My Cave My View

Monticello residents line Abajo Drive in the evening, expressing their gratitude and cheering on exhausted firefighters who are heading up into the Abajo Mountains to battle the Babylon Fire that continues to burn west of Monticello and north of Blanding. Tessa Perkins photo

Fire in the sky produces the best of times and the worst of times

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I drove by the wheat fields the other day and was reminded of the “amber waves of grain” from America the Beautiful. I couldn’t help but enjoy the moment of complete satisfaction and gratitude. America is 250 years old and I couldn’t be...

A too kind and loving wife supervising CaveGuy Gary Torres as he cleans up Pineapple Swirl Ice-cream. Courtesy photo

Cleaning the cabin of Benjamin Perkins

I have been to visit the Bluff Fort again. We make this pilgrimage every time a new set of grandkids come to visit. My too kind and loving wife comes from the second wife of Benjamin Perkins - Sarah. So, we have roots in San Juan County at least as deep as the Hole-in-the-Rock that ol’ Ben helped...

Hundreds of years after it was abandoned, an ancient pot still sits under a protected alcove in a remote (and namesless) corner of the canyon country. Gary Torres photo

Ancient pot at end of the rainbow

We were back out exploring San Juan County last week. We were looking for the pot at the end of the rainbow. I may as well have been looking for a unicorn or sasquatch. Years ago, I had heard about a large intact pot in an Indian ruin somewhere in San Juan County. Well, SJC is big and rough,...

Gary Torres at the Scarey Clown Motel in Tonopah, NV. See more photos at the San Juan Record website at sjrnews.com. Courtesy photo

Scary Clown Motel and UFOs

I am staying at the Scary Clown Motel in Tonopah, NV. I am planning to stay here which seemed like a much better idea during the day when I am not scared of clowns. I am usually much braver when it is daylight, or my too kind and loving wife is with me. Let me start at the beginning. I am on my...

The day I learned to swear and drive

The house I grew up in did not have a furnace. We heated with a fireplace. I remember getting up every morning and starting a fire with chips of cedar wood. My mother hated the smell of diesel so she wouldn’t let us start the fire using diesel. In our later years she relented and finally let my...

Gary Torres with his father. Courtesy photo

Uncle Joe teaches me to poach a deer

by Gary Torres My Cave My View Most people called my dad Uncle Joe; even those not related. I was a young boy, about nine years old, when my dad and my uncle Cosme took me hunting up on the mountain. The only problem was it was not hunting season. Some people would probably call that poaching,...

Moses (or at least a credible AI facsimile) joins a group of local hikers for a warmup donut on the Honaker Trail. Courtesy photo

Moses hikes the Honaker Trail

The flyer said, “Youth Hike. 60 degrees. Pack a light Jacket. Bring a lunch, snacks, and water.” I woke up and there was snow on the ground, so 60 degrees, a light jacket and snacks sounded inviting. I consider myself young compared to dirt, so I gathered my hiking gear (Pepsi, Almond M&Ms...

Filling a balloon with hot air at the 2026 Bluff Balloon Festival. Gary Torres photo

CaveGuy is full of hot air

I told my too kind and loving wife that I won tickets and so we were going to the Bluff International Balloon Festival. Without even looking up she said, “Finally a good use for all your hot air.” I was going to protest but I remembered Ms. Beckwith’s Shakespeare class, “The Lady doth protest too...

A Penny for Your Thoughts

Apparently, we are not going to make pennies anymore. I realize that in the overall picture of big important things that are happening in the world for the US to quit minting pennies is not too important. But to me, well it’s just another step toward the inevitable march towards senility. This...

The bones of more than 3,700 friars are interred in the charnal house at Convento dei Cappuccini. Courtesy photo

Make no bones about it

This being retired is much harder work than work was. Although, let’s be honest it was a guvmint job. I remember there were lots of meetings. I am sure we talked about some pretty important stuff and figured out innovative and remarkable solutions so that when we showed up on your doorstep and...