A wonderful explore
August 30, 2016

We've stayed at Pagosa Springs sufficient times to have wandered most of the back roads and hiked in much of the varied countryside thereabouts.  We had not explored the Navajo River region, though, so decided to take a look-see via the so-called Price Lakes Road.

The road that follows the river up-canyon is gravel and well-maintained; despite climbing far up into the chasm created by Navajo River, there are few of the precipitous drop-offs that are the norm in many similar circumstances.

Before the route commences climbing into the canyon, we traveled past ranches with ponds and pastures hosting hundreds of Canada geese.

Forested slopes prevent much viewing of the river as the road climbs the canyon walls.  This brief glimpse from above revealed a park-like setting.

The Continental Divide follows this ridgeline that was south of us as we followed the Navajo River's course.

We did not note any birds out of the ordinary or that had not already been added to the trip list, but a red-tail hawk swooped over us and landed up ahead long enough for us to get a photo.

Being completely unaware of what the moniker Price Lakes referred to, we wondered if a duckweed-covered pond high up was a part of it/them.

Wending our way along the winding road, we began to see campsites at various junctures, later learning that bow-hunting season was in full swing.  Turns out the little pond was one of very many wetlands up on the mountain; however, Price Lakes finally came into view, barely.

Thick tree cover precluded getting more than a glimpse of water's shine from any one vantage point; was just enough for Chris to spot a beaver swimming for a short distance before it dove underwater.

Navajo Peak . . .

Navajo Peak is the dominant landmark in that region - a truly majestic mountain among many majestic mountains.  We were fortunate to view it from various perspectives and in varying light conditions as the seemingly ever-present storms passed cloud shadows over them or crouched brooding with rain.

Gramps Peak is another craggy-topped mountain in the region.

South San Juan Wilderness . . .

With little fanfare and no foreknowledge, we found ourselves at the end of the road high up on the mountainside facing a trail that led to something or nothing at all . . . we knew not, but we found ourselves setting off on it nevertheless.

A short distance in was a nondescript wooden sign nailed onto a tree trunk that evidently delineated the boundary of the South San Juan Wilderness.  That was our sole source of information until we encountered a pair of Santa Feans who shared their map that gave us a perspective of our location.  Seems the trail continues on to the distant Buckles Lake that we have hiked to previously from a different direction.

No matter - we were happy to be fit and able to troop along to whatever awaited us.  

The forest path consisted of continual ups and downs and twists and turns, but nothing really very strenuous: just really enjoyable and beautiful scenes through deep woods - towering trees of many kinds and meadows with open water or marshland, far views and up-close scenes, too.

Climbers . . .

Our surprise was complete when at one point we gazed at the top of Navajo Peak with our binoculars and discerned that far, far up there on the very tip-top were a couple of people, clearly folks without the sense they were born with.  It made me a little dizzy to think about.

Yup, there really are two people atop that scrabbly-looking round-top peak.

The Mollers . . .

All those hunters whose camps we saw were secreted somewhere other than our vicinity; we neither saw nor heard a sign of them.

Chris had a fleeting glimpse of a meadow vole and a marten (evidently, it was his day), but other than that and the fellers from Santa Fe, our only other encounter was with a couple from Sweden, and what a delightful encounter it was.

Anita & Sune were camping nearby, close to their son who was hunting elk.  They come to stay in the son's Pagosa house during the summer and enjoy wandering and hiking in those mountains as we do.

Their English was very good (Sune attributes that to their two years in Australia) and we had quite a nice chat with them when we met up on the trail and later at their campsite.  They are lovely folks - who knows, maybe we will get to visit them soon (she said hopefully).

The Springs . . .

Despite sampling hot mineral springs as often as we find them, Pagosa's remain by far our very favorite.  With 25 pools from which to choose and with temperatures varying from 99 to 106 and with sizes that accommodate from four to party-size, there is something for everyone.  There are river overlook pools and higher-up distant views and always folks shuffling from one to another to test them all or staying put when arresting conversations get going.

Pagosa boasts the world's deepest hot springs; who am I to question that or even to care.  I just enjoy the experience immeasurably, whether it is standing bowed beneath the waterfall that perfectly massages shoulders or stretched out with eyes closed in quiet relaxation or watching tubers and fishermen on the San Juan.

The señor gets a few minutes of solitude.

Never-fail deer . . .

Quite a few times we have stayed at the Pagosa Riverside RV Park, and without fail, we have daily observed deer on the hillside just across the San Juan River from us.  The usual herd appears to have grown; we are now seeing more in numbers, and two very handsome eight-point bucks have been munching their way through the brush.

When you least expect it . . .

In the hubbub of getting a blog posted while at war with internet service that jumped online and offline without a care for a blogger attempting to load photos, I neglected to mention an exciting sighting during our drive over North Cochetopa Pass.  After numerous attempts to see bighorn sheep in the Colorado Monument culminated in observing a herd from a great distance, we had a surprising upclose and personal sighting while tooling down the highway.  Rounding a bend in the narrow canyon along Cochetopa Creek, we came face-to-face with two bighorn right at road's edge as they were preparing to climb upwards, presumably after having a morning drink.

Traffic was practically non-existent on the route; however, at the very moment we saw the bighorns, there was a car immediately behind us, so there was no chance to stop in the highway to get a photo and certainly no shoulder that would allow us to pull over.

Being on the road in wet weather does a job on an RV's windows.  The señor has kept them semi-clear to allow us to enjoy our surroundings when we are inside.