December 6, 2012

Dustin's Tire Tango
EarthRoamer
Dacono, Colorado

Spent the day at EarthRoamer getting the tires rotated and tweaking a few things. The craftsmen who build the EarthRoamer are extraordinary! The choreography is something to behold.
We leave this afternoon for the east coast as we make our way back to Virginia.

Roamer quote of the day: "Damn! What the hell is that? How come so many bolts on the tires?"

December 5, 2012

Self-portrait
Rainbow Laundromat
Longmont, Colorado

Blue Beacon Truck Wash
Waiting our turn...

The Roamer's first bath

All clean!!!

We're back in Dacono, Colorado. Today was wash day for all. I don't think I've been to a laundromat since college. Nothing has really changed...except it takes more quarters! 

Roamer quote of the day: "I saw your camping assault vehicle--cool rig!"

December 4, 2012

Center for American Values
Pueblo, Colorado
Portraits  of over 140 Congressional Medal of Honor recipients
Photographer-Nick Del Calzo

Steve and Mike Cafasso

We stopped in Pueblo on our way back to Dacono to catch up with our friend Mike Cafasso. He's a fellow AMI (Association for Managers of Innovation) member and is currently Vice President of Operations at St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center. He's one extraordinary human being who makes things happen. The healthcare industry needs his creative, compassionate spirit!!!

After lunch, Mike took us to see the exhibit of portraits of Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, four of whom are from Pueblo.The Center for American Values was established by recipient Drew Dix in 2010 to "honor the extreme sacrifices made to help sustain America's values and to ensure these extraordinary actions are preserved...forever." It promotes honor, integrity and patriotism.

Steve and I left Pueblo feeling inspired by Mike and his vision for the future. We started thinking about our encounter with the blacksmith, Curtis Green, and realized that while these two men have gone down very different paths, they both share a unique generosity of spirit. The synchronicity of meeting them a day apart is thought-provoking. There really are no coincidences...

December 3, 2012

Blacksmith
Chama, New Mexico

As we roam this planet, we are constantly in awe of the natural beauty that surrounds us. But even more inspiring are the people whose paths we cross. We pulled the Roamer off the road to make a sandwich when I noticed a sign across the way: "Made in Chama! Not in China!" Intrigued, I wandered across the road and took a photograph. A man, who could have been the Marlborough Man, was standing in the doorway watching me. I struck up a conversation and he told me he was a blacksmith. I asked if it was okay to go into his shop and look around and he said to go right ahead. He makes beautiful hand forged knives, furniture, and sculptures out of old horse shoes. He graduated from art school and worked in the corporate world until his spirit was nearly crushed. He decided to reconnect to his childhood passion and become a blacksmith. He makes his living selling his creations out of two old trailers on the side of the road.
Steve joined us and we shared stories for about an hour. Curtis' story is one of survival and an indomitable spirit. He came back from a serious car accident after dying three times. When he recovered, he discovered he had new abilities that he'd never had before. He's had more struggles than one person should have to bear (financial, health, family) but he's always bounced back. He ought to be cynical but he's one of the most open people I've ever met. He's convinced that there are no coincidences. Things happen for a reason. Our brief encounter with Curtis left an indelible impression on both of us. He's right...there are no coincidences.

The blacksmith shop

Raw materials

Curtis Green, Blacksmith
"There are no coincidences."

December 2, 2012

Sunset at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Alamosa, Colorado

Sunrise at Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah
San Juan Basin, New Mexico

Sunrise at Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah

 Sunrise at Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah

Shot sunrise at Ah-Shi-Sle-Pas and then drove to the Great Sand Dunes National Park for sunset. We head to Pueblo, Colorado tomorrow.

Roamer quote of the day: "That's just a bad-ass RV!"

December 1, 2012

What a difference 21 minutes makes. Sunset was at 4:57.
Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area
San Juan Basin, New Mexico

Another challenging drive--25 miles of bone-shaking corduroy. It took us almost 2 hours but it was worth it!

The delicate land forms look like mushrooms and brains.

Don't think we'll be driving the Roamer through here any time soon!

Spending the night in another breath-taking place. And...we're all alone again.

We had a wonderful afternoon shooting at Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah. We'll shoot sunrise tomorrow morning and then head to the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve in Colorado.
The Roamer has really been put to the test the last couple of days. It has performed beyond expectations (and expectations were high). To be able to drive to a remote, beautiful place and stay there is why we chose the Roamer. Or...perhaps, it chose us.

I will occasionally be including a Roamer quote of the day. Everywhere we go, we attract a great deal of attention and get many hilarious comments.
Roamer quote #1--"What do you do in that thing?" (Answer--Anything we want!!!)

November 30, 2012

White Pocket
Paria Canyon
Arizona

 7:00 AM --just before sunrise. Since we arrived at White Pocket after sunset last night, we had no idea what we were going to find...

We were both speechless!!! It's one of the most extraordinary places we've ever seen--well worth the challenging drive.

Everywhere we turned there was something even more mind-blowing to behold!

 For our trek back to civilization we decided to air the tires down again. We were reluctant to leave but knew we needed to allow plenty of extra time (in daylight) to get out.

It took over 2 hours to drive 15 miles in sand. Airing the tires down a little more gave us better traction.
We made it out of White Pocket thanks to the sure-footed Roamer and Steve's expert driving!

Tonight we are parked at Walmart in Farmington, New Mexico.
Tomorrow we will restock, refuel, catch up on e-mails and then head out for our next adventure--Ah-Shi-Sle-Pas.