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Barcelona visit
The city of Barcelona is a “must see” visit if you go to Europe. Architecture, arts, food, markets, street life… it has everything! So our recent 4 day visit, while short, yielded many pictures which I will try to reduce to a few albums. This one is on the city itself and it’s many picturesque venues.
Approaching Barcelona after a long flight
City overview
Ah yes, the always busy La Rambla
Daylight on the La Rambla
Lots of eating options
Street mimes are quite good, actually
John Wayne in Barcelona?
Give money, watch him peddle
No camera, no problem.. have a drawing made
Early evenings and the crowds arenot there yet
Inside passage
Many statues
Even lamp posts are decorative
Palace on the hill
Communication tower from last Olympics
Part of Olympic Village
Castle on the hill
At one time the city was defended from sea attacks
Inside architecture
Harbor at dusk
Dusk in the city
Columbus at dusk…
… and at night, still pointing the wrong way!
Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain
This is our third visit to Barcelona, and our third visit to the Sagrada Familia. You could go here 100 times and never see the end, just a fabulous structure. Under construction for some 120 years, it looks like another 100 before it is finished. Simply amazing!
Main entrance, south side
The north entrance is kind of foreboding
Looking up inside the church
Some of the stained glass windows
Sunlight streaming through the stained glass windows on one of the columns
There are carvings everywhere
The pulpit canopy
Form, color and light
A day at the arboretum
We joined the Dallas Arboretum this year, and with the weather being just about perfect, we spent a day in the Arboretum. Fall is approaching, but right now the focus is on Halloween. Pumpkins everywhere, and the dominant color is orange. But there were enough of the old exhibits still there to keep it balanced overall. Nice day for pictures!
A wall of purple
The new Arboretum logo in pumpkins — 4,000 of them
Using pumpkins to make a design
A house built from multicolored pumpkins
A variety of pumpkins
Water lilies
Drops of water on a leaf
Looking over the reflection pond
A colorful gerbera daisy
The old homestead
A day at the Fair
We took the train to the Texas State Fair, and had a great day. It’s been a while since we’ve been, and were again impressed by the activities and things to look at. And not to forget, the fair food! I didn’t know you can deep fry beer….
On the Dallas Rapid Transit train. Just like Europe!
A Superman exhibit in the Car Show building
Lots of walking at the fair!
Of course, animals… here sheep being shorn
Gotta have a cow at the fair
Lots of chances to buy stuff, here “worlds best pots and pans”.
Going for a ride on the Midway
Boo hoo – she took my fry!
Just an interesting picture
Big Texas Fair wheel
Big Tex is back
One of the main reasons to go — Turkey Leg!
This scultpure looks like it came from the 1950’s
Original fair sculpture
Quiet scene at the Women’s Building
Harvesting corn in Illinois
We visited Romola’s classmate Jan Knollenberg, who we hadn’t seen for many years. They had a great time catching up. Meanwhile, Jan’s husband Jack invited me to ride along in his new combine, harvesting corn. Jack farms some 1,400 acres of corn and soy beans. I was most pleased to take this ride, and I learned a lot. One thing I learned that farmers are high tech risk takers, and gamble much of their their existence every year on crop outcome.
The combine was new this year (Jack gets a new one every 2 years) and was a technological marvel. From a picking point of view, the corn is cut, picked up, cobs are stripped off, and the kernels are stripped off of the cob. The corn falls in a bin behind the driver, the remnants spread behind the combine, making new compost for one year.
But it is more technical than that. The combine can drive itself, with GPS keeping an accuracy close to one inch. I was amazed at the system that tracks combine movement exactly, the machine drives itself. Plus, it tracks weather, crop moisture, bin contents, what fields have been cut, and so on, all while keeping the cutting heads at the right height and matching ground contours. Pretty amazing.
I forgot my camera, so had to make do with my cell phone camera. Thanks for the informative morning, Jack!
Jack, climbing into the new John Deere combine
Driving to the corn field to be cut
Approaching the corn rows
Here, the cutters grab the corn stalk, and move it into the processing area.
The husked corn kernels fall into the bin behind the driver.
There goes some 275 bushels of corn.
