Musings

With our fine cuppsa-joe in hand, we strolled across the Fox River bridge rather early in the morn, meeting these googly-eyed statues of two of the four fox-sons of Papa Charlemagne. The St. Charles (Illinois) Chamber of Commerce website tells the story of Charlemagne’s command to his offspring to take care of the EuroAmerican settlers of the valley. I find it a fanciful and strange tale.

Upriver a short way, we came across this statue, also with rather paternalistic words, although I rather liked the figure’s presence.

We continued up the riverwalk to the older train trestle (green), now with a walking bridge nestled alongside (brown). Our friends said long ago when they were children, the daring among them might cross on the trestle…this was long before the river was cleaned up and the walking trails developed. And condos built and development and resurgence…and gee, it’s great someone spent tax dollars to clean up the river….

In the afternoon, we attended a fine party and BBQ, and still later, we caught the smoke-altered sunset en route to our overnight location in Wisconsin. A great time was had by all.

Posted at 10:43 PM | Comments Off on Quite a day

I began my afternoon perambulation here, as it is close to our hotel.

That’s a Rail Runner Express on the right, with the active track to the right of it. The parked train must be a backup? I don’t know what the deal is with the blue-purple train, decorated in a pseudo-graffiti style from nose to tail.

Feeling like I had “done” the depot area—now a Saturday Farmers’ Market—I proceeded into a residential area…

…and then looped to the central plaza area. This is the Loretto Chapel (privately owned)…

…and this is the active Catholic cathedral basilica.

Looking at the churches, followed by this “Settlers Monument” (2003), by sculptor Donna Quasthoff (1924–2021), I could not help but think about the arrival and “good works” of the Catholic priests and Euro-American settlers, who upended the lives and health and cultures of the people who lived in this area. Notice how the incomers are atop their beasts of burden and invasive species. Kinda creepy and definitely an ethical downer. I’m glad it was sunny and that we had leftover red-chili ribs for dinner to cheer me up.

Posted at 8:29 PM | Comments Off on Sunshine cleanse (ish)

I arose not quite as early in the dawn sequence as yesterday, yet the golden-yellow tones are lovely.

Still saw a few snow-caps as we motored south, and they tapered off as we continued.

Without a doubt, the most dramatic landscape was at White River Narrows.

After long miles of a downward trending road (which lead to overall mileage of 53mpg, at a speedy pace), we ended up creasing Las Vegas. We saw no meadows.

Yeah, we made a burger stop, which happened to be in the middle of the lunch rush. Wow, what a crowd, including dozens of vehicles in the drive-through lane. They even sent a guy out to take orders from those in line.

Back out in the country, we saw several solar panel fields. This one almost looked like a lake. In contrast, in the city, we passed dozens of housing units, almost zero with solar panels. I can’t fathom the logic.

We did get several glimpses of the reservoir called Lake Mead, and the level is low low low, just as you may have read.

After crossing into Arizona, in contrast to this morning, we drove on a generally rising trajectory (mileage was a hammered 42mpg).

There was roadside rotten snow coming into Flag (much diminished from our westbound leg), but none around the hotel.

Unexpectedly, our hotel had a two-plug electrical charger. The car is now fully charged and moved away from the charger. The other space has a handicapped parking logo on it, so I can’t imagine it gets used frequently.

Posted at 9:52 PM | Comments Off on Nevada means snowfall

“Green, white accents.” That’s what I’d entitle this lovely front garden. The distant chairs look like blobs here; in person, they looked like they had the potential to be mildly comfortable. Pour me a martini!

Posted at 7:25 PM | Comments Off on White daffies, white tulips

For a time, I kept track of this lot. The last time I posted a photo of it, if I remember correctly, workers were finishing the two floors below the (former) ground surface, which appeared to both be parking levels. Now, the apartments far above are being finished, and I’m sure the builders are more than ready to have inhabitants move in, and to start working down their debt load. Or perhaps I’m projecting.

The title refers to the increased pressure on nearby roads and sidewalks and businesses by the new residents of this multistory building, which used to be a one-story artist studio and apartment structure. Sooooo many more residents to come….

Posted at 8:18 PM | Comments Off on Densification

I do like our primary bedroom en suite shower view. That’s a redbud waving at you.

Posted at 9:06 PM | Comments Off on Not peeking

For several reasons, I don’t have significant (share-able) thoughts this evening.

I am fine.

Posted at 9:03 PM | Comments Off on Let there be…

A hot breakfast comes with our room near the Quito airport. Nice, but not the quality that Alejandro and Washington produce on the Grace. Or I’m sure the other chefs that work there when they are off. Interesting sausage-slice “flowers.”

John went and got our rental car, not as straightforward as you’d think, but not too terrible. We set off northward, toward and to Ibarra. Row crops and fallow fields mosaic.

Crossing Río Guachalá.

These photos are not terribly good. Please look beyond reflections, dirty windows, and distracting power lines to absorb what they capture about the Andes and the people living there now.

Note the adobe wall separating this lot from the street/ditch. Much of our first leg was away from the normal long-distance traffic, and rural life was more apparent. Commercial activities are focused along the main roads. Along with many busy buses.

While most areas have straight-walled domiciles, this is one of two areas where we noticed these overhanging second stories, sometimes with an ambitious additional overhanging third story.

Green. Lush. On Galápagos, we heard it was the dry season. Doesn’t seem the same here. Of course, the mountains making the clouds rise will bring rain.

Only really old vehicle I’ve spotted. Many dating back to the 1970s, however.

Urbanization. Ibarra.

Scattered toll plazas, not particularly frequently. Always one dollar.

Scrappy neighborhood with scrappy roads. Think about what happens after a good rain. And many people navigate these streets on foot, like this tiny elderly woman on the right.

Many towns have large artsy signs, sometimes with a statuary. This is the only one that we saw riffing on the Hollywood sign.

If this were Mexico, I’d call this a zocaló in front of the Palacio Municipal. I don’t know if either of these terms are used in Ecuador.

We took a detour to see Laguna Cuicocha, dramatically within Cuicocha’s caldera. With two islands.

Truly lousy photo of a careful stack of maize stalks, with all the butts to the exterior. I will look for another one, but may not find one during our brief survey. Fascinating. I presume the stalks are for animal feed.

Valley town.

I’m calling this Flower Town; more stands sold flowers than groceries. Some or many of the shade houses around here must hold flowers. Flowers are a pretty way to export water.

Let’s close with this tree, festooned with lichens(?), rather cloud-forest-y.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on North exploration

On our wee jaunt yesterday, we found abundant evidence that the highway department’s routing specialists have gone for traffic circles in a big way in recent years. In our experience, they can showcase, um, interesting art. And varied detritus.

Posted at 7:56 PM | Comments Off on Roundabouts

We drove far enough north today that we found pears in bloom, rather lushly decorative among these old (for the Midwest) buildings…

…not far from the Uh-Hi-Uh river.

Fun fact: although many boundaries that follow rivers track the middle of the river, or what was at one time the middle, somehow, that’s not so for the Ohio River. Indeed, the state of Ohio, The Guru (aka Mr Ohio) says, doesn’t “have” any of its namesake river.

Posted at 8:27 PM | Comments Off on On the move