Another couple of snapshots that I grabbed in Blanca, about 20 miles outside of Alamosa. The mountains in this part of Colorado are called the Spanish Peaks (part of the larger Sangre de Cristo mountain range), and as you can see, even the most mundane street view has a breathtaking backdrop.
On our way out of Alamosa, we stopped in tiny Blanca so I could hop out of the car for a couple of photos. I love the symmetry and the simple shape of this old building. Blanca is about 20 miles outside of Alamosa and has fewer than 350 residents, at one time including Pat's brother Matt. This part of Colorado is very much agricultural, mainly ranching, although The Great Sand Dunes National Park is a big part of the local economy, too. If you're ever in this neck of the woods you should definitely visit the park, it's incredibly unique and beautiful.
More Alamosa stuff. This photo was taken from the same exact spot as the one I shared a few days ago, but ninety degrees to the left, facing east. The photo below was taken another 90 degrees to the north. As you can see, not exactly uplifting.
Alamosa is situated in the San Luis Valley, which is not only a very beautiful place, it's also one of the poorest regions in Colorado. Boasting fewer than 10,000 residents, it's the largest town in the area. Adams State College is located in Alamosa and that gives it a breath of fresh air -- having a college or university in any city inevitably lends a boost of fun and funkiness. But yeah, it's not exactly the upper east side of Manhattan in terms of median household income. That said, of course not all of Alamosa looks like these grim images! There are some very cute neighborhoods, too.
Back to Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend for today's post. Lots of bodacious Betties and cool cats to be found at the car show. Next Sunday I'll wind up my VLV series with just a few more snaps of vintage style captured over the course of the event.
Pat and I drove to Alamosa yesterday, about 165 miles away, and although it was a beautiful day for a road trip our mission was a little depressing, to be perfectly honest. To briefly explain, for several years one of Pat's three brothers lived in or around Alamosa. (Matt had always been a bit transient by nature, so for a time he lived nearby in tiny Blanca as well.) In February of 2025 he died quite unexpectedly, and ever since then, Pat has been paying rent on the storage unit in Alamosa that Matt rented. The time has come to finally see what was in there and figure out what to do with his things. I won't go into that here, though. Suffice it to say that although it was not exactly a joyful excursion, I decided to make the best of it and document the things that I saw in Alamosa and the surrounding area. I suppose the photos reflect my mood. Here's the building where Matt rented his storage unit.
I was at the water wise demonstration garden up on the mesa a few days ago, and although most of the plants were only starting to emerge from their winter slumber, the cactus were already in full bloom and putting on a nice show.
It's nice to see a blanket of snow on the peak, even though it'll disappear soon. It's been an unnervingly warm and dry winter and we're definitely staring down the barrel at water restrictions in the coming months. The last several days brought us chilly, soggy and snowy weather, which will definitely help, but it's not enough. Send more please, Mother Nature.
