Hosting and Toasting, 2018

March 2018 - April 2024

Much of 2018 will be spent volunteering at Hovenweep National Monument and Canyonlands National Park and attending family weddings. In between, we will try to find a place to live. Read more

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Traveler Hosting and Toasting, 2018
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- May 1, 2018
- ☀️ 11 °C
- Altitude: 6,749 ft
- United States Colorado Town of Dove Creek 37.58466, -108.9201237°35’5” N 108°55’12” W
Day 33
Lowry Pueblo [Dolores, Colo.]
May 1, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
Took a mini road trip today, visiting two restored pueblos and kivas and capping the day with a turkey talk.

We started by visiting Lowry Pueblo which is a cluster of restored adobes and one of a handful of restored grand kivas in the Four Corners area. Nearly all kivas have filled with ruble since being abandoned 750 years ago so it's thrilling to see what they probably looked like.

We also visited another partially restored kiva at Escalante near Dolores, Colo.

For the evening we took in a talk on Anasazi turkey domestication given to a chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society. My grandfather always referred to the bird on the table at Thanksgiving as a "Mexican buzzard." How right he was. Domesticated in Mexico and migrated north.Read more
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- May 7, 2018, 12:56pm
- ☀️ 24 °C
- Altitude: 5,968 ft
- United States Utah San Juan County Deer Canyon 37.61177, -110.0216237°36’42” N 110°1’18” W
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Day 39
Bridge Bagging [Natural Bridges NM]
May 7, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
We began our ten-mile bridge bagging quest by gazing down on the second largest natural span in the world-- Sipapu Bridge. Surreal! We then descended steeply down to the valley floor using some sketchy hand bars, etched toe holds, and wooden ladders that OSHA clearly hasn't inspected in decades.

After marveling at the gabillion ton span we headed downstream to find the next one-- Kachina Bridge. This one offered a bonus in that it's base was festooned with petroglyphs.

Then it was on to the last one-- Owachomo Bridge. Along the way we espied another gallery of petroglyphs and a ruin high up from the valley floor.

Really an amazing afternoon to see so many natural and man-made wonders in such a lush concourse.Read more
Phil LoPiccolo incredible!
5/11/18Reply
Linda Mahan Beautiful spaces..
5/11/18Reply
John Lovaas You two are remarkable, especially Lorraine operating on a knee
5/11/18Reply
Traveler Has OSHA certified that ladder?!
5/12/18Reply
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Traveler Hosting and Toasting, 2018
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- May 15, 2018, 6:42pm
- ☀️ 24 °C
- Altitude: 5,226 ft
- United States Utah San Juan County Square Tower (historical)37.38594, -109.0805437°23’9” N 109°4’50” W
Day 47
Mud Slinging [Hovenweep]
May 15, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
A Park Service team consisting of three Hopi Indians and one white guy has been working this month stabilizing Hovenweep Castle. Hunt was walking by one day, asking about their work and they said, why don't you join us. So he spent this afternoon "throwing mud," as they called it. A very special kind of mud made of local sifted soil and hydrated with an acrylic polymer.

He started the stint by picking away at loose mortar in a section. After that was brushed clean and sprayed with water he pressed mud the consistency of Play-Doh into the cracks. Satisfying work. And probably the only accomplishment in his entire life that will still be around in hundreds of years.

The team asked him to come back next week. He will.Read more
John Lovaas Really cool!
5/17/18Reply
John Lovaas There’s Hopi for him after all.
5/17/18Reply
John Lovaas Need some before and after shots.
5/17/18Reply
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Traveler Hosting and Toasting, 2018
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- May 19, 2018
- ☀️ 21 °C
- Altitude: 5,646 ft
- United States Colorado Montezuma County Trail Canyon 37.3363, -108.727137°20’11” N 108°43’38” W
Day 51
Granary [Hovenweep]
May 19, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Lorraine struck out off the beaten path yesterday to look for ruins in a nearby canyon. Her walk-about earned her a granary sighting. The next day she lured Hunt up the canyon to let him check it out. We climbed up to the alcove holding the ruin and learned that it has been quite well discovered many years ago. Its base had been shored up with concrete and a gaping hole suggested that it had been emptied of anything of value.

