St Elmo Ghosttown

We knew that this area had a lot to offer as far as the outdoors but is also an interesting area with lots of tales to be told. There are plaques as we drive up Chalk Creek Canyon with stories about the Love Ranch and Agnes Vaille that show the hardy ladies of times gone by.

The Agnes Vaille Waterfall in the canyon along Chalk Creek is named after a hardy woman from the 1920s, who had spent time in Paris working with the Red Cross before moving to Colorado.

 Agnes Vaille was an experienced and fearless climber who had scaled a number of fourteeners. She 

decided to ascend Long Peak in January of 1925 but fell, sliding down a snowy bank more than 150 feet, she landed in the snow below and was immobile. When the rescuers came upon her frozen body, Agnes lay with her prized axe in her hand, her head pillowed on her knapsack. At that time, aids such as sophisticated protective gear and equipment for mountain climbers, were not available.

 You can no longer hike to the falls since the trail was closed and rerouted after a family of 5 were killed in a rock slide in 2013. There is now a trail to view the waterfall named for Agnes by a friend who owned the Love Ranch nearby.

Another peaceful place to lay our heads or at least we thought so. I was glad that we were on the opposite side of the campground from the rock slides. Kind of silly to think that short distance would make a difference if it decided to let go again. But our peaceful nights in a very dark valley were disturbed by a critter that won. He would climb under the front of the end cap into the walls and party all night. The second night when he showed up, he was a little less rowdy but convinced us to leave before the third night we had paid for. I bet he went back into his hole and high fived the other mice that he beat us down. He actually creeped me out a lot.

Cascade Campground is way up in that valley between Mt Princeton and Mt Antero, both 14ers. We had no Verizon signal, hookups or neighbors, other than the mouse. The nights were as dark as a cave until the stars came out.



We took the short drive of 6 miles up a dirt road to the ghost town of St Elmo after we got settled at our site.

 Nearly 2,000 people settled in this town when mining for gold and silver started. The mining industry started to decline in the early 1920s, and in 1922 the railroad discontinued service.  It is one of Colorado's best preserved ghost towns. Now, there are 8 full time residents.

This is 4 wheeler paradise with people from all over the US. One guy from Minnesota asked if we knew where to get "high". I guess we looked a little loopy from the altitude. I suggested he check in the general store. Then, they headed up Tincup Pass....

The walk from the campground along the old railroad bed was a nice easy 2-3% grade overlooking Chalk Lake and Mt. Princeton.

 We were feeling stiff and with the discounted rate for Monday thru Thursday and very few people, who could pass a day at another hot springs.

 The Mount Princeton Hot Springs were first frequented by Native Americans.

In 1860, a way station, hotel, and freight depot were built near the site of the present hotel to serve freighters traveling over Tincup Pass, bound for the mines of Ashcroft and Aspen; and over the Altman Pass toward Gunnison.



We climbed down along side the creek to soak in the rocks.

The bathhouse

The grayish white Chalk Cliffs emerge from Mount Princeton and are unlike any other mountains in Colorado. Though they look like chalk, they’re actually made of granite, which changed colors when other minerals leached out of fractures. Legend has it that gold was hidden in the cliffs’ crevices by 17th-century Spaniards and is yet to be rediscovered.

We had planned another day with a hike or a visit to Buena Vista but the mouse won. Creede is not too far down the road and we now have mothballs.

Bike ride in O'side

A ride on the San Luis Rey River Trail and beyond ended up being a good 29 mile ride with a few hills when we turned off the path. The return to the coast has pretty good headwinds. We came upon the finish line later in the day for So California's Ride Across America Bike Ride.

The cycling in Southern California is fabulous and  diverse.  The topography is the most varied of any cycling event around - avocado orchards and orange groves, the ridges and valleys of the Coast Range, the Anza-Borrego Desert – and the weather is beautiful this time of year.

 The 200-mile course is said to be the toughest “double century” in America. The Amgen Tour of California, a ride with pros, was also ridden in San Diego this weekend.



 

 Jacaranda trees are a beautiful mess leaving a sticky substance after the purple leaves fall.

