Silverton, CO and Further West

The majestic beauty between Silverton and Ouray had steep mountains, blue skies, and winding narrow roads that were scary to me.

 

We stopped in Delta and met Paul’s niece, Paula & Jerrel and family at Rocky Mountain Pantry. She had coffee and doughnuts ready for us. It was a refreshing break.

We drove from Grand Junction, CO  to Arches National Park down along the Colorado River. The rusty red bluffs were beautiful with unique rock formations.

You can see how big this arch is by the size of the people under the arch.

There were over 300 arches in the park.

Claire Bleu set up an outdoor studio and did some plein air painting while we drove through the park.

Just look at how her painting looks like the scene behind her.

We stopped at this little quilting shop just south of the park in Moab.

Driving on south we came upon Hole in the Rock, and Claire Bleu hollered out that we need to stop there and take a tour of Albert and Gladys Christenson’s house in the rock. He dynamited out the rock to form rooms and living quarters for them. He also worked as a miner, sculpturer, and painter. Gladys was like Mother and was very artistic, creative, and made do with what was available.

There were lots of old memorabilia and souvenirs around for tourists.

This road grader looks like it was horse drawn. Maybe it could smooth out Davis Rd. for us.

Polly, Claire, and Mother take a rest in the shade.

Mr. Albert carved the face of Pres. Theodore Roosevelt in the rock of his home.

This Jeep was sitting in front of the Souvenir Shop. It is made from farm tools, metal scraps, and license plates.

Emily

Monument Valley

Claire Bleu was in her glory snapping 100s of pictures in Monument Valley. If anyone wants to stop, they holler and, bless Jim's heart, he steps on the brakes and pulls to the side of the road for a photo shoot that lasts anywhere from 1/2 a minute to 1/2 hour.