The first evening's event of the Artposium took place in Hotchkiss, at the Creamery Arts Center,
which is worth going out of the way to see. Jack Roberts spent his
weekend at home producing some of his wonderful black-and-white
photographic prints that are going on display at the Creamery this
week. It's precision work: he's able to do two or three prints a day,
and his goal by the time the exhibit goes up is ten.
Because I
was headed for Hotchkiss, the western portion of the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway was
the most direct route to my destination. I went back the same way,
although in both directions I didn't have time to wander and explore.
When I was westbound, I needed to be at the reception before it ended,
and when I was eastbound I wanted to be home before I was too tired to
be driving. Because I left about 4 p.m. and it's about a seven-hour
drive, figuring in brief stretch-the-legs breaks, that didn't leave any
time for side trips. . . . I'll have to go back again.
My mother
did a bunch of her growing up in Glenwood Springs, and when I was young
my grandparents still lived there. I have vivid and treasured memories
of the area, although I haven't spent much time there (or driven the
roads I took this weekend) since I was quite small. So I wanted to look
around, even if just in passing.
Delta County
At the
west end of my travels, Delta County offers dramatic views full of
contrasts. I took this photo as I
was traveling back down to Cedaredge from Red Mesa Grange, where we spent the morning cooking with Howard Dubrovsky.
The area is geologically fascinating. It also demonstrates the
effects of water on a landscape. This is a closer view of the area
shown above.
I found it impossible to take photographs that adequately
capture the scope or the layering of the mesas, although that didn't keep me from trying.
