IN SEARCH OF SNOW

Our friend Terri was wanting to see snow.  We had been told that there wasn't much snow left around.  I'm not sure if they didn't have a lot of snow this past winter, but I'm sure us being here in July instead of June has a lot to do with it too.

I needed to make a trip to Walmart.  Don't you always need to make a trip to a local Walmart?  There is a Walmart in Alamosa and one in Pagosa Springs.  They are equal distance from us.  We decided to head to Pagosa Springs and spend the day looking around town. 

It dawned on me that in order to get to Pagosa Springs, you have to drive over Wolf Creek Pass.  Our raft guide (I will post about our raft ride later), Rye, told us that we might see some snow up on Lobo Overlook which is on top of Wolf Creek Pass and on the Continental Divide. So, why not kill two birds with one stone? Terri and Jim decided to go along.  She was not going to miss an opportunity to maybe see snow.

We made the trek up the pass and up to the overlook and sure enough.  We found snow. It wasn't much, but it was snow!

Jim and Terri
She was a happy girl!

Mr. W running and then sliding in the snow

We were up about 12,000 feet and besides the snow, we saw some beautiful sights.

One of the camp hosts at our park, David, has been here a couple of summers.  He and his wife Judy are full of information about the area.  They give us information about local events not to miss, where the latest sightings of animals are, what lakes are the hot spot for fishing, where to eat, etc.  They spent several years doing mission type work for the Baptist around the country.  They did everything from helping build buildings/homes, helping out in disasters, to driving trams /shuttles. David told Mr. W that a good place to have lunch in Pagosa Springs was a microbrewery named Rif Raf. So, we stopped there for lunch. They had everything from nachos, to chicken salad, to goat burgers.  I asked the waitress what she recommended.  Usually, I go with whatever the waiters recommend.  But, when she said the goat burger, I had to pass.  I had the chicken salad.

Pagosa Springs is located approximately 35 miles north of the New Mexico border, nestled at 7,000 feet on the Western Slope of the Continental Divide. This combination of high desert plateau and dramatic Rocky Mountains to the north and east creates an unusually mild climate, especially in the summer months, when compared with much of the surrounding Southwest. Pagosa  has around 300 days of sun each year, as well as four distinct seasons. Not a bad place to be.

The downtown area is full of shops and places to eat.  Most of those buildings are the "original" Pagosa Springs. The town and the surrounding county are going through a lot of "new" growth and building. Both are experiencing a substantial influx of second-home owners; a 2006 property assessment indicates that 60% of area private properties are owned by non-residents.

The town is named for the sulfur springs located there, including the world's deepest geothermal hot spring. This "Mother Spring" feeds the pools hosted by three local hot spring soaking locations within town. We picked up information on the soaking locations and plan on visiting on another day.

That evening, we decided to go on a "hunt" to see animals.  So far, all we have seen are deer.  We decided to drive up to Beaver Creek Reservoir.  We didn't see any animals, but we saw a pretty awesome sunset.