On to Colorado (07-07-22)

 After spending a few days with Paul’s mom, we left El Paso, and meandered our way toward Colorado. Our destination was Bayfield, home of our friends Tom and Dianne.  We weren’t actually going to see them for the first few days though- first we were meeting up with some of our Phoenix friends.

On the way there, we took one day to explore the Jemez Springs area of New Mexico, near the Santa Fe National Forest. We had found out about some hot springs in the area, so we thought that might be a good outing, but it turns out they are “luke warm springs” and the weather was cold and rainy. 

Instead we took the Jeep to investigate the Gilman tunnels. 

These tunnels were built in the early 1900s to provide access for logging and mining operations.  Building the tunnels was easier than going over the nearby mountain peaks. Our trip through the tunnels and along the forest roads was mildly entertaining.

Once we arrived in Bayfield we realized that Dave and Debby would be in the site next to us.  That made it easy to party with them!  Another couple, Roxanne and Rick, had rented a VRBO near Durango.

Our first day was great- we went for a short but interesting hike…

and then drove way up the hill to the Animas Lookout where, after a short walk, we had a picnic lunch with an amazing view.

Our plans for the next few days were thwarted by illnesses….first Debby didn’t feel well, and then I didn’t feel well.  She and Dave did get together with Rick and Roxanne, but Paul and I did not. Oh well, best laid plans, as they say.

Once they moved on, we headed to Tom and Dianne’s.  Our few days with them were spent visiting…

and of course, the guys are happiest when they are working on projects.

We had a little excitement when Dianne’s kids next door found 4 horses roaming in their yard.  Seeing horses in this area is not uncommon, but horses running around loose is.  They were put in Tom and Dianne’s pasture to keep them safe until the owners could be found.  Eventually, a neighbor came to get them and lead them home.

Our last day in Bayfield, Tom and Dianne had errands to do in nearby Durango, so we made plans to meet them there later in the day for an early dinner. In the meantime Paul and I wanted to explore the shopping there, since we had only seen the inside of breweries. 

Unfortunately I decided to wear my sandals and the skies started looking ominous just as we got there. We are storing some stuff in bins in the Jeep so I looked for other footwear- I found Paul’s water shoes, which worked in a pinch. 

Good thing, too- my sandals would have never survived.

Our next destination was the Pagosa Springs area of Colorado, but we had to make a short pit stop in Farmington NM before we headed there.  The truck has a slow coolant leak and Farmington has Paul’s favorite Ford Dealership.

On the way there we stopped at Salmon Ruins to check it out.

These particular ruins are named for the Salmon family- they bought the land the ruins are on in the early 1900s and protected the ruins from treasure hunters.

The ancient buildings were built in about 1100 AD by very skilled stone masons, using the same techniques that were used in nearby Chaco Canyon. The effort and attention to detail is amazing- and the fact that they are still standing almost 1000 years later, is a testament to their abilities.

We finally made it to Pagosa Springs, where our original plans were to boondock at a highish elevation but it was quite warm out so we decided to stay at an RV park instead. Once we were settled, we set out to do some hiking and exploring.  We headed up Wolf Creek Pass, a very steep, high pass through the Colorado mountains. The last time we drove this road, we were towing the 5th wheel and the “Check brake system” light came on, while we were going down the hill.

We stopped at all the overlooks that we couldn’t stop at while towing, and hiked the short hike to Treasure Falls, along with a ton of other people.

At the summit, we stopped to take some pictures before heading back the way we came.

The view of Pagosa Springs as you approach from Wolf Creek Pass is one of my favorite views ever.

We only booked a short, two day stay in Pagosa, but we did manage to hike to two other waterfalls.  Silver Falls was a pretty nice waterfall, and there were no crowds of people.

                                That’s not to say we were alone, however.