Arriving At V.A. Poma Ranch - (Pagosa Springs, CO)

Another cool, upper 40s morning.

We wanted to get on the road early, but that didn't exactly happen.  It was after 10:00 am and then we had to wait at the dump station for awhile.

At the end of the park road, NM Hwy 95, we took a left onto U.S. Hwy 84 and headed north.  We made a quick stop in Chama to fill up the Jeep before continuing on Hwy 84 across the Continental Divide all the way to Pagosa Springs.  I was at 10 mpg at that time.

At Pagosa we took U.S. Hwy 160 through downtown to Piedra Road at the "top of the hill".  That hill climb on the west side of downtown made my mileage go down.  :)

Now the hard part.

Piedra Road is a bit narrow and rough at the beginning.  It's paved (but not smooth) for the first 6 miles and then it turns into a wider gravel road.

That first nine miles of gravel road is pure torture.  It is extremely washboardy and seemed worse than when we visited in May.  It was rattling my teeth in the truck though the trailer suspension seemed to handle it well.  I could only go 10 - 15 mph.

On one downgrade, I was in the lowest gear and the truck started to slide just a bit.  I quickly pinched the trailer brake controller slide to get the trailer brakes to grab a bit tighter.  That worked.

After nine miles on the gravel, we left Archuleta County and entered Hinsdale County.  The surface of the gravel road changed and became smoother.  We averaged about 20 mph from there - the last nine miles.  :)

It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to do the 24 miles of Piedra Road and I've never used the brake controller more.  Whew!

So we drove a total of 92 miles and my 10 mpg shrunk to 9 mpg by the time we got to the ranch.

In spite of the roughness of Piedra Road, I have to say that the drive is spectacular.  Still, I was glad to see our home for the next four months - the V.A. Poma Ranch.

We had one more hurdle.  It was a tight turn onto a narrow bridge on the ranch road.  I had to back up a couple times to make it.

Finally, we arrived.  But the fun wasn't over yet.

We met the ranch hand/jack-of-all-trades Glen.  And then we went about the task of getting the trailer turned around in tight quarters so it was headed back out the drive.

Then I had to back it about 50 yards uphill between a shed, a cabin, and several trees to get it into our site.  And of course that wasn't just a straight line.  The angles were tough, and it took us an hour to finally get into place.

The two RV sites where we will be staying and working with Doug & JoAnn for the summer are basically just a clearing amongst the tall pines.  We had to get in first and hope that our satellite internet would work.  There was just enough clearance to the southern sky and we got locked on.  A big sigh of relief there.  :)

As we were getting set up, Doug & JoAnn (and Fillmore) arrived with their Montana.  After greetings and hugs, we suggested that they unhitch in the driveway from their F350 SRW and let me hitch up the F450 and back it up the hill into their site.

They liked that idea.  :)

With the Montana being a bit shorter and lighter than the Cambridge and the angle being easier, I was able to get them parked in about 10 - 15 minutes.

We are a little close together and the utilities are between the rigs.  So they had to run hoses and cords under their fifth wheel.

The good news is that their picture window and dining table are on the opposite side of their rig.  So their view is off into the woods rather than the side of our trailer.  :)

We both have 30 amp electric and sewer hook-ups.  But we are sharing a water spigot that only provides 30 psi of water pressure.  We think we are going to just fill our tank and use our pump for showers to get better pressure.

They will be able to use our internet connection, but neither of us can get cell coverage (even with our booster antenna and amplifier).  So if anyone tries to call on our cell phones and leaves a message, it may be a week or so before we know it.

There is a land line phone in the main ranch house.  And there is a cell signal on Piedra Road about four miles away if we really need it.

We're thinking we may try to set up our antenna and amplifier at the ranch house since it is not so sheltered by trees.  It may work, it may not.  At any rate, the best form of communication will definitely be by email the next four months.  :)

The rest of the afternoon we just spent getting set up and settled in.  We have at least a partial view, through the woods, of the valley and mountains from under our awning.

But as inviting as those loungers were, I wanted to get the windows washed so we could see the birds and wildlife.  There is a constant trill of hummingbirds all around.

We have seen lots of Broad-tailed Hummingbirds and some Rufous as well.  We may or may not have Black-chinned as we are just on the border of their range.

The other wildlife that seems to be more abundant than we expected are the mosquitoes.  That's not good.  :)

Our hostess and employer arrived and we chatted a bit.  We'll probably take tomorrow to get acclimated and then get to work over the weekend.

Knowing how much I love brownies, JoAnn had made a batch before they arrived.  So after we both got set up, we went over to partake and catch up a little.

