Wandering Retirees

Sorry for the delay in posting but our days were really full then our energy ran out. Yes, we’re taking the senior’s way out.

Nevertheless, we’re back tonight.

On Sunday the 7th we left Walsenburg, CO on US 160 heading to Pagosa Springs to visit Bruce and Terri Anderson. He is an old friend from High School (possible redundancy there). He and Terri suggested several “don’t miss” stops along the way so we took them.

For our first stop, we took County Road 150, off of US 160, north to the Great Sand Dunes National Park to see a true wonder. I usually think of sand dunes as shore attractions. These dunes were formed at over 6,000 feet above sea level. A combination of prevailing winds from the southwest have carried grains of sand hundreds of miles to be trapped by mountain cliffs. The tallest dunes are more than 750 feet tall and they continue to shift with the winds. Water is involved, too, in shaping and maintaining these dunes in an almost magical way. Take a peek at the website sponsored by the National Park Service. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.

When done gawking, we returned to US 160 which took us through Lasamos where we stopped for lunch at the Mammoth Spud Cafe and dined on fancy, stuffed spuds. 🥔 I’m not usually a fan but we truly enjoyed our meal. The owners are Les and Amanda who make their living with the cafe and an RV park they own a few miles away. It seems they really enjoy their life even as busy as it is.

Back to US 160 through South Fork to Wolf Creek Pass at 10,800 feet. It’s a fun ride with lots of twisties and a pleasantly chilly after the heat of the valley below. There’s a ski resort close by, but there’s been precious little snow the last two years, so no snow pack or spring skiing. And since snow pack is key to the water supply through the Colorado River system for millions of people in the south west, this is a problem. There’s been a little rain so far this year, so we noticed how green and verdant (redundant again) the country side looked on the west side of the pass. Going from semi-arid to green was striking,

We made Pagosa Springs in mid-afternoon, climbed off the bike and enjoyed Bruce and Terri’s hospitality. They have a beautiful home in the hills above town that they share with their indoor cats and about a thousand critters outside of all shapes, colors and sizes.

Bruce, a retired National Forest Service expert, and Terri, a biologist by training, kept us enthralled with expertise with the critters, from two species of chipmunks, several of squirrels, magpies, finches, orioles, tanagers, even turkeys and elk.

They are just plain kind and generous. Bruce has had some health challenges but seems on the mend. And they’re both eager to wander a bit themselves and see what there is to see.

So, yesterday was a non riding day, and today we headed out to reach Cortez, CO which will set us up for two days of wonderful riding, including the Million Dollar Highway, one of my all time favorites. Our route took us down US 84 and west on US 64 through New Mexico. Pretty blustery but not bad. The landscape has returned (from our perspective) to semi-arid, but lots of pretty. We passed Mesa Verde park on our way. We’re not sure we can visit it again this trip. We will just have to see.

We stopped at the local Walmart to pickup supplies for supper and now it’s time to eat. Absolutely.

Have a great night! More tomorrow.