Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam--Pt. 3


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North America » United States » Colorado » Durango
September 28th 2013
Published: October 9th 2013
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Alamosa to Wolf Creek pass, over the Continental Divide to Pagosa Springs. Then to Chimney Rock and on to Durango.

Wolfcreek Pass in the distanceWolfcreek Pass in the distanceWolfcreek Pass in the distance

Yes, they had snow up there and it will stay there now until next spring/summer. The pass had been closed briefly a day earlier when it snowed, but they quickly got it plowed and opened up.
We went to leave Julie and Geno but had two glitches: first, the water hose was frozen...solid. So I carefully unscrewed it, carried it around to the sunny side of the coach, and put it on a dark tarp to thaw. It took about an hour, but melted enough that we could blow in one end and have ice shards come out the other. Then I re-attached it to the faucet and put about 2/3 of a tank of fresh in the RV so if it got cold again, I wouldn't need to use an outside hose. The other glitch was our transmission: it was hard to shift. Geno called a neighbor who was a mechanic and he came right over. Seems we were down a bit on transmission fluid, so he got a special funnel and a quart of fluid, poured it in and then, after running the engine a bit, it seemed much better. With gratitude to Geno and his mechanic, we finished packing and were off.

Our trip took us up the the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Pass, 10,850 feet. There was snow up there and the two lane road up was steep. Fortunately, there were
O..M..G!!  (Glad Trish is driving, I think)O..M..G!!  (Glad Trish is driving, I think)O..M..G!! (Glad Trish is driving, I think)

At the summit, you are adequately warned that the downhill is steep. Really? 9 miles of 7% downgrade....in 2nd gear....on the brakes pumping....sweating....clenching teeth.
two lanes most of the way up, but that didn't keep one driver from sitting on our rear bumper and then blasting his air horn when we got into a tunnel and then passing us. Jerk. Coming down, we had two lanes all the way, but trucks (and by definition, RV's hauling cars) were advised to keep it to under 25 MPH. Trish had the RV in 2nd and pumped the brakes the whole way. About 2/3 of the way down, we started smelling the brakes. First time we ever had that!! It was beautiful, but unnerving. Some cars and small trucks raced past us. Most all the trucks kept it to 25 or below.

When we reached the bottom, we were almost to Pagosa Springs. This was our destination. It is a small town with hot springs coming out of the ground and several hot spring bathing places. One, Healing Waters, was a motel with RV sites. It sounded good and we hoped they had room. Turns out our information was date; they did not have 8 RV sites, only 4. But they did have an opening which we quickly grabbed for 3 nights. The site was narrow
Sunset in Pagosa SpringsSunset in Pagosa SpringsSunset in Pagosa Springs

The mountains of Wolfcreek Pass light a beautiful red as the sun sets. We watched this view from the soaking tub at the Healing Waters Spa complex where we were camping.
and relatively short, but had a full hook-up, complete with cable TV. We leveled the coach, got set up, then decided to see what the springs were like.

Our hotel/RV park/hot spring had 3 separate areas: a LARGE pool heated to 85-90 degrees, an outside soaking tub heated to 100-105 degrees, and segregated Male/Female bathing tubs indoors that were at 105-110 degrees. We had changed into swim suits and headed first to the outside soaking tub. After the tension of the drive over the Divide, this was relaxing and good. We were surrounded by trees just starting to change color and enjoyed chatting with other patrons. After a restful soak, we headed to the large pool and proceeded to do some water aerobics to loosen up, swim a bit, and just soak and enjoy. All the pools have a slight sulfurous smell, but you learn to ignore it. Finally, relaxed and tired, we went back to the RV to fix dinner. After dinner we walked across a bridge into town and looked at quaint shops, small businesses, and back across the river to the large Pagosa Springs complex. It was a delightful walk and between the soaking and the
Chimney RockChimney RockChimney Rock

Monument Rock (on the left) and Chimney Rock are quite prominent as you approach. This is a National Monument preserving an historic archeological site of the Anasazi.
walking, we were ready to sleep that night.

Our fee for camping was $42 a night. But it included unlimited use of the hot spring. Since a daily unlimited pass would have cost $13 each, I looked at the cost as $15 for camping, since we would have paid the $13 if we had stayed elsewhere. We got our money's worth as the next day, we went in three different times. We checked across the street at the Pagosa Springs complex and they wanted a minimum of $24 each and we would not have access to all the pools. We looked at the pools and the folks who were staying there and decided that the more simple set up we had suited us better. It was really a very restful couple of days enjoying an ambiance we haven't had since we were in Japan and staying at an Onsen inn.

Finally we needed to move on, so on Monday, September 30, we headed on west to Chimney Rock National Monument. This was the northernmost outpost for the Ancient Ones (Anasazi) who lived in this region long ago and then disappeared. We opted to pay for a guided tour
Largest dwelling built in 2 phasesLargest dwelling built in 2 phasesLargest dwelling built in 2 phases

You can clearly see the vertical line where the dwelling was added on to. This was at the top of the living area prior to reaching Monument Rock. No one knows why, but it is clear that something prompted the ancient ones to put on an addition.
to the highest point (protected, sacred ground and only people on guided tours are allowed in this area.) We then drove about 2 miles up the mountain to the parking area and walked the self-guided tour of the lower "village" area where several huts have been excavated and it is possible to see how villagers lived. There were clear outlines of "huts" and the large Kiva (ceremonial chamber) were present. Small signs explained what archeologists "think" happened here and why they are important. Because there was no written language, it is difficult to really know. We marveled that people would have lived in this arid climate and somehow flourished. The short 1/3 mile trail ended back at the parking lot and it was now time for the guided hike.

