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Sunday, October 27, 2024

Salida, Colorado



On our last day celebrating our special anniversary, we left the Mt. Primcton Hot Springs Resort to drive to the nearby town of Salida for dinner. Although the resort had a wonderful restaurant, we wanted to enjoy a drive along the scenic Collegiate Mountains located in the Sawatch Mountain Range.  The Sawatch Mountian range includes eight of the twenty highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains, including Mount Elbert, at 14,440 feet (4,401 m) elevation, the highest peak in the Rockies. Salida has the nickname "The Heart of the Rockies," as it is beautifully nestled between the Sangre de Cristo and Sawatch Mountain ranges,


All photos in this post will enlarge for easier viewing if clicked on


As you can see the drive along the Collegiate Peaks is beautiful! We passed many ranches and were entertained by the formation of clouds bringing precipitation to the distant peaks.



Salida was founded in 1880. Salida, meaning "exit" in Spanish, was named for its location near the point where the Arkansas River flows out of the valley and into Bighorn Sheep Canyon, upstream from the Royal Gorge. 

 One of the first things a visitor to  Salida is likely to notice upon arrival is the mountain with a huge “S” on it. This mountain is Tenderfoot Mountain, but it’s also referred to as S Mountain.  There is a road to the top and also trails. Prominently located at the end of F Street — the town’s main street – it is normally adorned with white lights in the shape of “S.” This alternates with a red heart symbolizing the “Heart of the Rockies." At Christmas, the mountain is zig-zagged with 4,500 brightly colored LED lights to form a 750-foot tall Christmas tree. It shines on Tenderfoot Mountain from the summit to the base over Salida throughout the holiday season, from late November into mid-January.



We parked our car and walked to the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, which is 148 miles of river park well enjoyed by rafters, kayakers, and standup paddleboarders. The stretch of Arkansas River in and around Salida has up to 5000 trout per mile so it is also a fisherman's favorite!


The river was lined by beautiful autumn-hued Cottonwood trees.



We walked along the Salida River Trail.



We were amazed by the giant height of the Cottonwood Trees along the river trail and enjoyed sitting on a bench for a while watching the river flow by.


We then spent some time walking around the historic downtown.




Salida has Colorado's largest historic downtown district! Salida was first established in the 1800s as a stagecoach stop and later as a stop-over for travelers on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Downtown Salida is on the National Register of Historic Places. 
It has the finest collection of historically significant buildings in the state. Salidachamber.org has the map above with links to all the businesses and restaurants in the historic district.



Downtown Salida is a certified designated Creative District! The historic downtown is filled with artisans of every genre, including advertising and architecture, blacksmithing and metal, ceramics/pottery, digital media, fiber arts, videography, fine art, graphic design, murals, music, performing arts, photography, sculpture, and writing.



We enjoyed browsing through antique and bookstores, as well as the souvenir "Five and Dime" store. Along one of the side streets, we saw a very old and weathered piano on display!



There were also many art galleries to browse.



Halloween decorations were on display in many of the shop windows.



We decided to try a highly-rated Mexican restaurant called Casa Calaca. My husband had their triple sampler and I had their seafood mariscada. Both were delicious!


After dinner, we had another scenic drive back to our room at the resort, where we were able to enjoy the hot spring pools again. 
It was the perfect ending to a wonderful anniversary holiday!


26 comments:

  1. Beautiful photos, I love the mountain views and the river and gorgeous trees. The town looks nice and your food looks yummy.
    Take care, enjoy your day and have a great week ahead.

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  2. You two find the best places to drive and explore! What fun to celebrate your 50th over an extended period of time.

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  3. This is so interesting to me, Pat. For many years, my cousin and his family lived in Salida but we never had the opportunity to visit. So it's fun to see the area in which they spent a number of years. It looks like a delightful place to visit. I'd love to see that mountain at the holidays and the historic district sounds great! Happiest of anniversaries!

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  4. THat creative district is fabulous. What a find! #ThruMyLens

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  5. So beautiful. The mountains in the background are stunning.

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  6. What nice photos looks lovely there great scenery too :-)
    Have a scenictastic week and thanks for linking up 👍

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  7. Stunning scenery, beautifully captured! Thank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2024/10/beautiful-to-behold.html

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  8. Another great post filled with natural beauty and fascinating history.

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  9. What a wonderful way to spend your anniversary!
    The scenic drive, autumn colors, and wandering through historic downtown Salida all sound amazing.
    The food looks delish! 😋

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  10. That river trail looks beautiful. It sounds like a lovely anniversary trip.

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  11. Just heavenly views everywhere -- such a perfect time of year you have to celebrate in beautiful Colorado .... We've been to Salida, I remember the S mountain and the downtown. (We grew up in a tiny town named Clarkston in Eastern Washington where senior h.s. boys had the tradition of re-painting the C on our mountain (brown hill) every year. ) So whenever I see those pride of place initials above towns it brings memories... Salida though has more to be proud of to my mind (sort of disloyal I realize but we haven't lived in our home town for decades!) I love the art-gallery and historic walk that is their downtown!

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  12. I'm replying late this week, it was turbulent again this week because of the public holiday as we honour the dead. The coming days will be easier, at least I hope so...

    ...and I enjoyed your post about Colorado. With the historical details, many interesting photos. And of course the spooky-funny too.

    I'm very happy about the contribution to
    MosaicMonday again, thank you for that.

    Kind regards from Heidrun

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  13. So beautiful. You have taken wonderful photos, Pat.
    What a great river trail too. Love the golden leaves, and the paintings shown from the gallery.

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  14. ...ah, it's Aspen time, you struck gold!!!

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  15. What a glorious holiday to celebrate, good food, good scenery and a good healthy walk. :)

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  16. Salida looks like a wonderful town. That trout stream and the revived vintage downtown looks wonderful and inviting.

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  17. Everything about your post is just wonderful! The sights and that food!

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  18. Thanks for sharing your adventure! Those beautiful golden autumn leaves are so beautiful.

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  19. Beautiful. I've seen that S Mountain many times. My eldest boy went to college in Alamosa and now lives in Denver. My youngest son went to college in Albany, NY and lived in the city for several years but is now in Denver -- which will now make my travel plans easier when I visit. You got some great photos. I love Salida but have never seen it during the fall season.

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  20. That's beautiful, rugged country. Love those giant cottonwoods and the fall color along the river!

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  21. Pat, your photographs are always in focus and your narrative is clear and concise. You and your husband must have enjoyed the beautiful scenery to and from Salida, then wandering through this historic town, eating delicious food and enjoying the hot spring pools. What a way to enjoy your anniversary!

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  22. I enjoyed seeing your photographs.
    Happy November Wishes.

    All the best Jan

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  23. Beautiful photos! I also like the gallery. Thank you for linking up.

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