At the halfway point of our ride was Guajome Park with two ponds that attract a wide variety of migratory birds and serve as home to a variety of fish. The 4.5 miles of park trails meander through diverse Southern California habitats such as woodlands, chaparral, wetlands, and mixed grasslands. 

Just 8 miles from the Pacific Ocean and has plenty of walking and biking trails.

 Matilija Poppy

The ocean has a different look on different days. Today was almost Caribbean like.

 

 

 

 

 We don't go to the movies very often. One morning, we woke to much needed rain, "Papa-Earnest Hemmingway" was playing and sounded like a good way to stay dry. With Cuba in the news and  where the movie was filmed, it made it more intriguing.  When we arrived, we were the only people seated until another couple walked in. For some reason, they thought they should sit directly behind us. I guess they felt safer being so close to us.  It was a nice treat when we walked out at noon to the sunshine.

We recently read a book called "The Boy Who Said No,  Escape To Freedom" about a young man in Cuba during the overthrow of Batista that I got on Book Bub for $0.99. It was so interesting and well written that we read the sequel.  

I guess we have Cuba on our minds. 

 

5 ft high tide

Lots of different plants around here as we make our usual morning walk.

 

 

 

When the moon is full or new, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun are combined making the high tides very high and the low tides are very low. This is known as a spring tides which are especially strong tides (they do not have anything to do with the season Spring). They occur when the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon are in a line

This must have been a spring tide with tide as high as 6-7 feet and well over the sea walls. The surfers were out in full force.

The ocean looked like it just got filled.

A good way to carry a surfboard. We have seen bobs set up behind motorcycles for boards.

The tides were so forceful throwing rocks and sand into the streets. This fellow shoveling the sand and rock for the street sweeper reminded me of shoveling our snow in Colorado.



The loader clears the rocks and then sweeps the sand from the streets.

This boy's mom said he loved getting his bike stuck in the sand and peddling to dig a hole. He was giving it some peddle action and proud of the hole he dug.

 The 1986 movie Top Gun house, about the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school is going to be renovated.



All of the black dots in the ocean are surfers that love these waves. Living across the street from the beach we  see a lot of surfers come and go. There was a couple from Keystone, Colorado that were ready to escape the snow. They were going to Trestle Beach but the beached whale that had died was luring in the sharks.

 Now we have a family from Switzerland next to us. They rented a camper van to spend 40 days in California. They are so excited about the diversity of California from San Francisco to Yosemite. They just say everything is just different everywhere they go. At home, they surf in Italy or south of France.

Encinitas

Hwy 101 is a great place to ride a bike and we found a street fair going on. There are plenty of street fairs around. Carlsbad has the largest in the country twice a year. Oceanside has one downtown every Thursday with music at night.

 

Walking and riding our bikes to get around the area is much more pleasant than driving. We had decided to take a walk and find someplace to have lunch and stopped in a small Peruvian Restaurant to look at the menu. A lady sitting nearby said it was very good and we should stay. We did and were so glad.  Once we sat down, a couple next to us overheard us trying to figure out what to order and recommended what they had. The pork chicharron with sweet potato slices, red onion and cilantro in lime juice on a cibatta and  the lomito, tender beef in soy sauce with sautéed tomato, red onion and red pepper. I guess you can tell we were happy. They visited with us about the area and places we had to try. Looks like there is going to be some good eating going on here.

Now that is a bike lane.

Our version of Colorado Springs Cycling Club's Latte Ride.

Our life has taken so many twists and turns. We have been a bit reflective as we begin to make more changes in our life. Sometimes while at work, I get overwhelmed by how a life can change in an instant. I am so thankful that Mike has been willing and mostly an eager participant in the "wild hairs" that pop into my brain and indulges me.

 

I came home from work a few days ago, Mike looked at me as if had he had a revelation or at least a deep thought. I had been planning to have a part time job over the winter and he said maybe I should just quit doing the nurse job after this contract and just see where the wind blows us. I am good with hoisting the sails. Hoping for gentle winds with happy and teary eyes.