Bout Time

That I produced/put a post up or something like that. My friend Linda told me she was linking to here in her post tomorrow so I just can't have her readers come by and see an old post.

These picture have been sitting around in draft for awhile so I am using them. Not that they are all that good but in recent weeks have been around a bit and they are examples of that and some things seen or done.

Went to NW Colorado specifically outside of Steamboat Springs for several days where I visited old friends and the fact of the matter many of the "friends" I have live there.

This is vehicle central with the camper and grey Element mine and the other is an '05 we drove down to Longmont which is on the Front Range and picked up It was just like new and was driven by a young lady only. It's true.

On the way elsewhere went by the Twenty Mile Mine located between Hayden and Oak Creek which continues to produce mass quantities of coal using German technology with a movable long wall underground.

Went to Dinosaur to see the new visitor center. It opened two weeks after I left the area just about three years ago.

Several interesting panels on the ground just inside the Utah line on the road to Steamboat Rock that starts at the visitor center on the Colorado side of the monument.

It's always pretty out here in the evening.

Sitting on top of Blue Mountain where in the early 80's the world championship for hang gliding took place. I was the only one around but three people drove up and were looking and preparing for anther like event late Aug 2015. They expect 150-175 participants. I think that would be quite a site to see. Here is some info on that @ Rocky Mountain Glider. This is one of the launch sites here.    

Blue Mountain and where the campsite was above the camper.

The main reason for going to Dinosaur was the visitor center and to look for a certain style of petroglyph. This is what I call the "wall of bone" that is in the old visitor center. Wall of bone because that's what it is. Over the years Dinosaur has been noted for this and very likely you have seen it before. This is just huge and is hard to capture. It helps to click on the pictures to see them better. Third picture down has got some nasty teeth in it. This area was know for huge amounts of allosaurus a half size T-Rex.

This panel and others are impressive for sure and have what I'm interested in and that is pinwheels.

This has nothing to do with anything except it's here for some reason. A friend raised some 4000 cloves of organic garlic plus all kinds of other vegetables as well. Never had such good garlic before. 

Moving right along.  Sleeping Ute Mountain. Incredibly important to the Utes to this day.

This is in Hovenweep National Monument. Hovenweep is one of my favorite places and what has held true over the years remained the same in that this place and I cannot emphasize this enough has got to be one of the quietest places anywhere!! I mean that and it's one of the reasons I come. Not all the time but much of it you talk in whispers because normal speech seems too loud and it is.

It had rained and these frogs were out and they don't get to come out very often. There were quite a few of them actually.

If you ever come to what is know as "The Four Corners" area try and visit Hovenweep. There are several outliers that are very impressive as well plus others you may run across if you bush whack a bit. There were many people who lived here over the centuries. It's this area where I really feel at home for what ever reasons perceived or not.  

Make sure you click on this guy a couple times.

One of my favorites and it's within what is known as the "Holly Group" outside of the main park. It's a four mile hike one way from there to here. I recommend taking the car for this.

Doorways and windows generally produce pretty decent pictures.

Sunsets and sky viewing was the best ever. Laying out looking at the cosmos, warm no bugs no nothing but you and the sky. For me it can't get much better.

It's a pretty weed isn't it.

This is a fairly new national monument. It's called "Chimney Rock".  Wanted to see this and did. It was a bit of a bust in that it cost 12 smacks and you were very limited to where you can go.

This is worth seeing for sure and what's important is the ruins at the top are Chacoan in construction. Every archeologist agrees people from Chaco Canyon were involved with this building effort.

Wasn't able to take any decent pictures as you couldn't leave the path let alone go any farther than here in the picture. This guy wants to get out to the end. This is not to far from Mesa Verde.

There was a National Forest campground not far away. 18 smacks no water and marginal open pit units. It was $9 with my senior pass and not worth that but it was quiet as we were the only ones there.  

The summer has just flown by. Relish in the warmth and being able to wear sandals and such from the time you get up till the time you turn in.

Without question Colorado has got to be one of the more diverse and best places in the world. Beauty pass all with something outside for all types of interest.

IF - - - - I only liked that 4th season I would be in Nirvana. Alas I do not. So lucky to be able to do this kinda stuff at this stage of the game I tell you.

A Dinosaur Picture Song

An attempt to capture images with music of a place of wonder. Video's like this are fun too.
 

Cross Posted @ OTC

On Pinwheels And Roundheads

We've been here a bit before but not quite like this. A conversation with a newbie astronomer  for the park service in Hovenweep this month prompted this post. He had not seen many petroglyphs and was unaware of these. I attempted to explain what is below in the pictures. I must be a terrible communicator or something as I could not get this across.

He said to me that pinwheels are very common in nature. One of the few things I was any good at in school was biology and pinwheels did not ring a bell. Go search yourself and there's not much there and certainly nothing that would have been seen in my opinion anyway a 1000 years or so ago when these these drawings were done in this part of the country.

