“Whoa oh whoa…
Listen to the music”
The Doobie Brothers
Shame on me for missing another post yesterday. As Molly mentioned her hers, though, it was a late night. The last couple hours of the night were the perfect cap on a full day of fun. We started the day slowly once again. I crocheted and sipped coffee at the HIE in Cortez. The girls slept until about 8:30 when I got a text from Zoe saying “mom is still asleep, but can I take a shower?” We did eventually get on the road and headed for Dolores where Molly wanted to get a new hat to replace the one she lost at Canyonlands and we planned to have a picnic in the park (leftover pizza, not PBJ&C).
The highlight of the morning though, was an unplanned stop at The Dino Store. We were driving down Main St. when I caught a glimpse of it from the side of my eye. As I studied it closer I saw the smaller signs hanging below promising vintage jeans, belts, leather coats, hats, and more and near simultaniously hit the breaks and then backed down the street to pull into one of the parking spots in front. I’m not sure how we’ve never managed to stop here before. The store was small, but a perfectly curated collection of vintage clothing. The offerings were perfect for Dolores and the lifestyle that lies ahead of us. I found what the owner called a “river shirt”. Plaid, snap down, partly polyester, and perfect for a day in the high desert. The girls each found a shirt as well and we made plans to return soon.
After shopping and lunch we headed straight for COHO where we were expecting Ranger Mike to be meeting us soon. We did have time to surprise the two painters who were relaxing in the great room watching YouTube. As we’re anxious about being able to at least partially move in at the start of August we were glad our presence seemed to spur them back to work. Before long Ranger Mike arrived and we were able to show off the house for the second time.
The much more interesting tour began when we started hiking the property. With 41 acres to explore I feel like we’re always finding new places and things even as we return to some of our favorites. There were some awesome discoveries this time around. I found a nearly complete deer skull, just the lower jaw was missing, Molly spotted a horned lizard. That was a particular relief to me since I’d spotted one a couple years ago, but hadn’t since and I was starting to think I’d imagined it. Ranger Mike spotted an endangered cactus species that we’re excited to be stewards to now. Molly and Zoe also swear they spotted a collard lizard, but it ducked under some brush before the rest of us could confirm. We also found more evidence of the Ancestral Puebloans in the form of pottery sherds and a sharp edged tool.
In the afternoon we played cards in the shade on the deck and headed to the Mancos Brewery for dinner. After returning to COHO the evening really got started. When Otts were here a couple weeks ago there was an impromtu talent show organized. At some point since then it became accepted fact that anyone visiting will be expected to take part in a talent show. If you plan to visit, you may want to start rehersing now. Molly kicked off the show with her act (I don’t want to give any spoilers), I performed “If I Had a Bison” while accompnying myself on ukelele for the first time ever, and the girls performed their routine (again no spoilers). The star of the evening was Ranger Mike who performed a beautiful Itallian Opera. That’ll be the bar, folks. He also took on an encore by pointing out the highlights of the night sky. I’m pretty sure that the skies here are dark enough to see all the stars, and it’s nice to know what a few more of them are.
This morning we actually did get up when our alarms went off and heading into Mancos for breakfast at the Absolute Bakery and Cafe. Undoutedly ABC is the highlight of any trip to Mancos. From there we headed to Mesa Verde and hiked the Knife’s Edge trail, one of the few in the park we hadn’t yet done. Ellie and Ranger Mike led the tour pointing out each numbered sign along the way.
The afternoon was low key. Laundry and showers dominated the itinerary. We also made a stop at Wild Edge for some games, beer, and blogging. The highlight of the night was Zoe and Molly’s dinner. If you’ve been following the blog you know that we’ve been competing to prepare the best dinner at COHO. Eating in restaurants gets old quick and we all crave fresh produce. Tonight Zoe and Molly topped the dinner that E and I made last week.
We were warned not to smell anything as we got in the car. Obviously that isn’t possible, but we couldn’t identify the scent anyway. When we got there we were seated on the porch and told to close our eyes. We opened them to see a beautiful buffalo chicken salad in front of us. There was a mound of lettuce topped with cucumber, tomato, blue cheese, and chicken tenders with buffalo sauce and blue cheese to add on top. They outdid themselves with dessert as well. After another eye closure reveal we were treated to strawberries, angelfood cake, and whipped cream. A perfect summer dinner. Thank you Molly and Zoe!
