Buffet & Trip To Town - (Pagosa Springs, CO)

I finally sat down and did our June Financials and got them posted.  You can find the entry via the link above or on the June 30 date.  And there is a Mid-Year & Overall Financial Check-Up after this entry.  It was a little too serious, so I made it a separate entry.  :)

After that we headed to Indian Head Lodge about 3 1/2 miles away.  We had reserved spots for the Wednesday BBQ Rib buffet so we could check it out and tell our guests at the Ranch.

I must say they put out quite a spread.  You grab paper plates and silverware and go through the buffet which is set up in the lodge kitchen.

It's a pretty basic BBQ buffet, but the ribs are meaty and fall-off-the-bone tender.  Steve uses a sauce that is sort of a cross between BBQ and a sweet & sour.

Half the island in the kitchen was covered baked breads and the other half was covered with pies, cookies, and all kinds of desserts.

After lunch, Steve told us that we paid via donation and to put whatever we thought it was worth in the box.  Well allrighty then.  :)

We heard there was an osprey nest beyond the public access and Steve allowed us to go back there.

It supposedly has at least one baby in it, but we couldn't see it and the parents weren't around.

Still we enjoyed the mountain view down the drive.

Off to our right we could see "Indian Head".

From some angles, the Indian head is really clear.  From this angle you have to use your imagination.  The head is small and looking skyward on the right side of the peak.  You can just see the chin on the right - then there is a notch below it as the mountain falls away.

While walking, we spotted a Western Tanager.  We couldn't get him to come close, so this was the best we could do.

Beautiful birds and we have quite a few around.

Back at the Jeep, we headed into town.  We had to get some envelopes to mail the last of the cookbooks.  I originally posted we had 6 left yesterday morning and they were all gone by 10:00 am.  :)

I had to quickly remove the links to the purchase page and make the page password protected so no one could get in from our prior links or other web links.  The last thing we wanted was to have to make a bunch of refunds with apologies.  :)

All remaining orders went in the mail yesterday.

We also stopped by The UPS Store where I picked up my new D40.  Yay!  Could hardly wait to get it home and charged up.

While we were out, we bought some new hiking boots.  The treads on ours were almost gone, and Linda slid down on our last hike - even with her hiking poles.

Linda got another pair of Merrells (Moab Mid Gore-Tex XCR) and I changed over to Salomon (RiverTrek Mid Gore-Tex).  The Salomon boots have narrower options and I have a skinny foot.  :)

We made another stop at one of the hardware stores (the best shopping in Pagosa), and picked up a few items for the Ranch.

After a quick grocery stop, we headed home.  At the Ranch entrance we noticed Glen & Doug had put the new sign in its frame.

Doug & JoAnn's pictures of the sign are better, but the sign looks great and it quickly drew someone into the Ranch to inquire.

After we got unloaded, I ripped through the camera packaging and started charging the battery.

Soon, Glen came by to show us the trout he caught.  So i got a picture with the new D40.  You can see how much sharper it is.  Man, I wish I'd had it yesterday for the rainbow shots.  :)

We normally catch-and-release here, but this fish was a little too aggressive, swallowed the hook and died.  Glen was having fresh trout for dinner.  :)

And that was it for today.  We just chilled out the rest of the evening.

Comments

[Dee]

Jim got his D40 yesterday too. He did the same thing you did, ripped it all open, took out the battery to get it charged and started taking pictures to check it out. Men and their toys, it's funny to watch ya.
Dee

[Don Catoe]

Glad you got the D40 back, although the pics with the substitute camera weren't bad, the one with the D40 is better.
........... Doncat

[bluemoon331]

Howard & Linda,

We would certainly pay $12/yr to be members of RV-Dreams! We have been following you two from the very beginning & you're the reason we decided that we could retire early (55). If you hadn't posted your budget & expenses, we would have thought we needed to at least work until 58 maybe even 60. So, we can't thank you enough for the great information you've provided for not just us, but everyone who wants to fulltme.

We also enjoy reading your everyday adventures, even if they're not so adventurous they're still interesting. Like alot of others have said, we are living vicariously through you until we get our house sold. We're getting closer to getting it on the market, we actually interviewed realtors today. Yea!! Wish us luck.

Oh, and the pics are great & we're birders also. So... we always enjoy reading about them & especially love seeing the pics.

Denise & Paul

[Becky Hughes]

Howie, I would gladly pay the $12.00. I love reading your site. It makes me feel apart of you & Linda.
ALSO! If you do not think you will have Capital Gains next year you do not have to pay Estimated Taxes. There is no penalty unless you owe, most of the time $1000.00, but you will not get in trouble if you don't pay Estimated, you will just pay a penalty like you did this year.
Becky Hughes