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# Scott & Suzy's Southwest Living

A journal of our lives and travels in and around Durango, Colorado

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](http://www.kadera.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Hot Air](http://www.kadera.com/balloon-fiesta/) - Imagine a beagle 100 feet long, 50 feet tall, and 40 feet wide. The dog is hovering 10 feet above your head. Suddenly, one of his Prius-sized paws moves slowly toward your face. As you pull back and turn to get out of the way a scarecrow the size of a water tower is coming
- [Fourmile Falls, worth the price of admission](http://www.kadera.com/fourmile-falls-worth-the-price-of-admission/) - I’m not sure what it is about waterfalls that draw us to them. The sound? The power? The beauty? Perhaps it is our connection with water in general? We need it to live and waterfalls seem to have an inexhaustible supply, falling from the edge of a cliff like a huge, magical tap that remains
- [Red rocks and brown mud on the Green River](http://www.kadera.com/red-rocks-and-brown-mud-on-the-green-river/) - I can’t say I was excited about this trip in the days before we left. Suzy and I have been on a number of multi-day river trips in the past. While we did enjoy those trips, my memory is a little more pessimistic than hers. She remembers the warm days, the cools nights, the peace,
- [Frosty Morning Photos](http://www.kadera.com/frosty-morning-photos/) - Just a few pics from our backyard on a frosty morning.
- [The Ghost Trail](http://www.kadera.com/the-ghost-trail/) - The Ghost Trail to Potato Lake (aka Spud Lake) only appears in the winter thanks to Seniors Outdoors and some dedicated residents who maintain the trail. To get there drive north on Highway 550, past Durango Mountain Resort. A few miles past the resort you will see a big green water tank on the right-hand
- [Fresh Tracks](http://www.kadera.com/fresh-tracks-la-plata-canyon/) - As a child growing up in Independence, IA, I was an early riser. I remember winter mornings, sitting in our TV room under a pile of blankets or clean clothes waiting to be folded, listening to cartoons while looking out at the fields of freshly fallen snow. We had an open lot right next to
- [The Road to Druid Arch](http://www.kadera.com/the-road-to-druid-arch/) - The Needles District of Canyonlands NP is our go-to place when we are looking for a desert experience. It is beautiful, close to home, and not as crowded as Moab, which has become a Mecca for bicyclists year-round. While the campground in the park often fills up during peak season, the close-by Needles Outpost usually
- [Taliesin West - Not Your Grandma’s House](http://www.kadera.com/taliesin-west/) - Taliesin West is unlike any house I've ever seen. Of course, I've never seen another Frank Lloyd Wright house before so that would explain it. And, to be fair, Taliesin West isn't just another Frank Lloyd Wright house. First of all, the grounds are home to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and School of Architecture
- [Let's get this thing started](http://www.kadera.com/lets-get-this-thing-started/) - Welcome to our blog. This is a free-form brain dump for anything going on in our lives that we feel like writing about. Topics will include hikes, road trips, gardening, volunteer projects and rants about what's going on in the world. We hope you enjoy it. -Scott & Suzy
- [I didn't know white was a fall color?](http://www.kadera.com/i-didnt-know-white-was-a-fall-color/) - Suzy and I are not usually into driving just to site see. We would much rather earn our views with a good hike but this past weekend we made an exception. Our friend Bob, the llama guy, told us about a loop drive that takes you from Dolores, CO to Dunton Hot Springs , up
- [Wild Flowers in the San Juan Mountains](http://www.kadera.com/wild-flowers-san-juan-mountains/) - When we moved to Durango in 2001 we didn't know anything about wild flowers. We had done quite a bit of hiking in Maryland and Virginia before the move but the most wild flowers we had seen were planted by the DOT in the median strips along the highways. We did notice them and I
- [The fungus fad](http://www.kadera.com/the-fungus-fad/) - Mushroom hunting has become somewhat of a sport in southwest Colorado. A popular sport. We know a number of friends who spend hours looking for those somewhat soggy, slimy wild fungi pushing out of the ground. Telluride and Durango Mountain Resort both have their own mushroom festivals. And, just a few weeks ago we passed
- [The Slog Called Pole Creek Mountain](http://www.kadera.com/hiking-pole-creek-mountain/) - Pole Creek Mountain is fairly typical of many San Juan Mountain peaks. It starts on a trail, moves to an off-trail meadow, then to a steep grassy section, on to a section that can really only be described as a slog and finally, a rocky cap that can be ascended in a few different ways.
- [The beautiful desert](http://www.kadera.com/desert-botanical-gardens/) - It is difficult to describe the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, AZ but I think it's safe to say that if you like rugged beauty, prickly things, and the best flora the desert has to offer, then you should definitely check it out. In addition to the trees, grasses, succulents and cacti, we saw owls
- [The Moki what?](http://www.kadera.com/moki-dugway/) - That's what people usually say when you first try to explain the Moki Dugway. The Dugway is a short stretch of road on highway 261 that runs north from Mexican Hat to just about Natural Bridges National Monument in southeastern Utah. The Dugway is a road everyone should drive at least once in their lifetime.
- [The Kane Gulch Experience](http://www.kadera.com/the-kane-gulch-experience/) - Utah's canyon country is rugged and beautiful. It can be inviting and a little scary. The views and history draw you in to discover what is hidden around the next bend. The lack of trails, signs, and distinctive landmarks can make hiking a challenge. Luckily Kane Gulch offers visitors a rustic hiking experience while making
- [Roadtrip to Monument Valley](http://www.kadera.com/monument-valley/) - Like most people, I've been a fan of Ansel Adams since I first saw one of his photographs. So, on a recent trip to Monument Valley I decided to see if I could mimic his style. While I'm happy with these images I don't know if I stayed true to myself or Ansel Adams.

