Great times in Pagosa

We have had quite a good time here in Pagosa with our grandkids.  It is quite an interesting transition for Jan and I to have 2 really good and really active kids in our small motorhome.  It has been great though, and the kids have been excellent and pitched in to make it work out very well, a real pleasure!

So what have we been up to?  A lot.  Jan started off by taking them to Mesa Verde National Park.  It's a long 110 miles each way but worth it to see the ancient dwellings, and to expose the kids to some history.

Getting ready to hike

At one of the ruins

Another view

Exploring

The Balcony House

They came back tired but both kids really enjoyed the trip, and dare I say, even learned a few things:)

High on Jan and my list for them was to get them out in the boat, and most importantly out fishing.  We had picked them up rods and reels to be sure they would have everything they needed without messing around with our more complicated rigs.  And we even kept it a secret for quite awhile.  We went up to Williams Creek Reservoir, a gorgeous lake about 20 miles away on dirt roads to take them first for a boat ride.

Ready to launch

Out on the lake

They both had a chance to steer, here's Faith's turn

Then we went back in and got our picnic lunches, and went back out to float around for lunch.

Here we are all munching away

Then back we went to the truck and we got out the fishing gear much to their surprise.  We had gotten worms for bait, so we rigged up the rods and back out we went on the boat to give them a chance to try fishing.

Let's just say Faith didn't have any problem putting the worm on the hook,
Christian not so much:)

Christian hoping for a bite

Unfortunately, no bites and then the rain came in, so we ran for the dock, and after the rain stopped the kids went over to continue to fish off the bank while Jan and I packed up the boat.  Still no luck and with one of them getting quite frustrated and wanting to quit fishing, we headed back home.  So the next morning bright and early, Faith and I went back to try it again off the bank.

She gave it a valiant effort, casting well and baiting her own hook
but unfortunately no luck, but who can argue, where
else can you fish with a view and setting like this?

Jan and I wanted so bad for them to catch a fish so we headed out up and over Wolf Creek Pass to check out Big Meadow Reservoir.  Christian kept saying he didn't want to fish any more and we told him that was his decision, but when we arrived and got ready to hike to our "spot", he decided to give it another try.  Well we had success, each kid got 2 fish, Jan and I even caught several.  It was excellent and amazingly turned his enthusiasm back on for fishing.  We stayed there and fished for several hours, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The first fish!

Christian's fish

And Faith's

Jan and Christian fishing

A panorama, Christian on one side, Faith on the other
on a spectacular day!

And although they wanted to keep fishing we thought it better to quit when all was wonderful, so we headed over to South Fork for lunch, stopped at the top of Wolf Creek Pass so they could play in the snow, then stopped at the overlook on the way back.

What a view!!

So today is our last day here.  Jan and Faith have been baking all sorts of delicious things, cakes, cookies, and even Whoopie Pies.  Both kids have been driving Harvey's golf cart around and we've even gotten them to play outside by themselves for hours at a time.  We've enjoyed being together and watching movies and doing fun stuff.  It has been a wonderful time for Jan and I, and I hope the kids too.  Jan and Faith, and even Christian are going to work on making dinner for Friday night when we meet up with Karen and Tom in Taos.  It will be a nice time together before we return the munchins to their home.

Santa Fe done, on to Pagosa Springs

We wanted while in Santa Fe to get the kids to one of our favorite hikes, Tent Rocks.  It is only about 25 minutes away, and is a fantastic 2.7 mile hike through a slot canyon and then climbs 750' up to an amazing overlook.  Lots of scrambling and climbing.  While both Faith and Christian were up to it, we found that our flatland grandkids were a bit out of shape:)

The beginning of the hike

Messing around along the way

Contemplating the crawl through

Scrambling up a steep spot

At the top

We had a great time and Faith and Christian both enjoyed it, although they were a bit worn out.  Then off to Albuquerque to go to REI for that item I mentioned a few posts ago.

Jan and I, as we have altered our focus to more fishing and having the inflatable and motor, have filled the bed of the truck.  That's okay, but we haven't been completely satisfied with where to put the rods and reels or even what to do when we need the backseat.  So we were brainstorming a bit along our whirlwind drive and had a thought about the rooftop cargo carriers we were seeing.  We did some online research, and found out much to our surprise there aren't just a few choices, there are millions.  We already have our Thule bars on the truck from carrying our canoe and kayaks so mounting a carrier would be simple.  We also lucked out, and while in NC, we were able to go to an REI in Asheville to actually look at a few carriers, and found out that Thule was having their annual 20% off sale at the moment, wow!  So we measured and contemplated and made cardboard carriers to see what size and shape we would want.  So we settled on a Force Alpine with dimensions of 81.5"L X 24.5"W X 17"T.  We would have gone with a shorter one but they were much wider and since it would be sitting way up on the truck we didn't figure we'd be able to reach across a wider carrier.  And even though we though 81.5" was way too long, it turns out that you cannot even see it inside the truck.  We had to order the carrier and went to pick it up in Albuquerque.  We got it mounted in just a few minutes, we are very pleased with it and think it will do the job, and even speed tested it up to 85mph!  It's roomy, unobtrusive, quiet, high quality, and fits the bill.

So since we were only going to be in Santa Fe for 2 days, we also wanted to get the kids to have the best cheeseburger in the world at Santa Fe Bite.

Waiting for lunch

Yum, yum!
Christian said he could eat one of these everyday!

Faith finds her's delicious as well

Then we needed to do the most important part of our visit, and that was to see the kid's great grandmother Viv, Jan's mom.  She is a spritely 94 years young, and was very happy to see all of us, especially the kids.

4 generations
Christian, Viv, Faith, and Jan, only missing our daughter and their mother, Kelly

So now we are off to Pagosa Springs for more fun and to see Harvey and Jan for a week.