Thanksgiving

Tim and I decided once again to spend Thanksgiving at home. Since I had gotten used to ordering our dinner, we agreed to do the same again. We did make one change, however. Instead of ordering a dinner for four from King Soopers, we ordered two dinner plates from Cracker Barrel. Good, old-fashioned cooking sounded perfect.

We scheduled our pickup for 1:00 pm and drove to the restaurant. I couldn’t believe the line of cars that wrapped around the block! I guess everyone had the same idea. The line did move fairly quickly, and we enjoyed our meal when we arrived home.

Just like every year, I did purchase a jar of sauerkraut to augment our dinners – I can’t have Thanksgiving without that Baltimore tradition!

A Cracker Barrel Thanksgiving - Delicious!

We’re Really Going to France

Tim and I had booked our first river cruise, France’s Finest, while we were on our Viking Homelands cruise this past May. Today, we made our final payment. We will embark in Avignon on May 7, 2023, and we will disembark in Paris on May 21. We’ll be on our own for several days before and after the cruise.

Status - FINAL!

Prior to our cruise, we will be spending a few days in Nice and had I booked our flights back in July. In October, United cancelled our reservations due to a change in scheduling. Since we had to make a new reservation, Tim and I talked seriously about flying business class. With our previous reservations, we were using airline miles to standby for business. This time, I wanted a confirmed reservation. I know business class seats are ridiculously expensive, and we don’t have enough airline miles, but I finally admitted that I’m too old to sit up on an overnight flight when there’s another option.

I kept checking for halfway-reasonable fares and finally found one. United codeshare flights with Lufthansa were much less expensive, and although I had hoped to fly United Polaris business, I was just happy we would have lie-flat seats. I booked the flights.

At the end of our cruise, Tim and I will be spending five nights in Paris. I’ve been researching hotels and trying to decide where to stay, and today I made a reservation. Although I was unfamiliar with the hotel, I picked the Hôtel La Tamise, a restored nineteenth-century mansion that began as a private home and then became a guest house for society folks on their Grand Tour of Europe. Located halfway between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, just off Rue de Rivoli and across from the Jardin de Tuileries, it’s in a perfect location for visiting museums and other must-see sights.

I loved this description in a Condé Nast Traveler review, “Thoughtful touches, impeccable design, and attentive service give this boutique inn a luxury glow.” The rooms are likely to be quite small, but I’m hoping we’ll be happy there.

Our Hotel in Paris Is Booked

Our cruise is paid for, our flights are booked, and our hotel in Paris is reserved. Now, we need to determine our arrangements for Nice for our pre-cruise stay.

It looks like we’re going to France!

I Started My Job This Week (And So Did Tim)!

Today, I started work at my new job at the City of Loveland Museum. Yes, it’s a real job with regular hours, a salary, and a W-2 form! The job will last only through the end of the year, and I will work just 19 hours per week. It sounds rather civilized, doesn’t it?

I had applied for the job on a whim, and I was a bit surprised then I was offered the position on my way to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. The job title is Archival Move Assistant, and I will be helping with packing, moving, and unpacking the museum’s archival collection to an off-site storage facility. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done, but it should be an interesting project.

Loveland Museum

Tim also got a job. He is going to be an Election Judge for Larimer County for the upcoming election. He will be working at one of the polling centers and will assist voters, register voters, update voter information in the electronic database, and issue ballots. This week was orientation.

He will work three days prior to the election and then election day itself. That will be a 15-hour day! I’m proud of him for doing this.

Amache National Historic Site

Amache National Historic Site was one of ten incarceration sites established by the War Relocation Authority during World War II to which Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated. Over 7,000 people, mostly American citizens, were interred at Amache from 1942 to 1945. Also known as the Granada Relocation Center, this site had the smallest population of the ten centers but became the tenth largest concentration of people in Colorado.

Amache has been authorized as a unit of the National Park Service but is still in the planning process and is not yet an official unit. The preservation of Amache has been spearheaded by the Amache Preservation Society, a grassroots organization established by a social studies teacher at Granada High School and consisting of student volunteers.

That teacher, John Hopper, opened the museum that he helped create and gave an insightful tour to our group. The museum collection is quite impressive and consists of items donated by individuals who had been incarcerated at Amache, as well as items recovered during archeological excavations. Exhibits explain the background and what Japanese Americans faced when they were removed from their homes, packing only what they could carry. Life at Amache is a main feature, as is the art produced by incarcerees.

An Introduction to Amache

Daily Life Behind the Fence

Art at Amache

One of our members asked if the collection would be donated to the National Park Service, and I was disheartened by John’s answer. He stated that the intention was to transfer the collection, but when he was informed that most of it would be housed in a museum storage facility elsewhere, he said “no.” He didn’t want to have to explain to Mrs. Sakamoto that the items she donated were not on display at the museum.

