Vickie and I decided to take a drive last weekend. We’ve been holed up at The Cottage for most of the Winter. With Spring in the air, we decided to stretch our wings, so we grabbed the cameras, topped up the fuel in the Subie and headed north. The sun was out and felt pretty good shining through the windows. We had to take turns getting in and out of the car though, so the wind didn’t come ripping through and steal all of our snacks.
The wind was stirring up the dust making it really hazy, so we looked for subjects we could shoot close up. No grand vistas and picturesque landscapes today. We didn’t have a firm route plan or destination. Just thought we would mosey up to the Arickaree Valley and poke around, maybe go over to Beecher Island, where a legendary battle was fought back in 1868 between Army scouts and Cheyenne Dog Soldiers. We really didn’t care if we made it that far, we just wanted to be out there, under the sky, the sun and the clouds.
Boneyard
We came upon a nice boneyard about half an hour into our journey. I spotted a classic in the line of rusted out shells, so we pulled in for a closer look. A 1961 Ford Galaxie 500. My first car was a white 1969 Galaxie 500, so I was a little nostalgic as I checked it out. 60 years old and the chrome still gleaming like new, in the noon day sun.
Ford produced their first 400hp engine in 1961. It was in a few hundred fastback versions of the Galaxie; The Starliner – a NASCAR favorite because of the aerodynamic roofline. They are pretty rare beasts, fetching big bucks on the classic car market. The engine was the 390ci Thunderbird Special, with an aluminum intake manifold and a 2×3 carb set – six pack. This one was just a regular old Galaxie 500, probably loaded with a 223 cubic inch inline 6 cylinder, I never checked.
In 1961 Ford went back to the round tail lights. They reduced the the size of the fins and angled them about 30 degrees. It was a few inches shorter and a little narrower than the previous model too. Cutting about 50 pounds off the weight but it was still a big automobile. I like the round tail lights. They remind me of the bat-mobile. When they light up, they look like two jet engines firing up.
There were plenty of interesting, abandoned cars, trucks and farm implements. We shot a few but it was early in the trip and we still had the itch to be moving. Vickie headed for the Subie first. She has a lot more hair to be tousled by the howling north wind as it whips across the High Planes. I followed eventually after a few more shots and chasing my hat down a couple times. Did I mention it was really windy? I tightened the strap but it was still a battle keeping it on top of my head.
Wild Irish Rose
Another half hour in and we came to an abandoned house. There are plenty of abandoned houses on the High Planes. Folks came into this country, all excited by the beauty of the big skies and rolling, grass covered hills. They thought, what a beautiful and perfect place to settle. Then after they had been here for awhile and were pestered and tortured by the wind, the cold, the heat, the loneliness and the unrelenting drought cycle, they realized just how inhospitable it can be.
It was like, Oops, that was a bad decision. Let’s just abandon our house and everything else we can’t carry and head for greener pastures. Or at least a place with a reliable water source. I can’t resist these old houses and enjoy stopping to explore them if they aren’t covered in No Trespassing signs. This one actually contained an old piano. I was imagining the Dustbowl Dialogue as I hunted for different angles to shoot from.
“I love my piano, honey. Will it fit on the truck?”
“No, it’s too big and too heavy.”
“You know how much you love when I play, ‘My Wild Irish Rose’, for you.”
“You can play it on the harmonica.”
“Oh, please, please, please.”
“No.”
And here it sits 80 or 90 years later, abandoned and disintegrating ever so slowly in the dry air of The High Planes.
Last One Out, Turn Out The Lights
The next stop was the first town on the tour; Siebert, Colorado. It’s one of those towns that needs a sign that says, “Last One Out Turn Out The Lights.” Even though it is on the Interstate 70 corridor, the travelers just zoom on by, like it’s not there. Even Dollar General isn’t interested. That’s how you can tell a town is dying a slow death. They do have a small grocery store downtown and a fuel stop / convenience store on the Interstate but not much else.
