A Little Road Trip (probably 5k miles in total)

I am in Colorado now, visiting for some family things, Colorado Photographic Art Center’s Month of Photography (MOP), and revisiting personal places, Alamosa and Blanca, and surrounding areas. I left Alamosa when I was 8, but have always felt a deep connection there and Blanca, where my grandparents and mother are in the cemetery there. At a service for a cousin, the minister described Blanca as a “wretched place surrounded by amazing beauty.” I hope he has a day job. Both Alamosa and Blanca are in the San Luis Valley, a still isolated area with a long history that includes Colorado’s oldest settlements. I will be leaving for Denver and Colorado Springs Wednesday for the MOP events and to visit old friends. Meanwhile, more exploring and photography.

The oldest communities in Colorado are clustered along the New Mexico border, where settlers from New Mexico began to establish a foothold. Most of them have old churches, including the oldest standing church in Colorado, in Old San Acacio. I have included a brief survey of some of these here.