Into the Mystic

Saturday, August 25, 2018

SLV

Currently in Questa, NM
Next Up: Santa Fe over Labor Day weekend then Albuquerque

The San Luis Valley - an eclectic mix of sights and activities. The train is the biggest attraction, and of course the history including the churches. There is also the National Forest with camping, hiking and fishing.
We took a drive through the Rio Grande National Forest with the idea of hiking. The Visitor Center did not have any hiking trail maps and I'm not one to venture out into the vast unknown, so we drove through instead.
It was another dirt road.

With lovely scenery.

And more aspens.

We did take a short hike....

down to the Canejos River.

Along the trail we passed this "Fixer Upper" as our friend Jenny would say.

Once we got back on the road we ran into a road block!

Our goal was to reach the small fishing and hunting resort town of Platoro. As soon as we got there the clouds opened up!

But it looked like an interesting place to enjoy the National Forest. We hurried back down the dirt road as we didn't want to get caught in a flood.

There were a couple of other unusual attractions in the SLV.
Although there were many murals in the area, we found a unique piece of art in a regular neighborhood in Antonito. Called the Cano Castle, it is made primarily of beer cans by Daniel Espinoza, a Viet Nam Vet. It's hard to see from this photo, but the house is big!

We also got the chance to see the boyhood home of the "Manassa Mauler" - Jack Dempsey - as the town of Manassa is just up the road from Antonito.

He grew up in this tiny cabin with 10 brothers and sisters at the turn of the Century. Hard to imagine!

The family was poor, so Jack left home at 14, was a train hopper, and started fighting as a boy in small mining towns. Eventually, he made a living at boxing, becoming the heavyweight champion in 1919. After his boxing career was over, he made a few movies. The cabin is full of Dempsey Memorabilia. One of the first sports heroes.

Jack Dempsey returned to Manassa several times, and the town is really proud of him.

So a couple of other notes about our time in Antonito.

Campground Note: We met some really fun people from Texas/Oklahoma who held a Happy Hour every night. The last night we were there I was planning to get a photo of the group, but it rained which shut down the Happy Hour. We continue to find that RV people are the friendliest people anywhere!

RV Travel Note: We spent an entire day (10 am-5:30 pm) booking our tour through Utah scheduled for late September/early October. So many campgrounds were full already. A popular topic amongst RVers, especially those who full time, like we do. More and more people on the road, but no new campgrounds being built. It's a jungle out there! Ha!

Thursday, August 23, 2018

One more time!

Arrived in Questa, New Mexico yesterday
Next Up: Santa Fe, Albuquerque, NM then on to Utah

Although we had taken the Narrow Gauge railroad from Durango to Silverton a couple of weeks ago, we decided to do it again in Antonito. First off, because Johnny is a train buff. But also because there really isn't much to do here anyway. So, we went to the train station to get tickets for the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.

As luck would have it, we ran into Jim, one of the people who restores the old trains, while we were buying our tickets. He offered to give us a behind the scenes tour. It was fabulous!
Here is coach car #256 that is currently being restored.

Jim told us that this car was originally built in 1873, just 8 years after the end of the Civil War. They are currently replacing all of the rotted wood, including the window frames. Then they will replace the windows, too. Then they will begin work on the inside.

At the same time they are working on this car which was an RPO - registered Post Office car 65. It wasn't just a mail car, but an actual PO with Postmaster. The car was original from a few years later then the coach car. They are a little further along with this car - the whole outside is being replaced. Jim's co-worker, Dan, also helped us understand the process on this car.

We then took a look at the tires (top picture) and wheels of the locomotive. They heat up the tires so they will pop off of the wheels and get replaced.

Here is a finished passenger and Post Office car located in Chama. When the refurbishing of these 2 cars in Antonito is complete, these cars will look like the cars in Chama.

When we walked into the building where the locomotive is being restored, the smell reminded me so much of the steel mill! All the metal, welding equipment and oil combined to create that special odor.
The locomotive itself was fascinating. It was originally built in 1883.

I noticed gauge measurements on the body of the locomotive. 1/2" thick plate even back then!

And I also saw a piece of steel that I believe is Inland 4-Way Safety Plate.

They are almost finished refurbishing the coal tender. Jim explained the complex hot riveting process that attaches the plates to the frame.

Just before we hopped on the train, we were able to meet one of the engineers of the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad. This is 21 year old Scott. Today he was assigned to work on the locomotive.

Finally, we hopped on the train.

These guys are getting us ready to go.

So is this guy!

We got a nice introduction of history, operations and geography from the docent and the conductor. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad operated the 64 mile narrow gauge. It is the same railroad that we took from Durango to Silverton. There was a 108 mile portion that ran from Chama to Durango, but those rails were destroyed in the 1930's.