Month: April 2015

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Zeb and Eider Duck in Glenwood Springs, Colorado

After Rifle, Colorado, we got back on I-70 returning to Denver.   We stopped at Glenwood Springs, Colorado.   You might remember that Doc Holliday was with the three Earp Brothers during the shoot out at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.   Shortly after the shoot out in Arizona, Doc Holliday moved to Glenwood Springs, Colorado.   That was a great place for treatment if you had consumption, or tuberculosis at that time.   We went to Doc Holliday’s saloon.

We like Doc Holliday

We like Doc Holliday

Good painting on the window here.     This guy invites us in, so in we go.

Come in!

Come in!

Friendly place.     This is the sign from Doc Holliday’s office.

John Holliday, Dentist

John Holliday, Dentist

Remember, he was a dentist.     There are some great photos on this wall.

Old photos from Doc's past

Old photos from Doc’s past

This one is labeled Gunfight at OK Coral Aftermath, October 26, 1881.

From the OK Corral...Aftermath???

From the OK Corral…Aftermath???

On the left is Gunfighter Doc Holliday with U.S. Marshall Wyatt Earp.   In the center are U.S. Marshall Virgil Earp and Mrs. Allie Earp.   On the right, we see U.S. Marshall Morgan Earp and Mrs. Lou Earp.   This photo is from Tombstone, Arizona Territory.   This is a later photo of Wyatt Earp.

Wyatt Earp in

Wyatt Earp in 1926

The caption says Wyatt Earp as he appeared in 1926.   The Budweiser Beer Wagon at KD Hughes Wholesale Liquor at 824 Grand Avenue, here in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, is a favorite of ours.

Budweiser Beer Wagon

Budweiser Beer Wagon

The saloon is great and so are the food and beverages.   We think you would like this place and hope you will stop in when you are in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Hope you visit Doc Holliday's Saloon

Hope you visit Doc Holliday’s Saloon, but don’t argue

 

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Zeb and Eider Duck in Rifle, Colorado

We did go to Rifle, Colorado to eat at Shooters Grill,

Shooters Grill is awesome!

Shooters Grill is awesome!

but we really liked the town.   The people were so friendly.   This street reminded us of the old west from countless movies we have watched.

Could be a movie set with the blue Colorado sky

Could be a movie set with the blue Colorado sky

Zeb and Eider really thought this horse was great.

A horse ducks can love

A horse ducks can love

Ducks can sit on the feet of a horse and not be afraid.  The Big Kids Corner Bar also looked inviting.

Maybe another time we will visit the Big Kids Corner Bar

Maybe another time we will visit the Big Kids Corner Bar

We drove out of town to visit one of the many parks.   The lake is so refreshing.   Just like you would expect to see in the Rocky Mountains.

Love the lake

Love the lake

The name, Walleye Parking Lot, made us smile.   The humans used to fish for walleyes in northern Wisconsin when they were kids.   The blue color of this mountain lake is just beautiful.

Incredible blue lake

Incredible blue lake

We love our Colorado lakes.   Some of our distant relatives are swimming out there.

Swimming ducks

Swimming ducks

We tame ducks like our water a little warmer for swimming.  Isn’t this some of the clearest water you have ever seen?

Clear Rocky Mountain water

Clear Rocky Mountain water

We can see all the rocks and smaller pebbles on the bottom of the lake.   As we left this park heading back to I-70, this mailbox caught our attention.

Great mailbox!

Great mailbox!

We loved it!   You should visit Colorado soon.   It is a great state.

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Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado with Zeb, Eider and pistols

Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado

Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado

Shooters Grill in Rifle, Colorado

is a friendly restaurant, but it is a little different than most restaurants we have visited.   The waitresses all carry guns on their hip.   Really!   Let’s go inside.  Everybody here was so nice and so friendly.   We admired this welcome sign.

Welcome to Shooters Grill

Welcome to Shooters Grill

Jessica took our drink order.   Jessie is our new friend.

