Riding along on a Carousel

We left Vail and traveled on Highway 24 - Top of the Rockies Scenic & Historic Byway - to Camp Hale and the 10th Mountain Division Memorial, places that Sandy talked about last night. Our midway destination was Leadville where we visited the National Mining Hall of Fame. Afterwards, we took a short drive to Valhalla, Marcy and John's home in the mountains, where we were treated to a delightful catered lunch. Then we moseyed to Salida where we had dinner at the Laughing Ladies Cafe and overnighted.

The National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum is the premier showcase of American mining and the only Federally Chartered mining museum in the country. One can walk through an underground hard rock mine replica and a prospector's cave among many other exhibits. I was intrigued with the beautiful penmanship on the stock. Don't see that taught anymore.

Santa Barbara is a busy lady being the Patron Saint of miners, architects, seafarers, and artillery men.

Some interesting houses in Leadville, and the last one in Salida

Seen (scenes) along the highway

John and Marcy's lovely mountain home. Sneed stands next to a metal elk in the yard. Behind to the left is a small chapel.



We toured around Salida before dinner taking a road that led way up a pine tree laden mountainside. We saw a lady on a ladder that was resting on a pine tree. Further along, we saw a few more people on ladders as well. When we turned around to go back, I asked Sneed to stop so we could inquire of the lady what in the world she was doing. Her voice was a lilting Scandinavian. She explained that she was picking pine nuts. The nuts are dried and then split open for the pine nuts that we eat with salads, etc. Who would have thought, eh? You learn something new everyday

Before dinner we were treated to a demonstration by glass artist, Brice Turnball. I bought the glass object on the right thinking it looked Christmasy. You know, the red and green. Now that I have it home, what was I thinking? Must have been momentary weakness.

We ate dinner at the Laughing Ladies Cafe. Had an excellent salad that would have sufficed as the whole meal had it been a choice.