Unfortunately, I can understand John’s position. The National Park Service is only able to exhibit a miniscule portion of the items in its museum collections. Most remain in storage. As Tim used to say when someone asked what he did, “I take care of the things than nobody gets to see.”

After our tour, we drove to the site and followed the self-guided driving and audio tour to learn about the 11 points of interest. Currently the Amache site consists of a historic cemetery, a monument, historic concrete building foundations, an intact road network, and several reconstructed and rehabilitated structures from the World War II camp-era including a barrack, a recreation hall, a guard tower, and a water tank.

Welcome to Amache National Historic Site

Points of Interest on the Amache Driving Tour

After finishing our tour, our group met for lunch at Shorty's Mexican Café back in Granada.

John Hopper Took a Photograph of Our Group

I have visited other Japanese incarceration sites, including Manzanar in California, and look forward to following the planning progress at Amache. Visiting sites like these produces mixed emotions and makes me think about freedom and justice, as well as the resilience of the Japanese Americans who were forced to suffer such injustice.

One thing struck me when I looked at the National Park Service website for Amache and then glanced at the Special Resource Study that determined the eligibility of Amache to be designated as a national park unit – the use of the term “incarceration.” I found the explanation in the Special Resource Study about the power, meaning, and significance of terminology so refreshing that I’m going to quote the first paragraph here:

It is important to accurately describe the history of the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II without perpetuating the euphemistic terms that the US government and others employed at the time or incorrect terms later substituted that do not adequately describe the injustice experienced by more than 120,000 people.

The report emphasizes that there has been support for using terms such as incarceration, imprisonment, and detention, and these are the terms that the National Park Service is now using. After reading this, I went back and edited this blog post to use the correct terminology. I am guessing that the existing waysides will be updated.

I still had a long drive ahead of me, so I hit the road for home. It was so nice to see Tim again. 

Although I love to travel overseas, there is something about a road trip in the United States that speaks to me. This road trip was sensational, enlightening, educational, and just plain fun. I can’t wait to plan the next one.

Halfway Across the State of Colorado

Today was a driving day, and I actually drove more than halfway across the State of Colorado. I left the mountains of Chama, New Mexico, this morning, and headed over a mountain or two before landing in Colorado’s Great Plains. Lamar was my destination, tucked away in the southeastern corner of the state just 30 miles from the border with Kansas.

Welcome to Colorful Colorado

It was a long drive. Although I had planned to take a different route, I ended up heading to Antonito, generally following a portion of yesterday’s ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. I then headed north toward Pagosa Springs and then east through LaVeta Pass.

Before me as I descended the mountain was a gross sight. I don’t know if it was extreme air pollution or something else, but a dark mass seemed to be floating above the city of Walsenburg. Yuck!

Whatever was in the air seemed to follow me, and I was soon enveloped in a dense fog with virtually no visibility. I considered pulling over and waiting for it to pass, but there were no pull-offs on the road. So, I reduced my speed and followed the taillights of the vehicle in front of me. That was a bit scary.

I arrived in Lamar in one piece and checked into the Holiday Inn Express. The reason I made such an extreme detour to Lamar was to attend a meet-up with the National Park Travelers Club tomorrow. The members who were staying at the hotel walked across the street for dinner. I had previously met a few of the members, and it was nice to get to know the others.

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

Today, I was able to check another item off my bucket list – a ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Even better – a ride during peak fall foliage season! A National Historic Landmark, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the longest steam railroad in North America, traveling through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rocky Mountain West. The railroad is owned by the states of New Mexico and Colorado, and it crosses between the two states 11 times.

I had walked over to the station in Chama when I arrived late yesterday afternoon and watched as the train pulled in. Everyone had smiles on their faces as they got off, and I was so excited about my ride today.

The Station in Chama, New Mexico

When I booked my ticket, I found one seat remaining in the Parlor car. It seemed to have my name on it. I loved the description that boasted, “Step aboard the Victorian-era elegance of our meticulously restored Parlor cars – a level of luxury, service, and comfort that once was reserved for such dignitaries as railroad barons and mining kings.” That sounded appealing! Even more appealing was the fact that no children were permitted, panoramic windows were operable, a continental breakfast and drinks were provided, and the car was at the end of the train.

I arrived at the Chama station at 8:00 am, not to board the train, but a bus that would take us to Antonito, Colorado. To experience the entire 64-mile railroad line between Chama and Antonito, an hour bus ride was required. We arrived in Antonito and settled into our Parlor car. Coffee was quite welcome by then.

