With only two and a half weeks left in New Mexico, I feel my time is quickly running out. Jill, another travel nurse, and I had talked about going and doing something together before I up and leave. Well, it was now or never.
So this morning bright and early for us night shifters (8:30) I picked Jill up and we headed towards Colorado. When Suzanne and Jeremy were here we had visited a little lake (reservoir) up in the mountains above Durango. It was so peaceful and so beautiful that I wanted to go back and see it at least one more time. Jill loves scenic drives and was game to trying to figure out a way to get all the way around the lake. We did it! We were wondering if we were going to need the 4 wheel drive a few times but we did it, and it was beautiful. So worth the drive up. Here are a few pictures from the back side of Lake Vallecito.
After our rough riding dirt road adventure around the lake, we headed towards Pagosa Hot Springs in Pagosa Springs. I had seen pictures and was very excited to see it for myself.
It was definitely lunch time when we pulled into Pagosa Springs. Our stomaches were insistent on that. We picked a cute little restaurant called “Hoggs Breath” named after Boss Hogg, the founder of the establishment, originally called Boss Hoggs Restaurant and Tavern. We enjoyed reading the history of this little place as well as of the town and the hot springs in their newspaper like menu.
Finally getting Frito Pie checked off on my experience list, I was pleasantly
surprised by the presentation and flavor. Not bad, not bad at all!
The hot springs was only another mile or two from the restaurant, so we got there shortly after noon. I had been hoping for overcast, maybe some rain, but no lightning. Well I got my wish for the most part.
We decided to take the scenic route home through Ignacio, which took us right past Chimney Rock National Monument. It was before 5:00pm so we went in. There were no more tours scheduled for the day but we got information on the ruins at the top and admired chimney rock from a distance. It wasn’t much, but it would do.
The clouds were awesome and we were wondering if we really were going to get dumped on, or if it would be dry rain again.
Then the rain started, and we both rolled down our windows to take deep breaths of fresh air/ fresh rain smell. Are we in Heaven? No, still Colorado!
Then it happened, the major Dumpage and Farmington/Aztec first monsoon of the season.
With wipers on full blast and windows down slightly more than a crack so we could experience the weather but in a smaller dose… It was pure bliss.
Thank you Jill for a thrilling, exploring, memory making kind of day.
Owens Endeavors 