A Day in the Life of the San Luis Valley

The first glimpses of sunlight came around 5:30 a.m. on Friday, June 6, and by sundown our cameras had captured a normal Day in the Life of the San Luis Valley. This is our fourth in the Day in the Life series since the launch of AlamosaCitizen.com in August of 2021.

Each time we learn and see more. Our team of photographers – Amy, Linda, Claire, Ry, Owen, Dennis, and Chris – found their way into Saguache, South Fork, Crestone, Creede, Sanford, Antonito, Del Norte, among other locations.

We toured, thanks to Lisa Schwantes at CDOT, the construction site for three wildlife underpasses along a stretch from Fort Garland onto La Veta Pass, and with Rick Engebretsen as our guide, got to see up close the operations of Blanca Forestry Products, Inc.

Picturesque early mornings, hard-working souls who provide the sweat and labor that make the Valley go, and special moments from an evening wedding in Sanford to a sweet girl on her horse named Chocolate.

We saw it all. Or much as we could.

We hope you enjoy our fourth edition of A Day in the Life of the San Luis Valley.

MaryAnne and Chris, Founders, AlamosaCitizen.com

Before dawn sky is purple orange and yellow over a field with cows — Credit: clopez

5:38 a.m. | Alamosa

A sharp morning silhouette of the Sangre de Cristo range to north, viewed from the cow pastures at the Higel Ranch.

hand assembbles mosquito equipment — Credit: C. Claire Lara

5:45 a.m. | Alamosa

Light trap retrievers go out Monday through Friday to capture mosquitos so Alamosa Mosquito Control District can count and identify them.

Brilliant misty yellow sky with a cottonwood tree in sihouette — Credit: Dennis Schoenfelder

6 a.m. | Alamosa

The morning view from Blanca Vista Park never disappoints. Here it is at 6 a.m. with early morning fog clinging to the lake illuminated by the rising sun.

Man sprays an arc of water across the sidewalk onto a planter with flowers; brightliy lit brick building in the background — Credit: clopez

6:21 a.m. | Alamosa

Duncan McWhirter takes care of the flowers along Main Street as part of his early morning chores for the city of Alamosa. McWhiter and fellow city employees were out watering the flower and tree beds throughout the Downtown.

Man in cowboy hat sits at table with bright tablecloth — Credit: C. Claire Lara

8 a.m. | Mestas Ranch, Sanford

Johnny Mestas catches a morning brew before hitting the open road. The quiet start to a day that begins long before sunrise, as the Mestas family Heads to Tierra Amarilla to check on cattle.

A street light adorned with an American flag on an empty street in a history downtown; mountain in the background — Credit: Ryan Michelle Scavo

9:37 a.m. | Saguache

4th Street is decked out with American flags in preparation for Independence Day.

Gray-haired man and woman wearing sun hats; woman is holding a small white dog — Credit: Ryan Michelle Scavo

9:40 a.m. | Saguache

Cliff Gray, a Vietnam Veteran who has lived in Saguache since 1948, and his wife, Suzie, a retired Saguache County social worker, with their dog, Squirt, near their home on Christy Avenue.

toe panels: a gray cat on a gray trash can with a house porch in the background; a dog sleeping under an aspen tree — Credit: Ryan Michelle Scavo

9:45 a.m. | Saguache

A gray cat stands guard on a trash can along Christy Avenue, while two dogs spend a lazy morning porch-lounging.

Truck is loaded from big pile of logs — Credit: Dennis Schoenfelder

9:48 a.m. | Blanca

Staff move logs at the Blanca Forestry Products, Inc. plant. Blanca Forestry covers 138 acres, with 8 million feet of logs in the yard that are turned into lumber, among other byproducts. Below, Dimitris Barroz works inside the plant.

A man works behind a console of green lights, and watches his work outside a window — Credit: Dennis Schoenfelder

Movie marquee — Credit: Ryan Michelle Scavo

9:51 a.m. | Saguache

“Let Love Rule” in bold letters on the 4th Street Historic Ute Theatre marquee.

Smiling woman kneels next to dog — Credit: Amy Kucera

10:13 a.m. | South Fork

Rebecca Bean, owner and dog groomer at Ruff Dogs, outside her shop.

10:16 a.m. | Saguache

Inside Gillette’s Trading Post along Highway 285, visitors will find political memorabilia, military paraphernalia and a shop-keeper chatting with visitors.

woman in white shirt stands in front of green wooden wagon — Credit: Ryan Michelle Scavo

10:23 a.m. | Saguache

Linda Vigil, a second-generation Saguache County resident and director of the Saguache County Museum, poses in front of a 100-plus-year-old sheep herder wagon located on the museum grounds. She’s worked at the museum along Highway 285 for five years, and has been its director for three. She has a passionate enthusiasm for the history of the Valley and Saguache County.

10:32 a.m. | South Fork

A customer grabs a coffee at Rachel’s. As Rachel puts it, “all of these signs and decorations are a representation of what’s going on inside my brain.”