 

Our new friend Jessica

Our new friend Jessica

They do not serve alcohol at Shooters, but our soft drinks were big and ice cold.   We wandered around this restaurant.   This picture of a man taking a bath in a tub is so typical of the early west.

We love this picture

We love this picture

Isn’t it great?   Zeb and Eider believe them when they say No Trespassing.

We believe

We believe

These signs are serious!   Zeb and Eider like this sign saying guns are welcome.

Guns are welcome. But, be responsible

Guns are welcome. But, be responsible

Shooters is a friendly restaurant, not a rowdy, crazy place.   Signs indicate a belief in the Second Amendment rights and a strong Christian belief.   If you want great food in a peaceful environment, served by friendly waitresses, this is your place.   Brooke is another new friend and waitress.

Brooke is another new friend

Brooke is another new friend

And, look at this food.

Yum!

Yum!

The portions are big and the taste was perfect.   Whenever you are near Rifle, Colorado, stop at Shooters.

Come in for great food and a great experience

Come in for great food and a great experience

Take exit 90 from I-70 and you are almost there.   For more information visit http://www.shootersgrillofrifle.com    You will be glad you stopped for a meal.

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Snow at Vail Pass Summit with Zeb and Eider Duck

Leaving Nederland and unseasonably warm temperatures, we west drove on I-70 to Vail Pass.   We stopped at the rest area and look at this snow.   This sign is buried in snow.

Sign is about buried in snow

Sign is about buried in snow

This shows the bright blue Colorado sky that we love.

You can almost see the sign between the snow and bright blue sky

You can almost see the sign between the snow and bright blue sky

Isn’t this beautiful?     Even the stairway and path are closed due to snow.

Stairway closed due to snow

Stairway closed due to snow

In the summer we hike up this hill and the view is spectacular.   We love this sign.

Great sign

Great sign and snow as tall as the building

They need to tell us not to take skis and snowmobiles inside the rest area building.   That is great!   We went inside the building, but we could hardly see out the window.

This is the view from the window

This is the view through the window

The snow is piled almost as high as the building.   Here we are, Zeb and Eider Duck, sitting in a snow bank.

Zeb and Eider back in the snow

Zeb and Eider back in the snow

Hey mom, this snow is cold.

 

 

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Nederland has the only 1923 Panama Canal Steam Shovel

On the way out of Nederland, Zeb and Eider stopped at the Nederland Mining Museum.   The humans wanted to see and show us a 1923 Panama Canal Steam Shovel.

Zeb and Eider are on the shovel

Zeb and Eider are on the shovel

This shovel is huge compared to small rubber ducks.

Twenty-five of these 1923 Panama Canal Steam Shovels, Bucyrus Model 50-B were sent to the Panama Canal to build bridges, roads and drains.   Also to remove massive amounts of dirt and rock cut from the canal bed.

This shovel can move lots of stuff

This shovel can move lots of stuff

In Panama, after the jobs were completed, 24 of these steam shovels were destroyed.   This lone survivor was shipped to California and then brought to Denver.   Early in the 1950s, Roy and Russell Durand transported this steam shovel to Rollinsville.   They operated the Lump Gulch Placer, 6 miles south of Nederland.   This shovel was used there until 1978.   This Steam Shovel weighs 130,000 pounds and is rated at 75 tons.

October 21, 2005 the shovel was moved from Lump Gulch to the Nederland Mining Museum.

At Mining Museum in Nederland, Colorado

At Mining Museum in Nederland, Colorado

Steve and Laurel Higgins donated the shovel.   Today it is the largest operating steam shovel in the United States.

The museum also has a smaller version of the huge shovel.

Large shovels are needed for mining

Large shovels are needed for mining

Even this smaller one is so big for little ducks.   This is a great museum.   Look at this other cool stuff we found.

