We woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground and flakes in the air. We headed back down the Blue Lakes Campground access road in increasingly blustery weather, stopping every so often to talk with tourists. We got out of the area in time, leaving a blizzard in our wake. No fun, traveling along a highway. A motorcycle flew past, and Raudi started, so I wimped out and walked the next few miles. The day’s ride ended at the Spring Creek trailhead in Cuchara. The horses immediately dove into the ample, lush grass. It started raining, and Pete took off in the direction of the town of Cuchara. I stayed behind, set up camp, and kept an eye on the critters. He came back accompanied by Stephen Ames, who’d offered to give us a ride to La Veta. We’ll ride the ten miles to his place tomorrow and spend the night there.

Next: Dispatch #7: Swapping Stories