Remember about clicking on the pictures twice to make them bigger each time for a real good look.





Here is another at the same place (McKee Springs) in Dinosaur National Monument. A bit different  but a pinwheel none the less. The was a huge exhibit of petroglph pictures at the Anasazi Heritage Center including the figures above but not this one. No picture in that exhibit included another pinwheel and they were from all over. 

What these do resemble very closely are these.



Just to the west lies the McConkie Ranch where the roundheads are found. Nowhere in that picture exhibit was there a roundhead anywhere close to these and there are three examples here one of which is very dramatic in my humble opinion which since no one knows for sure has as much merit as the big boys and more than some astronomers. A couple different vantage points for these.




This is the third.


It is these that I think are telling.




Exactly 23 miles.


To me this means whoever made the pinwheels saw that design some how in the heavens and drew what he saw. They looked through a telescope/got a ride or maybe it was a hologram but they drew what they saw for sure.

The same with the two roundheads with the one slit. These people in this case again drew what they saw. The fact these places are so close together is interesting as well. I have not seen roundheads like these anywhere else and if any one has please tell me about them.

The Two - Bar / What's Left

A bit of back round on this as I have been putting this off because it covers a bunch of ground and people not many know of. Two of my readers know of these and one another blogger friend Linda knows as we just read the same book "The Bassett Women" by Grace McClure that tells the incredible story of Browns Park and many of the people who lived there.

If you remember the old westerns and the cattle and sheep wars that took place between the huge cattle ranchers and the little guys who raised sheep and cattle too in some cases - well this is where much of it took place and the Two-Bar was the first of them. This is also where the killer Tom Horn made several kills by shooting outstanding men in the back and leaving them lay. The Two-Bar is where Hi Bernard worked as the ranch manager and later became Ann Bassett's first husband.

This is why it's taken so long because to talk about the Two-Bar it can't be done without mentioning other people who were also major players in the history of this area. The attempt here is to put in some way life back into these people and this special place where a huge part of the the history of the West was played out for years to the enjoyment of the whole country from the east coast to the west coast.


Here are some links for more backround.

Browns Park

Ann Bassett & John Jarvie

Jarvie Ranch

Josie Bassett Morris place

A bit more 

Ann Bassett

Remember about being able to click on the pictures twice to make them bigger each time to really be able to get a good view.

This picture is of the Two Bar Ranch looking to the north. The arrow points to the bunk house which will be used as a reference point.

Do not be deceived by these photos. This place was huge and the state of decay makes it hard to capture all that was happening here. This property had the capacity to handle many cattle and it did.

This taken from the hill in back looks slightly to the south west. The bunk house is the building with the stove pipe.

A peak into the bunk house looking to the east and the Green River lies just out of sight.

The bunkhouse looking through one of the many corrals.

Ora Ben Haley owned the Two-Bar the first huge cattle ranch in this part of the West. Haley was from Wyoming

Above the bunkhouse is where you will find the Gates of Lodore. Also left center on the small mesa is the Lodore school house. Close to the school house is the Lodore cemetary where several dozen lay buried. Among them John Jarvie and Sam Bassett. To the left (east) of the school house is the Browns park store.

Snapped this picture through the glass at the Museum of Northwest Colorado of Ann Bassett. Ann's first husband was Hi Bernard who was the ranch manager of the Two-Bar and was abruptly fired when it was found out. 

These are a pair of here spurs owned and used by Ann Bassett that according to the curator are highly valued and this pair is one the best anywhere.

Isom Dart a cowboy from Texas who was respected by all in the area and was a huge part of the Bassett family for years. Shot in the back by Tom Horn. It seems Hi Bernard probably played a role in hiring Tom Horn to come and do his killing in Brown's Park. It needs to be noted that Ann Bassett and the Two-Bar were in a constant struggle .

Matt Rash another local highly respected cowboy shot in the back as well by Tom Horn.

The two tanks are where the Browns Park store is at. I found out last time that Isom Dart and Jack Rash are buried next to each other on the mountain behind it.

                                                The Browns Park store.

A Google image with these places marked on them. There is one other place marked here. The Bassett Ranch and cemetery are located on private property. Not much remains of the ranch but while looking around I saw a Google map  that had the Bassett cemetery marked and I have put it in the approximate location. Whether it's accurate or not I don't know. From McClure's book it seemed the two ranches were fairly close to one another. 

So this is my stab at telling a bit of the story of this area and some of the people who made headlines for years across the country. The book is a worth while read and visiting this area is a real treat.

In many ways these people still roam this place. Although they're all gone now the Bassett's and the Two-Bar are still spoken about to this day.

I very much recommend a vacation to this area. One can spend days here and in Dinosaur National Monument and never see it all or become bored.