Heavy cables

Heavy cables

The Colorado Mountains supported many mines in the earlier years.

Gears

Gears

We find lots of mining museums and equipment as we travel around Colorado.

Mining Museum in Nederland. Colorado has many mining museums

Mining Museum in Nederland. Colorado has many mining museums

We know you would like to see some of this stuff also.   We hope you will visit many of these former mining towns in Colorado.   This is the way to make history fun.

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Grandpa’s in the Tuff Shed with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb and Eider Duck visited Grandpa Bredo Morstoel in his Tuff Shed.   Brad, the man that keeps grandpa supplied with dry ice, took us to grandpa Bredo’s house and into his Tuff Shed.

Grandpa's in the Tuff Shed

Grandpa’s in the Tuff Shed

This house was built according to the directions of grandpa’s grandson, Trygve Bauge.

Trygve's house in Nederland, Colorado

Trygve’s house in Nederland, Colorado

This house is built to be earthquake-proof, bombproof and fireproof and have room for cryonically preserved body storage, as well as be sustainable and economical.

This end of the house was to hold cry frozen bodies.

This end of the house was to hold cryonically frozen bodies.   Trygve was deported before it was finished.

Before the house was finished, Trygve was deported to Norway for a visa violation.   Brad took us into the Tuff Shed

Zeb and Eider on box holding grandpa and lots of dry ice

Zeb and Eider on box holding grandpa and lots of dry ice

and opened the box holding grandpa’s coffin, or sarcophagus.   The box contains dry ice to keep grandpa frozen.

Grandpa's coffin is suspended to allow dry ice under, around and over the coffin

Grandpa’s coffin is suspended to allow dry ice under, around and over the coffin

The coffin, or sarcophagus, is elevated or suspended in the box.   This permits the dry ice to be under, around and over the sarcophagus.  Brad delivers about 1500 pounds of dry ice every two weeks.  The ice is paid for by Trygve, in Norway.   Zen and Eider Duck are sitting on the coffin.

Zeb and Eider sitting with grandpa. This is cold!

Zeb and Eider sitting with grandpa. This is cold!

But not for too long.   This is really cold.

 

Let’s go into the house.  It is constructed of reinforced concrete and steel beams.   This is the living room, with the wood burning stove.   We believe this stove is the only source of heat in here.

Trygve's living room. We liked the teddy bear by the window.

Trygve’s living room. We liked the teddy bear by the window.

We really like this painting.

Grandpa was a hunter and avid outdoors man in Norway.

Grandpa was a hunter and avid outdoors man in Norway.

Brad said that grandpa Bredo painted it years ago.   This house is build in a very nice area.    The view from here is great.

View of Continental Divide and Nederland from Grandpa's Tuff Shed

View of Continental Divide and Nederland from Grandpa’s Tuff Shed

We are on a mountain looking down at the town of Nederland.   This is certainly a beautiful spot for grandpa to wait to be reanimated, or brought back to life.   We were told that was the purpose of cryonics.  To freeze grandpa until a cure for his heart attack is found and then to bring him back to life.   We wonder, will that work?

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Today is Tax Day 2015

Today is the last day of the 2014 tax season.   This is exciting for the Colorado Traveling Ducks.   Mom is a tax preparer for a major tax preparation company and today is her last day of work.   Now we can visit other places.   We, the Colorado Traveling Ducks, look forward to telling you about our last day at Frozen Dead Guy Days.   We will be traveling around our beautiful state of Colorado soon.   We plan to take a longer trip to another country later this year. Now our traveling life is ready to start again.   Hope your taxes have been filed.

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Happy Easter 2015

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!  This is a wonderful holiday.  The Lord Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, and today he has risen to Heaven.  Jesus died for our sins.

Easter Sunrise Service at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado

Easter Sunrise Service at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado 2013

Easter is a religious holiday for Christians and also a celebration of spring and new beginnings.  Today is a day for church, eating, playing and being with friends and family.