…ain't what it usta be! My former husband came from these parts of Colorado (south-central). When first visiting in the sixties, Pagosa Springs was a small town with an unmistakable small-town feel: its one main street, its hot springs along the San Juan River, its beautiful rolling hills surrounded by the majestic San Juans. It was cattle and horse country, and the rock-lined, man-made "baths" in the river's bubbling hot springs were known as the "hippie pools."
Pagosa Springs has since been "discovered." It's brimming with upscale spas, dude ranches, multiple golf courses, multiple private man-made lakes, multiple gated, mini-ranchette collectives, retail centers, hotels and a huge construction project I could swear is being cleared for a Walmart. It has grown by leaps and bounds, even further since I last visited ten years ago.
It's not all bad though. Pagosa Springs has tried hard to maintain its Colorado mountain-town feel by developing public parks, river walks and access to the "hippie pools," and its main street through town is still charming.
Second Wind wouldn't dare miss a stop at the local Ranger Station. This one had a lovely Summer garden of Cinquefoil, Colorado's state flower, the Columbine, and something the bees couldn't get enough of!
Traveling west of town to my campsite, I came across this strange cement grouping. Anyone care to venture a guess what it is? Root cellars? Bomb shelter?
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Heading for thinner air now... considering Second Wind's recent engine problems, ascending Wolf Creek Pass was a white-knuckle drive -- 8 miles up, 8 miles down, 10,000+-feet elevation.
Whew! Made it; second gear all the way; no problems!
Glad you had safe travels over Wolf Creek Pass. Haven't been to Pagosa Springs in many years. Ouray is another small town that got discovered and no longer the quaint town that it was. :-(
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