## Pages

- [Home](http://www.kadera.com/home-2/)
- [Home](http://www.kadera.com/home/)
- [About This Blog](http://www.kadera.com/about-southwest-life/) - What's this blog about? We wish we knew. At this point blogs have been around for quite some time and it would seem that everything that could be said has been. And, if not, does anyone really care about the ramblings of a middle aged couple living pretty normal lives in Southwest Colorado? It seems
- [Volunteer Projects](http://www.kadera.com/volunteer-projects/) - Website development for nonprofit organizations: Scott is the Director of Web Services at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. From time to time he provides volunteer web design and development services to 501c3 nonprofit organizations. He typically does not do routine maintenance but will do redesigns, upgrades, and SEO work. View Scott's LinkedIn Profile View
- [Contact Us](http://www.kadera.com/contact-us/) - If you have a question or comment you can reach us by filling out the form below. You can also find Scott on Facebook or LinkedIn.
- [Blog Posts](http://www.kadera.com/blog-posts/)

## Galleries

- [Green River canoe trip](http://www.kadera.com/bwg_gallery/green-river/)
- [Fourmile Falls](http://www.kadera.com/bwg_gallery/fourmile-falls/)
- [Balloon Fiesta - Special Shapes Glowdeo](http://www.kadera.com/bwg_gallery/balloon-fiesta-special-shapes-glowdeo/)
- [Balloon Fiesta - Mass Ascension](http://www.kadera.com/bwg_gallery/balloon-fiesta-mass-ascension/)
- [The Ghost Trail](http://www.kadera.com/bwg_gallery/the-ghost-trail/)
- [Frosty Fotos - Durango](http://www.kadera.com/bwg_gallery/frosty-fotos-durango/)
- [La Plata Canyon in Winter](http://www.kadera.com/bwg_gallery/la-plata-canyon-winter/)

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](http://www.kadera.com/category/uncategorized/)
- [Hikes](http://www.kadera.com/category/southwest-hikes/)
- [Trips](http://www.kadera.com/category/southwest-travel/)
- [Volunteer Projects](http://www.kadera.com/category/volunteer-projects/)
- [Gardening](http://www.kadera.com/category/southwest-colorado-gardening/)

## Tags

- [Mounument Valley](http://www.kadera.com/tag/mounument-valley/)
- [Ansel Adams](http://www.kadera.com/tag/ansel-adams/)
- [Utah](http://www.kadera.com/tag/utah/)
- [Canyon Country](http://www.kadera.com/tag/canyon-country/)
- [Kane Gulch](http://www.kadera.com/tag/kane-gulch/)
- [Mexican Hat](http://www.kadera.com/tag/mexican-hat/)
- [Comb Ridge](http://www.kadera.com/tag/comb-ridge/)
- [Moki Dugway](http://www.kadera.com/tag/moki-dugway/)
- [san juan mountains](http://www.kadera.com/tag/san-juan-mountains/)
- [wild flowers](http://www.kadera.com/tag/wild-flowers/)
- [durango](http://www.kadera.com/tag/durango/)
- [silverton](http://www.kadera.com/tag/silverton/)
- [Peaks](http://www.kadera.com/tag/peaks/)
- [Colorado 13ers](http://www.kadera.com/tag/colorado-13ers/)
- [Pole Creek Mountain](http://www.kadera.com/tag/pole-creek-mountain/)
- [Scottsdale](http://www.kadera.com/tag/scottsdale/)
- [Frank Lloyd Wright](http://www.kadera.com/tag/frank-lloyd-wright/)
- [Arizona](http://www.kadera.com/tag/arizona/)
- [Botanical Gardens](http://www.kadera.com/tag/botanical-gardens/)
- [Cactus](http://www.kadera.com/tag/cactus/)
- [Colorado](http://www.kadera.com/tag/colorado/)
- [Mushroom Hunting](http://www.kadera.com/tag/mushroom-hunting/)
- [Rio Grande](http://www.kadera.com/tag/rio-grande/)
- [Creede](http://www.kadera.com/tag/creede/)
- [Fall colors](http://www.kadera.com/tag/fall-colors/)
- [Delores](http://www.kadera.com/tag/delores/)
- [vacation](http://www.kadera.com/tag/vacation/)
- [garden](http://www.kadera.com/tag/garden/)
- [trips](http://www.kadera.com/tag/trips/)
- [hiking](http://www.kadera.com/tag/hiking/)
- [Canyonlands](http://www.kadera.com/tag/canyonlands/)
- [Moab](http://www.kadera.com/tag/moab/)
- [Druid Arch](http://www.kadera.com/tag/druid-arch/)
- [Snowshoe](http://www.kadera.com/tag/snowshoe/)
- [La Plata Canyon](http://www.kadera.com/tag/la-plata-canyon/)
- [Iowa](http://www.kadera.com/tag/iowa/)
- [Independence](http://www.kadera.com/tag/independence/)
- [snowshoeing](http://www.kadera.com/tag/snowshoeing/)
- [Green River](http://www.kadera.com/tag/green-river/)
- [River Trips](http://www.kadera.com/tag/river-trips/)
- [pagosa springs](http://www.kadera.com/tag/pagosa-springs/)
- [waterfalls](http://www.kadera.com/tag/waterfalls/)
- [New Mexico](http://www.kadera.com/tag/new-mexico/)
- [Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta](http://www.kadera.com/tag/albuquerque-international-balloon-fiesta/)
- [Albuquerque](http://www.kadera.com/tag/albuquerque/)
- [Hot Air Balloons](http://www.kadera.com/tag/hot-air-balloons/)