This year we decided to wait until after the forest fire and the monsoon seasons were over before heading to Colorado. Well, we got one right! Thankfully we were in Pagosa Springs and not the Boulder area. It was hard to watch the devastation nightly on the news; what a mess. Anyway, we did get in two hikes that were on Kent's bucket list; one didn't go as planned, but it all worked out in the end. We covered roughly 20 miles on foot in some amazing country. We enjoyed getting together with Fred & Debbie Sutton. Dinner always tastes better when dining out with friends. Our condo was the perfect "Home away from Home" place to stay. We ended our week with a long soak at the Hot Springs. The best part is visiting with people, this year we met a nice couple from Pueblo. It is a long drive to Pagosa, but we shall return....Quartz Lake is still on our bucket list and the Hot Springs are calling!
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| It's starting to rain and we're still in Utah |
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| I think we've left the rain behind us! |
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| We stayed in a condo at the Wyndam Pagosa |
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| Sunday afternoon we took a walk up Reservoir Hill |
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| A nice view of the town and the mountains |
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| Nice wood carvings at Festival Meadow |
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| A wise old owl and a sly fox |
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| Another view of the San Juan Mountains |
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| There is an 18 hole Frisbee golf course on the hill |
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| Pagosa Brewing Company is a unique place to eat |
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| We sat outdoors and enjoyed our lunch with homemade Root Beer |
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| Heading through town early Monday morning |
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| An hour and a half later we arrived at the Crater Lake Trailhead 11,700 ft. |
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| Setting the GPS, also the last time our 4Runner was clean |
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| Near the high point on the trail at 12,179 ft. |
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| The trail drops in elevation |
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| What goes down, must come back up! |
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| Now we can see where we are headed |
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| Crater Creek flowing out of the lake |
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| Our first glimpse of Crater Lake 10,900 ft. |
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| Kent's Penrod Goliath is all of 8.5 inches and the reel |
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| Remove the cap and attach the reel |
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| It really is a fishing pole and 63 inches long |
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| What a sight . . . beautiful! |
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| We got up here early to avoid the rain |
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| Red currants |
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| Lush vegetation |
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| Elderberry bushes |
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| Kent fished his way around the lake |
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| It was nice to see wildflowers still in bloom |
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| We had to make our own trail |
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| Long Trek Mountain is in the distance |
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| So far, the fish are avoiding Kent |
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| Looking back to where we started from |
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| One quick picture before we head back down the trail |
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| We are thankful for the trail |
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| Looking towards Quartz Ridge |
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| We are definitely up high in the mountains |
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| Rain makes interesting things grow |
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| Hiking along near the Continental Divide |
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We are just about back, 7.5 miles in all
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| An aerial view of our Crater Lake hike |
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| For $50 a night, this could be your cabin |
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| I've never seen a mushroom like this before, very pretty |
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| Make a wish! |
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| Down the road we stopped at Park Creek |
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| A feisty brown trout |
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| Kent often likes to rock hop to a better spot |
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| Uh oh! Now how do I get back? |
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| I'm the one behind the camera |
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| Shuttling a truck up the First Fork Road for tomorrow's Piedra River hike |
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| Pagosa Junction, also known as Gato |
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| Thistles |
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| This old railroad bridge spans Cat Creek |
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| The railroad was started in 1881 by Pagosa Lumber Company |
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| Denver Rio Grande Western Railroad took over and operated until the 1950's |
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| Previous churches were washed away by floods, this church is located on a hill |
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| The church is in good shape and out in the middle of nowhere |
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| Pretty stained glass windows |
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| The freight car has seen better days |
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| Remnants of old |
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| Old boiler building |
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| Rainy day gear for the Piedra River hike |
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| We started out on "a" trail, not "the" trail we wanted |
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| Trick or Treat . . . here I come! |
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| Ice fissures along the Ice Cave Ridge trail |
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| Now we are on the "right" trail hiking along the Piedra River |
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| The river is running clear despite the rain |
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| Pretty box canyon area along the trail |
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| So far, so good |
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| Good signage is always helpful |
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| The cows thought we looked a little odd |
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| We encountered a lot of muck and standing water on the trail |
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| The rain stopped, but the trail remained wet |
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| The trail was easy and followed the river |
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| No bridge at Sand Creek . . . now what? We were forced to turn around |
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| Sand Creek is running high and fast, due to a forest fire last year |
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| Thankfully the other creeks had footbridges |
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| It turned out to be a pretty day after all |
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| It was so quiet walking through the forest |
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| Back into the canyon area |
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| Almost back to the trail head |
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| A little bit of water and mud never hurt anyone |
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| The road to Quartz Lake was very muddy and slick so we had to turn back |
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| Buckles Lake will have to do for now |
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| The clouds are hanging low over the mountains, the lake looks more like a pond |
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| The geese were enjoying the water |
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| Time to head back to town and wash away the mud, not the memories |
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| Friday night we spent a couple of hours soaking in the "Clouds in My Coffee" hot spring pool . . . fabulous! |
