Category Archives: Ghost Towns

The Way Back from Breck

There are ways home from the well-known ski resorts that do not involve traveling 85 miles per hour on I-25. It takes longer, and involves long stretches of minimal civilization, but it’s worth the detour.

In 2022, it was time to head home from our bi-annual family ski trip to Breckenridge. Instead of taking the main thoroughfare with all the other travelers, we headed north out of Breck, toward Dillon Lake and Frisco, areas that aren’t unique and similar to Breckenridge. Large SUVs fill the roads with traffic, carrying families dressed in their winter gear, ready for expensive outdoor or indoor entertainment. The snow on the roads is slushy and sloppy, as cars spin their wheels on top of it. Scattered through Frisco are businesses that cater to tourists: gift shops, bars, ski gear, all sitting behind fancy retail entry ways.

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Ten Years Gone – Solo to the Buffalo

The Longest Drive

Mid-week arrived during our planned sojourn across Oklahoma and Arkansas. After an exciting start, it was time for our yearly visit to the Buffalo National River in Arkansas. Bit of background before we get to 2021 …

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South by Northwest

We’ve spent a lot of time in Northern New Mexico – Taos, Santa Fe, Red River, Las Vegas, Cimmaron, Clayton, and everywhere in-between. While it’s beautiful there, we’ve always been curious about the mountains further south, so we arranged an extended weekend for exploration.  The plan was to do the usual Colorado trip, then head south to explore the area around the Lincoln National Forest.  It was time to break in one of the new cars as well and with a kid and relatively responsibility-free weekend, it didn’t seem right for the new Hyundai Kona to sit at home.

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We’re Going To Kansas City

Waaaay too early …

First, some back story. In the far away year of 2016, while minding my own business and taking to co-workers on a drive back from the airport, my 2007 Kia Sorento got totaled when the driver of the giant Dodge Ram behind me on traffic-jam central (114W in rush hour traffic) decided that brakes weren’t a thing and plowed into my car. Not only did that wipe out the Sorento, but collateral damage was inflicted on my first really nice road bike – my 2012 Specialized Roubaix. Thanks …

From there, I scrounged enough couch change and lint to buy a burnished copper colored AWD Kia Sportage, which was the de facto transport for almost every driving trip since. 157000 miles and planned for 100000 more – had in fact just replaced struts and shocks and fixed a minor trim issue, given this was the car we’d be taking to New Mexico and beyond.

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Plague Travels Under Open Skies

In early 2020, our world was turned upside down with the news of a global pandemic. We were one of the last groups of travelers allowed on the slopes in Breckenridge that year, and as we drove home in the middle of March, we tuned into the unbelievable news. Ski resorts in Colorado and New Mexico were closing down for the season. Restaurants in most states would limit their service to takeout only. Masks, at first were discouraged. Then encouraged. Then required, depending on the state. And then fought over. Arriving home in Texas that March, we resigned ourselves to the idea that we’d be stuck at home for a while, along with the rest of the country (and in fact, the world).

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A Masked Tour of Southwest Texas

The summer of 2020 was a chaotic time. The pandemic was still in full force, coming back with another wave after declining in cases for a month or so. Business were open to varying degrees, with varying restrictions, tending on the more lenient side in our part of the country. We had settled into a comfortable routine of working from home, cooking from home, exercising from home, entertaining adult and teenage children at home … the list goes on. July was the perfect time for a break from all that. Yes, travel would still present challenges, given the lack of available dining opportunities, but it was also an excellent time for exploring the world on a socially distanced agenda, which is our preference anyway.

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The Misery of Mile Nine

On the second weekend in May, a trip to Slaton, Texas, was in order. Has anyone ever said that? Why Slaton? A race (or for us, a run / jog), of course. The West Texas Running Club organized a run in Horseshoe Bend Canyon, a hole in the ground southeast of Lubbock. We signed up for the 11 mile distance, thinking that wouldn’t be too difficult after running a few half marathons earlier in the year. As a bonus, an event in West Texas would allow for a side trip to visit with a college student in Lubbock. The best laid plans …

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Bugs, Dolls, and No Good Food

When we first started traveling together, our time was extremely limited. There were kids at home, work obligations and school schedules. Free weekends were few and far between, and on the rare occasion there was one, we had a tendency to simply zone out and recover from life. Planning trips was a challenge. Not just because there was so much going on at home, but accounting for the travel time, the trip expenses, the reliability of vehicles – it was a monumental task.

One year prior, we had explored east Texas, which included several ghost towns, abandoned buildings, and some creepy graveyards. It was fun, educational and as required, allowed minds to unplug from life obligations. When we were planning our trip to Oklahoma a year later, we were hoping for a similar getaway. Instead of southeast, we looked our neighbor state to the north. We stumbled on an isolated farmhouse about an hour south of Oklahoma City. This would allow for time to decompress away from home while exploring an otherwise unknown area. A remote destination; we thought surely it would be similar to the east Texas trip – full of off-the-beaten-path exploration items.

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Santa Fe, because Dave’s getting married

A year after our first trip to Santa Fe, we had the opportunity to return for a wedding. There wouldn’t be a flight for this trip like the previous one. We would need to get to Santa Fe in a car, which created a challenge since days off from work weren’t available. Santa Fe is about a 10 hour drive from home. But… we enjoy road trips – how difficult could this be?

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The First (Accidental) Tripping on a River

Arkansas was more of an accident than an organized adventure. Mid-2011, we found ourselves with an unexpectedly obligation-free holiday weekend (this is normally how the trips start) and debated our options.  We had taken a few short road trips, mainly in Texas, and one quick trip to Santa Fe, NM, which involved air travel.  Up until now, free time was limited with two school-aged kids in one house, full-time, chaotic work, school and sports schedules, and life. 

The goal was to do something different, go somewhere new but within driving distance.  A cabin in the woods sounded appealing, but … Texas.  “Cabin in the woods” options are limited.  We considered Oklahoma again, but since we had some extra time, one state further out seemed manageable.  Neither one of us had ever explored Arkansas (or even been there), so the Ozarks it was.  Searching the ever-expanding Internet, we found a tiny cabin on VRBO (exciting newness in the ancient year of 2011) which fit the requirements. Located in a town called Snowball, smack in the middle of the rolling hills of Arkansas, it looked like a promising fit for a weekend escape.

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