Emma Crawford Memorial Coffin Race

Happy Hallowe'en!

On Saturday, we observed one of the coolest events I've ever seen a town put on. Manitou Springs is close to Colorado Springs, and about a 7 minute drive (or a leisurely 26 minute bike ride) from home. It's the town where I do a lot of yoga.

Emma Crawford was a real person, who died young, and whose request was to be buried upon Red Mountain. Eventually her coffin was washed down into town, and now this event is commemorated by annual coffin races. There was also a hearse show.

Some interesting rules taken from the coffin race application form:

• Each participating team will provide four runners (pushers) to propel the coffin. At least three of the four runners must be in direct contact with the coffin at all times during the race until the coffin has come to a complete stop after crossing the finish line.
• Each participating Team shall provide one "Emma" to ride in their coffin. All Emmas must wear a helmet during the Coffin Race.
• The race is approximately 585 feet (195 yards). (That's 178.3 meters according to google.)
• SPECIAL NOTE: Nothing is to be distributed to the crowd by any participant in the parade. Doing so can create safety hazards for the racers and will result in disqualification. The parade will flow more smoothly if you will keep your entourage to under twelve people.
• Each coffin must have 4 firmly attached wheels, attached in such a manner so that coffin will roll on all 4 wheels when propelled down the race course. Wheels are not to exceed 8" in diameter.
• Functional steering mechanisms are prohibited.
• Coffin race officials may disqualify any coffin if they feel it is dangerous.

Next year, I'll remember my camera!

Snow

Snow covers fall leaves

Seasons change cause reflection

All life is fleeting

Garbage

One of the stranger notions I have encountered here in lovely Colorado Springs is how one's trash makes it from their house to the landfill and/or recycling depot. Back home, you pay some taxes, and once a week or so, someone shows up and takes your garbage and recycling away. You don't consider it too much, until you have a giant something-or-other that needs to be hauled to the dump.

Here, you have to pay someone yourself to do it. A quick search in Google shows us that you have your choice of no fewer than nine (9!) waste removal companies, ten if you count "Hauling by Steve." So, on our street, Wednesday is garbage day for some people, Thursday for others. Some cans are fetched in the back alley, some in the front lane. Some take recycling, some don't. I still can't wrap my head around it.

Love privatized liquor, not so crazy about privatized waste removal.

Delayed Posting of Itinerary Items #4 - #6

Well, now that I have created a month's worth of suspense, and the trip we took in early September is a complete blur, let's see if I can finish recounting it. I'll attempt a highly efficient summary.

4. Wednesday. Drive to the spot where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico intersect. Take photos.
5. Something something.
6. Friday - drive to Santa Fe and camp there for one night, coming home Saturday.

4 Corners Monument - where Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico converge.

Best part: Standing in 4 states at once!

Worst part: There's really nothing else to do there.

Lesson learned? Use the bathroom before you arrive, if possible.

Rating? 3 outta 5 stars. If you're in the area, you really must go. But don't plan to make a day of it.

#5 - Something Something
Well, we managed to do it all folks.

Angel Peak Scenic Area

Angel Peak Scenic Area was certainly scenic. To summarize: you can camp here, for free, but there is no water source. It's a little eerie, because there is a lot of oil drilling going on in the area, and you can hear the distant whine of the machinery. We won't mention the guy all alone in the VW van that wouldn't even make eye contact with me when we walked by his campsite. Creepy! But it's beautiful, definately worth a picnic stop, and you can hike out to that middle structure on the above picture. If you're a real daredevil, you can possibly even slink your way over to the structure on the far left.

After cruising away from Angel Peak, we tackled the highly vibratory washboard drive into Chaco Canyon. This was worth making Mr. Prairie's car lose several years of life in one day.

Ruins in the Chaco Culture National Historic Park

• Best part: It's between camping right next to actual ruins, the wonderful free guided tours, and seeing petroglyphs!
• Worst part: There's no water in the campground. But you can get some from the nearby visitor center.
• Lesson learned? Bring a dust mask for the drive in, and make sure your shocks are in good shape.
• Rating? 5 outta 5 stars. We stayed one night, could have stayed 2 or 3!

Taos, which was also listed under "Something Something" was a town that we visited on our way home from Santa Fe.

#6 Santa Fe

I don't have any amazing pictures of Santa Fe, but the fact that it has a street with this name is a nice summary!

Santa Fe was brilliant. We camped at a fairly decent campground on Route 66 called Rancheros
which was about a 15 minute drive from downtown. There is a Spanish-style plaza downtown, a pretty good history museum, lots of booths for the Zozobra festival that was going on while we were there. We at a lot of food there, and it was all amazing. Of particular note were two places near to our campground: Harry's Roadhouse and Real Food Nation. Yum. I think I'll go cook dinner!