Lyfting Me Up

Last week I took myself on a road trip to Taos, New Mexico. It’s a six-hour drive down I-25 to Walsenburg and then a beautiful jaunt over La Veta Pass to Fort Garland on Highway 160. Then it’s a left turn south to Taos. I have made this drive many times over the last 40 years.

The occasion was a gathering of friends from our beginnings at Phillips University back in 1967. We were bringing our annual reunion to our friend Brad, who is no longer able to travel. It was a roaring success. On Monday I began my trip back home to Arvada with a full heart.

The drive home is a gift. It takes you along the Sangre de Cristo Range to the east, with Mt. Blanca standing sentinel to the north. The BLM land along the route is home to a large herd of wild mustangs. Sometimes you get to see them; other times you don’t. Monday did not disappoint. I was greeted by a herd of about twelve, including a couple of colts.

The connection with Interstate 25 at Walsenburg moves things along, and for an hour the traffic is usually light and the views spectacular. When I first began making this connection to the San Luis Valley, my dad took me on a little side trip.

Graneros Road has only one sign marking the exit. Dad was traveling with me when he said, “I am going to show you something.” He took the exit, and we followed a dirt road for about two miles to the edge of a hidden treasure.

He drove right up to the rim of an enormous gorge some 700 feet deep. Beside it stood an old WPA stone structure built in the 1930s. We walked out to the very edge and looked over what seemed like a miniature Grand Canyon. The St. Charles River had carved its path through the landscape on its way to the Arkansas River.

Driving along I-25, you would have no idea what exists just east of the highway except for a four-second glimpse of the canyon walls. When I have time, I will often take thirty minutes to drive over there and perhaps finish a bag of chips or sip a can of sparkling water. I have been known to treat passengers to the experience. It always draws the same sense of awe. I have even had friends take the detour at my suggestion.

Thanks, Dad!

It’s a secret treasure of sorts. Last Monday, as I drove by, I slowed down so that the four-second glimpse became six. As I continued north, I remembered stopping there with a van full of kids, with friends from Belgium, and with fellow travelers over the years. I remembered a family from my church days in Denver who took the detour and were completely blown away.

Graneros Gorge is a reminder to me of life’s hidden gifts. When someone says, “Take the time someday to check out…” take them up on it.

Let me offer a few suggestions to any of you who might want to drive this route:

• Stop at George’s Drive Inn outside Walsenburg—a true Americana throwback.
• Visit the Fort Garland Museum.
• Don’t miss a walk up the Stations of the Cross in San Luis—remarkable sculptures and a beautiful chapel.
• Drive up Taos Ski Valley and enjoy the mountain scenery.
• Drive out to the Taos Gorge and hold your breath.
• Have a meal at La Cueva Café in Taos.
• Enjoy the blue corn and piñon nut pancakes at Michael’s Kitchen.
• Stop and watch an entire New Mexico sunset.

One final tip: visit Eldorado Canyon State Park just south of Boulder. Its nickname, “Mini Yosemite,” is well deserved.

Onward and Upward,

Mark