We will be staying here in the Pagosa Springs area for a week because there are several scenic roads and trails we want to travel. The day after arriving it snowed off and on through the day with a high temperature in the low 40’s. Sure not what we had hoped for or expected. We stayed home and then the following day went in town to Pagosa Springs. The town is known for its Hot Springs. There are 2 resorts that have hot spring spas. One , The Springs, is right along the river and it is a beautiful area. The Springs Resort offers 18 soaking pools of "Naturally Hot Therapeutic Mineral Water" plus standard, deluxe, and grand hotel accommodations. The source of these mineral-rich waters is the famous Great Pagosa Aquifer...the world's largest and deepest hot mineral spring.

Pagosa Springs is a fast growing tourist location with many motels, restaurants and trinket shops as we like to call them. The San Juan river which runs alongside the hot springs is a source of recreation. We saw small kayaks riding the waves of the swift running river and floats of all shapes and sizes. It is a beautiful setting. There are also a number of RV parks. Recreation is big business in this area.

We made a special trip on Highway 160 to Durango. We expected it to be a very scenic drive and in fact it is listed as one in the atlas. However it was not very scenic. We have seen much more interesting sites. In fact on other days we found beautiful views as we hiked on the Ice Cave Ridge trail and the Piedra River trail. The first was a climb to the top of a mountain and the views there were spectacular. On the way we walked by the Ice Cave which are really a deep crevice that collects snow during the winter and as the snow melts it is trapped in the long narrow crevice and becomes ice. It was unusual to see this huge split in the earth surface.

On this same day we hiked along the Piedra River for about a mile through a most beautiful scenic area. Huge boulders have fallen down from the mountain side and tall pines and a babbling brook make this a most glorious representation of God’s creation.

Another day we hiked to Piedra Falls. We traveled several miles on a dirt road through unusual mountains. It was just a magnificent drive. After arriving in the parking lot we had quite a long hike up to the water fall. We saw and heard the stream of water that flows from the water fall. As we approached the water fall we marveled at the rock that makes up these mountains. It seems to be small to medium sized rocks that are held together with dirt. We are sure there is more to it than that but that is the way it looks. Seems like it would just wash away in the rain. Obviously not. The total effect of falls, with this short movie, is awesome.

We had lots of fun in Pagosa Springs despite the long trip to town from our campground. As we left we had to go back to town to get to the highway. Gene kept track of the time and it took us 45 minutes to travel the 10 miles on Washboard Road in the motor home. Our dishes almost jumped out of the cabinet. The temperatures here were in the 70’s during the day and mid 30’s in the mornings. Regular gas was $4.09 when we left and diesel $4.75.

May 23 Pagosa Springs, Co.
Late yesterday it began to snow here in Chama. We were concerned since we were leaving today to go to Pagosa Springs, CO. This morning it was still snowing off and on but not sticking to the highway. The temperature was just above freezing but the snow flakes were almost as big as a quarter at times. It did stick to the ground and trees when it was snowing but melted just as soon as it would let up.

We saw several RV’s go by on the highway and decided the roads must be ok. So we decided to leave. We had to go a few miles west and then turn north through a valley to Pagosa Springs. Just before we made the turn to go north it began to snow harder and stick on the windshield. We stopped at the first turnoff. We called the Visitors Center for a weather report as we did not know whether we had mountains to go through. We were told it was a valley with no steep inclines and with the temperatures expected to stay above freezing we should have no problems making it to Pagosa Springs. Soon the snow had subsided and we were back on the road. We really did not have any problems on the way but saw some beautiful snowy scenes.

We safely made it to Pagosa Springs. One problem…the campground where we have reservations is 20 miles from downtown Pagosa Springs and the last 10 of them are on a gravel road which we have renamed Washboard Road. There is no snow on the road but it is pretty much awful. We wonder what it is going to be like traveling this washboard the rest of this week. Our campground is up in the mountains with lots of hiking trails and scenic roads for us to enjoy. We have WIFI here and our cell phone even works….amazing. Here are a couple of the gorgeous views near our campground taken the next day. Notice the change in the weather.

