Thursday, July 29, 2004
DESTINATION; MESA VERDE....
Sunday morning July 21st
We got up earlier this morning so John could go fish but he didn’t have any luck. We got breakfast over with and cleared camp, ready to travel. We are far enough out in Kansas that it’s getting very dry and hot. I suspect that’s pretty normal for this area so close to Colorado. We see enormous sprinkler systems all over which give evidence of the lack of rain here.
We came into Colorado before noon at Holly and Lamar; had lunch at Hasty (which was at a City Park with nothing but sand, tables and some playground equipment.) Poor Hasty is a barren, dirty little town and very hot. We drove on to Las Animas, La Junta, Walsenburg and then had a coke break. George used to ride the train to La Junta when he worked the mail on them so he pointed to a hotel he stayed at as we went through.
If you can make it to Walsenburg you have it made. The heat and desert turn to mountains and cooler air. We came across the North La Veta Pass and stopped at Fort Garland which was commandeered by Kit Carson in the 1800’s. George had to change a tire on the camper since he threw a piece of rubber and was afraid to trust it to go very far. After leaving Fort Garland we passed a pretty triple peak called Little Bear, Blanco and Mount Lindsey. Also saw the singing sand dunes along San Luis Valley. We are traveling the Navajo Trail now….yesterday we were on the Santa Fe Trail all day.
We tried to stop at Alamosa for the night but it was too expensive with very poor accommodations. No shade; just sand and dust so we went on to Monte Vista, Del Norte and finally beyond South Fork we were lucky to find a Federal Campground right on the South Fork of the Rio Grande River. It immediately reminded us all of Basin Creek with the pretty stream, mountains and fir trees.
We gals got supper going and John took advantage of the little daylight left to fish…but no luck yet. We enjoyed watching a little gray squirrel jump around in the trees and beg for food. It was our first cold night to sleep and we had a little lightening and a sprinkle after we went to bed.
Monday July 22nd
We had our usual pancakes for breakfast. They always go good on cool mornings with all the fresh air and hot coffee. While we were cleaning up to leave we watched chipmunks, our little squirrel and a bird that was new to me….a Canadian blue-jay. He was more feathery and had beautiful shades of dark blue with a plummey top. Then there was a yellow and black bird with a red head that was unfamiliar to me. Immediately after leaving our campground we began ascending Wolf Creek Pass which was a beautiful drive and full of sharp, steep turns which offered a good full view of everything below. When we started down, we stopped at a viewing area and enjoyed the scenery, also some cute little chipmunks playing around the area. Highest elevation of the pass was 10, 850 feet. We drove thru Pagosa Springs to Durango where we ate lunch in the park and while Dad and George went to see about a new tire for the camper, aunt Beulah, mom, the kids and I walked up town to buy some post cards. Durango was more or less jazzed up in a Western version of the frontier days type of main street with many interesting store-fronts. Unfortunately prices were geared to well-healed tourists and not to family camper trade so we looked and didn’t buy anything.
Leaving Durango we traveled over a notable scenic route lined with mountains, winding roads and through the beautiful Mancos Valley. Standing along the valley floor was our destination for the day…..fearsome, formidable and fascinating…. Mesa Verde…..towering 1500 feet into the sky, as primitive today as it must have been in 1200 A.D. when the Indians built the Cliff Dwellings. It was 5-miles up the mesa to the camping area where we were lucky enough to get two spaces close together with our usual good timing. We rested a minute, talking about the hair-raising road we had just driven up on and then decided to drive the final 22-miles to the top where the dwellings were (or at least get tickets for the next day.)
Tomorrow we find out just what that road to the top was like. First of all, I need something to calm me down to properly draw the imagery. I shall see you tomorrow, fortified with a pot of black coffee and we’ll make the trip up !!!
Until then,
Essentially Esther
We got up earlier this morning so John could go fish but he didn’t have any luck. We got breakfast over with and cleared camp, ready to travel. We are far enough out in Kansas that it’s getting very dry and hot. I suspect that’s pretty normal for this area so close to Colorado. We see enormous sprinkler systems all over which give evidence of the lack of rain here.
We came into Colorado before noon at Holly and Lamar; had lunch at Hasty (which was at a City Park with nothing but sand, tables and some playground equipment.) Poor Hasty is a barren, dirty little town and very hot. We drove on to Las Animas, La Junta, Walsenburg and then had a coke break. George used to ride the train to La Junta when he worked the mail on them so he pointed to a hotel he stayed at as we went through.
If you can make it to Walsenburg you have it made. The heat and desert turn to mountains and cooler air. We came across the North La Veta Pass and stopped at Fort Garland which was commandeered by Kit Carson in the 1800’s. George had to change a tire on the camper since he threw a piece of rubber and was afraid to trust it to go very far. After leaving Fort Garland we passed a pretty triple peak called Little Bear, Blanco and Mount Lindsey. Also saw the singing sand dunes along San Luis Valley. We are traveling the Navajo Trail now….yesterday we were on the Santa Fe Trail all day.
We tried to stop at Alamosa for the night but it was too expensive with very poor accommodations. No shade; just sand and dust so we went on to Monte Vista, Del Norte and finally beyond South Fork we were lucky to find a Federal Campground right on the South Fork of the Rio Grande River. It immediately reminded us all of Basin Creek with the pretty stream, mountains and fir trees.
We gals got supper going and John took advantage of the little daylight left to fish…but no luck yet. We enjoyed watching a little gray squirrel jump around in the trees and beg for food. It was our first cold night to sleep and we had a little lightening and a sprinkle after we went to bed.
Monday July 22nd
We had our usual pancakes for breakfast. They always go good on cool mornings with all the fresh air and hot coffee. While we were cleaning up to leave we watched chipmunks, our little squirrel and a bird that was new to me….a Canadian blue-jay. He was more feathery and had beautiful shades of dark blue with a plummey top. Then there was a yellow and black bird with a red head that was unfamiliar to me. Immediately after leaving our campground we began ascending Wolf Creek Pass which was a beautiful drive and full of sharp, steep turns which offered a good full view of everything below. When we started down, we stopped at a viewing area and enjoyed the scenery, also some cute little chipmunks playing around the area. Highest elevation of the pass was 10, 850 feet. We drove thru Pagosa Springs to Durango where we ate lunch in the park and while Dad and George went to see about a new tire for the camper, aunt Beulah, mom, the kids and I walked up town to buy some post cards. Durango was more or less jazzed up in a Western version of the frontier days type of main street with many interesting store-fronts. Unfortunately prices were geared to well-healed tourists and not to family camper trade so we looked and didn’t buy anything.
Leaving Durango we traveled over a notable scenic route lined with mountains, winding roads and through the beautiful Mancos Valley. Standing along the valley floor was our destination for the day…..fearsome, formidable and fascinating…. Mesa Verde…..towering 1500 feet into the sky, as primitive today as it must have been in 1200 A.D. when the Indians built the Cliff Dwellings. It was 5-miles up the mesa to the camping area where we were lucky enough to get two spaces close together with our usual good timing. We rested a minute, talking about the hair-raising road we had just driven up on and then decided to drive the final 22-miles to the top where the dwellings were (or at least get tickets for the next day.)
Tomorrow we find out just what that road to the top was like. First of all, I need something to calm me down to properly draw the imagery. I shall see you tomorrow, fortified with a pot of black coffee and we’ll make the trip up !!!
Until then,
Essentially Esther
