SUN., AUG 14, 2022 thru SAT., AUG 20, 2022
Leaving Angel Fire, NM we once again traveled over the same 16-mile winding curvy switchback rode. But, since it was the second go around, it was better than last time. Then we traveled over the Rio Grande Gorge again, which we visited when we were in Taos. A pretty ride!
We traveled 113 miles north and arrived in Alamosa, Colorado at Cool Sunshine RV Resort on Sunday with the ‘family’ pod which includes sis Linda & brother Andy. Nice campground although we did notice after the first night that we hear trains regularly… particularly at 6 AM. Luckily we like trains!
Elevation is 7,545 ft. First time in this state! Looking forward to 7 weeks of exploring Colorado.
Monday morning first thing Gary dropped our truck off for servicing and got a ride back from Andy. Then we enjoyed mimosas and Bloody Marys outside with everyone. Gary abstained and Joe & I had a mimosa while Cheryl, Linda, & Andy enjoyed a Bloody Mary… but only one! Then the mini pod (Cheryl, Joe, Gary and I) headed into historic downtown Alamosa for a walking tour. Impressive town considering there’s only 10,000 people. Sculptures featuring artists from around the country were all over town in an art-on-loan program.
While on our self-guided walking tour we learned the President of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad was responsible for the creation of the town back in 1878. He needed to have an adequate layover for folks traveling his railroad, and chose this area because it’s between two mountain ranges and near a bend in the mighty Rio Grande hence the town was born. Regarding the name Alamosa… it means “cottonwood” in Spanish and there are a lot of Cottonwood trees around the area… thus the name.
Also while on our walk, I unfortunately took a tumble. I was taking a photo (imagine that!) and stepped backwards without looking. A landscape designer in his/her infinite wisdom put a decorative rock about 3 feet out from an informational large sign. I didn’t see it and fell over it. I got a little scraped up and a bruised ego but other than that, all good. Lesson learned? Look around me before moving with the iPhone to take a picture!
We discovered a cute restaurant on our walk about town. It is a converted church and the rectory is an upscale bar. We made a mental note for the family pod to come back for a dining experience later in the week.
On Tuesday and Wednesday we played card games in the afternoon with the family pod plus Linda and I headed into town one morning for a hair cut.
On Thursday, August 18th, Linda & Andy were going to golf and the mini pod visited Great Sand Dunes National Park which has the tallest dunes in North America at 750 ft. This was our primary reason for visiting Alamosa. The dunes cover an area of over 30 square miles (massive) and are set against a backdrop of the Sangre de Christo mountains. Just beautiful. Once parked, to reach the dunes you first must wade across the wide and shallow Medano Creek. Cheryl & Gary took their shoes off first. Joe & I kept ours on but took them off on the return trip across the creek after the other two raved about the soft sand between their toes. A magical few hours exploring the dunes. No trails… just wander at will! We parked away from the visitors area and saw few people on our excursion. Fabulous experience! One of the highlights of our RVing adventure! Some photos are compliments of both Cheryl and Joe!
In the evening the family pod headed out to the restaurant that the mini pod had found earlier in the week on our walk downtown. We had drinks at “The Sanctuary” and dinner next door at “Friar’s Fork” in Alamosa. Both spaces were once part of the St Thomas Episcopal Church, built in 1930, and recently re-purposed as this lovely Italian restaurant and bar with exotic cocktails. We weren’t in love with our “exotic cocktails.” Over priced and Gary makes me a better gin & tonic at home! But the atmosphere in “The Sanctuary” was charming and dinner at “Friar’s Fork” was delicious. Our server was the daughter of the owners. Her mom was the chef. A delightful experience and our meals were superb! Afterwards we played “Golf” (card game) in the clubhouse and I was the big loser!
Our last few days in Alamosa, CO consisted of a fierce Cornhole competition on Friday; the girls walking to the local Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning, which was quite impressive for a small town; and a delicious dinner on Saturday night at the Hannafords with a Russian theme. C&J are pros at themed dinners! Gary & I also got in some chores such as laundry, grocery shopping, topping off on fuel, and Gary working on a rather complicated update to our water filtration system. He’s always doing something that man of mine.
Tomorrow we move to Lathrop State Park, in Walsenburg CO.
Love your attention to detail Miss Teresa, both in words and pictures. Flattered you chose one of mine for the banner. That shot reminds me of the first Star Wars movie. There’s a scene I believe where C3PO and R2D2 are cresting a sand dune. (But I might be making that up.)
Hello Joseph! Thank you for the kind words! You, too, manage the attention-to-detail very nicely in your posts! Loved that photo of the 3 of us at the top of the dune! Thank you for taking it! The Star Wars scene you are remembering is no doubt legit! You have an encyclopedia mind for these things! Hugs!