We found this petrified log on a rock pedestal in the Bisti Badlands of northern New Mexico. The log was so cool on the pedestal that it looked like it could have been alter used by the Anasazi Indians who lived in the area over 700 years ago. This wonderful surprise is why Teig and I love to explore the American West.
Serene Scene on Tiger Key
The calm photo as dark clouds work their way through the Gulf of Mexico from Tiger Key in Everglades National Park.It is rewarding to absorb the peaceful ambiance of the natural Florida landscape and not the large urban congestion to the north and east of the park.
Driftwood on Tiger key Beach
You can find interesting driftwood on the beaches of the Keys in Everglades National Park. I was exploring the Gulf facing beach on Tiger Key when I came across this specimen. It reminded me of the old sailing drawings of the giant serpents in the sea with the large head out of the water and their tail surfacing behind. It is not to let our imagination out to play.
Bird on Feeder
We were relaxing at RedRocks Trading post in Morrison Colorado watching the few bird feeders in the back during a snowstorm and this little guy flew up and started feeding. He seemed quite fearless and hungry and was picking through the seeds in the feeder finding the tasty morsels.
Crosses in the Mission Ruins
We came across this wonderful spanish ruin while hiking on the Withers Canyon Trail in the Comanche National Grasslands. It is very rewarding to find these jewels of American Western History in Colorado while exploring our wonderful state. This section of the hiking trail was once part of the Santa Fe Trail and this ancient mission was a site where the spaniards worked to convert the local indians to catholicism.
Log in Rocky Mountain's Grass
Interesting textures are found all through nature. A log next to a lake in some tall grass 11,000 feet up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains can entertain the naturalist while he eats his fruit and nuts on a long summer’s hike.
Exposed Roots of the Spruce
A beautiful patchwork system of roots exposed after a huge spruce fell in the Never Summer Mountains of Colorado.
2-Bar Ranch Corral
We had an enjoyable exploration through a ghost ranch in Northwest Colorado. I came across a story on the web by Jerry Spangler published in June of 1991 about this ranch that I am going to provide below that you might find interesting:
Everyone loves the courageous soul who, against all odds, stands up to an overwhelming opponent. And legends are made when the underdog wins.
Maybe that's why everyone in Brown's Park still loves Ann Bassett, a fiery young woman who spearheaded the turn-of-the-century resistance against Ora Haley, a wealthy and politically powerful cattle baron who used ruthless means to snuff out smaller cattle operations in northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado.In the stuff of television Westerns, Bassett fought back. And won, earning herself the name "Queen of the Cattle Rustlers" in the process. She also carved herself a niche in Utah and Colorado history as one of the most colorful characters of the Wild West.
Born in 1874 (the first white child born in Brown's Park, Daggett County), Bassett was a willful character, a lifelong resident of the grassy paradise nestled in northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado.
Brown's Park was home to Bassett, and she defended it with a passion bordering on obsessive. As American cattle operations reached monolithic proportions in the 1890s and early 1900s, smaller ranchers from Montana to Texas were intimidated into selling out.
But Bassett and other ranchers in Brown's Park refused to sell. And when Two-Bar Ranch cattle owned by cattle baron and millionaire Ora Haley pushed at the borders of Brown's Park, the more Bassett's herd and other local herds grew and prospered (albeit, some say, with altered brands).
To residents of Brown's Park, the appropriation of Ora Haley's livestock was not only a matter of survival, it was justified under the code of the Old West. Haley's cows were trespassing, leaving nothing but grass stubble in their wake.
Haley coveted the lush winter ranges in Brown's Park, and he apparently was willing to employ any and all measures to acquire them.
A push and shove relationship developed over the years, with the Two-Bar Ranch doing most of the pushing and shoving. An attempt to counter the threats of the Two-Bar Ranch resulted in the creation of the Brown's Park Cattlemen's Association.
Retaliatory actions by the Two-Bar Ranch in 1900 claimed the lives of two Brown's Park ranchers - some believe the victims of hired gun Tom Horn.
The violence disintegrated the Brown's Park Cattlemen's Association, and ranchers made no attempt to stop the encroachment of Two-Bar cattle. But spurred more by vengeance than common sense, Bassett single-handedly rode the boundary line between the Two-Bar operation and the Brown's Park ranches.
She had a reputation for chasing trespassing cattle until they died of exhaustion, or herding them into the Green River where they would drown. Sometimes she just shot them outright.
Gunmen hired by the Two-Bar Ranch tried to kill her but failed. It was a classic case of the little guy fighting the big guy.
The feud continued year after year with charges and counter charges. In August 1913, Bassett went on trial in Craig, Colo., for rustling Two-Bar beef. As Diana Allen Kouris describes in her book "The Romantic and Notorious History of Brown's Park".
"The town of Craig was overflowing with spectators. Most of them supported the lovely cowgirl who had taken on the rich and powerful Ora Haley. The courtroom was packed with onlookers when Ann's lawyer smoothly turned things against Ora Haley. On the stand he duped Haley into admitting that he had almost double the amount of cattle on the range than were registered with The county assessor. After eight hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. Whoops, cheers and applause roared from within the courtroom. `Hurray for victory' flashed across the Craig movie screen. Guns were fired into the air, and a brass band paraded down the street. The large crowd lit several bonfires and danced on Main Street with Ann all night."
A Denver newspaper reporter dubbed Bassett the "Queen of the Cattle Rustlers," a colorful and appropriate title by Brown's Park standards. From the moment of her acquittal, she was known as "Queen Ann."
Soon after the trial, Ora Haley ceased his cattle operations in Brown's Park. Bassett and her father even lived awhile at a Two-Bar Ranch headquarters on the Green River.
When new rumors arose that Bassett had taken up cattle rusTling, nobody in the area really cared. She had single-handedly taken on the cattle barons and won - and that warranted loyalty.
Ann Bassett suffered a heart attack in Leeds, Washington County, in 1953. She never recovered.
Doorway to History in Alamo Canyon
This is the abandoned historic house in Alamo Canyon set in the Ajo Range in southern Arizona. There is a great trail to this location and is one of the gems in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. I really love sauntering in this region during the mid winter months.
The Cross in the Desert
I went to the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. This benedictine monastic grounds is near Abiquiu, New Mexico which has a Abbey on the banks of the Chama River. I walked and meditated at this monastery and sauntered through the grounds. The scenery and extreme quiet was very appealing to me. This cross was below the large cliffs that arise above this compound.
Mission Catholic Cross
I visited the Benedictine Abbey of Christ in the Desert in Northern New Mexico. I meditated and explored myself in introspection on a beautiful morning at this wonderful place. Everyone is welcome and the place is so very peaceful. I walked the grounds and captured many images of the figures that fascinated me. This photo is of one of the crosses at a meditation shrine… just wonderful.
Traildog at Historic 2-Bar Ranch
On a trip through Northwest Colorado we decided to explore Browns Park Wildlife Refuge on the Green River. We were visiting the Historic Ladore Schoolhouse and read some literature about the 2-Bar Ranch which was a mile hike from the schoolhouse. Teig and I decided to do quick jaunt over to the ranch and were thrilled to see how cool the ghost ranch was when we arrived. I had to get a shot of Teig near the corrals. I could imagine the “Old West” as we explored the ranch. A must see if you are in Browns Park.
Traildog at Historic 2-Bar Ranch