Friday, March 20, 2026
We are now pretty set on setting the compass on 90 degrees, more or less in order to reduce the distance from our location new home. We leave Pagosa Springs and take highway 160 more or less east as we head eastwards. The highway start climbing, climbing, climbing, at first following the San Juan River, then a high altitude canyon.
We climb over the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Pass, 10,890 feet and head steadily towards another popular town, South Fork
We drive out into the flats passing a the lonely Blanca volcanic peak. Alamosa is the largest city in Alamosa County at 9800 souls and lies along the Rio Grande River.
We pass Blanca, 322 souls and Fort Garland established as a fort to protect settlers in 1858 and abandoned in 1883 with the confinement of native tribes. Few of the original buildings still exist.
Walsenburg is the most populous (3049 souls) city and seat of Huerfano County. Robert Ford, the famous gunman ran a saloon and gambling house in town. This town is calm now but a century ago gunfire erupted in the Colorado Coal Strike of 1978-29.
After what seemed like a long stretch of road we come to La Junta, CO where we’ll be staying in. a KOA for the night. La Junta (Spanish for ‘the junction’) was named for the fact it rested at the intersection of the Santa Fe Trail and a pioneer road to Pueblo.
Travel With Jil and Mike 