August 8 - 31, 2016 - Chama, NM

We left Loveland RV on Monday morning and had a beautiful drive south through the Rocky Mountains to Chama, NM.  We are staying at the Rio Chama RV Park on the north side of town.  We stay here every year and it is good to see the owners, work campers and other friends we have made over the years.  It rained every day in August, sometimes just afternoon showers but we also had some thunderstorms and down pours.  Everyone tells us that July was dry and hot but August was sure wet and cool.  Rex took advantage of a couple of mornings with sunshine to wax the 5^th wheel.

Our little garden is certainly liking the cool wet weather – we were able to start using our lettuce and kale in salads towards the end of August.

Rex is again volunteering as a docent on the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.  He gets to ride the train a couple of times a week and enjoys sharing his knowledge of the train and the area with the passengers.

His favorite part is riding the train – here Engine #463 is doing a blow down to let off excess steam.

And taking on water at Los Pinos water tank.

Nancy is again volunteering one day a week at the railroad display that has been set up in the Cumbres Mall.  There is an S scale model of the Cumbres Station as it was in 1950 and TV monitors that are used to show videos of the C&TSRR in action and also a video of the model train operating.

One day on the way back from a shopping trip to Pagosa Springs, CO a black bear ran across road in front of us – our first bear his year.

On August 27^th we drove to Alamosa and met our friends, Bill & Teri, for lunch and then went to their place in Monte Vista where Rex helped Bill put in an above the range microwave.  We enjoyed visiting with Bill & Teri and their cats, Gracie and Chaps.   Gracie and Chaps were just kittens when we stayed with Bill & Teri last summer and boy have they grown.

Rex has spent a couple of afternoons helping the owner of the RV Park, Russ, with his model railroad.  They are extending the layout - it measures about 20 by 60 feet and is a model of the old Rio Grande route in Utah.

The last day of August we took a Jeep trip to Osier, CO – which is where the train stops for lunch.  We stopped at Sublette, CO which was a section house and water stop for the Denver and Rio GrandWestern going between Antonito and Chama.  Nancy, Camille and Cody are sitting on the porch of the old section house waiting for the train.

The train stops at Sublette to take on water before it gets to Osier.

This is looking down on Osier as the train is coming in – it makes a big loop and comes into Osier from the right of this picture.  You can see the water tower and the station. The dining hall is out of the picture to the left.  The road was pretty good but did get a little rough coming down the hill into Osier.

 We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Osier dining hall and then headed back to Chama as the dark clouds are gathering and it looks like more rain!  Another wonderful day in the Rockies.

With all the rain we have had the mushrooms are popping up everywhere.  We have to keep a close eye on Cody when we are walking him as, for some unknown reason, he loves mushrooms.  We are not mushroom connoisseurs so we do not know which ones are safe and which are poisonous.  We were told by a Veterinarian in Pagosa Springs that a dog and a horse died from eating mushrooms the first week in August – consequently, we try to keep Cody away from all of them.  This is not an easy task as he can smell a mushroom from a mile away!