Vision of a Mountain Railroad – Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad NM, CO

One of the many different locomotives still in use on the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad

Like all great projects they claimed it couldn’t be done. Yet in the end all it took was a man, a vision, some industrial ingenuity and the fortitude to make it happen. It was the early 1870′s and prospectors in hunt of gold and precious metals had flooded out west, most making the perilous journey over the Colorado mountains by wagon. Seeing the opportunity William Jackson Palmer founded a new company the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. His dream was the vision of a connection from Denver to El Paso, Texas and he was a man at the forefront of his time.

The terminus and narrow-gauge (3-foot) tracks at Chama, NM

What gave Palmer the edge was the idea of using narrow-gauge tracks. In the midst of a massive mining boom Palmer drove 3-foot gauge tracks (compared to the standard 4-foot 8 ½ inches) deeper, higher and over more rugged terrain than any other constructor. He built an extensive network of lines into small mountain mining towns in Southern Colorado and by 1890 boasted the largest narrow-gauge railroad line in North America. With competition rife and the advent of larger locomotives however, Palmer was eventually forced to convert most of his tracks to standard gauge, but because of an interesting twist (the Sherman Act of 1893) a precious few remained.

The scenic stop at Cumbres Pass (elev. 10,015 feet)

The Cumbres and Toltec Railroad encompasses the modern living history of one of these remaining line. Built in 1880 as Rio Grande’s San Juan Extension, serving the silver mining district of the San Juan mountains, it is the longest (64 miles long) and highest (peaking at 10,015 feet) coal-fired, steam operated narrow-gauge railroad in North America.

And…IT…IS…COOooooL!

Historic shot of a rotary snowplow at work. Drifts sometimes reached 20-feet at Cumbres Pass.

Now, normally I’m not the type to get wound up in a tizzy about railroads, but this thing has been so beautifully preserved by such a passionate group of people that it is positively electrifying. The southern terminal at Chama, NM is gorgeously set at the base of the San Juan Mountains and supports a small museum, original terminus building, 1899 machine shop, tool sheds, coal tipple, stock yards and over 100 historic freight and maintenance-of-way cars including the original Rio Grande steam locomotives.

One of the genius rotary snow plows on display

There are contraptions I’ve never seen or imagined including the genius rotary snow-plow, massive machines that cleared snow drifts over the high passes in winter. Groups of passionate volunteers (Friends of Cumbres and Toltec) are on-hand to answer questions and support the railroad, while cars and the orignal railroad yards are open for self-guided visits. You can then either take a ride on the train or follow the tracks by car on the fabulously scenic Hwy 17 to Antonito, CO.

One of the many train rides open on the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad (map from http://www.cumbrestoltec.com)

Whether you’re a rail enthusiast or just an interested tourist, no doubt this is a touch of industrial history worth seeing. It’s the story of a man’s vision preserved  and transformed into a fascinating collection of artifacts. And, you can still get on and take the ride….cool, indeed!

The restored telegraph office at Chama terminus in New Mexico

The car inspectors house at Cumbres Pass (elev. 10,015 feet).

Following the tracks along scenic Hwy 17

Last Few Days of Enchantment – Lake Heron, NM

Mine....all mine....!

We’re nearing the end of our time here in New Mexico. What started off as a potential 2-week trip with the idea that ”we’ll just make a couple of stops” turned into a tremendous 2-month exploration of a fascinating and diverse place.  I’m not exaggerating when I say that New Mexico has blown us away. It’s a hidden gem and seems so under-visited that you can easily find remote and relaxing spots almost everywhere. We’ve camped without reservations and without a fixed timeframe, a luxury we don’t always have with a “beast” our size. 

At the beginning of our time here, I sat overlooking the sunset at Brantley Lake and declared myself ready to be enchanted. There’s no doubt the travel gods heard me and gave us a better ride than we could ever have imagined.

Definitely the only nutters out here

We’ve got a few more days in the very quaint and cute area of Chama in North-Central New Mexico before we go. Yet again we’re next to a gorgeous lake (Heron Lake) and have established ourselves firmly as the only nutters who are actually walking and swimming in it. You can’t blame the Cuban-boy -> if anything Mr.Florida man should be shunning these chilly waters. Then again perhaps the Danish girl is rubbing off on him, or pooch is getting really good at goading him on, or it’s just the magic of New Mexico bathing his soul.

There’s no doubt the enchantment of this place has weaved its way into our hearts. New Mexico has made its mark and we’ll most definitely have to come back for more.

So, you coming in or what?

Just another beautiful, deserted lake

Spring Blooms In Summer

Blooms galore in the forest

So it’s officially the first day of summer, the solstice, the longest day of the year. Technically the earth’s axis is at exactly 23.4 degrees relative to the sun. Historically it’s a day of celebration, ceremony and fascinating pagan rites, but in Nina terms it means beautifully long sunny days and barefoot walks in the grass.

It’s the turn of a season and the beginning of a  fabulous new day.

Beautiful blue in the turf

We woke up in style to the most glorious of mornings, slightly on the chilly side but beautifully refreshing, and astonished to find the very first drops of rain this year had fallen in our forested “back yard”.

After I had peeled off the cat (who had hermetically sealed herself to me with the low temps overnight), and put the hair back on hubby’s chest with  an espresso so solid even a Turk would approve, I took pooch by the reins and bounded with youthful joy, or my best impression thereof, into the moist and fragrant forest.

A show of white for the morning

Ahhh to be a fawn of the forest, fairy of the trees and dryad of the greens. Doggie and I skipped with all abandon up the creek and immersed ourselves in the new scents of dew.

