The San Juan Mountains are located in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. They are majestic, beautiful and rugged, and my husband's favorite part of our state.
Last week we camped there for six days, finding some beautiful new-to-us campsites and visiting favorite old mountain towns.
The first night, we were in a small campground nestled in next to the Gunnison River. There were only seven spots, and all but three were empty. It was private and far from the main road. That night, we were treated to a pair of fawns drinking from the river just a stone's throw away. There were lots of birds and the remains of an old stagecoach stop across the road. We couldn't believe it when we found out the fee for the night was just $5!! And, because we are seniors, we got a 50% discount! We managed to scrounge up three dollar bills, and paid our night's keep.
The next day the drive from Lake City to a lunch out in Creede, took us over two mountain passes including a scenic view of the Weminuche Wilderness Area.
That night, we stayed in another beautiful campground, this one just north of Pagosa Springs. My brother and his wife met us for dinner. Our campsite had its very own meadow!
The next two nights, were spent near Durango. There we met our friends Pam and Rick to ride the 45-mile Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway. The railway originated in 1882 and was constructed to haul gold and silver ore mined from the San Juans. The train is pulled by two old steam engines and the cars are original, restored with comfortable seating and teeny, tiny restrooms on each one.
The scenery was beautiful and the ride a bit of a nail-biter in places, particularly when we went over an old trestle bridge. The weight limit of the bridge required one of the steam engines to be unhooked from the train and sent ahead. Then the remaining engine tugged its way across the bridge, pulling the train.
After a three-and-a-half hour trip, we reached Silverton and had lunch. Then, got back on the train and headed all the way back to Durango. It was a full day, but a good day!
We spent our last night in a campground by the Conejos River. The drive there took us over Cumbres Pass, dipping down into New Mexico, back up to Colorado, and through beautiful vistas, following yet another narrow gauge railroad track.
We had a nice campsite that night, but we had to laugh because the firepit was sooo far away. We got our steps in going back and forth preparing dinner.
You know I'm going to include at least one bird photo in this post, so here it is! There were lots of birds everywhere we stayed. The hummingbirds at this site were especially friendly, and I got to add Western Tanagers, which are bright yellow birds with red markings, to my life list. So pretty! However, my favorite encounter was with a Williamson's Sapsucker. She/he sat on a branch not far away from where I sat and we exchanged looks with one another, he working away at some bugs in the branch, and me with my binoculars.
On the way home the next day, we drove over one of my favorite passes in Colorado, La Veta Pass, and then stopped in the little town of La Veta for a fabulous brunch.
All in all, a great trip!
Karen ⛺
