La Garita

Sun, June 21, 2009

Once the center of the local Hispano community, La Capilla de San Juan Bautista still raises its six-armed spire against the La Garita Mountains, a poignant reminder of religious festivals and a community’s source of spiritual solace. On June 24, Bp. Arthur Tafoya will celebrate the feast of St. John the Baptist with a mass at the historic church beginning at 6:30 p.m. Vespers or evening prayers will be held at the church on Wednesday, June 23 in anticipation of the feast.

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Categorized in La Garita, SLV Events

Defined tags for this entry: architecture, history, religion

Moose on the Loose

Fri, August 1, 2008

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will expand its moose relocation program with the release of up to 30 animals on the north edge of the La Garita Wilderness Area, which takes in part of northwestern Saguache County.

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Categorized in La Garita

Defined tags for this entry: moose, wildlife

Climbing in Penitente Canyon

Thu, May 15, 2008

For a great climbing vacation, try Penitente Canyon in the San Luis Valley. With one of the shortest and flattest approaches anywhere, great campsites and a 5.2 climb, Penitente scores high in friendliness.

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Categorized in La Garita

Defined tags for this entry: climbing, outoors, recreation, sports

La Garita Fire District

Wed, November 28, 2007

Some 25 La Garita residents gathered in the La Garita Country Store’s new expanded dining area last week to learn how to better address fire danger in the area and to discuss the possibility of establishing a fire district for local citizens.

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Categorized in La Garita

Defined tags for this entry: fire

La Garita: Growing Up In and About the San Luis Valley

Fri, November 16, 2007

La Garita: Growing Up In and About the San Luis Valley, by F. Amadeo White, was recently updated and expanded from the original 1971 version. The book is available for $20 at the Saguache County Museum and the La Garita Trading Post.

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Categorized in La Garita, SLV Reading

Defined tags for this entry: writing

Penitente Canyon

Sun, August 12, 2007

Penitente Canyon, in Colorado's San Luis Valley, seems to me like one of those places that, like Joshua Tree, has a cool vibe...

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Categorized in La Garita

Defined tags for this entry: climbing

San Luis Valley Geology

Sat, July 28, 2007

Between 25 to 35 million years ago, it is estimated that two-thirds of Colorado was covered with volcanic rock, from the edge of the San Luis Valley all the way to Ouray and Silverton. The world's largest caldera is the La Garita Caldera, near Creede. And Creede itself is a small caldera, and one of the most well preserved on Earth.

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Categorized in Creede, La Garita

Defined tags for this entry: geology

Building a Straw Bale House

Fri, July 13, 2007

A family builds a straw bale house in La Garita. Built for about $67,500, the house was later appraised at $143,000, and that was in 2002. Most straw bales now can be financed with FHA loans. Today the push for “green” homes seems all the more important with fuel costs at an all-time high.

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Categorized in La Garita

Defined tags for this entry: construction, environment

Tornado in Saguache County

Mon, April 2, 2007

A blogger reports on extreme weather at the north end of the Valley on March 30th:

We made our way down to Penitente Canyon, which is roughly 20 miles southwest of Saguache ... nestled at the foothills of the San Juan mountains. We also saw a tornado on the way. I'm not kidding, and anyone who reads this blog who (a) is married to me or (b) is related to me and lived with me during my childhood knows that I am absolutely, deathly afraid of tornadoes. It was very far away, and we stopped to tape it. So now we have video of a tornado.

Here's the video:

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Categorized in La Garita, Saguache

Defined tags for this entry: weather

SLV Climbing Pages on the Web

Thu, March 15, 2007

People interested in climbing and mountaineering now have a space on mountainproject.com dedicated to the San Luis Valley. Among the various photos on the site, many illustrate climbs available in Penitente Canyon.

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Categorized in La Garita

Defined tags for this entry: climbing, mountains

Rock Climbing in Penitente Canyon

Thu, July 6, 2006

Two guys rock out in Penitente Canyon.

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Categorized in La Garita, SLV Audio/Video

Coolbroth Fire

Tue, June 27, 2006

Fire officials said Monday that two area fires are closer to containment. Colorado's latest wildfire, the Coolbroth blaze 13 miles north of Del Norte in the San Luis Valley, was probably human-caused, officials said today.

Categorized in La Garita, La Veta Pass

Weather Helps Fire

Mon, June 26, 2006

Cooler, cloudy weather Sunday created a much-needed break for firefighters battling four major blazes in Colorado and Wyoming. The greatest improvement came at the Coolbroth Fire in a canyon inside the Rio Grande National Forest in Saguache County. After a seesaw battle over the weekend, fire crews reported the 250-acre fire was 70 percent contained.

Categorized in La Garita

SLV Fires

Sun, June 25, 2006

Firefighting efforts to control the Malo Vega Fire near Fort Garland remained steady on Saturday, but harsh winds created big problems for crews struggling with the Coolbroth Fire in LaGarita.

Categorized in La Garita

New Fire

Sat, June 24, 2006

A new 100- to 200-acre wildfire broke out in the San Luis Valley just as crews made progress on the 13,100-acre Malo Vega fire that kept at least 230 houses under an evacuation order. Authorities suspect lightning sparked the Coolbroth fire near La Garita had the U.S. Forest Service and sheriffs office in Saguache County on high alert.

Categorized in La Garita

Natural Arch

Tue, June 20, 2006

In the vicinity of Penitente Canyon, the natural arch known as "La Ventana" rises from the rocky landscape north of Del Norte.

Continue reading "Natural Arch"

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Categorized in La Garita

Ghost Mine Ranch Weather Station

Fri, January 27, 2006

The Ghost Mine Ranch subdivision near La Garita has its own weather station. View the latest weather and weather trends for Ghost Mine Ranch on the weather statistics page, which is updated automatically from readings from the station. Information courtesy of Frank Evans.

Categorized in La Garita

Hot Air is Cool

Sat, January 21, 2006

Like many balloonists, I got my start at the old Balloon Ranch in the amazing San Luis Valley of Colorado, rising every morning in the magically still hour before dawn to fly before the hot summer sun could cause temperature differentials that cause unpredictable thermals and winds. Soloing was one of life's grand experiences, sailing through the cold crystalline air "when young Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more."

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Categorized in La Garita

Defined tags for this entry: aviation

2005 Conservation Achievements

Tue, January 10, 2006

On Friday, January 6, 2006, The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national land conservation nonprofit, announced its conservation achievements for the year 2005. Since it was founded in 1972, TPL has helped protect more than 2 million acres of land -- from the inner city to the wilderness -- in 46 states. The 2005 Conservation include the easement on the 1,240-acre Dunn Ranch ensures the land will never be developed and the senior water rights that go with it will remain in the San Luis Valley.

Categorized in La Garita

Part III: Paradise without a PR Agent - The San Luis Valley

Sat, December 31, 2005

At 4:30 on our second day in Colorado's San Luis Valley, we barely had time to toast our summit of Blanca Peak or feel the ache in our legs--we were racing a late-summer sun to Emma's Hacienda, a legendary Mexican-food joint in San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado.

Categorized in Crestone, Hooper, La Garita, San Luis