children. But the hatred lives on today, as a man next to me informed her that the Kit Carson Boy Scout troop had to change their name finally. 

The view of the walkway outside Kit Carson's house.

We walked around the Taos plaza and fulfilled the kids dreams - Eleni picked out a beautiful Navajo doll and Alex found the perfect moccasins.

Neil wanted to visit the home of another former Englishman gone native, so we visited D.H. Lawrence's home just outside of Taos.  Along with Georgia O'Keefe, Mabel Dodge Sterne convinced him that the climate in New Mexico was ideal for recovering from TB. He moved to a cottage just behind this building in 1924 (this building is where the caretaker of the property lives - it was built after Lawrence died).

Lawrence's memorial
His cottage
The Lawrence tree- much painted by Georgia O'Keefe 

And then we jumped in the car and headed north, back into Colorado! 

Here we are with the Rocky Mountains in view!

We stopped off at Fort Garland. Eleni had just woken up when we stopped and it wasn't a particularly "good wake-up" so she hung out with Neil in the gift shop while Alex and I toured the fort.

Built in 1858, this fort was among many built after the Mexican War to protect American settlers from Ute and Plains Indian attacks and encourage more expansion into the territory. Kit Carson made an appearance here as well! He commanded the New Mexican volunteers from 1866-87. Alex was interested in his varied background, the Buffalo soldiers that served here, the Battle of Glorieta Pass (who knew there was such an important Civil War battle fought near here? In 1862, the Colorado and New Mexico Volunteers destroyed the Texas Confederates' supplies, and in so doing, prevented them from bringing the Civil War further west and gaining access to the gold!

We enjoyed the exhibit on archeology - this one is for you Amy! Layers of junk...

 

We had popsicles, filled up the car with gas, and said a polite "no" to a man asking us if we wanted to buy a ranch (the for sale signs posted on this store just down the road from the fort were all for ranches).

And we then we were on our way to our vacation...!