Cotopaxi General to Durango, CO

One of the biggest lures of our westward wanderings was the fact that there were several places, states, attractions, etc. that we had never seen or been to. Not so with this little stop on our trek toward westerland. 

Cotopaxi General is a little store at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Many times it has been the final stop before heading to one of my favorite retreat places. Not too far from the general store, hidden in the mountains, is a little cabin that belongs to some friends of ours. I have been to the cabin many times for: women's get aways, Josh's Sr. trip, planning sessions for retreats that my friend and I hosted, etc.

Cotopaxi General hasn't changed over the years. It has the same ambiance that it had the first time I stepped over the threshold. It resembles the old grocery store we used to shop at when I was a little girl. It has a little of this and a little of that but not too much of anything really. A country breakfast is also served there. The aroma of coffee and biscuits and gravy invite you to come in and sit a spell. 

Once there was a bear that visited Cotopaxi General. He was sitting on the counter eating lunch meat when the owner came in to open up. The owner told him to, "Move it on out of here!" and the bear did. Can't remember if he left the meat behind or not. Silly old bear!

Not much to do here but reminisce so we didn't hang out for long. We didn't turn down the road  toward the little mountain cabin, instead we hopped in the car and headed on down the road to Salida, CO. There was a bit of a tug on my heart as we passed the cabin road. It didn't feel right to go by without going up and saying hi. But we had a lot more miles to cover and a lot more sights to see. It was time to move on down the road.

I love the little town of  Salida. It is an artsy little town, with an awesome restaurant that has the best food! Hadn't been there for years, but memories drew me back for another taste of their entrees'.  Their homemade  pie is unforgettable! After lunch, complete with lemon pie with meringue that was nearly reaching the sky, we went across the street to The Aquatic Center for a peek. 

The Aquatic Center has a swimming pool that is heated by natural springs. Part of the pool is cool for serious swimmers and part of it is always like a nice hot-tub. When we home-schooled, a lifetime ago, I brought my kids out to the cabin for a stay. One day we journeyed into Salida and enjoyed the restaurant and the pool. I remember hanging out at the warm end with the kids taking over the place. We had a blast that day!  Scotty and I just dipped our fingers in and enjoyed the atmosphere for a moment and then we were on our way again.

Interesting timing occurred over and over on our journey. It was obvious that we had tapped into the Lord's agenda for us. 

One of our staff member's dad passed away the Monday before we left.  She immediately left Chanute and headed to his home in Buena Vista to be with her mom. The quaint little town of Buena Vista is only 30 minutes from Salida, so we made a little side trip and went to Buena Vista to visit and pray with her and her mom. The timing was amazing. Rhonda is an only child  and is not from that area so she was feeling very alone in her grief. She was so happy to see us. After visiting a while with them, we left, knowing that we had been sent. What a blessing to all of us!

One of our special surprises were three deer with racks that were huge still covered in velvet! They were gorgeous. I am pretty sure it was Dasher, Dancer, and Prancer. Kept looking for Rudolph but he did not show. They did not need that nose in broad daylight!

Colorado is beautiful! With our top down, temperature of 70 degrees, we were on our way to new territory! 

Have you guys ever driven through Wolf Creek Pass? What a ride! Scotty took it faster than I would have. After all our car was made for this kind of driving! There is something about having one's hands on the wheel that makes the driver feel much more confident than their passengers. I was the passenger and I was a bit on the shaky side! I think I might have felt better if no one else would have been on the road. Whew! It was something to live through!!! 

Durango, CO was our final destination that day. We arrived by evening, walked the streets of that little tourist town, and ate at an amazing Mexican Restaurant. 

I LOVED Durango. It was really touristy, but I really enjoyed that little town. In fact it was here, at Durango, that I began to say, "I could live here!" It was also here that Scotty began to reason with me, explaining why it would not be feasible, possible, or sensible to live there. He is always so practical! I just wanted to play the imagination game a little bit.  Even he enjoyed the idea of a new place like Durango, but the reality of  piles of snow in winter were a definite deterrence for him.  

We covered lots of miles that day. The journey was getting more exciting with every mile. The next day we would visit Silverton and Ouray. 

Evening had settled in, giving its way to night, so for now it was time to call it a day at the Comfort Inn!

See you tomorrow!

Cheri