PAGOSA SPRINGS, COLORADO...

…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!

GEORGIA O'KEEFFE COUNTRY - PT.II

THE ROAD FROM LAKE ABIQUIU TO GHOST RANCH

The stunning landscape of Highway 84 between Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch -- hard to keep my eyes on the road straight ahead!  Good thing wide spots were plentiful.

GHOST RANCH

I did not take any formal tours or venture beyond main roads.  Visiting the museums and wandering around its low-key, tranquil grounds consumed an entire day, enough to sooth my tired old self!

Briefly, Ghost Ranch was originally a 1930's dude ranch that was eventually sold to the Pack family.  After renting Pack's home for years, O'Keeffe purchased the house and seven acres from Pack and used it as her Summer home.  In 1945 O'Keeffe bought a crumbling adobe on three acres in the village of Abiquiu, not too many miles down the road from Ghost Ranch, for use as her Winter home.  She set about restoring the Abiquiu parcel and in the meantime, the Pack Family sold Ghost Ranch to the Presbyterian Church.  

Ghost Ranch has been used as a conference center and spiritual retreat since the mid-1950's, but O'Keeffe's homestead there is on private property and not open to the public or included in any Ghost Ranch tours.  As mentioned in Part I, O'Keeffe's Abiquiu home and studio is currently managed by the O'Keeffe foundation and is open for tours as is the O'Keeffe Museum in Old Town Santa Fe: http://www.okeeffemuseum.org

Exquisite surround-views from the Welcome Center.  It's no wonder this is a place for reflection and spiritual renewal.

We are now entering the Interfaith Peace Garden...

...where an imaginative, ceramic 35-foot long mural adorns one side of the building.

The mural, River of Peace, incorporates spiritual symbols from around the world and poems and wishes quoted from a variety of sources.  Click to enlarge to see if you recognize any contributors.

The inviting door to one of Ghost Ranch's two museums.

In a smaller form in California and Nevada, this flower is known as "Prairie Smoke" or "Old Man's Beard."  This planting was enormous; it may not be the same plant, but it's certainly related. 

The Pedernal (*again*!) from Ghost Ranch.  It's said O'Keeffe's ashes are spread here.  Its unique mesa dominates the landscape for miles and miles around.

Many of the formations in Ghost Ranch reminded me of some found in Utah.

I strongly recommend you put this magical place on your bucket list!

GEORGIA O'KEEFFE COUNTRY - PT. I

You know how you can just "fly" through an area with an eye focused only towards your eventual destination?  It might make an impression, you may want to return sometime, but you just didn't take the time to discover or explore during the original pass?  Well, that describes my first breezy dash through rural Northern New Mexico and the Chama River Valley several years ago.

I've always admired Georgia O'Keeffe's vision and her paintings,  but I had never explored Ghost Ranch or Abiquiu, the areas she captured on canvas so passionately.  

The constantly changing colors and shadows in the area was akin to seeing a new panorama every minute -- the land and sky a unique, kaleidoscope of powerful, brilliant hues and texture, and daily thunderstorms make the gaudy landscape and skies even more intense and vibrant.

Lake Abiquiu, a Corps of Engineers project between Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch is a sizable nicely-developed recreation area with economical camping and boating  opportunities.  Not to mention splendid, 360-degree vistas...

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...and magnificent views of the iconic Pedernal

Ubiquitous "Four O'Clocks" -- this image was taken before four!

Then they show themselves in full glory when the clock strikes four!

Storm's coming this way.  Lightening strikes illuminate the shoreline.

ABIQUIU

Although spending several nights at Lake Abiquiu, I did not explore the village of Abiquiu or O'keeffe's home and studio -- maybe next time.  To depict the area in words would be ineffective; these and the images that follow in Part II, will simply have to do.