Not the baseball team, the mountains! A day on the US Highway 160 along the San Juan National Forest until we reach our next stop, the absolutely great sand dunes :)
Pagosa Springs, a town in southwest Colorado known for its hot springs. It’s surrounded by the rugged San Juan Mountains and vast areas of national forest. The San Juan River, with its abundant trout, runs through town. Hot springs come up everywhere and make it even possible to have a bath on the river’s edge in November.The new mineral mound (The original fountain at the Springs Resort started as a fountain with a lower rim where folks could feel and collect the waters. After a half century it is now a huge mound. It and the town’s fountain mound have become the image for Pagosa Springs. They are the most photographed locations in town and appear in many media outlets.)Parts of the original spring, just outside the resort next to the river.Pagosa Main Street (Hwy 160).Somewhere on the road, the most idyllic house with a white picket fence and a happy horse.Must be nice to have a farm here.Ranch gate romantic. Not a thing anywhere else in the world, I think. But here, a beautiful ranch gate tells it all.Dreamy hillside community.After Pagosa Springs US160 goes northeast and crosses the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Pass, the area made popular in 1975 in C.W. McCall’s album Wolf Creek Pass.We had no idea what Colorado would look like but are stunned by the architectural diversity, especially the barn culture.After Del Norte we leave US160 and go straight east, through the little forgotten town of Mosca.Rustic and freshly painted charm.Out of the car window – photography.The last long stretch, I can see the dunes in the distance already.Nearly there. The sun gives us a last golden good-bye.Checking in at the Sand Dunes Lodge, not the most modern place but they had the BEST pillows so far (not to hard or overfilled, just great to sink your head into)!Oh deer! Camera battery has emptied sooner than expected, rest of the day is mobile shots!The wind was excruciating, every limb freezing to the bone.Despite the warm colors, this was the coldest evening in days.We now feel the urge to go south sooner, quicker than we planned.Wading through the sand barefoot is not an option. In summer, the Medano Creek might be refreshing, now it’s just that little bit wind that’s too much.All that haze? Flying sand.At least, with the mobile phone I’m not tempted to change the lenses in that cold sanding.Good night, cool dunes!
