We just got home last night from south central Colorado, where we spent a few days with friends who have a cabin in the Wet Mountains (a range of the Rockies), near the town of Westcliffe.
I was there last year with the cabin owner and another guy, and that time we took the overnight train from Kansas City to Trinidad and drove the 60 miles up to the cabin in a rental car. This year we drove, and I can tell you even though it’s a long drive, sitting in the car for 12 hours is a lot more comfortable than trying to sleep in a tilt-back chair on the train.
An even bigger bonus: This year we had women! Woo-hoo! I tell you it was a veritable nonstop party for three days…well, as much of a nonstop party as one person in her late 50s (Patty) and three in their and 60s can have.
I know you’re dying to see the photos, so let’s get started!
We had just gotten to the town of Colorado City, not far from the cabin, when we happened upon this view.
I took this one from the same vantage point, different view.
Our cabin was a bit on the rough side, but…oh, wait…wrong photo.
Not rough at all, actually. Kaler, who co-owns the place with his cousin, calls it “the little cabin in the woods.” I call it the Grand Villa.
We shared the deck with some fine feathered friends.
One day we took a 4.2 mile hike (two up, two down) to St. Charles Peak, elev. 11,784 feet. Strangely enough, Patty and Kaler were the only two who made it to the summit. Maybe if Kaler’s wife Eileen and I had laid down and rested we would have made it, too.
The aspens had turned, and, boy, was it beautiful.
On Colorado 165, the road to Kaler’s cabin, looms a structure called Bishop’s Castle, which a guy named Jim Bishop built by himself. It’s quite a tourist attraction. You can climb all the way to the top, if you have courage, strong legs and an iron will. The four of us came up lacking in each of those departments. Ground level is as high as I got.
Then there’s the town of Westcliffe, at the feet of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. One of my favorite stores in Westcliffe is a pawn shop called the The Loan A Ranger. Lots of guns for sale…Oh, baby, I just love those firearms!
One day we went to a place called The Winery, at a former abbey near Canon (pron. Canyon) City.
The wine tasting was $35 a head, except for me, a non-drinker. I drank grape juice and got in for the discount price of $10…That’s Kaler in the front and Eileen, Patty and me.
As we left The Winery, a cloud buildup was underway.
Like I said, a cloud buildup was underway. The cloud formations change quickly in the Centennial State.
A friend of Kaler’s owns this place, with a view of Turtle Rock (left peak).
A closer view of Turtle Rock.
Naturally, I wanted to get an old-fashioned selfie, using the 10-second self-timer on my Lumix, but I couldn’t scramble down the rocks in time to join my companions. Tempus fugit, that’s for sure.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
What a great time!!
Beautiful pics. What could be better than Colorado in the fall?
Then there is the “little cabin.” Wow.
Thanks, Debbie. Welcome to the Comments Dept.
Your third pic and caption remind me of the first time our family made the drive to what would be our vacation rental over several summers in No. Carolina. Every time we passed a dilapidated barn or house we would gleefully ask, “Is that our house?!”
Jim:
Beautiful pictures!! What gorgeous birds! Are they some kind of exotic Blue Jay?
Many thanks. And what a beautiful “cabin” in the woods.
Cheers,
Laura
I think Kaler called it a mountain jay, Laura…A check of Google indicates it could be more specifically classified as a Steller’s jay.
I missed my annual trek to Colorado this year. Thanks for sharing your pics. Made me feel almost there.
I hope you get back next year, Janet. What part do you usually go to, or does your destination vary?