Hiking The Southwest
Bill Kettler Joined: January 11th 2011
Logged in: February 22nd 2012
Logged in: February 22nd 2012
These are the areas I have highlighted within this site and are places rich with beauty and history, locations that give one the opportunity to become one with the history, to look through the eyes of those that settled this nation and see both how and where they lived. It is a rare opportunity one has to walk through the same doorway that someone as infamous as Butch Cassidy had as a child and looking through a weathered window in his boyhood home at the snow covered mountains as if it were through his eyes.
Touching a fragmented piece of pottery created thousands of years ago by the ancient Anasazi who farmed this land from 700 to 1300 AD, not realizing that it was their fate to become an extinct civilization a doom brought on by unexpected drought Phenomenon which some claim we are beginning to experience ourselves in the 20th Century.
Travel Blog Posts
Map of Location
"ONE DAY, the story goes, the evil creatures of the nether regions, tired of living in the dark and dank, decided to dig up to the surface and take over everything above and below the earth. They dug and the ground trembled and rumbled in their work. Two coyotes heard the rumble, and curious, as all coyotes are, couldn't resist the urge to investigate. The pair discovered the plot of the creatures from down under and in a trice howled the alarm to all their fellow mortals round-about. A great council was held to decide what to do; it would take more than mortal power to stop the invasion of these supernatural beings, this they understood. Finally, they determined to send for the greatest medicine man they knew. TWO EAGLES flew with the summons, and on ... read more
INTERNATIONAL UFO MUSEUM
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also the home of New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI), founded in 1891. Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located a few miles northeast of the city on the Pecos River. Bottomless Lakes State Park is located twelve miles east of Roswell on US 380. Roswell is most popularly known for having its name attached to what is now called the 1947 Roswell UFO incident, even though the crash site of the alleged UFO was some 75 miles from Roswell and closer to Corona. The investigation and debris recovery ... read more
Basalt Wildlife Management Area
4806 acres. From 6,514 ft to 8,777 ft elevation. The three units include 4 miles of riverfront property & big game winter range, meadows, mountains, canyons & gulches. Hunting for deer, elk, bighorn sheep and blue grouse. Road also provides access for hunters into 2000 additional acres of BLM property. Lake Christine provides some warm & coldwater fishing. The Basalt Unit offers excellent fishing for rainbow, brown, brook, & cutthroat trout, along with access to 4 miles of the Fryingpan River. A shooting range is also available. Wildlife includes cottontail, snowshoe hare, blue grouse, coyote, bobcat, fox, weasels, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain lion & black bear. Wildlife viewing. Location: Watson Divide Unit From Basalt Colorado, go 6 miles south on Highway 82. The property is located west of the highway and north of County Road ... read more
Ashcroft
In 1971, the White River National Forest issued a unique special permit and Ashcroft became the first self-sustaining cross-country ski area in the U.S. Located 12 miles above Aspen in the upper reaches of spectacular Castle CreekValley, the ski area offers excellent terrain for all levels of Nordic skiers. Thirty-five kilometers of meticulously groomed trails wind across 600 acres in the sub-alpine valley surrounding the Ghost Town of Ashcroft, a turn-of-the-century mining town designated on the National Register of Historical Places. At an elevation of 9,500 feet . The winter season runs Thanksgiving day until early April A full-day pass to use the trail system is $15; a half-day pass (after 12:30 p.m.) is $10. There are special rates for senior citizens and children. Ashcroft offers skiing trails, groomed for classic and skate styles, and separate ... read more
South Canyon Hot Springs
