On the Road Again ! First Stop, Salida

On the Road Again ! First Stop, Salida, Co

Finally we got everything packed and loaded, the car hooked up and we were on our way around 2:00 pm. This was a little later than we had planned but we were on the road and ready for adventure.

We take the road that heads up toward Alamosa, Colorado. It is pretty scenic and you don't have a lot of traffic to deal with. Got to Alamosa and did a walk around in the Safeway store and bought a few things. As we entered and left Alamosa, the wind was really blowing. It looked like rain and we did get one good rain but by and large it was just drops.

After you leave Alamosa, there is a road you take that cuts off a corner of the trip and you head past another one of those "alien" private campground. Another roadside attraction!

Got to Salida in the late afternoon, early evening, depending on how you look at time, found a place to park and set off to the old town. Salida is a historic town, near the headwaters of the Arkansas river and is teeming with outfitters to take you down the river.

We walked around taking in some of the sights and sounds of the town. There was a concert going on at the park where the Arkansas river flows behind it. We stopped and listened to the music for awhile and then ambled on trying to decide where we wanted to eat. The Victoria only had pizza and didn't look too inviting so we headed over to the Boathouse. They are located right by the water and we found a place to sit where we could watch the happenings on the river.

There were two girls in a inflatable raft practicing moves and strokes it appeared. They would go up to a point and then turn around and go through the same routine again.

We got to talking to the bartender and his girlfriend about what was happening around town, real estate, and other topics. The food was good, the scenery on the river beautiful, and nice conversation. One thing we noticed as we were walking around was the number of people who get around town on bikes. They also seem to feel quite comfortable about leaving their bikes parked outside where they are going unlocked. Nice feeling, that must be.

The next morning we got up and did another drive through the old part of town and saw a coffeeshop called Dawn. Stopped there and both had a delicious latte and split a large burrito. Now fortified with food and drink ready to head on.