... cooling off!

Enjoying the wineries ... by sights, smell and taste!

Passing "The Rock" on our way west.

And when it gets too crowded in the Islands - we escape West ... there are some wineries in our region (http://www.winedining.net/prince.html).

We enjoy visiting them - they have a fantastic view over the bays and anchorages, we never can get enough of sitting outside, looking at our boat in the anchorage, or who is coming in from the lake.

Here we will post some pictures, impression of our weekend breaks.

Enjoy

... and another channel ...

In the 1000 Islands - Admirality Islands ... passing along a channel

In the 1000 Islands - Admirality Islands ... on the way to Gananoque

In the 1000 Islands - Admirality Islands

Our summer sailing region ... one of it. The 1000 Islands, a short run East of Kingston.

The Thousand Islands are a chain of islands that straddle the U.S.-Canada border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. The islands stretch for about 50 mi (80 km) downstream from Kingston, Ontario.

The Canadian islands are in the province of Ontario. The U.S. islands are in the State of New York. The islands, which number 1,865 in all, range in size from over 100 km² to smaller islands occupied by a single residence, to even smaller uninhabited outcroppings of rocks that are home to migratory waterfowl. The number of islands was determined using the criteria that any island must be above water level for 365 days per year and support at least one tree or shrub.

The area is rich in history - it was a favourite hunting ground of the Iroquois before European exploration, with immigrants travelling along the river and up to the northern lakes in the 1700s and early 1800s.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0007992

And with railways built subsequently, tourism arrived at the shores of the 1000 Islands.
Still, the area is home to both: cargo transport via the St. Lawrence Seaway, and individual exploration; at times, pleasure boaters and cargo vessels join the same waters in very close proximity.

Bye, bye Colorado

And on our last day with our friends, we had a short outing short in the wilderness. Britt trying to catch some fish in the Vallecito creek ... while we were there, he was unsuccessful (but as soon we were safely back in Kingston, his catching skills returned ...?). Blame it on the fast running river!

But we had good fresh dringing water - hand pumped!

And the stories Britt could tell about his days as a ranger, spending 10 days in the wilderness with his horse and two mules, ... loosing his horse down a ravine .... oh man!

old mill tools everywehere ...

People lived and worked here, throughout the whole year, mining.

And us taking a lunch (and chocolate break!) At snow level (see left hand corner ...).

Ghost town - mining (2)

Ghost town - mining (1)

Leaving town, visiting a mine on the way out, we drove up, up and up. At one point, the sign suggested that this road was not recommended for non-4 wheel drive vehicles ... as Britt pointed out, "not recommneded" does not mean: closed to regular cars, and on we drove - slowly. Our Toyota made it - no problem, and we arrived in our "ghost town", at about 11000' elevation (3300m).

And there was a shoot-out, again, who had more fun? The locals, or us?

Right!?

And if we don�t pay our bills, there is always the local prison:

... with some movie references, this one had been shot in the neighbourhood ...

.. it felt "wild" ...

Britt knew a bar ... what else is there to say!

And that was our first day in Durago.

Next day, a visit to a mining town, Silverton, and "ghost town", of which there are many in Colorado.

Those who live there, and there are about 400 souls in this town year round, must love the isolation of this place, especially in the winter months.

The town seesm to have fun entertaining us visitors, and I was wondering, who had most fun: we looking at them or they at us (look at these tourists ....!).

and with a great view over the valley ...

and �running water� was already available at that time in these villages ...

In this park, we visited more than one side, and at Balcony House (http://www.nps.gov/meve/cliff_dwellings/balcony_house_tour.htm>) we had the fortune to have a guide with a Ph.D. in Archeology. What a treat that was.

... and Ilana and Marleyne wondering to put the living room ...

... what an amazing, breathtaking place ...

A ranger took us down, and we walked among these amazing ruins, taking it all in.

After booking our tickets and tours, we drove, most of the time on top of these mountaneous plateaus, to the only recently �discovered� sites (about 100 years ago).

And the first impressions were like this:

We did not realize that the National Park �Mesa Verde� was close by. It is a place where early Americans lived in �villages� under a rock cliff. As a boy I had read with wonder about these Ancestral Puebloans (remember: Karl May!), and we were eager to see this place - but had no clue what to expect.

A short drive away, about 40 miles, we entered the Park, and the plateau type mountain greeting us was impressive enough to think we had arrived.

One small town that caught our attention was Del Norte with its very interesting museum (http://www.rgcm.org/) and its numerous artifacts recounting life in the Rio Grande County. We had the pleasure to talk with the museum curator, who had a keen interest for John C. Fremont, whose adventures were recounted in the museum (http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/co/see_riog.htm)

The first sign that we were in an area which was previously famous for its gold and silver mines could not be missed

(http://www.historicargotours.com/history.html).

History, American history was all around us, and we would not get enough to discover this part of America.

Following our arrival, Ilana and Britt took us for a little hike to see Durango from the top. At over 2700m elevation, we felt, not surprisingly, short of breath (we live at almost sea level!). We got the first taste of why they had chosen to leave here ....

Both had suggestions what to do - there is so much to do (and so little time!).

One small town that caught our attention was Del Norte with its very interesting museum (http://www.rgcm.org/) and its numerous artifacts recounting life in the Rio Grande County. We had the pleasure to talk with the museum curator, who had a keen interest for John C. Fremont, whose adventures were recounted in the museum (http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_forest/co/see_riog.htm)


http://www.historicargotours.com/history.html

The first sign that we were in an area which was previously famous for its gold and silver mines could not be missed (http://www.historicargotours.com/history.html). History, American history was all around us, and we would not get enough to discover this part of America.

Following our arrival, Ilana and Britt took us for a little hike to see Durango from the top. At over 2700m elevation, we felt, not surprisingly, short of breath (we live at almost sea level!). We got the first taste of why they had chosen to leave here ....

Both had suggestions what to do - there is so much to do (and so little time!).

While the day-time temperature was high, in the 30s C), it was pleasant due to the dry air (less than 20% humidity); nights were surprising cold, down to 10 degres C or less.

We took our time, because we were going to stay overnight - somewhere.

Old mining towns all around us.

While the day-time temperature was high, in the 30s C), it was pleasant due to the dry air (less than 20% humidity); nights were surprising cold, down to 10 degres C or less.

We took our time, because we were going to stay overnight - somewhere.
And we wanted to see things, visit museums, all of which we did while driving to Durango.

... and those of you who remember �Bonanza�, here we are on the road ...

We picked a good plane connection, arriving early afternoon in Denver, picked up our rental, and left - direction Durango. Britt had suggested a scenic route, which we followed. Within an hour we were up in the mountains (nevermind, Denver is already pretty high) and drove onto the highway called �On Top of the Rockies�. Indeed, we were on top of the rockies; most of the time, elevations were around 9000' (2700m), and at times well over the 3000m mark (10 000'), with a backdrop of 14 000' high peaks.

In 1999, on our sailing trip to destinations south, we met many wonderful people, and with some we stayed friends even after we returned to our lifes on land. One of these lasting relationships is with Ilana and Britt from Windom.

If you want to hear more about their travels, have a look at one of their many websites; they posted great stories and fantastic pictures there.

http://windom.cybox.com/blogger/

http://windom.cybox.com/index.html

Their "life on land" takes place in Durango, Colorado. We had a long standing invitation to come and visit them ...an email from Britt that the guest room was ready tipped the scale (although, there was not much tipping required, but it made an excellent excuse to drop our work, book a flight and GO!).

And so we did, via Denver, which is about an 8 hours drive away.