N39.33.225 W107.24.645 South Canyon Springs is an interesting alternative to the commercial hot springs in the Glenwood Springs area. South Canyon Hot Springs consists of two small pools located up on a hillside with great views of the surrounding mountains. I visited the springs in January of 2012 and found only one of the two pots worth soaking in (the other was too stagnant and mucky). The Murky Pool The conditions of the springs are known to vary – sometimes they are perfect and clear and other times shallow and muddy. The larger pool was relatively clean and hot (estimated to be around 112 degrees). The pots are definitely secluded and many people who enjoy these undeveloped, natural hot springs tend to leave their clothing behind. If you plan on visiting one of these hot springs ... read more
Rocky Mountains
In 1879 the first prospectors arrived in what would soon become Aspen and determined the area contained large deposits of silver ore. For the next 14 years Aspen’s fortunes rose as it eventually produced 1/6th of the nation’s and 1/16th of the world’s silver. 1879 Hayden Geological Survey reports are published indicating promising geologic formations in the Roaring Fork Valley for the presence of silver. First prospectors, crossing difficult mountain passes, explore the area for silver and winter over to protect claims on what will become one of the richest silver lodes in history. Henry B. Gillespie arrives in Aspen to examine a mine and travels to Washington, DC to petition for a Post Office. He lays out a town and calls it Ute City. Prospectors are in Ashcroft. Prospectors discover the Independence Gold Lode on ... read more
Janeway Ruins
Originally known as "Mobley's Camp" until 1877, it was renamed for Mary Jane Francis, a local innkeep. In 1888 this town had 50 people, a general store, post office, boarding house, and saloon. The Crystal River Railroad reached here by 1892 for the purpose of carrying Marble down from the Yule Quarry. The valley floor here gave the space needed for transportation and distribution of goods. Janeway eventually became a railroad station with siding for 29 cars. Now, all that is left of Janeway is this single cabin. Located between Redstone and Marble Colorado.... read more
Trail System
The high mountains of Colorado’s Elk Range are among the finest peaks in the Rockies. With Wilderness designation, these protected mountains are rugged, steep and aesthetically pleasing. Crystal clear streams, pristine alpine lakes and lush, green vegetation are common sights, allowing for many magical photo opportunities. Mount Sopris is the striking northern sentinel of the Elk Mountains. It towers above the town of Carbondale and the Roaring Fork River Valley in a very dramatic fashion. Indeed the surrounding river drainages of the Roaring Fork and the Crystal River give Mount Sopris a vertical prominence few mountains in Colorado can match, rising over 6,000 feet in a few miles. This is impressive for a mountain that rises to the rather modest height of 12,953 feet. The sight of a sparkling white Mount Sopris raking the sky above ... read more
The Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave
Hours and Admission Summer Hours May 1 – October 31 Museum: Daily 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Gift Shop/Café: Daily 8:30 a.m. - Sunset Winter Hours November 1 – April 30 Museum: Tuesday – Sunday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Closed Christmas Day. Gift Shop/Café: Daily 9:00 – Sunset Admission: Adults: $5.00 Seniors (65+): $4.00 Children 6 – 15: $1.00 Children age 5 and under: free Group rates are available with advance reservations. Call 303-526-0744 for more information. GPS N 39° 43.954 W 105° 14.316 13S E 479553 N 4398102 From Denver: Take I-70 W. to exit 256. Turn right at the top of the ramp, and then an immediate left. Follow this to Lookout Mountain Road. Turn right and travel approximately 4 miles. The Museum will be on your left following an open park and ... read more
Redstone coke ovens
REDSTONE — More than a century ago, bricklayers were summoned from Denver to Redstone to construct what was to be the largest coking plant in Colorado. Construction of 100 ovens began in 1899; in all, more than 200 were built over several years, according to F. Darrell Munsell's “From Redstone to Ludlow.” The ovens, along with buildings now known as the Redstone Inn and the Redstone Castle, were part of the town developed by coal magnate John Cleveland Osgood. The mines in Coal Basin provided high-grade coal that was brought down on a narrow-gauge railroad to the ovens. Fed into the top of the ovens — the front openings were temporarily sealed with firebrick — the coal was heated for two days, with only enough air to support combustion. The resulting coke was shipped by train ... read more