All was not lost as we also ran across a huge gopher snake. Helped explain why there were no deer in the area.Read more
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- May 23, 2018, 12:08pm
- ☀️ 17 °C
- Altitude: 7,972 ft
- United States Utah San Juan County South Long Point 37.60178, -109.8247737°36’6” N 109°49’29” W
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Day 55
Unearthly [Valley of the Gods, UT]
May 23, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
Took a day-trip to see the nearby supposed sister to Monument Valley. You know, the one where John Ford shot all his westerns and made the Duke famous. Anyway, Valley of the Gods is no B-grade movie set. It is every bit as stunning in its own way. Monument Valley has a few iconic pillars but Valley of the Gods has this amazing depth to it that might give Grand Canyon a run.

We also stopped in nearby Mexican Hat (home to Wasatch microbrewery) and at Sand Island, which has hundreds of petroglyphs going back thousands of years.Read more
Traveler I have this on the back of a tee shirt...the front says “I’ve tried Polygamy”. Can produce startled looks from barista at SBUX... at least in Cali.
5/28/18Reply
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- May 26, 2018, 3:58pm
- ☀️ 29 °C
- Altitude: 5,226 ft
- United States Utah San Juan County Hovenweep National Monument 37.384799, -109.07079737°23’5” N 109°4’15” W
Day 58
Hove VC 783
May 26, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
With this posting we sign off from our two months at Hovenweep using their call sign and ours (783). It has been a marvelous and rewarding experience as we have met so many engaging visitors and seen so many cultural and natural wonders.Read more
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- May 29, 2018, 11:48am
- ⛅ 13 °C
- Altitude: 8,691 ft
- United States Nevada White Pine County South Fork Baker Creek 38.97166, -114.2587538°58’18” N 114°15’31” W
Day 61
Catchup [Great Basin NP]
May 29, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Lorraine finally got to visit Great Basin National Park in Nevada after detouring from our road trip last fall for knee surgery. Definitely worth the wait as this park offers one surprise after another in the midst of the Nevada desert-- snow in June, lush mountain hillsides, a glacier, abundant wildflowers, scant numbers of campers.Read more
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- Jun 5, 2018, 10:53am
- ☀️ 14 °C
- Altitude: 10,899 ft
- United States Nevada White Pine County Wheeler Peak 38.99155, -114.3082438°59’30” N 114°18’30” W
Day 68
High Ice [Great Basin NP]
June 5, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
After a blitz trip to Reno to see Hunt's mom, introduce her to her only great grandson, Elliot, and his mom (Sarah) and attend his nephew's wedding we headed back to Great Basin NP. The main goal was to take a pilgrimage to see the highest elevation grove of bristle cone pines and the lowest latitude glacier in North America. Hunt had seen both last August but this time around the glacier approach was downright technical as we plowed through multiple snowfields to reach the moraine holding the glacier.Read more
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- Jun 7, 2018
- 🌙 11 °C
- Altitude: 6,683 ft
- United States Colorado La Plata County Durango Dry Gulch 37.29754, -107.8789537°17’51” N 107°52’44” W
Day 70
10 Artisan Ct [Durango, CO]
June 7, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
As many of you know we've been house-hunting in Durango. In April we made an offer on a home that subsequently fell through when the seller decided she didn't want to move after all.

After seeing at least two dozen scrapers and over-priced fixer uppers we had about given up. Then one came on the market that fit most of our requirements-- walkable-bikable to town, recently build, open floor plan, not too big, nice upgrades, eco-certified, etc. We grabbed it.

So the home closed June 7 and we are headed east to supervise the moving company.Read more
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- Jun 8, 2018, 8:30pm
- 🌙 30 °C
- Altitude: 3,993 ft
- United States Colorado Otero County Old Fort Bent (historical)Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site 38.03958, -103.4296738°2’22” N 103°25’47” W
Day 71
Bent's Old Fort NHS [La Junta, CO]
June 8, 2018 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 30 °C
More forts and sand dunes. Visited Bent's Old Fort Natl Historic Site, locale of the largest Outpost when the Santa Fe Trail was in it's heyday. The paparazzi would have been ecstatic with all the celebrity frontiersmen that passed through here. The adobe fort is completely and accurately rebuilt and we were lucky enough to visit on a living history day with dozens of characters in costume.

Also swung by Great Sand Dunes NP. Glad it's there but we're not beach people.Read more
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