Salida adventures
Hello, dear friends! I've been scarce lately but things have been very exciting! I'm getting geared up again for fiction writing-- yes. And also for reviving my home business, because apparently I'm unable to work in an office without turning into a crabby flabby sad-sack. Instead, I'm cackling with evil laughter over being able to escape to the luxury of my own home. It's a 3-year plan, but it's done wonders for my mood.
However, before I inundate you with plans to give my Muse free rein to stomp around in the mornings, you must be dying to hear all about Maggie and my adventures in Salida, Colorado. To understand this small, high-plains town, you need only appreciate the following:
Paris = the Eiffel Tower
Seattle = the Space Needle
St. Louise = the Gateway Arch
Salida = the Turn-around!!!!
Inset: Truck in the act of actually "turning around"
Yes, the famous Salida turn-around. Salida is built against a low ridge of foothills to the east. The concept is, when you run out of town and reach the end of the street, you must "turn around" in this little parking lot which is exactly wide enough to make turning around possible. The locals are quite proud of their turn-around-- and who wouldn't be? It's the most exciting thing to hit these parts in a long time, as the previous photo clearly demonstrates.
Once you've seen the turn-around, you've obviously seen the pinnacle of what Salida has to offer. However, it's actually quite a nice little art community, with over a dozen galleries and some interesting shops. This one, for example, features a cocooned Frodo in the front window, knowing that this will pack in the patrons.
The community ends at the picturesque Arkansas River, which butts up against this ridge of foothills with pretty cool trails that features, naturally, a giant "S"-- such is the pride of the Salidian people.
Saturday we hiked up the hill. They happened to have a farmers market that day which included a live band. We enjoyed hearing the guitarists warming up as we climbed -- lovely bluegrass, kind of a mellow feel with a twang, perfect for the scenery.
Maggie and I could not resist clambering along the Little Rattler trail. The views were magnificent...
But all the while we were tromping toward the irresistible gleaming "S" which is, next to the turn-around, perhaps the most important aspect of Salidian life. At night it's lit up as a glowing white "S"-- but then it turns into a red heart. It warms you just imagining it, doesn't it?
We had a little trouble coming back down. Maggie took the normal way...
...while Mariole tried a quicker route. Sort of...
However rumpled, we still managed to take what I consider to be quite an artsy shot of the moon through the branches:
I think the Salidians are rubbing off on me.
Tomorrow: SUNDAY'S HIKE!
However, before I inundate you with plans to give my Muse free rein to stomp around in the mornings, you must be dying to hear all about Maggie and my adventures in Salida, Colorado. To understand this small, high-plains town, you need only appreciate the following:
Paris = the Eiffel Tower
Seattle = the Space Needle
St. Louise = the Gateway Arch
Salida = the Turn-around!!!!
Inset: Truck in the act of actually "turning around"
Yes, the famous Salida turn-around. Salida is built against a low ridge of foothills to the east. The concept is, when you run out of town and reach the end of the street, you must "turn around" in this little parking lot which is exactly wide enough to make turning around possible. The locals are quite proud of their turn-around-- and who wouldn't be? It's the most exciting thing to hit these parts in a long time, as the previous photo clearly demonstrates.
Once you've seen the turn-around, you've obviously seen the pinnacle of what Salida has to offer. However, it's actually quite a nice little art community, with over a dozen galleries and some interesting shops. This one, for example, features a cocooned Frodo in the front window, knowing that this will pack in the patrons.
The community ends at the picturesque Arkansas River, which butts up against this ridge of foothills with pretty cool trails that features, naturally, a giant "S"-- such is the pride of the Salidian people.
Saturday we hiked up the hill. They happened to have a farmers market that day which included a live band. We enjoyed hearing the guitarists warming up as we climbed -- lovely bluegrass, kind of a mellow feel with a twang, perfect for the scenery.
Maggie and I could not resist clambering along the Little Rattler trail. The views were magnificent...
But all the while we were tromping toward the irresistible gleaming "S" which is, next to the turn-around, perhaps the most important aspect of Salidian life. At night it's lit up as a glowing white "S"-- but then it turns into a red heart. It warms you just imagining it, doesn't it?
We had a little trouble coming back down. Maggie took the normal way...
...while Mariole tried a quicker route. Sort of...
However rumpled, we still managed to take what I consider to be quite an artsy shot of the moon through the branches:
I think the Salidians are rubbing off on me.
Tomorrow: SUNDAY'S HIKE!