Travelogue: Ute Mt Birding Festival and southern Colorado

 

Arkansas River, Salida, Colorado

Last week we went to the Ute Mt Birding Festival in Cortez, Colorado to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, which was on May 12. It was our 4th time going to this bird fest, but the last time was 2019, so we were overdue for this favorite road trip.

Cortez is basically due west of Mesa Verde National Park and provides a good alternative to Durango for visitors who want a really small-town experience. We drove down on a Wednesday, and it was a full day as Cortez is seven hours of drive time from our house, which means stopping for lunch, gas, and leg stretching meant nine+ hours of traveling.

We had two full days of birding, saw and heard well over 100 different species, and logged four life birds. We ate twice at The Farm Bistro--locally sourced and absolutely wonderful. If you ever pass through Cortez, definitely put this place on your list.

On Saturday we headed for Salida, a little over halfway home, stopping at Chimney Rock National Monument.

Chimney Rock (right) and Companion Rock (left)

Fun Fact #1: All national parks are run by the National Park Service, but some national monuments are run by the Forest Service. These two organizations have different goals. The NPS tries to preserve sites and areas, while the Forest Service manages usage. It struck me as weird that Chimney Rock, sacred to Native Americans, would be under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service--if any place should be guaranteed as a preservation site, this is it. I am sure there is a political reason at the root of this weirdness.

Fun Fact #2: Just as the position of sun rise changes over time, seasonally, the position of moon rise also changes over time, oscillating south to north, but over a much longer period time--18.6 years, actually. Every 18.6 years, the full moon rises between Chimney Rock and adjacent Companion Rock, and archeologists believe that the Chaco people built a lunar observatory and the villages surrounding Chimney Rock supported the ancient observers. It turns out the full moons between July 2023 and December 2025 rise between the twin towers. The ranger on duty said that they may do live streaming this September and October. Here's more info on the Lunar Standstill and Chimney Rock.

View from Chimney Rock

After Chimney Rock, we landed in Salida for the night. Another restaurant recommendation: The Fritz is wonderful. We ate there five years ago, and it was as great as we remembered. I love Colorado mountain towns, and Salida has always been a favorite. A walk after dinner over the Arkansas gave me the chance to take the photo at the top of this post, which kind of says everything about how great this trip was.

40 years!

Now I'm working like crazy in the garden to make up for the five days I was away from my babies! Update on progress there soon!