A Quarry Story
Wed 8 May 2024 Woods Quarry After several days of warning-level winds, with houses shaking, fences collapsing, and trees falling over, the weather relaxed its exhalations from “hurricane” to “bluster,” and unveiled from the parting clouds a clear blue sky, which dangled in front of the local population of hikers and other such outdoorsy folk like a giant blue carrot on a stick. Which of course everyone, after huddling indoors and listening to their windows howl for three straight days, grasped at voraciously.
Also, it was CU graduation week, and therefore the graduates and their families made the annual pilgrimage to Chautauqua Park, there to fling their tassels and mortarboards at the scenery.
All of this was unbeknownst to our fearless adventurers, who sometime earlier had planned to hike at Woods Quarry, due to its relatively challenging elevation gain, and location in the shelter of the trees. It was only upon arriving at the chock-full parking lot and rows of cars stacked along Baseline Road that they realized something was up.
Remarkably, D found an enviable spot at Chautauqua Dining Hall, and S grabbed a space just barely vacated by a departing BMW.
And up they went, along the Bluebell Trail, to the Mesa Trail, to the Woods Quarry Trail.
Along the way, a goodly amount of elevation - around 720 feet. Also some tiny birds with black heads, which were not black-capped chickadees. Some joggers. A family or two. A dog here and there. Didn’t see any ticks. Brisk weather, 50-ish deg, chilly breeze. Jackets donned and doffed accordingly.
At the quarry, a few stone Adirondack chairs, like a Neanderthal spa. Amazing they’re still there, after all these years. These chairs will outlast us all.
After a few minutes relaxing on the rocks (and deciding where to place the camera), it was back down the trail. And then, halfway down, a fork onto the McClintock Trail, which descends toward the aforementioned Chautauqua Dining Hall, where D’s car was parked.
Hmm, a Dining Hall…
Are you, dear Reader, thinking what our fearless adventurers were thinking?
Phase 2: Chautauqua Dining Hall
Phase Two! Yes, after years of sack lunches and occasional mentions of food in conversation, our intrepid explorers opted for in-situ sustenance. Inconceivable.
“Reservations?” the host asked, to which S and D gave the usual smirk and guffaw. The host offered a choice: a seat inside at the bar, or a table out on the porch, in the wind. “The heat lamps are on,” added the host, possibly with a smirk of his own.
This lad was apparently unaware that fearless adventurers such as S and D fear neither the wind nor the rain, even if it’s pattering upon their cheeseburgers.
“Outside,” declared our heroic twain.
The heat lamps were indeed on, but heating the breeze, which blew eastward to the next table. Of course our intrepid explorers hardly noticed, or pretended not to notice, as they perused the menu. Everything looked good.
“Well hello!” exclaimed the waitress, clearly astonished at the fearlessness, apparel, or lack of youth, of our intrepid explorers.
D chose a burger of some kind, while S opted for a Southwest Black Bean Burger, without the sodium-laden southwestern accoutrements, please.
And there you have it. A pleasant afternoon at Chautauqua, and an expensive but satisfying Phase Two.
Here’s to a new 2024 record elevation gain. And, another successful BNO.
