IWTGBTP!!

“I WANT TO GO BACK TO PHILMONT!!” Well, I did. This past weekend was the PSA (Philmont Staff Association) Ranger Reunion celebrating 50 years of the Philmont Ranger Department. As a Ranger in ’97 I had the experience of a lifetime that I have been trying to tell Amy about since we first started dating. This weekend was a perfect chance for her to get out to Cimarron to see Philmont for herself (thats the reason for the trip to CO and NM) and to let us get away for a short time.

We made it to Cimarron for lunch on Friday, checked in to camp around 3pm and got on the bus to head out to the Rocky Mtn. Scout Camp at the foot of the Tooth of Time. Amy, who doesn’t like camping much, was a little dismayed at how little I actually told her about our accommodation’s for the weekend, and looking back, I could have told her a little more. The camper tents are good though, and the foamy’s and cots were fine. The biggest problem was the wheeled luggage (doesn’t travel too well on rocky terrain).

Friday night, we had dinner in the new staff dining hall, and made our way to the Maverick Rodeo Grounds for a social. It was fun talking with the some of the Ranger from earlier years and seeing some (a small handful) people I knew from back then. Amy and I started a game of scrabble that was interrupted by a light rain (which is ok, because I was loosing badly…) and caught one of the first buses back to camp for the night. I had not told her about the toilet facilities and she was dismayed to find out it was little more than a hole in the ground. Needless to say, she braved it and found the porcelain toilet the next day.

Saturday, I hiked the Tooth of Time while Amy hung out in camp talking with other Rangers and their spouses, tasting fresh peach cobbler and enjoying the New Mexico air (so much cleaner than Atlanta!). The hike up the Tooth was almost as I remembered it, a mad scramble up loose rocks but the view was worth it. There are photos in the Gallery . The way down though, both off the tooth itself and via the stockade trail back to camp reminded me just how bad my knees are these days (and why I HATE the stockade trail).

Saturday night, we had an awesome steak dinner and a fun banquet where we heard about the past 50 years of the Philmont Rangers. We also had a “campfire” (Amy said it wasn’t really a campfire because there was no actual fire…) where they put on some skits, and we were treated to some of the past staff playing and singing some of the better known camp songs. Rod Taylor joined in for one song (which was a treat) and we called it a night.

We woke up Sunday morning, packed up and headed back in to base camp, the short time at Philmont coming to an end, but not before we toured the Villa (Waite Phillips 16,000 sq foot summer home…). As many times as I have toured the Villa I never get tired of seeing the beauty of it and trying to imagine what it would have been like to spend summers there when it was the only thing around.

We headed north on I-25 back towards Denver, planing to stop at the Seven Falls in Colorado Springs. That was a mistake. We pull up to the entrance to be greeted by a 30 minute wait just to get in and park. We turned around and headed to Garden of the Gods. If you’ve never been, you at least need to drive through and see the amazing rock formations there. One is called Balanced Rock (because its basically balancing…) and there’s another called Kissing Camels (which really does resemble two camels kissing…). From the visitor’s center you have a good view of the park as well as Pikes Peak in the background. Next trip, we’ll make it up Pikes.

We made it to Denver and the Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast just in time to check in and catch the last of the wine tasting for the evening before walking a couple of blocks to the Rocky Mountain Diner for dinner (say that really fast). Amy had Buffalo meatloaf (which she loved) and I had an open faced turkey sandwhich and a Fat tire for dinner. We walked over to the 16th Street Mall, enjoyed a carriage ride around the historic district and then made our way home (stopping in Brown Palace Hotel for a look and another beer ).