San Luis Valley

We spent three good days at Durango at a pretty nice B&B doing good tourist stuff. Went to Mesa Verde for a day where we climbed ladders, thru small openings and up a rock wall to see the cliff dwellings. Then spent another day on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge RR going thru a beautiful gorge (the Animas River gorge). Today took about a four hour ride leaving Durango and reached a rustic mountain resort called Valleyview which sits high up in the San Luis Mt. Range overlooking a very large arid valley. This evening we took a 1 hour hike up into the mountains to see an abandoned mining cave which is the home for nearly 200,000 Brazilian freetailed bats coming streaming out (at dusk) to head out over the valley catching their insects. This area is known for its mineral springs and pools which are readily accessible while you're staying here. Tomorrow it's off to Great Sand Dunes National Park (which we could actually see down the valley even though it's almost 50 miles away). Take care, will try to download some pics once we get back to Denver. J&S (sorry the one shot from Mesa Verde is sideways)