Top of Pikes Peak
We’ve tried to drive to the top of Pikes Peak before, but weather always was an issue. Even today, the road was closed until noon, when the ice melted. And believe me, you don’t want to drive this road when it is slippery! Also, you better not be afraid of heights, as much of the top 12 miles are along sheer cliffs and no shoulder. But the scenery is magnificent!
We were lucky that the leaves were just starting to turn, so we were able to combine driving to the top with color peeping. Certainly a scenic wonder, and based on the number of people, other thought so too.
But don’t think this is an easy ride. On the way down, there is a mandatory brake check, where they measure the temperature of your brakes. If it is too hot, you have to pull off and wait before continuing. I guess that is better than losing your brakes….
It is hard to realize that the record for the 12 mile climb (During the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb) to the top is 8 minutes… almost 90 mph average! Crazy!
Colorful quaking aspens
Pikes Peak in the background, colors below
Looking down shows you just how steep the road is
A great overlook
Now that is a hairpin turn!
The very top is now in sight
Looking from the top
Colorado Springs, from 14,140 feet up
Of course, you could take the Cogg train…
Mandatory brake temperature check
Despite recent rains, the lakes are still low
Driving back down amongst the colorful aspens
Garden of the Gods
There are some wonderful geologic features in Garden of the Gods, and it is very popular with locals and tourists. But we decided to skip the touristy inner trails, and take the loop trail around the Garden. Gives a very different perspective on the Garden, and some solitude while hiking.
Pikes Peak looms between some of the Garden’s rocks
Same shape, different colors
Pikes Peak from behind the Garden of the Gods
A pine cone, bursting open to expose the seeds inside
Very rugged terrain
A little sunlight play on distant hills
Pagosa Springs, CO
Pagosa Springs is most known as a tourist draw, with a really elaborate hot springs (hence the name). Yesterday we enjoyed the Springs with its 17 pools, all different temperatures (from 85 to 111 degrees). Today, we drove to the mountains but were about 2 weeks to early for colors. But it was a great drive, and we ended at Treasure Falls.
On the back “road”
A look over the valley
Treasure Falls, 300 feet high
This is the main Springs. The mound is calcified water minerals.
A view across the river at the Hot Sprnigs resort
Romola testing the hot waters at one of the springs
Nice view up the river, mountains behind
Million Dollar Highway, new snow
The name “million dollar highway” is justified by it’s extensive views. This stretch through the gorge is challenging and potentially hazardous to drive; it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains.
Yesterday we drove to Ouray (from Durango) and were amazed at the views. It was enhanced with the first snow fall of the season, adding to the scenic wonders. And also the aspen tree color changes….
The road was first constructed as a toll road in the 1880 by Otto Mears to connect several mining towns.. Now, it is a scenic wonder, but you better be prepared especially south bound…. travel south from Ouray to Silverton perches drivers on the vertiginous outside edge of the highway. Apart from one nervous incident with an oncoming truck, it was a pleasant drive.
This shows the type of road. There were worse sections, but no way to take a picture
New snow on the mountains
Mt. Engineer, where we hiked four days ago
This is where we started our hike four days ago
Scenic vistas
Scenic vistas
Scenic vistas
Whew— more scenic vistas
Snow covered evergreen trees
Fall colors are really starting to show
This waterfall is right in one of the sharp bends, and has an overlook to look down it… scary!
Quite a waterfall, right next to the road
The town of Ouray, CO
Aspen trees in all their fall glory
My favorite scene
Lake reflections
Reflections and colors
Winter is right around the corner
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde is best known for cliff dwellings, which are structures built within caves and under outcroppings in cliffs. They were occupied by the Anasazi indians from about 700 to 1300. There was a 24 year drought (beginning in 1274) and the native population moved away, leaving villages and cliff dwellings.
The Anasazi were well known for their pottery and basket weaving. They left a rich history of an age now almost forgotten. We were privileged to visit this site, which was set aside as a National Park by President Roosevelt in 1904.
A corn grinding room
Looking inside one of the kivas
Some decorations at the entry to a Kiva
They built all the way up to the “roof”
Must take a lot of work
Looking inside a cliff dwelling kiva
There are rooms below the floor, climb the ladder to get down
A lot of work went into these, everything had to be carried in
Laninga's Travel Blog 