Recent visit October 2007

 

 

 

The town of San Luis, with the hills above proclaiming it to be the the oldest town in Colorado.

 

 

 

 

 

Blanca Peak!

Spring 2007

We made a quick visit to the Alamosa area in early spring to explore land in the Sangre de Cristo Ranches. The busy town of Alamosa continues to grow with a new bank being put in next to the Holiday Inn.

   

One of the locals out enjoying the early morning and the beautiful snowcapped Sangre de Cristo Mountains making a beautiful backdrop over Fort Garland. Once comanded by the legendary Kit Carson it served to protect the early settlers with over 100 men. We often find buses parked out front and the yard filled with school children as you can see in the two pictures taken in 2006. Fort Garland is actually located in Costilla County but the busy town of Alamosa sits to the west 25 miles.

 

 

 

   

The majestic Blanca Peak and Trinchera Peak from the Sangre de Cristo Ranches. The reeds along the creek were a beautiful show of red!

  

 

We then journeyed down the San Luis Valley and as we came down into the top of New Mexico we were greeted by some beautiful elk. We see all kinds of animals as we travel but seldom do we get an opportunity to photograph these! In fact this might be the first ones! They were preparing to cross the county road and quickly raced away as we slowed down. These big animals can really move!

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Costilla County

Costilla County is nestled high in the Rocky Mountains in the Sangre de Cristo Range. The valley sits at an elevation of 7544 feet. The San Luis Valley is one of the largest high desert valleys in the world at an altitude of over 7,000 feet. It is approximately 125 miles long and over 65 miles wide. The high plains and flat valleys stretch for 722 square miles and is surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo mountain range to the east and the San Juan mountain range to the west. The Rio Grande River originates in the San Juan Mountains and flows through the San Luis Valley.  Here you will also find Blanca Peak. At 14,345 feet it is the 4th highest peak in Colorado! It can clearly be seen for miles on a typical sunny day. The clear blue sky against the backdrop of Mt. Blanca is absolutely beautiful as you can see in our pictures below!

San Luis, "the oldest town in Colorado", is the county seat for Costilla County. Click here for the location of San Luis. The nearest larger nearby town is Alamosa which is about 35 miles west of San Luis. Alamosa is a beautiful small town of about 8,775 that offers nice restaurants, hotels and Wal-Mart.  The population in Costilla County is about 3600. The area is very agricultural and the landscape is marked with many farmers growing hay in the rich soil and the majestic ranch homes that Colorado is known for! Most of the real estate in the area was originally part of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant bought by the Forbes group. The winters are cold and the summers are mild. High temperatures average 65 in July. Average temperatures in January are in the mid 30's during the day and almost zero at night.

There is much to do in the area with the rugged and majestic mountains providing a bit of something for everyone and the ultimate environment for the outdoor enthusiast where the sun shines 320 days a year! At Mount Blanca's foot lies Fort Garland which was established in 1858 to protect the settlers in this valley. Click here for the location of Fort Garland.  This fort could hold up to two companies of 100 men and officers. Colonel Kit Carson and his volunteer unit were in command of the fort in 1866 to try to keep the peace and negotiate with Utes Indians. Fort Garland is an abandoned military post today but you can walk the parade ground of the fort and tour the adobe buildings.

A beautiful view of Mt. Blanca from the Trinchera Forbes Sangre de Cristo Ranches and one of the many hay farms in the area!

One of the locals!

This group looked like they were having huge fun! I zoomed in on the first picture to give you a better idea of the toys that were about!

A view of Blanca Peak and Trinchera Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from the Sangre de Cristo Ranches!

One of the beautiful cabins that are up in the mountains!

A look at the fall harvest of hay and the beautiful fall colors on the trees!

The hay fields go on for miles and are a beautiful part of this rich valley!

More views of Blanca Peak and Trinchera Peak!

The fall colors in Mount Blanca and pine cones in the trees in September 2005!

In September 2005 we caught early morning riders boarding the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Antonito. The ride takes you through the Conejos County high country, through two tunnels and along the Toltec Gorge offering scenic views of the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountain ranges.

In late February 2006 we saw a bit of snow on Blanca Peak, a landmark peak that can be seen across the San Luis Valley for miles. The locals told me they hadn't received much snow this year and I was surprised to see how little snow was on it. The other pictures are of the Great Sand Dunes, Walmart and the newly opened Holiday Inn Express, some of the locals out enjoying Mountain Home Reservoir, and the early red colored reeds along Indian Creek.

The following six photos were all taken during May of 2006.  The snow was all melted and the sun was shining for us.  There were lots of school buses there with kids swarming around and people were dressed up in costumes and riding horses.  While there, you can learn all about the legendary Kit Carson and his Four Careers which is a permanent exhibit.  They also have a Buffalo Soldiers West permanent exhibit.

A Sunny May Afternoon at the lake by Sapinero & Gunnison 

Spring Irrigating

The Fort at Fort Garland

These next eight pictures were taken on a visit to the San Luis Valley Ranches in May 2006. The first two pictures were taken of a herd of antelope that we startled in the subdivision. They took off racing to the top of the hill putting on a beautiful show for us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of homes in the subdivision. The second one is a new home being built on the edge of the mesa overlooking the San Luis Valley!