Summer Sojourning

Funny thought -- sojourn is apparently not supposed to be used as a verb, as in "sojourning," but only a as noun, meaning a temporary stay. But what if I have multiple sojourns to write about? For example, our recent trip included checking out a camping area that a friend recommended, trying to capture at least one photo of a meteor during the Perseids shower,

Dramatic sunset over hills in southwestern Colorado

and exploring a section of a Colorado scenic byway, as well as a not-previously-seen portion of another byway.

My husband's been researching locations for us to scout and to find more gorgeous scenery for me to photograph. Like many of our 'first trips' into an area, we stop less often while we're towing the camper and note places we want to revisit and explore further. A friend had

Old stone barn in San Luis, showing signs of a construction flaw and cracks

suggested an area for us to investigate, so an itinerary with options was worked out, depending on the weather; and honestly, weather has been a big factor in our travel plans this summer. Due to forecasted rain in the west, we turned south to an area we'd never been, along one of the 26 scenic byways found in Colorado. For this post, I'll just skim a few highlights so I can write more about it in the future.

The way leading to our first sojourn of the trip began at Fort Garland, where we turned onto the Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway. Traveling south, we reached the town

14,053-foot Culebra Peak from San Luis, Colorado

of San Luis, the oldest continuously inhabited town in Colorado, dating to 1851. This small town is located within the boundaries of one of the enormous early-1800's Mexican land grants in a picturesque valley north of New Mexico, and overlooked by Trinchera and Culebra Peaks. We eventually found ourselves following the Conejos River westward. We stopped for the night at Elk Creek Campground, where the rain caught up with us. After the sun went down, the skies started clearing up, so I was able to set things up to try to photograph meteors during the night.

I have to admit I've never been particularly enthusiastic about night sky photography (3 a.m. isn't my favorite time to be out and about!), and I was a bit disappointed in my results. Some

First attempt at meteor photos

of the instructions I followed didn't work as well as I'd have liked. Although, once I got home and transferred the files to my big computer, I found I'd caught more meteors than I thought -- plus an airplane and at least one satellite. The instructions recommended between 25- and 30-second exposures to

Later attempt at meteor photos

avoid star trails, but I discovered that was a little too long. For example, the first photo was at 30 seconds and actually caught two meteors (the second one is too faint to see except at 100%) but the stars are clearly shifted. The second image is from our third night out, where I'd shortened the exposure time to 20 seconds. The sky is a little brighter because it was nearly 5 a.m. So this will be considered a work in progress and I'll plan to refine my technique next time.

The next day, the skies had cleared beautifully and we began working our way up La Manga

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic steam train

and Cumbres passes toward Chama, New Mexico. However, we got stopped in our tracks by the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad steam train coming up from Chama and crossing the highway in front of us. So of course we got photos, and after watching the train cross the road, we turned around to meet it at the Section House and water tower at the top of the pass where it would stop briefly to take on water before heading downhill to Antonito, Colorado. I asked to return to another spot further down the mountain where the tracks cross a side road with attractive

Steam train fireman with water spout

views and there's a nice overlook to see it all.

We couldn't have asked for a prettier day for these photos. My husband had been hoping we'd find the railroad tracks on our trip because this is the longest and highest narrow-gauge railroad in North America. Being able to see the train in action was a beautiful bonus!

This 64-mile stretch of narrow gauge railroad was

Cumbres & Toltec train at a crossing

built in 1880 and has been in continuous use since. The narrow, 3-foot gauge allows tighter turns on the mountains and canyons of the route. Four from the current stable of steam locomotives were built in 1925, so this year is their 100th anniversary. These engines were built in a 2-8-2 configuration and

Butterfly and coneflowers

nicknamed "Mikado" due to similar locomotives having been built by the same company for the Nippon Railway in Japan (and a nod to Gilbert and Sullivan). The C&TSRR has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.

The remainder of the day took us down to Chama, then north through Pagosa Springs and our second overnight sojourn, near the East Fork San Juan River. We explored a road we'd been unable to drive on a previous trip. It was so nice to see that wildflowers were still blooming near the river and along the road.

Campsite near East Fork San Juan River

Our third day's journey started out on the familiar territory of Wolf Creek Pass and its always amazing views, then to South Fork, with a westward jog to Creede and continuing north on the Silver Thread Scenic Byway portion we'd never visited before. This stretch brought us to a viewpoint that looks toward Rio Grand Pyramid, a 13,821-foot mountain near the headwaters of the Rio Grande River. It's sited nearly in the center of part of the San Juan Range where there are few roads and fewer towns. It's country for hikers and mountain climbers who are prepared for overnight stays.

We crossed Slumgullion Pass and followed the Lake Fork Gunnison River to Blue Mesa Reservoir. The canyon between Lake City and the reservoir could be called the White

View toward Rio Grande Pyramid from the Silver Thread Scenic Byway

Canyon of the Gunnison for its striking pale walls. (I keep feeling like Colorado should have been named for the canyons here; I wish there was some dramatic word in some language that basically means, "Land of 10,000 Canyons.") Finally, we headed toward the area

Rock formation along East Pass Creek

recommended by our friend -- Cochetopa Creek and its canyon. This one could be compared to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in miniature. It was here that I was able to get my best photo of the meteor shower. The next day we had to head home, but this lovely valley really got our attention and notes to return and investigate it further.

I need to bring this travelogue to a close with a reminder to check out the rest of my posts if you haven't seen them before, and invite you to look at my website for photo art for your own home or office. Go to Shop Art for simplified shopping and ordering.