4 Mountain Passes and a Big Sand Box

Note: The activities described below occurred on Thursday, July 11, 2019.

A busy day awaited us today, so we woke early and headed north through Raton Pass. At 7,834 feet, it is the lowest of the 4 mountain passes we would visit this day. It is a nice, easy drive through Raton Pass, and once you climb down on the north slope, you are in Trinidad, Colorado. We stopped for coffee and a snack, then hopped back on I-25. Normally when going to Crippled Creek, we stay on I-25 to Pueblo, but we had other plans today, so we exited onto US 160 at Walsenberg and headed west into the mountains.

US 160 is a good highway, with frequent passing lanes. I would not hesitate to pull a travel trailer on this route. As we left Walsenberg, we made note of Lathrop State Park on the north side of the highway. Should we ever come this way in an RV, that would be a good place to spend a few days. 

Before long, the Spanish Peaks appeared on our left (south). We've seen them from I-25 as we head north and south, but never this close. There are 2 peaks. The west peak rises to 13,626 feet while the east peak rises to 12,683 feet. As a point of trivia, West Spanish Peaks is the second highest easternmost peak in the US, second only to nearby Pikes Peak. The Spanish Peaks were important landmarks on the Santa Fe Trail, and would lead travelers through this rugged country and mark the way to Raton Pass.

The Spanish Peaks rise high above the surrounding countryside. It is easy to see how they could be such a prominent landmark to early travelers. Photo taken from north/northeast

Spanish Peaks from north/northwest

Shortly after passing the Spanish Peaks, we began climbing towards LaVeta Pass in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The pass reaches 9,413 feet. There really wasn't anywhere to safely stop at the top of the pass to take pictures, so I have none of this area. As I understand, there are really 2 or 3 passes in this area, depending on how you count: Old LaVeta Pass (9,380 feet) is sometimes called simply LaVeta Pass, and is the original route of early settlers and a railroad; New LaVeta Pass (9,413 feet) is officially called LaVeta Pass, and is the route our highway followed; and Veta Pass (9,220 feet). Officially, Veta Pass is the highest active railroad pass in North America, with active being the operative word here.

The climb to LaVeta Pass from the east is long and gradual, while the descent from the west side is much less dramatic. Certainly for me, the east side is much more interesting. But all of the countryside is impressive. "Awesome" is an overused term today in my opinion, but it is an appropriate word for this country. 

We continued on down the west side of the pass. The good road continued, and we passed through the interesting small village of Fort Garland, then Blanco, before turning north on Highway 150 to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. I'll cover the park in my next entry, so I'll just skip along at this time.

After visiting the park, we headed west on Lane 6 to its intersection with Highway 17. This north/south road runs the length of the San Luis Valley. The headwaters of the Rio Grande can be found in this general area. We passed through here last September on our way from Cripple Creek to Santa Fe, so I'll not discuss it at this time.

Heading north in the San Luis Valley towards Poncha Pass on Highway 17.

At the north end of the valley, we merge with US 285, then head north through Poncha Pass, our third mountain pass of the day. Again, we passed through this 9,010 foot mountain pass last September where I snapped a couple of pictures. 

File photo from Poncha Pass from September 2018 trip through area. This view looks north from the pass.

At Poncha Springs, we turned east for a few miles to stop in Salida for a break. We then drove through the historic downtown section and followed the Arkansas River back to US 285. At Johnson Village, US 285 veers northeast, away from the Arkansas River. 

At Antero Junction, we turned due east on US 24. Traffic was extremely heavy this day, as all traffic on surrounding roads had been detoured onto our highway. We began climbing toward our next -- and final -- mountain pass of the day, Wilkerson Pass. At 9,504 feet, this was the highest pass we traversed for the day. The location is wonderful. There is a Forest Service visitor center, so it is a great place to stop, stretch your legs, enjoy the sights, and take a break. To the west, there are views of over half a dozen 14,000 foot peaks, while Pikes Peak (14,115 feet) dominates the view to the east. 

View of some fourteeners west of Wilkerson pass.

More distant mountains southwest of Wilkerson Pass.

Looking west from Wilkerson pass

Pikes Peak, many miles east of Wilkerson Pass

After a short break, we resumed our trek. We were almost to our final destination. We continued east on US 24 to Florissant, where we turned south on Teller County Road 1 for the final 20 or so miles to Cripple Creek. On our right (west), we noticed the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Ah, another destination for another trip. And that is sort of how we operate. As we travel, we make note of possible future destinations, then work them in to future trips. That is precisely how our visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park came about.

But I'm getting ahead of myself . . . .

As we pulled in to Cripple Creek, I was tired. Driving up and down and around in the mountains is a bit stressful at times, and it had been a long day. We were looking forward to settling into our room and relaxing for a few days and doing a bit of gaming at one of our favorite casinos, Bronco Billy's.

For those of you who like to follow along on a map, here is the route we took for this day of travel.

