Today required no trailer towing or maintenance so we decided to go exploring. Breakfast and fortified coffee consumed, we hopped into Charlotte and I directed today’s driver, Peggy, to what I was convinced was the park visitor center even when she calmly informed me the visitor center was elsewhere. Peggy dutifully obliged me and drove to where I directed her and parked. We both got out and walked in the nice double glass doors to find ourselves in a large and very nice restroom and shower facility. There were no displays with pamphlets because the visitor center was elsewhere.
We then went to the real location of the visitor center and Peggy scooped up a pamphlet about CO-12 from Trinidad to Walsenburg and it looked nifty so we departed. We took a little side trip to the south side of Trinidad Lake where I photographed some of the nicest and most colorful slag piles I have ever seen. No shit! They were neat; black slag on top over a white layer and a red layer of natural formation. From the slag piles we took off going west on CO-12. We had no idea it was going to be so spectacular.
CO-12 initially climbs very slowly and passes through Cokedale where we saw the arch things we saw yesterday but now we knew they were the door side of the old coke ovens that ran in this county back in the day. 12 continues along through very pretty country through Segundo where there was a moby coal processing facility some time in the past and then continues to Vigil where you can see where some guy built a small house spanning a creek. The next big item on the highway is Stonewall where there were some contentious and deadly battles between heirs of land grant former owners and new settlers. It is plain to see why the town has it’s name because there is an enormous rock shelf on edge that towers above the town, both sides.
We turned north at this point and continued our drive through some high alpine lakes (actually reservoirs) before beginning the steep climb to Cuchara Pass at 9995′ elevation. We stopped in the pass. The view back into eastern Colorado is stunning. We descended down from the pass passing through the Blue Lake / Cuchara River Recreation Area and into the town of Cuchara. Cuchara is a very scenic little burg with businesses that mostly cater to tourists. The main drag is very skinny and gravel.
Continuing on CO-12 West (which is actually running northeast from Cuchara) we next came across Goemmer’s Butte and The Devil’s Stairsteps. Goemmer’s Butte is a beaut and Devil’s Stairsteps is a truly impressive flat-sided rock wall tilted at about 80 degrees from the horizontal that runs about 4 or 5 miles across. It is almost the entire skyline until you gaze into the distance and realize the road taken has circled the Spanish Peaks which fill the horizon with jagged, rock-tipped giant mountains. CO-12 continues through the towns of La Veta and Walsenburg before hitting I-25 where we turned south and headed south back to Trinidad.
Peggy and I were both dazzled by this terrific loop road. We both think this road may be better than driving through Rocky Mountain NP although they are both pretty stunning rides. CO-12 is bucket list grade scenery in our opinions.
We returned to Trinidad’s McDonald’s for another stab at electronic communication. We were pleasantly surprised when we found RPI had responded to our reservation attempt made yesterday. We are in for Albuquerque starting 9/25 and departing 10/8 at Hidden Valley RV Resort. Yippee!