Salmon River and Stanley, Idaho: The Sawtooth Mountains serve as a majestic backdrop for this view of the Salmon River near the town of Stanley, Idaho. The Sawtooth Valley offers abundant space for ranching as well as many summer and winter outdoor recreational activities. This is a portion of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument: The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is a remote park 44 miles from Silver City. The cliff dwellings were inhabited around the year 1260. The interiors of the caves are constructed with stones and masonry and some timbers. The dwellings consists of five natural caves which the interior space was divided into rooms as shown in this photo. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
Before we enter the year 2025 this week, this is a good time to review the roads traveled during the past twelve months. Our camper van RV took us north to within a few minutes of the Canadian border and south to within steps of the border with Mexico during 2024. We enjoyed many stops in the western United States as we traveled the highways and back roads during the year.
We look forward to travels in 2025, which will take us to some new territory as well as retracing some pathways from the past. I am looking forward bringing the camera along and sharing some of our sites in upcoming Posts From the Road stories.
2024 gave us many travel highlights, which are illustrated in the photos above and below.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Verde Canyon Railroad: We thoroughly enjoyed traveling on the Verde Canyon Railroad while in Arizona in May, 2024. Originally built for the mining industry the vintage diesel locomotives transport riders in renovated train cars along the same tracks that the miners used well over 100 years ago. The railroad travels through the desert and canyons offering riders open vistas and panoramic views of the southwestern landscape and canyon walls along the journey. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Campground Views: We enjoy staying in some beautiful campgrounds as we travel about the country. Shown is Rock Creek, which ran feet from our campsite along the Beartooth Highway in Montana. The Beartooth Highway offers travelers stunning alpine landscape views, lakes, snow fields and high elevation tundra along the drive which traverses the Montana and Wyoming border. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Peaks and Valleys: There are so many spectacular scenic drives in every state of the country. Shown is a view seen from the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway in Wyoming. This scenic drive offers vistas of many mountain peaks and valleys as well as views of the impressive Clarks Fork Canyon. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Ferry and City View: In February 2024 we traveled the southwestern U.S. before spending a few days in the San Diego area. There were too many attractions and things to see and do in the area but we stayed on the go during our visit to the area. We will be returning to San Diego this year and hope to experience more of what the city offers. Shown is a ferry which carries passengers between Coronado Island and the city of San Diego across the bay. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Silverton, Colo.: We made several trips around the state of Colorado during the late summer and fall seasons. Shown is Greene Street, which is the main street in Silverton, Colo. that stretches from one end of town to the other end. Shown are the colorful exteriors of several old mining era buildings which serve as shops and restaurants today. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Bishop Castle: The most unusual site of the past 12 months was a visit to Bishop Castle near Rye, Colo. The entire castle was built by one person, Jim Bishop. Bishop spent 44 years of his life collecting the stones, timbers and supplies and built the structure by himself. This story was published at the end of October in the Daily Post and unfortunately Jim Bishop died about three weeks later. Bishop’s son Daniel has assumed operation of the castle and plans very little change other than some landscaping. Visiting the castle will remain free of charge and open every day. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Guitars, Mandolins, and Banjos: Museums are always on our radar during our travels. One museum which we visited early in 2024 was the Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale, Ariz. Guitars, mandolins, and banjos are the instruments featured in the featured America exhibit during our visit. The museum displays numerous instruments from around the world and many have been played by the best musicians in the world. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com