Boarding the Train in Antonito

Everyone was excited as we left the station and headed through the flat, open San Luis Valley. The train quickly covered the flat ground and began to climb a series of hills, winding around wide curves and going up into the mountains. We soon began to see aspen trees, many of which had already turned yellow, gold, and orange, and I loved the contrast with the deep green evergreens.

And, We're Off!

It Didn't Take Long Before We Started Seeing the Brilliant Colors of Autumn

We made a quick stop in Sublette, New Mexico, an abandoned railroad town that still provides water for the steam locomotives. The distant views were spectacular as we made our way along the rim of Toltec Gorge. We went through Mud Tunnel, which is supported by wood beams, then through Rock Tunnel, and then we began to follow the Rio de los Pinos.

A Safety Check in Sublette

Along the Spectacular Toltec Gorge

Through the Tunnels

We stopped for delicious lunch at the old townsite of Osier, Colorado. Past Osier, we crossed the 137-foot-tall Cascade Creek Trestle, the highest on the line. Trees were sparse here, but the open mountain scenery was magnificent.

Ophir, the Cascade Creek Trestle, and Beautiful Mountain Scenery

We stopped at Los Pinos to take on water in preparation for the steep climb toward Cumbres Pass. At 10,015 feet in elevation, it is the highest pass reached by rail in the United States. We crossed State Highway 17, and the cars had to wait for us to pass. At the summit is a historic section house and car inspector’s house, and we stopped here for a safety check.

Los Pinos to Cumbres Pass

As we began our steep descent, we were once again surrounded by glorious aspen trees on our way to lower elevations. The Chama Valley provided more wide-open vistas, and we began to see signs of “civilization. After crossing the Lobato Trestle, which spans Wolf Creek, we pulled into Chama, the end of the rail. What a ride!

More Glorious Aspen

The Chama Valley, Lobato Trestle, and Back in Chama

The ride was everything I imagined and more, and I couldn’t have picked a better time to enjoy the golden aspen. The parlor car was also worth every penny. Not only were the other passengers friendly and the drinks and snacks welcome, but the access to the rear platform of our car provided unobstructed views of the breathtaking scenery.

I crossed the street to my hotel, which, unfortunately, turned out to be not one of my better choices. Yes, it was a historic hotel, and the room was mostly clean, but it was more old than historic. Food at the restaurant downstairs was good, however, and the location was perfect for a walk to the station.

The Chama Hotel and Shops

Georgia O’Keeffe Country

After leaving Santa Fe, my plan for today was to explore Georgia O'Keeffe Country – those places in New Mexico associated with her life, as well as the landscapes that inspired her. I didn’t stop at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe since I had previously visited it. Instead, I wanted to focus on the area around Abiquiú and the Ghost Ranch.

When I neared Abiquiú, I happened upon the O’Keeffe Welcome Center, which was completely unfamiliar to me. As you can see, I hadn’t done any homework and was just winging it today. I learned that the Welcome Center is the starting point for tours of Georgia O’Keeffe’s home and studio and also features exhibits.

Unfortunately, there were no tickets available for a tour, but I did enjoy the “O’Keeffe in the Landscape” exhibit, which included many of the personal effects she brought with her on trips into nature, including camping gear and clothing.

"O'Keeffe in the Landscape" Exhibit

I still wanted to visit Abiquiú, so I drove up the hill, parked, and wandered around. I admired the Church of Santo Tomas and then tried to get a peek over the walls of the home and studio. I didn’t see much, but I did get a feeling for the place that meant so much to her.

A Peek at the O'Keeffe Home and Studio

Church of Santo Tomas

I continued my drive north through the spectacular Piedra Lumbre basin and admired the canyons and painted cliffs that inspired O’Keeffe. Despite the overcast skies, the colors were brilliant.

Scenery Along the Way

My next stop was Ghost Ranch, set in a stunning landscape north of Abiquiú. A retreat center run by the Presbyterian Church, this former dude ranch is where Georgia O’Keeffe lived and painted during the summer months, inspired by the surrounding landscape of cliffs, buttes, and rivers. The views were breathtaking as I drove in towards the Welcome Center, where I purchased my day pass.

Entering Ghost Ranch

Breathtaking Views

I toured the Ghost House, built in 1881, as well as the Museums of Anthropology and Paleontology.  I had no idea that Ghost Ranch was such an important paleontological site. 

Ghost House

Since I was running short on time, I hopped in the car and drove towards the upper mesa, hoping for even more spectacular views. I may have found them.

Brilliant Colors

Chimney Rock

Gorgeous

The Fall Colors Are a Nice Complement

I've Run Out of Adjectives!

It was time to get on the road to Chama, where I would be spending the next two nights.