There’s a decent RV park in the center of town but I can’t imagine an actual reason to stay here – work perhaps but Stratton or Flagler would be better options. I remember stopping here 40 years ago when I was in the oil exploration business and there was actually a town. Not anymore. Except for the grocery store the downtown is mostly a hollowed out shell like the abandoned house with the piano.
I stopped by the grocery store to see what their inventory looked like and get a gallon of water. It’s Colorado, so all the requisite mask signs were posted on the window, reminding me why we’ve been holed up at The Cottage. It’s really just not much fun to travel right now. I searched the car for a mask, gaiter, bandana or old t-shirt. Finally found an old wadded mask on the floor in back. I wondered if they wore them on their chin, over the mouth or over the nose, here in Siebert. I stuck the mask in my pocket and headed inside.
Can You Cope?
We filled our water glasses and continued making our way north, across the South Fork of the Republican just north of town. A half hour later, we were dropping into the Valley of the Arickaree and the village of Cope. Cope is not much more than a wet spot in the road these days. The population is listed as a little over 200 but they must be counting dogs too.
Vickie said she didn’t think she could cope if she had to live in Cope. It looks like back before Interstate 70 and 80 existed and Highway 36 was a primary transcontinental route that there might have been a town here. There’s a cool old hotel anyway but it was abandoned – imagine that. They did have a nice little park in the center of town. There was an old telephone booth there, next to the highway. I’m not sure the vintage of these things. I remember them everywhere back when I was a kid, so probably late 50’s, early sixties. Do you remember when telephone booths were a thing? We had to stop and get a few shots.
Down The Arickaree
We moseyed on down the Arickaree on Highway 36, through Joes, Kirk and Idalia. Then north across the river to Vernon. The Arickaree Breaks begin here and continue to the junction with the Republican River in Nebraska, about 40 miles to the northeast. The Breaks are an area of badlands cut into the loess soil by both water and wind. The deep gullies and ravines are covered in yucca, sage and native grasses, with sandstone hoodoos and caves tucked back in the ravines. The Breaks are a staggering contrast to the flat plains that surround them. The region is exceptional, covering three states and one of the reasons we took the drive. We’re doing some reconnaissance for a trip later this Spring or early Summer to explore the region more completely for a project we are working on.
We stopped in at the combination Post Office, General Store and Liquor Mart in the hamlet of Vernon. It was more out of curiosity than anything else. I didn’t check out the liquor store but the General store only had the barest of essentials, which included some sour cream and chives potato chips and raspberry ice tea.
We toured the town and found an interesting 1939 Chevrolet 1 1/2 ton flatbed that I couldn’t resist. What an awesome rig. Check out the phone number on the side; 40. It takes ten digits now. How many will we need in another 80 years?
That Sucks
We headed up to Wray. I asked Siri for the best beer and burger place and she gave me the 4th and Main Downtown Grille. There is no place better to do a little recon than the local bar and grille or pub and grub. I was dreaming of kicking back and enjoying a cold beer and a hot burger, but when we got there it was closed. That sucks. I got out and went up and peeked in the window and read the menu and the hours. It seemed that they opened for lunch and then closed down in the afternoon and then opened back up in the evening. There were signs about wearing masks and signs about please obey those signs so the state doesn’t come in and revoke their liquor license.
I went back to the car shaking my head. I asked Vickie why they would be closed and she told me. They are closed because the state of Colorado has raised the minimum wage so high that it is prohibitive to be open if you don’t have enough customers. That’s who has been “Abandoned.” Small businesses. It just seems like all of the government rules, regulations and taxes are designed to create a market where the high tech corporates and mega corporates get all the benefits, subsides and government handouts, while the small businesses are abandoned, to rust away like the 1939 Chevy.
No burger, no beer, no problem. We got another good look at the Arickaree Breaks on the way to Beecher Island before heading south on 385, back to The Cottage in Emerald City. Where we crafted our own burgers and fries, washed down with some private label – “Cheeseburgers in Paradise.”
Moral of the Story: Never Abandon Your Dream
The complete set of photos is here or be sure to check out the Photography Page @ 3MPH.ORG