Raton, NM, to Cripple Creek, CO, via 4 mountain passes.

Capulin Volcano National Monument

On our latest trip, Donna and I returned to one of our favorite gaming destinations -- Cripple Creek, Colorado. Now, Donna and I have different interests. She likes gambling, while I like seeing new places, especially if they deal with history in some way. So usually on these trips, we spend a few days in Cripple Creek and then a few days exploring new places along the way.

We left our home last Wednesday morning (July 10). We usually make our way up to Raton, NM, where we spend our first night. On previous trips, we had noted an unusual "mountain" along the way, so this time, we decided to stop and do a bit of exploring.

Capulin Volcano National Monument is located in the northeast corner of New Mexico, just north of the village of Capulin. The volcano is an extinct cinder cone volcano, and it is clearly visible from US 87 for several miles. The monument is part of the national parks system, and we were able to get in using our National Parks Pass. Please note that there is no camping available within the park, and there are restrictions in place regarding length and size of vehicles that wish to drive the road to the top. Please take these restrictions seriously, as the road to the top of the volcano is challenging. For me, it was downright terrifying.

Capulin Volcano as seen from US 87, about 4 miles away. The horizontal line across the middle of the volcano is the road that spirals to the top. The visitor center/headquarters is on the left side.

After a brief stop at the visitor center to check in, we began the spiral drive up the volcano. There is no guard rail on the down side of the road, and the view is spectacular. At the top, you can view into the crater of the volcano and explore the area. There are great views from the top looking out from the southwest to the north.

Visitor Center/Headquarters near base of volcano.

Donna standing at edge of parking lot at the top of the volcano. This view looks west.

Donna used smelling salts to revive me after the terrifying drive to the top, then propped me up for this picture. The view looks southwest. After an hour or so, I was able to loosen my limbs enough to walk around.

This photo is from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. This aerial view clearly shows the crater at center of volcano, as well as spiral road leading from visitor center at bottom. The parking lot at top is located almost exactly at the center of the bottom lip of the crater. You can barely discern the end of the road leading there. 

Crater of the volcano

The maximum elevation of the volcano is 8,182 feet. The elevation of the nearby town of Capulin is 6,844 feet. That means that the volcano rises somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,338 feet above the surrounding ground.

This photo was snapped as soon as we started our descent. Notice there is no guard rail on the down side of the slope. I don't like that!

Nothing to our left except space, and lots of it.

I believe this is Sierra Grande Mountain, which reaches 8,720 feet. It is to the southeast of Capulin.

Almost at the bottom. You can see the approach road lower left. I do not know the name of the mountain in the distance.

Close up of Capulin Volcano, taken from the approach road. You can barely make out the spiral road starting at lower right of volcano.

Following our ride up and down the volcano, we continued on to Raton, where we checked in to our hotel, enjoyed some sandwiches from the Arby's next door, and settled in for the night so that we would be rested for the next day.

Back Home in SA

Donna and I returned home yesterday from a one week trip. I'm quite busy catching up on mail and other things, so it will probably be a few days before I catch up enough to post about our trip. But I will publish several entries.

For now, I'll just tease you with a few pictures and let you try to figure out where we went.

Heat and Bugs

It's hot and dry in the Concho Valley now. It's been several weeks since our last rain, and I really don't expect much more until September or later. The grass is quickly turning brown, and we are having to hand water our plants regularly now.

Flowers in our front beds. Notice how brown the grass is. That is partially due to lack of rain, but also due to our landscape people who cut the grass far too short for this time of year.

Although the daily highs are now dancing around the 100 degree mark -- one day just below, the next just above -- it is a dry heat, and I'm thankful for that. On our recent trip to East Texas and the Shreveport/Bossier City area, Donna and I suffocated a bit from the high humidity. We'd much rather be in a dry climate.

Zinnias, marigolds, and various herbs in the bed along the garage.

But there are days I wish we lived in a true four-season climate, perhaps some place in the foothills of the Rockies. We do a lot of wishing, but we manage to stay grounded in reality. It's still nice to dream. I find as I grow older, though, that I have more trouble with heat than I do with cold weather. I don't mind cooler weather, though I must admit trouble with true cold weather. Luckily, in our dry climate, we are able to sit out each evening, and we are quite comfortable, especially if there is a nice breeze. And one thing that West Texas has plenty of is breezes.

Zinnias by our front patio gate.

Donna's zinnias are really beautiful right now. I don't know much about flowers, but I do love the varied colors of these flowers as well as the different petals. I guess they are all zinnias; if they aren't, please feel free to correct me. Her tall marigolds have finally started blooming as well. The shorter ones have been blooming profusely for quite a while now, but the tall ones have taken their time. It is so nice to have color in these beds that once were home to those ugly, monotonous shrubs.