This was the last day the monument was officially open for the season. (Also the last day the government was open, it turned out.) We had over 25 hikers in our group. The leader was a volunteer who really knew her history and archeology. She led us in short spurts from site to site as we climbed over 200 feet up in a quarter mile. It was steep and at
Giant Kiva and living quartersGiant Kiva and living quartersGiant Kiva and living quarters

This kiva was twice as large as the one on the lower level. And compared to the small ones we saw at Manitou Cliffs, this is awesome. But what was it for????
times the path was narrow and you could see down the edge, over 700 feet down. But it never seemed dangerous. Each stop we learned more of the culture and the role this particular site played in their culture and religion. Finally we reached a point where the trail became very steep and the large rocks that served as steps were more than Trish felt comfortable with. She opted to not continue and slowly hiked back down while I continued on. At the top, we learned that this site possibly had a "line of sight" opportunity to communicate with the Anasazi in Chaco Canyon. Experiments had been conducted and using mirrors, signals had been flashed to that related community by volunteers trying to prove a theory. We got great pictures of the giant Kiva and Chimney Rock, then descended to the parking lot.

We pushed on to Durango and pulled into a campground recommended by someone at the soaking tub in Pagosa Springs the previous night. It was a lovely campground north of town and the Durango-Silverton Steam train whistled through twice in the morning on the way up and twice in the evening on the way home. It
Faces on Monument RockFaces on Monument RockFaces on Monument Rock

From the top of the living area, you can see "faces" on the sides of Monument Rock. Some looked like tortured souls, others more magical.
was exciting and fun to watch the train puffing through the campsite loaded with excited tourists.

Tuesday we relaxed bit, then headed into Durango to get our tickets and check out the town. Right behind the station is the train museum with wonderful memorabilia and a number of spectacular exhibits. They have an old fire engine, a Hupmobile, train engines and passenger cars, and a mock up mail car (made of balsa wood) and used in the movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." (This was one of the mail cars that didn't blow up.) There was a huge exhibit of military figures (toy soldiers) going back to the Revolution and going up to modern times.

We later walked up and down the main street and there is more than just tourist shops with trinkets; there were camping stores, outfitters with good clothing, book stores and coffee shops. We did more Christmas shopping and finally bought some lunch and headed back to the campground. We had our tickets for the next day and wanted to have a good night's sleep.

Wednesday morning we got up early and had a good breakfast then caught the FREE trolley that
Train rumbling through campgroundTrain rumbling through campgroundTrain rumbling through campground

The schedule for the train is remarkably consistent. So about 10 minutes prior to the arrival of the train, people gather along the tracks to see it go through and wave. This was taken from our camp site.
picked us up in front of the campground. It took us to the train station where we boarded the train for our trip. Suffice to say, it was a great trip. We took over 170 pictures, so to do credit to that trip, I've decided to put the trip itself in a separate posting.

When we got back to the campground about 6 PM, our good friends, Carol and Ned Gatzke, were waiting, camped right next to us. We've known Carol since she and I taught junior high school in 1969 and often camped together both in our VW buses and while canoeing. Carol met Ned at Grad School and they have lived in Wisconsin ever since. We stopped to see them this spring after our daughter's wedding. They were on their way back from the Grand Canyon, where they had just spent 5 days hiking rim to rim. We were very pleased to see them and spend an evening and morning with them. We went out for dinner that night and then fixed a big breakfast for them before they had to head back to Wisconsin. We know they were excited to get going since they had gotten
Fire Engine at Durango Train MuseumFire Engine at Durango Train MuseumFire Engine at Durango Train Museum

This is only one of the many exhibits in the museum. Overhead was an old aeroplane looking like an experimental hang glider with a lawn mower engine. But is was a part of the history of flight.
a call the night before that they were now new grandparents for the 2nd time. Congratulations to daughter Erin!


Additional photos below
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Inside old train Inside old train
Inside old train

This train was available to all to sit and see what it was like. All the controls were labeled and in great shape. The volunteers at this museum do a great job of restoring all their equipment.
HERE SHE COMES!!HERE SHE COMES!!
HERE SHE COMES!!

It is possible to get VERY close as the train comes south from Silverton. You hear the whistle off in the distance and both sides of the track are crowded with photographers, well wishers, and excited kids.
THERE SHE GOES!THERE SHE GOES!
THERE SHE GOES!

The train chugs along at about 17 MPH, but puts out a lot of soot and cinders and when needed, steam, as the engineer vents the boilers.
44 year of friendship and camping44 year of friendship and camping
44 year of friendship and camping

Carol and Ned (van on left) and us have camped together for almost 44 years. We visited them this spring in Wisconsin and were very pleased they could spend a night with us in Durango as they traveled from the Grand Canyon (yes, they got in) to get back home to see a new grandson.


9th October 2013

Great photos
As usual the story is interesting and the photos were great too!

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