And then I noticed the blooms.

Not that I hadn’t seen them before, but on this day they seemed to shine particularly bright. As if on cue blooms of spring much delayed by drought and a long winter blanketed the forest for the first day of summer.

A dust of dandelion

We had a fine time pooch and I, out there by ourselves. I snapped up flower shots on my stomach while doggie bounded around with ever-hopeful thoughts of rabbits and squirrels. No locals were harmed and we returned with dignity intact to the campground. 

It may our last day in the forest, and the end of a very enchanted ride, but it’s the beginning of a whole new season and I, for one, am really looking forward to it.

The Ultimate RVer?

43 years in a Volkswagen Beetle...now that's what I call extreme RVing!

I often talk about the interesting and unusual people we meet RVing. Believe it or not, the folks who full-time RV are as varied and individual as the stars. We’ve met young couples in their 20′s, families with home-schooled kids, older people (up to late 80′s), artists, writers, geeks, individualists, professionals….and they full-time in all kinds of rigs anything from pop-up trailers to enormous 45-foot Class A’s with almost equally large trailers. In fact, the more your RV and get around, the more you realize that all kinds of people do this and just about anyone can live this lifestyle if they’re willing to be flexible.

We’ve been on the road for almost 17 months now and we pretty much thought we’d seen it all….until we met, let’s call her Doreen. She’s a quirky lady no doubt, and her lifestyle goes in the definite realm of alternative . For the past 43 years she’s been living out of her Volkswagen Beetle with no phone, no internet and just a few coolers of food and vitamins. We met her here in Columbine and got chatting about her life. Asked why she’s still in the same car she simply answered “well, I started out and just didn’t think of stopping”. She’s been just about everywhere (as you’d expect) and knows all the regular campground hosts by name. The ultimate RVer? I don’t know, but she sure puts RVing in a whole new perspective. Something to think about on a Sunday afternoon…

Finding Great Things to Do on the Road

A scenic shot from Wild Rivers BLM overlook at the confluence of Red River and the Rio Grande. A fabulous recommendation from our camphosts.

We’ve been very busy these past weeks exploring all the cool little corners of The Enchanted Circle NM. There is so much to see here, and so many interesting side-stories to discover. From hidden petroglyphs in the Rio Grande Valley, to the moving and beautiful Vietnam Veterans Memorial (the life-work of a father in memory of his son), stream hikes in Cimarron and Columbine Canyons, gold history in Elizabethtown, beer and music festivals in Red River (another one coming up this week-end) and wild, wide open views at Wild Rivers BLM (talk about remote!). It’s a wonder we get time to eat and sleep!

The very moving and beautiful Vietnam Veterans Memorial near Angel Fire, NM

Some time ago someone asked me on the blog how we find all these interesting spots. I do seem to have a happily gifted nose for good food and wine which, combined with a total lack of direction leads us into a plethora of unusual and fascinating areas. But, I also cheat a bit and figured I would share some of those ideas on the blog. So,with that said here’s my winning poker hand for finding great things to do on the road.

A restored wagon in Eagle Nest. We got tons of interesting history on the place from the Visitor Center and our neighbors.

1/ Go to the Visitors Center – Many major towns, especial those with a bit of a tourist bent have a visitors center, and if you get chatting you can find out all kinds of interesting things to see and do. They’re a great resource from anything from sightseeing to hiking and eating out.

2/ Talk to the Camphost – If you’re in a campground with a host, they’ll often be someone who’s very familiar with the area. As an example our current host here in Columbine Canyon Forest has been coming to this area for 40 years. Talk about experience! He gave us tips on great hikes as well as the remote (and totally amazing) Wild Rivers BLM. I always make it a point to chat to the host.

Hidden petroglyphs on the Vista Verde trail at Orilla Verde. We found them by chatting with the local Ranger about his favorite hike.

3/ Meet the Ranger - If you’re anywhere near a forest or BLM, the local ranger can be a wealth of information. Not only can they tell you about camping and boondocking spots, but they’ll help you root out some great hikes too. We met the lead ranger at Wild Rivers the other day who gave us all kinds of history on the area as well as the best place to remote-camp with the beast (it’s El Aguaje Campground in Wild Rivers, by the way -> *no-one* goes there). After an hour chat he even offered us a hosting job. We may well come back for that one!

The cute little ski town of Red River rocks it out with food, wine and music festivals throughout summer. A good tip from our neighbours.

4/ Get Friendly With Your Neighbors – I’m naturally a very sociable person and will usually stop to chat to neighbors in the campground. You’ll often meet people who are local or have traveled to spots you have yet to see. In Eagle Nest we met a couple who RV for blues festivals and that’s how we found out about the week-end gig at Red River. We also met Bob at the same campground…the guy who knows a guy who knows about the gold…you know…

5/ Go Online - The online RV forums are a *wealth* of information on RVing, but they can also be great resources for things to see and do. If I’m testing out a route or destination I’ll often ask on the forums. There are also a bunch of great websites including Roadside America, a fabulous resource for quirky and unusual attractions on the road.

Hiking to Gold Mountain in Columbine Canyon. A wonderful recommendation from our host.

Oh and if you’re wondering how I get all the cool low-down, apart from natural charm and bribes I ask two very simple questions…first ”What is your favorite thing to see/do/eat in the area?”…and second “Why?”. The lead-off question gets the info flowing, but the second question gets to the really juicy stuff. It’s an old sales-trick don’t you know, and it works every time. Got any tips of your own?