No trip to Trinidad, Colorado would be complete without a visit to the Kit Carson (city) park. The park is up a hill in nice trees including Colorado Blue Spruce. They have a full size bronze statue of Carson on a sturdy horse, placed there in 1913. There is a good view there of Fisher's Peak; a notable landmark on the Santa Fe Trail. I could sit there for hours enjoying the natural setting and thinking about the rich history of Trinidad and "Kit". Christopher Houston (Kit) Carson (1809-1868) was a true American frontiersman and his exaggerated myth was told in the "dime novels" of the time. Kit Carson had very great physical and mental abilities that shaped the Westworld expansion of the USA to the Pacific Ocean, but at a great cost of the Native ... read more

It was afternoon before I started driving up the steep grade on Interstate Hwy. 25 from Raton, New Mexico to Raton Pass at the Colorado State line. Just a short distance (about 100 meters) into Colorado was a nice scenic overlook with a good view of Colorado on the main trail of the Santa Fe Trail connecting Independence, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. The settlers from Missouri would see the very distinctive Fishers Peak and know it was time to turn South uphill over Raton Pass to get to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Fishers Peak can be clearly seen from the overlook as a bald butte on the skyline. I made the twenty mile downhill to the historic Trinidad, Colorado. I checked into the very convenient Trinidad Inn & Suites for good service (and a ... read more

The four corners states are New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Unfortunately my adventure vacation starts and ends with a two day drive across Texas. This started with good preparation for weeks in Nacogdoches, Texas. My basic trip has major overlap to my vacation in 2017 that I contributed to this site in 2018. Since that last travel I got older and more disabled so planning was essential for my survival. I wish I had a satellite phone cuz where I was going mostly had no cell phone reception; and where I camped in the back-country I could not walk out to get help. This was a very enjoyable spiritual experience as I could be with Mother Nature and see extinct volcanism, powers of erosion, and beautiful trees that can not live in East Texas. As ... read more

North of Barsola on TX Hwy 1911 I saw a sign for the Arnold Cemetery and I drove a short distance from the road to the cemetery. The Cemetery sign said that the cemetery was established in 1872. I walked through the cemetery and found most of the markers to be in the Arnold family. I suspect that the old unreadable sandstone markers were from the late 1800s. The Arnold Cemetery appears to be well maintained. Note: I searched the internet and found no real information on any Arnold settlement. I could only find a site for the Arnold Cemetery with only the list of the people that rest there. Commentary: I find it very bad that some second amendment fool would disrespect the dead by shooting the cemetery sign with a scattergun. I had a ... read more

According to Historic Texas Wildhurst was founded by Milton Smith when he established the Chronister Lumber Company in 1895. Their operations included sawmills, mill ponds, drying kilns, planing mill, commissary (company store), and a locomotive and logging tram. 75% of the workforce was Afro-Americans that had segregated housing, schools, and churches. Cuz of the logging there was a shortage of available pine timber the sawmills closed in December, 1944. Then the population declined quickly with their major employer gone, finishing the town. A Historic Marker was located at the intersection of Texas FM 1911 & 1247, one mile North of Forest. There was no mention if or when Wildhurst had a post office. According to jacksonvilleprogress.com several older local women helped in the internet history of Wildhurst, One of those ladies was Ira Vee Arnold. I ... read more