I am sorry to hear that, Ebbie. Thanks for giving us a clearer picture from the front-line.

Naes...I have a great fondness for those hills...my son was most likely conceived in the backseat of a 1963 Ford Galaxy convertible in those hills...I really did mean what I said about never wanting to see them destroyed, but if you will click here you might see why I said they were pretty barren looking. It is desert and you haven't lived until you are out hiking on those hills with high altitude sun beating down on you in 100 degree heat. It is surreal and one can easily imagine the contours of the moon when out there.

Still it has its beauty including a wild horse refuge out where I used to go with my friends. Further up in Debeque Canyon, along the Colorado River, as the altitude climbs, there is more and more vegetation, pinon pine etc. and it just keeps getting prettier (this is where my great-grandparents homesteaded) the closer (just up the road from the "Ranch") you get to the Rockies.

All I can say is thank the gawds and gawddesses that my family's old homestead is an elk refuge and will hopefully escape any oil exploration.

kat...somebody tell Spud it's dinnertime?