I love the variety of color

The flowers have brought an invasion of grasshoppers. As with flowers, I know little about these insects, but the ones we have are quite large, probably measuring about 2 inches or so. And they are everywhere.

Grasshopper looking in our kitchen window. They are everywhere, and they are particularly fond of Donna. They follow her around.

In the pictures of our plants, you may notice a white powder on them. That is baby powder. We read somewhere that such powder deters pests, and we've found it to be rather effective.

We had an interesting visitor the other evening as we sat outside. I noticed something dark on the street behind our house. The street is probably about 75 feet or so from our back patio, and it is down a slope. In all, the street is probably about 6 feet or more lower than our back patio. So, I could clearly see this dark object slowly moving across the street. That I was able to see the object in the late afternoon sun with my old man eyes tells you how large it was.

So, the old woman and I set off to investigate. We discovered that it was a tarantula slowly making its way across the street. Well, we watched the little fellow off and on for the next hour or so, and found him to be quite determined. First, he scaled the curb from street to yard, then headed almost due west and approached our roof mate's patio. (A roof mate is someone we share a roof with; in other words, 2 residences share a common wall and roof.)

Our friendly neighborhood tarantula crossing the street. You can tell something of his size by comparison to my foot, which is roughly a size 9½.

Closeup of my new best friend.

He seemed to have a certain direction in mind that he wanted to go, but the neighbor's home blocked him. So, he turned sharply north, and paraded by our patio as we watched him. At the end of our house, he turned back west, then continued his journey in his original direction. He eventually crossed the street, then scaled the curb and plodded across the lady's yard across the street from us.

This is a view from Google Earth of the route our tarantula took, starting with the red circle at right (east) and moving west, then north, and then west again. That is quite a journey for such a little fellow.

How very interesting! What made him go from point A to point B? What gave him direction? Anyway, I hope he got to where he wanted to be.

And speaking of bugs, we've been invaded by scorpions for the past month or so. Perhaps the heavy rains we had earlier brought them out. Regardless, we've probably killed half a dozen or so in our house the past month. Miss Donna doesn't like scorpions! She's pretty spooky right about now. In fact, I killed a scorpion in our closet just a few moments ago. Donna found him lurking near a corner.

I've not mentioned our other plants. On the north size of our house, we planted several tomato and pepper plants. The cherry tomato plants are quite tall, taller than Miss Donna. And they are producing well. Each one has numerous groups of tomatoes about to turn. The other tomatoes and peppers are just now beginning to set fruit.

Donna also salvaged a hydrangea plant. One of our neighbors thought it was dead and was going to throw it out. We put it in the ground, then Donna carefully trimmed it and has been watering it faithfully. The plant is now looking healthy. There are no blooms yet, but we are hopeful it will survive.

Taller cherry tomato plants are in center. That is the recovering hydrangea at lower left.

What a beautiful red color on this zinnia.

Bloom on one of the tall marigolds. It's a lovely flower.

Final note:

I began writing this on Saturday. There was no rain in our forecast. Sunday afternoon, it began to rain. It rained off and on from mid-afternoon until bedtime. It then rained some more Monday morning. In all, we received slightly more than an inch. How nice! Best of all, the temp never rose above 81 degrees. Today (Tuesday), however, the high is expected to be over 100. That's West Texas for you.

How RCW Celebrates the 4th of July

The longer Donna and I live at Rio Concho West (RCW), the more we like it. We have some pretty good folks out here. There are just over 300 residences and about 500 or so people.

We have a regular schedule of events each month, ranging from dining to games and trips. Donna and I participate in many of these events, and we think that as we age some more and travel less, that we will probably do more things out here. For now, though, we want to continue traveling as much as possible so we are not as involved as we expect to be a few years from now.

One of our big annual events out here is the 4th of July parade. San Angelo is the home of Goodfellow Air Force Base, so there are many retired service personnel that opt to live at RCW. These folks do believe in observing the 4th. Our parade this year was really good. The parade wound its way down the half dozen or so streets of our community, and residents were able to simply step outside their homes to view the parade. Donna and I always sit in our garage in the shade and watch the parade.

This year, we had quite a few old cars, more so than in previous years. We also had fire trucks from both San Angelo and nearby Dove Creek, a small acreage subdivision where Donna and I owned some land about 25 years ago. We even had a clown and some dancing girls this year.

I'll not bore you further with details; I'll just share some pictures with you. All pictures below were taken from my garage. You can also view the Rio Concho West Facebook page for a couple of videos of the parade. Yeah, it's not a big parade, but it's pretty good for a bunch of old geezers! We're certainly happy with it.

Here come the boy scouts. One lad even has a full pack on!

San Angelo FD

Chevy SS and a Camaro

Old pickup and golf carts

Even a motorcycle showed up

 

More old cars

 

Before my time!

Clown running amok

Old Studebaker

Dancing girls with some interesting hair!

End of the parade. Fellow in the red shirt in the cart organized the parade. He is a retired AF colonel.