A video I made of my journeys thru the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado.
The San Luis Valley Ranches and Mount Blanca Valley Ranches are nestled high in the Rocky Mountains in the San Luis Valley. 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. 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. The are beautiful long views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from the N to the E to the SE to the Culebra Range. To the north is Blanca Peak, the fourth highest peak in Colorado at 14,345 feet. The Culebra Range is a sub range within the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that rises to 14,047 at Culebra Peak!
Located centrally around the towns of Fort Garland and San Luis, it is about 1/2 hour SE of Alamosa, 210 miles south of Denver, 175 miles east of Durango and 1 hour N of Taos, New Mexico. Fort Garland and Blanca are small towns in the area offering gas and a few restaurants.
Alamosa, to the west, is a bigger town offering shopping, a state college, Wal-Mart, restaurants and hotels. The valley is mostly agricultural with many beautiful farms sprinkled about.
To the south just across the state line in New Mexico is Ute Mountain, a very cool volcanic peak that rises off the valley floor alone! She is an isolated, free-standing former volcano that rises almost 3,000 feet above the valley, reaching an elevation of 10,093 feet the highest point on BLM land in the state of NM.
There are 3 fishing lakes in the area: Sanchez Reservoir, Mountain Home Reservoir State Wildlife Area and Smith Reservoir State Wildlife. In February 2012 I stopped by Smith Reservoir long enough to dip my toe and watch the bald eagles take off and land! Brrr was it a cold weekend and the wind off the water was even colder!
Later that evening as the sun was getting low over the valley I spotted a HUGE herd of wild horses. It took a moment but I noticed in the short distance another huge herd - oh they were stunning with the glow of the sun on them! That is the largest group of wild horses I have ever seen! They were nervous and took off running their tails flying in the wind!
There are tons of extracurricular activities including the Great Sand Dunes, hiking, biking, and skiing to the south in Taos and Red River.
In March 2013, I was driving up thru Taos, New Mexico and stopped by the Rio Grande River. There I spotted Dan the Man out doing some fishing. Oh he was such a great sport, very patient with me as I asked him what he was using to catch fish with. I shot about 30 photos of him and these were my favorites!
The Rio Grande, Smith Reservoir State Wildlife, Mountain Home Reservoir State Wildlife Area and Sanchez Reservoir are within an hour of each other so lots of fishing close by! I've visited Smith Reservoir State Wildlife Area and Mountain Home Reservoir State Wildlife Area and included a few photos of those as well! I had a great time watching the bald eagles take off from Smith Reservoir!
There is BLM wildlife conservation land along the border of Costilla and Alamosa County. There are tons of outdoor activities including the nearby Great Sand Dunes, hiking, biking, and skiing to the south in Taos and Red River.
In February 2012 as the sun was getting low over the valley I spotted a HUGE herd of wild horses. It took a moment but I noticed in the short distance another huge herd - oh they were stunning with the glow of the sun on them! That is the largest group of wild horses I have ever seen! They were nervous and took off running their tails flying in the wind! I then made my way down to Taos, New Mexico which sits about an hour to the south of here and I woke up in the morning at The Historic Taos Inn, definitely on my approved places to stay, eat, get a drink, and a fabulous cup of coffee in the morning!
In September 2017 Buddy and I made the trek up the side of the mesa to the Stations of the Cross Shrine in the early morning. It is a series of 14 bronze sculptures depicting the last hours of Christs life, his judgement, sufferings and death. It was built as an act of faith and love for the parishioners of the Sangre de Cristo Parish. I've made several videos over the past few years and this is by far my favorite. From the beginning with my beloved companion Buddy as we encountered the turkey vulture, to the views over the fertile San Luis Valley with her yellow and green crops.
The art by sculptor Huberto Maestas is quite graphic and moving. The sun was so bright in the early morning and seemed to increase the intensity of the sculptures. I unexpectedly felt tears flowing down my face when I reached the last few and was moved to place my only piece of jewelry upon one of the shrines, saying a prayer for my family.
The turkey vulture is a symbol of danger and death to many cultures as well as a protector and guardian. Looking back it seems to have foretold the story that lay ahead of us that morning. It truly was a moving experience for my soul and I am left with an even greater appreciation of the beauty of the San Luis Valley.