No, not this web site ...

It's been an unusual October here. The weather's been more like September - we haven't had a hard freeze yet.

As I write this in early evening, the sun is shining and the temperature poked its nose up into the 70s.

Never say never but I don't expect to see 70s again for a few months.

But this is it. A storm is predicted to blow in tonight and predictions are for 12" snow above 4500 ft. Rain and sleet down here.

It's been 50s and low 60s for highs the past couple weeks - even those temperatures are warm for this time of year at this latitude (44° or so) and elevation (2500-3000 ft. Not really all that high. Not even in "high-altitude" cooking zone. Foothills, not mountains. Those are 10 miles or so east). I expect the pass to close tomorrow - first heavy snow usually has problems - but it's a main route (for here. It's a gravel road) and it's usually open.

The bugs know what's coming; out doing chores today, the gnats and other unidentified such creatures are swarming to the point of a choice between additional unexpected, undesired protein or a face mask. Had enough of those.

The stink bugs are making their presence known.

The wind's already picking up, the clouds are moving in, and the predicted highs for the next week or so are 40s and 50s. I guess the inevitable first freeze is here.

But I got the lawn mowed for the last time this season, got the new shed enclosed, hose lines from the garden and watering hole (for the critters) have been pulled in. Plenty of firewood stacked up and ready.

The greenhouses have been "de-summerized"; not sure they're winterized but we'll know in a month or so. The harvest has been beyond expectations. I guess the cantaloupes are finished. Probably the tomatoes as well. Too bad for the late starters, but they had an extended season. Beans, beans, beans. I like beans but who's going to eat all this butternut squash? Not I.

It's a little early to turn on the water line anti-freeze heaters. At least my water lines don't extend a foot inside the house like they did when I lived in Montana - nonetheless ...

Am I properly winterized yet? Close ... but what's winter prep without the weather pointing out what one forgot to prep?

Have I mentioned I'm ready for Memorial Day?

I was up with a buddy at the old Ruby Trust Mine a few miles outside and uphill from Ouray, Colorado when a minor storm passed over. Coming downhill, the clouds were breaking up showing one of the season's first snows high up. The aspens were still in transition here at roughly 10,500 ft but it won't be long before they begin to look more like bare white sticks when the brilliant foliage turns from green to yellow to brown to gone. The tallest peaks in the background top 13,000 ft. The location is near the ghost town of Sneffles and the Revenue Mine. (The location of the Ruby Trust as marked on Giggle Maps does not appear to be correct)

A little bit of some foot-stompin' music.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1980076437697646868

I dislike live links on the main page but the video could not be embedded.

This stuff's as good as bagpipes :)

Along what was once US30 just west of Green River, Wyoming sits ... sat ... this forlorn remnant of Highway America of the 40s and 50s ... perhaps into the 70s? See the USA in your Chevrolet ...

The construction of I-80 - that stretch of road behind the structure - doomed this business ... and likely many others along this stretch of road.

My first thought was "Texaco" but I now lean towards "Sinclair". There was nothing on site to aid identification.

I don't know what drew me to stop by the place more than once but stop often I did. One time, there was a professional photography crew there. I didn't interfere with them; they returned the compliment.

A weird arrangement of gas pumps ...

The ghosts out here aren't necessarily of the 1860s; the ghosts of the 1960s are fading away even faster.
As are those of us who remember the 1960s.

And even now, I realize I didn't gather all of whatever it was - it was not physical things - that drew me there..

The structure is gone now ...