None of us really has a handle on what we will be doing here.  I think it will be a combination of lots of things and we might have to organize ourselves, but we'll figure it out.

The only downsides I can see are the mosquitoes and having to take on that 25 miles of rough road for each trip to town.

On the positive side, it is beautiful here, there is little to no humidity, the temps are excellent, we are in the wilderness, it's very quiet, and we are close to good hiking, fishing, and off-road exploring.  And we are only dealing with six cabins of occupants at a time ... at the most.  :)

We've already interacted a little with the current guests and they are all enjoying the laid back atmosphere.  One couple is even considering full-time RVing, so I talked to them for quite awhile and gave them a card.  :)

There are certainly worse places to be and worse jobs to have for the summer.  :)

 

Comments

[Tom W]

Sounds like you are in a great place. Too bad the cell phone doesn't work; hopefully moving the antenna to the ranch house will be the solution.

By the way, I ordered the cookbook as soon as you posted the link and I received them yesterday. Just barely a week for the box isn't bad. I like your "soother" recipes but the others are also extremely outstanding.

I just wish everyone had been more specific pertaining to size as I attempted to do for my contributions. An ingredient such as "a bottle of ketchup" or "can of xxxx" leaves a lot of range in size. I checked and the low carb ketchup I buy is 14 ounces and I know that bottles twice that size (or more) are available. Sometimes brand or type would also be nice; I know that my ketchup tastes somewhat different than other types and that could totally change the flavor of the end result.

[Ken Hoenig]

Howard,
Beautiful country. I had a gentleman, who spends his summers in northern MN, that he takes vitamin B12 to ward off misquitoes. My brother use to take garlic tablets and I believe Avon use to make a lotion that helped keep them away. Will be interested in hearing what works for you. From the pictures on the ranch's website I'll bet you'll be taking a lot of pictures in your free time. We look forward to them. Have a great summer.

[Larry and Jacki]

We have been up Piedras road and hiked the river. The road definitely is rough but the beauty is outstanding. Looking forward to your adventures at the ranch. We are headed to Heron Lake until we get tired of it.

Larry and Jacki

[Scot]

Glad to read you made is safe and sound!
Have you looked into skype.com for internet phone service. I use it and like it. Have a great time!
Scott
Morehead, Ky

[foxriverguy]

Wow. Four months with Fillmore. I look forward to pictures of him in his goggles and of him keeping you company.

I suggest you lay in a supply of Deet to keep the mosquitoes at bay.

Howard, I loved your "soothers" recipe. It just might be one of the funniest things you have ever written.

Keep in touch!

[CookieQueen]

Hey Howard! Just a thought; you might want to try Skype for your phone calls. All you need is a PC and a headset and you are in business! Just 2 cents a minute (anywhere in the world), my friend. You can setup your account with as little as $10 and you will be amazed how clear the connection. Just a thought. Hope you have a wonderful adventure in CO! Need cookies yet??

[LakeConroePenny]

Hi Linda and Howard,
It looks like a lovely place, I hope that you 5 will have a wonderful time there. 25 miles of bad road, that is a deterrent.
I heard that this Thermocell works very well.
http://www.mosquitorepellent.com/
I haven't tried it yet. I am moving around all the time when I am outside, so I would have to hang it on me.
I am highly allergic to skeeters, so I use 'Repel' from WalMart Sporting Goods Dept. It seems to work best for me.
Please give Fillmore a hug from me.
Happy Trails, Penny, TX

[Lynda and Bob]

We use Skype but it isn't always great. Skype user to Skype user is free and the IM is always good. Loved your 3 reason re buying gas. We ran out 4 miles short of Raton, NM looking for that 'cheaper' gas. AAA and Good Sam to the rescue! We also had 15 miles of construction with lots of gravel on our way to Howard, CO. Enjoy your new digs and another adventure!

[Dave]

I vacationed around there a couple years ago and it is a very beautiful area. I stayed in Salida, CO and I would suggest going over to enjoy that nice little town. It is really a cool town and at the bike shops they can give you information on some off and on road biking - I was there for the biking on that vacation and it was really good. With 4 months you will have plenty of time to explore. Enjoy. And you guys have a great website and I really enjoy your journal - Thanks for all you do.

[Brenda L]

Skype is a decent alternative to the missing cell phone signal. It's a free service if both parties are using an internet connection. Using our webcam with Skype is a big plus. We are able to see our little granddaughter via weekly calls. She loves to sing, dance and blow kisses to us. It is a great way to have face to face conversations with family members.