Travels With Duchess...
 Shhhhhhh...
My owner (or human Oakie) is on vacation this week. I sneaked in
here to get my paws on the keys of her typing machine. Please excuse
any typos. My paws are a bit bigger than the keys on this elecronic
thinga-ma-jig. I've heard my owner call it a laptop, but not sure
why. I thought I was the lap thing. Anyway, Oakie will be back next
weekend. This is my chance to shine and let me leave my paw and
other marks around this place.
Our journey started out last Sunday, early morning hours of 8 June
2003. I was the alarm clock that got the rest of them out of bed
around 6:15 a.m. I just couldn't hold it any longer. If you know
what I mean.
By 7:30 a.m. we were all packed in this cozy, comfortable vehicle.
I had the whole back seat to myself with my bed-cage opened up to
the backseat. My favorite place to sit and view the goings on, though,
was on the perch between the two front bucket-type seats where my
human owners sat. Sometimes I would sneak into their lap and get
some puppy hugs and kisses. I gave my fair share of puppy kisses,
also. I really love going places. I couldn't wait until they unlocked
and opened the doors to lift me inside this moving-down-the-road
machine. It's Great!
Back to our travels... As we headed west out of Alva, Oklahoma
on hwy. 64... before reaching the Oklahoma panhandle of No Mans
Land, we turned north towards Lookout,
Oklahoma and Coldwater,
Kansas on hwy. 34 and then headed back west again on hwy 160
just south of Coldwater, Kansas. Some of the Kansas communities
we passed through were Ashland
and Meade. We
stopped on the westside of Meade for a late breakfast. If you are
ever in Meade, Kansas stop by the Museum of the Dalton
Gangs hideout. Somewhere west of Meade in Seward
County and about 16 miles North of Liberal, Kansas on hwy. 160
& 83 we stopped for a much needed pitstop and took a picture
of this Kansas historical marker that we found along the roadside
in Seward County, Kansas. The only thing there now is a grassy,
roadside park and the Fargo
Springs & Springfield historical marker. I guess Springfield
once stood on this spot.
 We
made many pitstops along the way. Most times to stretch and leave
our marks and check out some interesting history from pioneers of
the past. Just some of them are included here. We did go through
one of those old cowtowns in Western Kansas (Garden City) arriving
around 11:15a.m., then headed West on Hwy. 400 & 50 passing
through Holcomb, Lakin, Syracus, and Coolidge, Kansas.
That reminds me of a riddle for you all... Where are you
if you leave Kansas at 12:30p.m., Sunday, 8 June 2003 and reach
Colorado at 11:30a.m. on the same day?
Finally reaching Colorado... our journey took us through
Granada (Granada
- Amache Japanese Internment Camp 1942 - Jap/American POWs,
Amache, Colorado), Lamar,
Hasty,
Ft. Lyon,
LaJunta, Rocky
Ford, Manzanola, Fowler, Avondale, Pueblo,
Canon City,
Texas Creek, Cotopaxi, Coaldale, Howard and ending that Sunday evening
(5:30p.m. Mtn Time) in Salida for a evening meal, good nights rest
and much needed pitstop. Click
Here for other Colorado cities and towns.
 Speaking
of Pueblo, Colorado, I got to take another pitstop on this scenic
overlook at the Lake Isabel Reservoir. That's me perched on the
rock with the lake in the background.
On the 9th of June 2003, we left Salida, Colorado about 6:21a.m.
and headed west again. By 7:30a.m. that same morning we found ourselves
eating breakfast in Gunnison, Colorado before heading west again
on hwy. 50 for a few miles and taking the southern, mountain scenic
route of hwy. 149 to Powderhorn and Lake City.
 It
was a few miles North of Lake
City that we made another one of those pitstops at a shady,
roadside mountain stream. They tried to get me to stick my paws
in that cold, mountain water, but I held my ground... keeping my
paws warm and dry. After passing through Creede, Wagon Wheel Gap
and Masonic Park, we finally connected once again with hwy. 160
at South Fork, Colorado,
around 11:15 a.m. Mtn Time.
 South
Fork is about a thirty minute drive north of Wolf
Creek Pass. My human travelers let me out to run a bit at the
top of this famous Rocky mountain pass and ski area. They even stuck
me on this concrete stoop with a map of the USA above my head and
positioned under the New Mexico section of the map. What these humans
won't do for a photo shoot.
 While
we were up at that high elevation, you could see and hear some thunder
clouds passing through the area. We got a few sprinkles on our heads,
but it was slight.
 As
we traveled west and south on the winding downhill drive from Wolf
Creek, we pulled over at this scenic overlook... looking in the
direction of Pagosa Springs. Things sure look a lot greener this
time of year than they did over a year ago at this time... at least,
that is what I'm told.
I took Oakie up to this point to get another shot of this lonely
little bush growing on the rocks. There weren't any fences to keep
us from rolling down the rocky mountain, either. We were watching
our steps... carefully! whew!
 I
need to introduce you to one of my new friends, Ruff. He ain't a
Pug, but he is a great miniature schnauser and loves to run figure
eights and wrestle a bit. I did get to give him a great big "pug
hug". Click on the photo to see our welcome, playful (((hug))).
Anyway... This cool, mountain spring air is Grrrrrrrrrrr.....Great!
I finally got to drink from the mountain stream. Now they call me
a mountain dog. Even did a few climbing exercises part way up the
mountain in back of our friend's cabin. Haven't seen any bears,
though. I think my other old friend, the Bear Dog, has "de
bears" under control.
Anyhow... I'm out of here before my human Oakie catches wind that
I'm messing with her computer. As Oakie would say, "See you
next weekend around the same time. Keep sending those Okie Legacies
this way!" Take care and watch out for farmers and wheat harvesters
on the country roads.
~~ Contact
Me - "Duchess"
Dande Rose 
~~
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Travels With Duchess
The Mountain Dog
Kansas Historical Marker
(Erected by - Kansas
Historical Society & State Hwy. Comm.)
Fargo Springs & Springfield, Seward County, Kansas
The Historical reads, "The importance of railroads
to the early settlements and prosperity of the West is nowhere
better illustrated than in the stories of two Seward County towns.
Fargo Springs, founded in 1885 about three miles south of here,
was the first town established in the county. The next year Springfield
was located where this marker stands. In June it was named the
temporary county seat but in August, after an election, the government
was moved to Fargo Springs. The vote was contested and when recanvassed
in 1887 the county seat was returned to Springfield.
Fargo Springs ended its brief existence in 1888.
It not only had lost its fight with Springfield, but more disastrously
had been by-passed by the rapidly building Chicago, Kansas and
Nebraska railway, a part of the Rock Island. Sprignfield in turn
failed to get its railroad and in 1892 lost the county seat to
Liberal (16 miles south). In 1897 the Springfield and Fargo Springs
townsites were officially vacated.
Two towns withered and died -- unhappy proof of
the vital need for rail connections in the vast and then undeveloped
Western frontier.
Menu:
Linda K McGill Wagner
c/o WWW Publishing Co
PO Box 619, Bayfield, CO 81122
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