A cozy mountain hut, some Great sand dunes, and an idyllic mountain town
Ahhhh Salida. Just the thought of it conjures fresh mountain air, sun on my skin, and slow strolls through its lovely streets. I keep thinking how lucky I am to say it again—this might be one of my favorite spots yet. It is, quite honestly, an idyllic little mountain town. Smaller than most places we’ve been, with just under 6,000 residents, it's nestled between the “Collegiate” Peaks and Monarch Pass, home to one of the few remaining independently owned ski mountains in Colorado. Their snowy white peaks seem to rise up in the distance from nearly every corner of town, even from the couch where I’m sitting right now. It’s friendlier and quirkier here; people sit out on their front porches and say hello as you pass, windchimes made of old bike gears clinking above their heads. Freshly poured sidewalks don’t hold accidental footprints, but hoofprints. There are deer everywhere. Deer out the window, deer along the street, just chewing, sitting, existing. Even Gus is fascinated. He’ll...
