We hitched a ride to town with a local ranching couple who were unenthused about giving us a lift. The couple recommended that we get breakfast at Bogies Diner. Pete and I went there, ate greasy omelets, and read the local paper. My stomach soon told me I’d erred. This was confirmed when, after we headed back in the direction of the ranch, we stopped at the Peace of Art Café. This place is more than just a mere eatery; it is a grocery, café, gift shop, and inn. And it’s for sale. I hope that someone is able to buy this place, because it adds much, both culturally and economically, to this area. Incredible artwork and sculptures here, good food, great ambiance. And they have lip balm!

We did our laundry, picked up our food drop packages, took showers, and stocked up on much-needed extraneous items. We also checked out the visitor’s center. We did all this while lugging around increasingly heavier dry bags of food and laundry. We eventually returned to the Peace of Art Café, where Theresa, the daughter of the shop owners gave us a lift back to base camp. Before leaving, Mike (one of the owners) pulled out his unicycle and gave me a demonstration. His long-term goal is to be able to ride it to town.

Barbed wire: It’s everywhere. Lots of information about it, from a sign at the Del Norte Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center:

There are more than 1,200 Barbed wire patents, with the oldest being the Meriwether wire patent of 1853. The exhibt says that " perhaps between 40 different barbed wire patents are or were used in the San Luis Valley. The H.B. Scotts wooden block patent in 1880, is found only in the San Luis Valley and the Kelly Diamond barbed wire (second oldest patent in 1868) was used in the San Louis Valley by the Railroad."

From the exhibit: “Barbed wire dates to 1853, (it is) one the four major inventions that most influenced and enabled the Euro-American settlers of the American west . . . Barbed wire is classified by the number of strands in link wire, mesh wire, and interlaced fence strands. Each can be subdivided by the number of barbed points, and all by the barbed design.”

Next: Dispatch #17: A Good Decision

Art work at the Peace of Art Café

Mike and his unicycle

More art work at the Peace of Art Café