COLORADO

WOW!

In 2005, I moved to Colorado after the Forest Park house was sold.

I bought land in Southern Colorado in 2000 while living in Hawaii.

I had intended to build, but living in another state would have made it

difficult to oversee.  I decided that buying a house would make more

sense in the long run.  

It was winter when I saw the land for the first time, in 2000.  

This is what it looked like at that time.  It was magnificent.  It was

located in Zapata, at the foothills of Mt. Blanca, 14,000 ft. above

sea level.  It was 26 miles from Alamosa in the San Luis Valley

between two mountain ranges.  

The land in the spring of 2005.  I was there house hunting.

One of the deciding factors for house hunting vs. building.  This

was found after the thaw.  I wasn't keen on being on the food

chain while emptying the trash.  Alamosa here I come.

It's a cute town, and was a railroad pass through from Pueblo in

the east to Durango in the west.  The railroad is still prominent,

but trucks rule the roads.  It is also a college town, home of

Adams State College.

It's  a real town like the old days.  Not a strip mall anywhere.

Well, that's not entirely true.  They referred to the Walmart as

"the mall".  People from neighboring towns come for miles to

stock up with supplies, especially during winter when the roads

are inaccessible.  Some so far away that they bought frozen

foods and packed them in dry ice to make it home.

I looked at many houses, but decided on this property.  The homes

in town are pretty close together.  This was a two lot property.

There is a huge parking area from the street to this fence line.

I liked that it was set back away from the street.

It was a Pueblo style house built in the 30's.  It sat on one third

of the lot.   

This was our Six Plex theatre.  They even showed the Oscar

nominated films each year.

The Great Sand Dunes National Park.  It's hard  believe but what

you're looking at is sand.  Miles of it, wind swept into this  huge 

mountain.  It sits in the middle of the valley.  My land was at

it's doorstep. 

All year long people try to climb to the top.  I say try, because very

few make it. The higher up, the harder it becomes.  The sand starts

to give way with each step.  So, you give up, turn around and realize

how far you have to go to get down.  Been there, done that, twice.

Mt. Blanca , winter

Mt. Blanca, spring

San Luis Mountains 

Yes, these are alligators.  There is an Alligator Farm in the valley.

The valley is filled with hot springs.  There are a lot of Spas, and

public swimming pools, all year long.  This strange attraction was

the result of  the rage for alligator bags and shoes when they were 

in fashion.  It has  since been turned into a reptile zoo.  Hundreds of

gators of all sizes reside there, along with snakes and lizards of all 

kinds.  In the middle of mountains of snow.

There are three ways in or out of the valley.  This is LaVeta Pass,

coming in from the east.  You come in from the top along treacherous

winding roads.  It's very scary during winter, but nowhere as scary

as coming out at Wolf Creek Pass, which is even higher and a

steeper decline towards Durango.  There's a smoother way out

going south towards New Mexico through the center of the valley.

LaVeta Pass during spring.  

  

Roadway through the middle of the valley

Creede, one of the many towns scattered through the valley.

This one is unique.  It was an old mining town.  One way in, 

one way out.  Winding roads along the Rio Grande River ends

up in a sliver of a town.  It leads into a crack in the mountains 

where the silver mines have become an attraction.  

This was John Wayne's favorite place.  It was said that he 

would hangout here for weeks between movies.  No one  

bothered him.  He mentioned Creede in his last movie, 

"The Shootist".  Creede also is known for one of the countrys 

 best theatre companies, and has a Five Star  Restaurant

in the Creede Hotel.  I availed myself to both of these plus

a rafting trip on my 53rd birthday.   It was  also one of my 

favorite places to go.

Forest outside of Monte Vista, a neighboring town

Art museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Taos, New Mexico

My favorite over the border destination

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs

Cliff Dwellings, Colorado Springs

Seven Falls, Colorado Springs

As you can see, there's a lot to see in Colorado Springs.

If I had to do it over, this is where I would have lived.

Lots to do and lots to see.  The famous Pikes Peak is

located here also.

Wild flowers in the valley.  The San Luis Valley is nicknamed

the "Banana Belt".  You can grow anything there.  It's an agriculture

miracle.  Frozen most of the year gives way to an abundance of

growth.  Everything from carrots, lettuce, and the king of them all,

potatoes.  Potato farming is huge.  Workers come from all over for

harvest in September, October.  Growing season, for farms and 

gardens is short.  The strangest and most remarkable is Hollyhocks

growing wild in the cracks of sidewalks, along buildings, anywhere

they can get a foothold.  God works in mysterious ways.

What I miss the most, the mountains, in winter...

...and spring

No matter the season, every turn, every direction, awesome beauty.

I always referred to it as the "wow factor".  It was the same in Hawaii.

In Colorado, you can see for miles without obstruction.  The views are

breath taking.  I remember coming out of Walmart, as I have in different

cities and states, and never have said, as I look to the snow capped mountains,

"WOW"

2013


PS  When I hear people here in Georgia say "IT'S SO COLD", I laugh.
Try waking up to 25 degrees below zero.  Frozen pipes, banks of snow
blocking driveways from snow plows, and never enough heat to keep
warm.  At Wolf Creek Pass, there's a ski resort.  You would think they
would welcome snow.  Try an overnight  snowfall of 82 inches.
Alamosa is famous for being the coldest city in the USA.
You have to be hardy to withstand Colorado winters.  I'm just a
Southern girl with a closet full of T-shirts and shorts.  Three winters,
was enough for me.  Like the deer I see in my backyard,  I high-tailed
right out of there.