Day Ten

I got up at 7:00 and went for a run around the area. This time instead of staying by the river, I went back into one of the neighborhoods. I encountered a couple of monster hills, but since I was going to be in the car all day, I told myself it didn’t matter. This might be the only exercise I get all day!

When I got back to the hotel, I took a soak in the mineral waters and spent some time in the steam room. Then it was time to shower, pack, and after some coffee at a coffee shop by the river, we headed south. Our plan was to get into the Black Range by evening. I had wanted to stay at the Black Range Lodge in Kingston for years, so we figured we’d start in that direction and see how things worked out.











We stopped in Chromo to get a picture of an old school that had caught my eye on the drive up.











Ridiculously pretty skies! Too bad I got a part of the car window in this one.


And we stopped for a picnic lunch at Echo Amphitheater—a natural stone formation that is part of the New Mexico state parks system.











The cliff overlooking the amphitheater.











The amphitheater.











Nice spot for a picnic.











Looking up from inside the stone amphitheater. Speak or clap and you'll get a perfect echo!











Trees can grow anywhere!











It was quite a contrast to get back to the desert after a couple days where everything was so green. We hit temps as high as 100, but I far prefer 100 here in the desert to 85 or 90 back home where it’s so humid your clothes stick to your body.











A key to long car trips is to pack appropriate road food!











A mural on a desert water tower.











We got within sight of the Black Range by 5:00, which was perfect. I had been concerned that we might have to drive through the mountains, which can be pretty scary and dangerous. But all was well, I called and got us a room at The Black Range Lodge, and as I had hoped, we had our pick of rooms in this big old rambling place. It's busier on weekends and in high season, but Monday night is perfect if you want to have the place to yourself.











A building in Kingston, Black Range.











One of our hosts.











So we’re settled in for the night in a cool old B&B in the mountains, and tomorrow we’ll knock around the area a bit and perhaps camp at City of the Rocks, if it’s not too windy.

Day Nine

I got up early and went for a run, followed by a soak in the hot springs. Very nice! Then we checked out of our first hotel here and hurried up to the Chimney Rock ruins, where we caught the 10:30 tour. I wasn’t too crazy about taking a guided tour, but there was no option for a self-tour, so we paid our $5 apiece and put up with the lectures about corn and kivas.

The ruins and the scenery were great, though.











View from the visitor center.











The Great Kiva.











A row of pit houses.











Nice views from up here!











Rocky outcrops near the ridge line.











Amazing what will grow here.











Very tenacious!











Far below is a modern farm.











And above, a kiva and other ruins.











Above, we can see Chimney Rock and Companion Rock in the distance.











A closer view of Chimney Rock and Companion Rock.











View from the ruins at the summit.











The kiva at the summit.











Another view of the kiva.

After the tour, we headed back into town where we picked up some lunch at a deli and ate it at a local park. We saw a really cool squirrel while we were there—it had big ears that made it look like a cross between a squirrel and a rabbit. Unfortunately, rabbit-squirrels are very shy and I couldn’t get a picture.











I had no trouble getting a picture of this old cart, though.

After lunch we got checked into the spa and then went for a drive to where there is still a lot of snow near Wolf Creek.











For folks like us from the Gulf Coast, this is a lot of snow!











It was twenty degrees cooler up here!











There was snow at the higher elevations in New Mexico, but not like this!











Looks like Christmas!











Scenic overlook on the way back toward town.











A lone tree at the overlook.

One of the scarier things we saw at this particular overlook was a flower shrine on a fence and a cross in the woods. There was nothing to indicate what particular tragedy occurred, but the location of the items suggested something other than car accidents.

Upon our return to the hotel, we went for a walk in town.











I took several pictures of this cute little church.











The view from the church toward town and our spa.

After our walk I had a two hour spa treatment consisting of an herbal wrap followed by a massage. After that I no longer knew my own name, let alone what I wanted for dinner, so we went to a Mexican place within walking distance and I had some shrimp. I’ve had better, but the price and location were acceptable, so I’m not complaining.

Tonight we’re unsure just what to do with the rest of the week. We need to be back in Texas no later than Wednesday night in order to be home by Friday night. That means we need to start heading south tomorrow, but we’re having trouble coming up with a plan that we like. The roads that go where we want to go are too small and slow, and the places we want to camp are too hot. We'd rather not retrace our steps, but it's beginning to look like an option. It's either that or spend the next couple days in eastern New Mexico and West Texas, which are two different versions of a similar hell.

We’re both tired, so I guess we’ll sleep on it and see if we have an idea in the morning.

Day Eight

I’m writing tonight from my new favorite town— Pagosa Springs, Colorado!

How’d we end up here? Glad you asked! This morning I was pondering our dilemma—I wanted to leave but it was too soon to head south and it was going to be too hot to camp. Then I remembered we’d never been to the northern part of New Mexico. We looked at the map and called up some sites on my father’s slow dialup connection, one thing led to another and we decided we wanted to go to Pagosa Springs. It’s near wildlife refuges, near Indian ruins, and it’s got mineral waters, so what wasn’t to like?

The trip out started uneventfully enough, and I didn't bother with pictures. But once we got north of Espanola, things just got better and better.











These red cliffs were incredible to see.











They were just amazing!











Kind of like a layer cake.











One wonders just what is in these layers of sediment piled up over the ages.











Going into the valley.











Little town with mountains in the distance.












Still a lot of snow at the higher elevations.











They got snow in northern New Mexico as recently as a few weeks ago!











Such cute little towns!











And the valleys are nice to look at, too.











The cows seem to enjoy the vistas, too.











Almost like a postcard!











This mountain appears to be missing a piece.

My pictures don’t do the scenery justice. It was just absurdly beautiful, like there ought to be a law or something.

We got to Pagosa Springs around 5:00 and got checked into our hotel. It’s an okay hotel, but we’ve got a room at one of the less expensive spas booked for tomorrow. That didn’t stop Dan from soaking in the mineral waters while I got a massage, though.

But first, we went for a walk.












Pagosa Springs has a little riverwalk.











Nice views on the riverwalk.











Opportunities to make friends abound.











And you can even contemplate art.

After the spa, we had dinner at a nice place that serves up some tasty Mediterranean-style dishes and a deadly baklava for dessert. Luckily my baklava was much smaller than Dan’s. That’s why I ate it so quickly. Or at least that’s the story I’m sticking with!

The plan for tomorrow is to go back to the spa in the morning where I’ll go for a run while Dan hangs out and waits. Then we’ll both soak in the mineral waters before going back to our hotel and packing. We’ll visit the Chimney Rock Indian ruins, then check into our spa motel after and I’ll maybe get another massage or some other type of treatment like an herbal wrap or salt rub. Then more soaking, dinner, and we’ll be all set to head back south on Monday.