May 16 thru May 22, Chama, NM
Our drive to Chama, NM continues through the mountains similar to around Santa Fe with beautiful views and unusual formations. We marvel at the gorgeous views and the beauty of God’s creation. At every turn in the highway there seems to be another unusual mountain and valley scene.

Chama is a very small town, population about 1,200. We are disappointed to find out we have NO internet service here in the Little Creel Cabins/RV Park which is just about a mile south of the town. It is very evident when arriving in this town that it is a tourist destination. The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad station is here and it is a popular tourist attraction. There is NO grocery store here. But there are at least 10 cabin/motel/hotels and even more restaurant/bars. There are a few gas stations and of course several gift shops. But no grocery store and none very close. We will be taking some scenic drives and hopefully will find a town with a grocery store. If not we will surely begin to clean out our frig/freezer and pantry. We did take our computer to town and were able to find a WIFI that we could bum off of. However that is not very handy so Sue is having a bad case of Internet withdrawal. She knew it was bound to happen sometime so she is adjusting. We are glad we will only be here for 1 week. Behind the RV Park is an open field with the Rio Chama, which mean Chama River, meandering along side of it. We found a tractor trail which we can walk on in the field. It is about a mile long, travels along the river, and ends up at a nice view of the river which is full and running very fast at this time due to snow melt from the nearby mountains.

On Sunday we attended church at a Baptist Church here in Chama. It was just a small church but had quite a few people in attendance. Monday we took Highway 7 up to Antonito, CO. We traveled through the San Juan Mountains with, still, lots of snow on them….more than we have seen anywhere else. This highway goes in the same direction as the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad. In fact we crossed the tracks on several occasions. We had planned to take that train ride but found out there season does not start till the day after we leave. We traveled through several settlements which look like they are mostly all summer homes. Some of them seem to be surrounded by water from the melting snow. We also saw several RV Parks. Antonito, 47 miles away from Chama, has a grocery store but we will be going to Farmington, which has a Wal-Mart, in a couple of days so we can get groceries then.
The mountains we drove through are not nearly as scenic as those south of Chama but the views of the snow covered valleys were beautiful.

On Wednesday we took Highway 64 west to Farmington and then drove southeast on a very large mesa and then down through a canyon. We, then, traveled back north through the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation which connects back to 64 and back to Chama. It was about a 250 mile trip, not very scenic but interesting. Just about 27 miles west of Chama is the nearest town, Dulce. Dulce has a grocery store but not much other retail shopping. So residents around Chama have to travel to Farmington for anything other than basics. It is 106 miles away. By the way, we did shop at Wal-Mart and stocked up for a while. This northeast part of New Mexico is very desolate. After leaving Dulce we begin to see oil wells and signs of oil production. It is more than just oil wells. We see small and larger fields of oil production equipment and barrels, most we could not figure out exactly what they are. But one thing we can tell is that oil production is big business here right now. It is a good thing because there is nothing else here but barren land. There are a very few small towns along the way but they are mostly abandoned and in disrepair. With it being so far to the only main city it seems not prudent to live in this desolate area. Farmington has a population of about 43,000. It is mostly engaged in the oil production industry and regional shopping and services for those who live in outlying areas.

May 1 thru May 15, 2008, still in Santa Fe, NM
During this time we did take a couple of side trips while here in Santa Fe. On Friday 5/2 we drove the Taos Circle. We stopped in the Plaza area of Taos. It is like most all old SW cities in that it has a town square called a Plaza. Nothing spectacular here though. We did drive west of Taos to the Rio Grande River Gorge. It is spectacular, like the Grand Canyon only on a much smaller scale. The bridge there is the 2nd largest in the US with a span of 1380 feet and is 650 feet above the river below.

