San Luis st pk camp

ITW 18

Tuesday May 25

San Luis st pk, Colorado

San Luis valley





Southern Colorada Hwy 12 west is a Scenic Byway through the foothills of the Rockies. Beautiful country. Snowcap peaks.

Through Stonewall county some "Flatiron" rock formations. /amazing to see.


Cuchara pass 9,941' elev

Laveta pass ... break out into Plains / arid plain / desert.

Hwy 160 west straight roads down to Plains. sagebrush forever.

Ft Garland. Onto Alamosa. North on hwy 17. pass by a Solar collector plant / project; interesting.

East to San Luis st park. another sign : Great Sand Dunes Nat Park.

Drive through desert. See several "Dirt Devils" ... Cyclone / Twister/ Funnels from sand. Late afternoon now.

San Luis Lake has a canal leading away to irrigate local ranches.

Snowcap Mtns on other side of Lake are Sangre de Cristo range. Stunningly beautiful in the arid high plains desert. Tranquil

Great Sand Dunes are at the bottom of range across Lakes.

San Luis Lake is not from Snowpack runoff down the mountain ridges... Snowpack Melt Sinks INTO mountain , then perocolates down through Sangre de Cristo Mountain range /// through earth, then rises in bowl lake at the bottom of the range. Amazing.

Desert air is thin, cool. Wind 10 -12+. Clear. Very peaceful.



























ITW 18

Tuesday May 25

San Luis st pk, Colorado

San Luis valley



Southern Colorado Hwy 12 west is a Scenic Byway through the foothills of the Rockies. Beautiful country. Snowcap peaks.

Through Stonewall county some "Flatiron" rock formations. /amazing to see.


Cuchara pass 9,941' elev

Laveta pass ... break out into Plains / arid plain / desert.

Hwy 160 west straight roads down to Plains. sagebrush forever.

Ft Garland. Onto Alamosa. North on hwy 17. pass by a Solar collector plant / project; interesting.

East to San Luis st park. another sign : Great Sand Dunes Nat Park.

Drive through desert. See several "Dirt Devils" ... Cyclone / Twister/ Funnels from sand. Late afternoon now.

San Luis Lake has a canal leading away to irrigate local ranches.

Snowcap Mtns on other side of Lake are Sangre de Cristo range. Stunningly beautiful in the arid high plains desert. Tranquil

Great Sand Dunes are at the bottom of range across Lakes.

San Luis Lake is not from Snowpack runoff down the mountain ridges... Snowpack Melt Sinks INTO mountain , then perocolates down through Sangre de Cristo Mountain range /// through earth, then rises in bowl lake at the bottom of the range. Amazing.

Desert air is thin, cool. Wind 10 -12+. Clear. Very peaceful.

Wolf Creek Pass Colorado ascent

ITW 19

Thursday May 27

Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado ascent

Park Creek camp, Rio Grande nat forest

Sleeping 40' from the river -- the mountain headwaters of The South Fork of the Rio Grande River --, the swishing sound of water flowing down the mountains makes for some really peaceful sleep; I recommend it - highly.

Still heading west down through the 4 corners area... eventually to Chinle, Arizona. After seeing Canyon de Chelly, will head north through the Rockies to Montana.

The engine heated up high climbing this ascent. Big trucks used low gear up, and down.

There's a reason this place has snow-pack everywhere. It's june and it's 40*. Elev is 10,863'... and that's the gap / pass to get through this part of the southern Rocky Mountains.


This was a major route west known as the Continental Divide trail. This is the main way to through the Rocky mountains to get to Southwest Colorado. ... otherwise you have to go way north up to Telluride,... or back east to the Raton Pass (the Santa Fe trail gap ).


















ITW 19

Thursday May 27

Wolf Creeek Pass, Colorado ascent

Park Creek camp, Rio Grande nat forest

Sleeping 40' from the river -- the mountain headwaters of The South Fork of the Rio Grande River --, the swishing sound of water flowing down the mountains makes for some really peaceful sleep; I reccommend it - highly.

Still heading west down through the 4 corners area... eventually to Chinle, Arizona. After seeing Canyon de Chelly, will head north through the rockies to Montana.

The engine heated up high climbing this ascent. Big trucks used low gear up, and down.

There's a reason this place has snowpack everywhere. It's june and it's 40*. Elev is 10,863'... and that's the gap / pass to get through this part of the southern Rocky Mountains.


This was a major route west known as the Continental Divide trail. This is the main way to through the Rocky mountains to get to Southwest Colorado. ... otherwise you have to go way north up to Telluride,... or back east to the Raton Pass (the Santa Fe trail gap ).