After the excitement of the storm and long day of driving we didn’t quite get out as early as I had hoped. Still, 8a wasn’t too bad and I realized after we were on the way that we’d gain an hour entering Mountain Daylight Time. Every bit helps as it was going to be a long drive. We headed west on I-70 and in short order entered eastern Colorado. When one thinks of Colorado it is of majestic snow-capped mountains reaching to the sky. That’s not eastern Colorado at all. The land was very flat with lots of crops and few trees. Basically Kansas with legal weed.
There was far less wind than the day before, thankfully. We did see a few signs and billboards that were likely damaged by that wicked storm that hit us in Colby last night. Stopped by Sinclair for gas. There was a cute statue of Sinclair’s mascot, a green Brontosaurus, out front. We also stopped by the Colorado welcome center and picked up a map and a small booklet as well. In short order we turned off of I-70 and onto US-24, a desolate road with few towns and not much in the way of amenities. This was unfortunate as both Michelle and I had a definite need of them. Finally in the town of Calhan we found a small grocery store, Woolsey’s Food Center, that was open on a Sunday morning. It looked to be a family owned type of affair and we were able to stock up on some snacks (Lifesavers, honey roasted peanuts, Teddy Grahams) and use the restroom. We ran out of toilet paper and the owner just grabbed a pack of Charmin off the shelf, the benefits of owning the store!
The green brontosaurus, mascot for Sinclair gas stations
Colorado prairie
We could barely see the Rockies looming in the distance at first but each small town along US-24 brought us closer. By the time we entered the rather substantial suburban sprawl of Colorado Springs they were upon us, each mile bringing some view worth gaping at. As we were in a bit of a rush and quite hungry we stopped at a Subway and quickly got back in the car for Garden of the Gods. While the red rock spires were impressive it was simply way too crowded to enjoy. It being a nice, relatively cool, Sunday prior to July 4th didn’t help one bit. Every single parking lot was full with a small pack of cars waiting to jump into any spots that came open. So we just drove the circle drive and took some pictures from the car. We stopped by the trading post on the way out to use the restrooms and get a magnet and postcard before setting out on US-24.
Crazy contrast between rock outcroppings at Garden of the Gods
Jagged peaks at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs
Another view of Garden of the Gods
The trading post at Garden of the Gods
The original plan had been to take the interstate south to Pueblo then cross the Rockies into the San Luis Valley at Fort Garland. A wildfire, however, had closed the pass. It sure would’ve been nice if Google Maps had factored that into its directions but luckily I figured it out before we wasted any time. We instead would cross the front range of the Rockies at Colorado Springs via US-24 and then head south toward Antonito. The drive through the pass was really windy with a steep grade and very interesting beige rock formations. We came upon a rest stop at Wilkerson Pass with an overlook over the northern part of the valley (called South Park Basin — yes, where the infamous TV show is set). South Park contains an area called Bayou Salado, a marshy area that didn’t resemble any bayous I had encountered in my life! The view would’ve been spectacular except there was another wildfire fairly near that filled the sky with smoke and haze. Regardless of the fire, the climate was a lot drier than I had imagined and trees were quite sparse.
Jumble of rocks along US-24
View of South Park and Bayou Salado from Wilkerson Pass
It had been a brutally dry summer for Colorado
Descending into the valley the landscape quickly took on a steppe-like feel with very little vegetation and completely flat. Surrounding the valley were four mountain ranges with numerous ones topping out in excess of 14,000′. As we approached the town of Fairplay the plume of the wildfire grew bigger and we could see the actual area of forest being burned (though no flames — we were still thankfully too far away). We turned south on US-285 and climbed over another pass and into another part of the valley closer to the “Collegiate Peaks” (Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Princeton), a cluster of very high mountains named after Ivy League schools. A thunderstorm loomed to our west as we listened to the radio devoting all of its air time to news of the fire. Apparently the phones were knocked out as a tower was consumed by the fire.
Steppe-like terrain in South Park, northern San Luis Valley
The wildfire just north of Fairplay, Colorado
View of the Collegiate Peaks
Mountains surrounding the San Luis Valley
Off to our left (east) we could see the sand dunes of Great Sand Dunes National Park at the base of the front range despite it being over ten miles away. We passed a gator farm that claimed to have many rescue gators including the one from the movie Happy Gilmore and one amusingly named Bomangles. While tempting to stop we needed to get on down the road as check-in at the B&B ended at 7p and it was pushing 5p already. We arrived at the town of Alamosa at 5:30p and stopped for dinner at San Luis Valley Pizza Company. It was decent though the service was a little iffy. We had an appetizer of cheese bread pizza, Michelle and Genetta shared a medium pepperoni and mushroom, I had a garbage pizza (named “Alamosa” here), and Addison had wings — which were forgotten until the very end. Regardless, we set back out at around 6:30p and continued south to Antonito.
We arrived at the small and dusty town of Antonito just shy of 7p and located the B&B. The Indiana Jones B&B was located in the home used as the house young Indiana Jones lived in as seen in the opening of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It was a small two-story home on a corner not far from the rail yard. Inside we met Sabra Young, the proprietor, a tall woman in her early 50s. She was a self-professed Indiana Jones and Star Wars fan and welcomed us warmly. She told us the house was 135 years old and she had decorated it with Indiana Jones material all over. Really neat!
Indiana Jones Bed & Breakfast in Antonito, Colorado
Oil tankers in the rail yard in Antonito
The ladies stayed in their room (The Coronado) while Addison and I walked a few blocks to Cano’s Castle. Cano’s Castle was a sprawling “castle” built from whatever materials were at hand by a veteran. Ms. Young told us that the owner was friendly though due to PTSD had his good days and his bad days. We kept a respectful distance and didn’t encounter him, though while we were there a pickup with some other people came by to appreciate the structure. While we walked various dogs (later we’d learn they were “town dogs” — dogs with no owners) followed us but didn’t do anything. We visited the train yard filled with oil tankers and an old depot. The sun setting, we headed back to the B&B.
Cano’s Castle in Antonito
Another view of Cano’s Castle
Downstairs of the bed & breakfast
Upstairs of the bed & breakfast
Another shot of the oil tankers at sunset
The setting sun in Antonito, Colorado
Michelle and Genetta watched the excellent movie World’s End while Addison and I talked about Wake Tech and his future a bit, heading to bed around midnight with a busy day ahead.
Route for Sunday, July 1st, 2018