On our way into the mountains we begin seeing signs of mining and found out the town of Questa has been the home of a Molybdenum Mine for many years with lots of problems and fines along the way. The mine is barely active no but the tailings from the mine are as big as the mountains around. Information about the mine and its problems can be found at http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id=5963 From there we headed north through the mountains to Red River, now a ski resort. The mountains in this area are beautiful and we were amazed at how much snow is still on them. Probably not enough to ski though.

We stopped in Eagles Nest, another ski resort town, to reminisce about a motorcycle trip we took on a July 4 long weekend in 2002. We stayed at a campground that was probably the most unkempt place we have ever stayed. It is still there but looks like they may have fixed it up some. Wow, what memories. As we traveled back through the valley we saw some very unusual rock formations and we drove by Mount Baldy where the Boy Scouts have a summer camp. Jeremiah went there with his dad, Gene, when he was 15. They climbed to the top during the days they were there. Today that seems like an awesome experience. This Taos Circle drive is a great day trip. If you are ever in the area we think you would enjoy it.

On May 9, we drove to the Jemez (pronounced heh-mez) Mountains. This too was a drive through beautiful, majestic mountains, however quite different than we have been seeing. The Jemez Mountains form the southernmost tip of the Rocky Mountains. The unusual features result from past volcanic activity - there are hot springs, sulphurous vents and a caldera - a ring of hills comprising the remains of several volcanoes. The most recent eruption was 50 to 60,000 years ago. But the hot spring and vents remind us that there is still much heat boiling beneath these mountains. The caldera, Spanish for caldron, is the result of the eruption and collapse of the crown. For more scientific and geological information go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valles_Caldera_National_Preserve.

The Jemez State Monument features the Giusewa (Gee-uh-seh-wuh) Pueblo, the Indian village first inhabited by the Jemez Indians in about 1500 A.D. The remains of this village include Kivas and other Indian living quarters surrounding a Plaza which was the center of their activities. This Kiva, in the picture, is much like the ones we saw earlier at Bandolier but the National Park service has completely rebuilt it and we were able to climb down inside and see what it was like there but not allowed to take pictures. In the plaza, women taught their daughters cooking skills and men taught their sons hunting skills and how to clean and preserve their catch. Children played and teens and adults chatted. It also was a marketplace where the people exchanged food or craft items with travelers from other pueblos or traders from far away regions very much like plazas are today. Another important use for the Plaza was the ceremonies to honor spiritual beings and to ask for blessings of sun, rain, fertile crops and healthy families. The remains of the buildings here are from 2 different time periods which were built one on top of another as the old buildings crumbled. The church was built in 1621 by a Franciscan priest whose mission was to teach and evangelize the Indians. Just 2 years later a fire destroyed much of the church and it was rebuilt and additions were made. Archeologists have found evidence of brightly colored adornments on the walls. Three different designs were discovered…one on top of another. For instance the earliest decoration, before the church burned, consisted of bold semicircles bordered by a broad red band below and flowers intertwined with vines and leaves above. Much of the remainder of the ruins were for living area for the several priests who lived here while ministering to the Indians. Evidence has detected a kitchen, living area, sleeping areas and a court yard in the ruins used primarily by the Priests and their helpers. Besides a gathering area, the court yard was used to grow fruit trees and vegetables for their consumption. In the valley below they also had fields of corn squash and beans. Wild game as well as domesticated animals provided meat as well as byproducts like skins, leather etc. The compound was a completely walled area for protection from invasion of enemies.

We enjoyed our time here in Santa Fe, population 63.000, except for the wind which blew nearly every day. We were told by some locals that the wind blowing so hard was unusual this year. The mobile home park we are in is quiet and located in the middle of the city so we can to get most anywhere in just a few minutes. We walked every day except the last one, due to rain, on a paved trail that ran alongside an arroyo. We parked our car at a small park and could walk on the trail either East or West for a mile and then back. The trail is uphill just enough to give us a good workout. We did enjoy having this walking trail, which is comparable to the one in Carlsbad but not as beautiful. This trail was used quite a bit by bicyclers so we had to be very careful to stay to the right side of the trail. As usual, when the time comes to leave, we are ready to move on and anticipating what we will see and do at the next stop.