10:20 a.m. | East of Fort Garland

CDOT worker Paul Mendoza walking down to the underpass construction site below La Veta Pass. CDOT is working with Capital Paving and Construction to build three big-game underpasses along highway 160. Below, Capital Paving and Construction crew members put heavy steel reinforcement rods in place ahead of an upcoming cement pour that will create the underpass.

Men in hard hats carry large green metal bar at highway construction site — Credit: Dennis Schoenfelder

green sign hangs on wooden fence, with small bag of booklets tacked to the right — Credit: Ryan Michelle Scavo

10:44 a.m. | Saguache

“Due Process is the LAW” sign is hung on the fence of a private residence with small copies of the United States Constitution available for passersby.

Man in red checkered shirt stands with antique printing press and equipment — Credit: Ryan Michelle Scavo

11:00 a.m. | Saguache

Dean Coombs, publisher of the Saguache Crescent, is a third-generation newspaperman and owner/operator of the last linotype machine in the United States. Purchased by his grandparents in 1917, Dean casually shared stories of his parents printing – and him hand rolling – more than 700 papers a day from inside his print room during a brief rain shower. Located in the same 4th Street building his parents printed in, Dean maintains his family’s publishing tradition, printing weekly issues of the Saguache Crescent on his 1921 hot-metal linotype. Coombs says that he is not training anyone to take over the paper, so his retirement will be the end of an era. Below are images of some of the Crescent’s equipment.

Man in yello safety vest waves from atop a construction project — Credit: Dennis Schoenfelder

11:20 a.m. | Blanca

Jose Trujillo of Loya Construction on a job site.

The dog is brown with a white face — Credit: Owen Woods

11:24 a.m. | Crestone

A dog sits in the bed of a truck under the shade of a tree near Crestone Town Hall park.

A man looks at produce — Credit: Owen Woods

11:30 a.m. | Crestone

A shopper browses produce at the Crestone Mercantile.

Two men and a dog in a sporting goods store — Credit: Amy Kucera

11:30 a.m. | South Fork

Pierce Lancaster, Rebel (a 1-year-old Labrador) and Kris Vigil in the 8200 Mountain Sports fly shop. They provide guide services and rentals in the summer and ski supplies in the winter.

Man with gray beard wearing bi=ucek hat holds rake — Credit: Owen Woods

11:48 a.m. | Crestone

Andrew rakes the leaves around the town’s original post office.

People in a boat on the river — Credit: Amy Kucera

noon | between South Fork and Creede

Fishing while floating downstream on the Rio Grande

Two women behind a wooden library counter — Credit: Ryan Michele Scavo

12:20 p.m. | Saguache

At the Saguache Library, Uma Jolicoeur, right, acquisitions and children’s programs, and Lisa Anne Emery, acquisitions, cataloging and collection curator, greet participants on the first day of the Summer Reading Program. As children scurry about in the background, Jolicoeur talks of her journey to Crestone and Saguache from points East as Emery shares her multi-generations-deep apiary roots in the San Luis Valley.

Manin red shirt pats white horse — Credit: Amy Kucera

12:25 p.m. | Creede

At Cottonwood Cove Guest Ranch, Randy, a veteran, takes care of the guided horseback rides and cares for and trains the horses.

kids playin in pool — Credit: C. Claire Lara

12:30 | Alamosa Splashland

Nothing like a warm day and a game of chicken at the local swimming pool.

Credit: Ryan Michelle Scavo

12:53 p.m. | Saguache

Lashawnda Power, manager at Giddy Up Joe along Highway 285, is originally from South Dakota. When her parents moved to Saguache to be closer to Cañon City, she decided to also make the move. Mother of three young children, Power serves up coffees at the small cabin cafe.

woman in hat and vest — Credit: owen woods

1:24 p.m.| Crestone

A woman takes a break from selling tamales in the parking lot of Crestone’s Post Office.

1:28 p.m. | Crestone

Two boys spend their sunny afternoon in a tree.

Man with very long gray beard and flowing mustache — Credit: Owen Woods

1:30 p.m. | Crestone

Mike Treya walks along Crestone’s streets and stops to have his picture taken.

1:37 p.m. | Saguache

JR directs traffic off highway 285 south of Saguache after a single semi truck accident that occured that morning.

three panels: young blond woman holds ice cream sundae; woman behind a candy counter; a woman and grandaughter behind counter at gift shop

1:43 p.m. | Creede

Sweet summer treats: Averee serves up a mint Snow Cream at Creede Main Street Creamery; at Creede Trading Co. the Whitehorn’s fudge is popular; and all the tchotchkes at The Holy Moses, with Vicki Kulyk (owner) and Jazzy.

Dirt road with potato — Credit: Owen Woods

2:30 p.m. | Alamosa County

A fallen potato lies in the middle of County Road 106N.

Farm equipment leaves trail in field — Credit: Owen Woods

2:44 p.m. | Alamosa County

A tractor pulls along a seed spreader just north of Alamosa.

people on couches and comfy chairs play guitar — Credit: Amy Kucera

3:11 p.m. | Creede

A community jam session at Creede Musical Arts Collective, open to the public. Megan Marino and Michael Mayes founded the CMAC in 2022 to share music through live performances and educational experiences.