 Into Thin Air in the Rockies: Photos 42 to 51 |
AfricaAntarcticaAsiaCentral America CaribbeanEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaOceaniaSouth AmericaOceans and Seas
Into Thin Air in the Rockies: Photos 42 to 51
North America » United States » Colorado » Grand Junction
November 13th 2006 by Waltzing Matilda
October 21 - November 9, 2006
Billings, Mont. - near Grand Junction, Colo.
23,699 miles to date
1,315 miles this leg
We were gasping for air Nov. 7, and not just because we’d spent two weeks at altitude. But because the preliminary election results showed a flip-flop of party power in both the U.S. House and Senate, and we could hardly believe so many voters had come to their senses.
One of the national events that pushed us take a year to travel the country was the 2004 RE-election of George W. Bush. Surrounded by like-minded liberal and solidly Democratic citizens of Port Townsend, we realized we were sorely out of touch with the apparent majority of Americans, and this was worrisome. Who were these people who believed in Bush bravado? We wanted to meet them and find out why. Was it true there were “two Americas” out there? If so, we wanted to find where the lines were drawn. It was quite simply a matter of patriotic duty.
So, after 10 months of informal polling, here are our top three theories for why Bush was granted a second term:
(1) Family tradition. Patriarchal patterns die
Full Text Entry: Into Thin Air in the Rockies
TB: [diary=101178]
2 Comments - Add Public Comment or Send Private Message
Add Comment
All Comments
November 14th 2006 - Lorraine Price:
Shelly and Jeff, after your visit here a few months ago, I too have enjoyed reading your various escapades and adventures. I have similar thoughts as you, regarding the political situation in this country. I'm crossing my fingers things are going to get better! You must be getting close to home now. All the best during the remainder of your travels. P.S. David is happy at Cal Poly, SLO, as is Drew at NU, and Leah is merrily marching and riding. All the best.
November 16th 2006 - Audrey:
Y'all are making me homesick for the Colorado Rockies. Luke and I are taking Evelyn that way for the holidays at the end of December to meet all of her grandparents and her great-grandma, plus paying tribute to her great-grandpa's memory. I am sooo looking forward to having you meet Evelyn and to play some olde time tunes with you guys again. Hope you are bringing back some "new" ones for us to learn. :-)
All Comments
Jonah Plateau Methane Field
On Shelly's tour of a methane gas field in west-central Wyoming, she noted that each access road is marked with rig numbers and company name for easy locating by suppliers and subcontractors.
Drilling Rig Footprint
In roughly a 300 x 300' "camp," the drilling derrick shares space with the lubricating mud ponds (at left) and the workers' trailers (at right). Crews work a week's worth of 12-hour shifts before gett... [more]
Dan & Drilling Pipes
Sections of 6"-diameter drilling pipes 33' long are lowered into the well as it is drilled. Believe it or not, most gas wells average 4 MILES deep.
Shelly in Hard Hat
Shelly in her hard hat touring the methane gas fields of the Jonah Plateau in Wyoming. This is basically the piping of a gas transfer center.
Dan & "Xmas Tree" Wellhead
Dan stands on the grate surrounding a completed and operating methane gas well. The structure is dubbed a "Christmas Tree," and thousands of them dot the Jonah Plain.
Heading into the Rockies
We lucked out with a clear and warmish day for the big Crossing of the Rockies on Nov. 11.
Rocky Mountain Summit
Snow on the summits, but the roads were bare and dry. Ski season is starting early, we're told.
Coasting Down the Rockies
On the way down from an elevation of 11,000 feet. Jeff had been worrying about this crossing for months, but we breezed through.
Colorado River
Our last night in Colorado was spent near Grand Junction, camped along the banks of the Colorado River -- which has its headwaters in Rocky Mtn Nat'l Park.
2 Comments - Add Public Comment or Send Private Message
November 14th 2006 - Lorraine Price:
Shelly and Jeff, after your visit here a few months ago, I too have enjoyed reading your various escapades and adventures. I have similar thoughts as you, regarding the political situation in this country. I'm crossing my fingers things are going to get better! You must be getting close to home now. All the best during the remainder of your travels. P.S. David is happy at Cal Poly, SLO, as is Drew at NU, and Leah is merrily marching and riding. All the best.
November 16th 2006 - Audrey:
Y'all are making me homesick for the Colorado Rockies. Luke and I are taking Evelyn that way for the holidays at the end of December to meet all of her grandparents and her great-grandma, plus paying tribute to her great-grandpa's memory. I am sooo looking forward to having you meet Evelyn and to play some olde time tunes with you guys again. Hope you are bringing back some "new" ones for us to learn. :-)
All Comments
Copyright notice.
The text and photos of this article remain the copyright of the Author (Shelly & Jeff Randall). Under no circumstances should the photos or text be used without the express written permission of the Author (Shelly & Jeff Randall). If you wish to use or publish photos or text from this article - please
Contact Shelly & Jeff Randall.