Alamosa (Part 5)

Here are the last couple of shots from this short series on our day trip to Alamosa last week. The mountain above was captured from the passenger seat as Pat sped down Highway 160, so I'm surprised it came out as well as it did. As you can see, there's a paucity of snow on the mountains here, either. Sigh. Below is a sign outside of Walsenberg. I actually took it on the way to Alamosa, not on the way home, but forgot to share it first. Walsenberg only has about 3,000 residents and I think it's a very cute little town.

Alamosa (Part 4)

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.

Alamosa (Part 3)

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. 

Alamosa (Part 2)

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.

Alamosa (Part 1)

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.

Alamosa

Our trip to the San Luis Valley took us to the town of Alamosa, more or less the urban hub of the entire area. I've only been there once and that was years ago, so I envisioned a sleepy little town. What we found was that Alamosa is a bustling little college burg! Okay, it's only four square miles and 4,000 residents, but it's hip. Where there's college, there's hipness, and Alamosa is no exception. The college in question is Adams State. This image is of the theater on campus. Very cool!