Lunch at 18,700 ft

We are stuck here in Durango, Colorado.

                    The weather is boring,

                     Bright, bluebird skies during the day and cool, crisp nights.

                    Ho-hum…..

          If it weren’t for Critter Sitting, there would be no excitement.

Except we went on a hike the other day to the Animas Valley Overlook.

          The trail was 23 miles, and the elevation was 18,700 ft.

          That is a slight exaggeration….

          Actually, the trail was 2/3 of a mile and the elevation was 8,700 ft.

          What a difference a slash and extra digit make!

          As you can see from the accompanying photos, it was about as spectacular as it gets. Looking north into the Heart of the San Juan’s towards Ouray and Silverton, you can see the early snows on the peaks above 10,000 ft. Looking the other way (south), Durango lies nestled in its little valley carved out by the Animas River.

          As an added bonus, The Air Force Thunderbirds flew directly over us in a nice tight formation. Needless to say, (since there is no photographic evidence of this) my camera/phone was in my pocket with no chance to retrieve it in time to take a decent photo.

          Oh well, you’ll just have to believe me!

          We had lunch up there on a south-facing bench which was drenched in the very welcome warming sunlight! The temps up there were hovering at about -43 degrees.

          Oops! There it goes again! I mean 43 degrees!

          That is still cold enough with the gale-force winds of 4 mph blowing across the vast plateau below us to make us comfortable in its warmth.

          Our sandwich was prepared by a local bakery named (appropriately) Bread. This establishment is somewhat of a local favorite and its fame has grown to where folks passing through on their way north, stop in to avail themselves of its victuals and of course, baked goods. It is a large place, with plenty of room inside for customers to place their orders, but with Covid still lurking in the backs of their minds, they only allow TWO customers (or two Groups, i.e., families to be inside at any one time). To show you how successful this joint is, that process does not seem to have had an effect on their business. Peeps are willing to wait outside, all queued up, and patiently (?) await their turn to enter.

          Our sandwich was delicious.

          I’ve always held to the thought that it takes three things to ensure a restaurants success.

• Quality of the Food
• Service
• And cost

The establishment can survive with any two of these being great and the third being average. Think of some places you go to.

           Food great, Price Great, Service average.

          See what I mean?

          Mix any of these up and it still works.

          In our case, the place could not have been any more spectacular, the sandwich was awesome, the price was more than fair at about $8.00, and the service (me) was far above what anyone could expect!

          So, we are giving the South-Facing Bench at Animas Valley Overlook  a Five-Star Rating!

           Be sure to book early as there is only one of these benches up there.

          “Meanwhile back at the ranch…”

The Critter’s of Tomboy Farm keep us quite busy twice a day. Their routines revolve around Food! and being let out of their respective Confinements to roam the vast enclosure that helps keep them relatively safe.

          By vast, I mean like, maybe a quarter acre.

          Mind you, not large enough for a herd of Buffalo, but plenty big for two cats, CubScout (the Roamer)and Ling-Ling ( who stays inside all the time) , three goats, Cloe, Munchy, and Nibbles, and eleven chickens, who not only stopped laying (boo) during the colder months but will remain nameless for now.

          We actually had to buy some stupid-store-bought-eggs!