Colorado – Day 1 – Leadville

After taking the last few photos of the Oldest Church – San Miguel Church, in Santa Fe, which was built in the 1600’s by the Tlaxcalan Indians and the original adobe walls can still be seen within its current structure, and the Oldest House in Santa Fe we set off on our way to Colorado.  

We travelled on highway 285 and eventually left New Mexico and entered Colorado and stopped in a town called Saguache where we found the Oasis Restaurant where we had lunch.  Dereck and Sue had a burger, I had chicken strips and Doug had a small portion of nachos (which was still enough to feed two!).  It was a good meal and thereafter we just took a few pictures of the nearby houses and the wonderful sight of snow covered mountains. 

We carried on along the highway passing through Beuna Vista and Granite and taking in the wonderful mountainous sights before we reached Leadville. 

We made enquiries about accommodation at the local information office and found a wonderful place called McGinnis Cottage.  What a wonderful place.  The owner, Donna was such a lovely person and gave us lots of tips of places to visit and to eat at.  After unpacking, we took a walk around the town. About a week ago Colorado had a really heavy snow fall and you can still see a lot of snow around the gardens and along the roadside. 

While Sue and I were popping into various shops, Dereck and Doug happened to ask the assistant in one of the shops where a good place to have a drink was and they were given directions to the Silver Dollar Saloon, which turned out to be a very enjoyable place to be.  Sue and I joined them after we had finished shopping. Apparently the bar counter, the mirror behind the bar and the floor are the originals from the 1800’s.

This is the spot where Doc Holliday shot the sheriff of Leadville over a $5 bet. Some shady looking characters – ha ha

We were having a great evening (with one of the locals chatting to us and telling us how he got kicked out of Leadville for digging up the judge’s garden one evening) and decided to order pizza to have in the saloon (suggested by the bartender).  Sue and I took a walk around the corner and ordered two pizzas.  They were HUGE, but we all agreed that they were the best pizzas we had ever eaten.  We couldn’t finish them, so we took what was left home. 

Walking home at about 9:00pm it was about 8 degrees C and rather chilly, but so worth it after such a great evening.

 

Silver dollars signing off …