We began our Saturday bright and early - too early. Trever woke me up telling me it was 6:45 when it was in fact 5:45. Now to give him credit, it WAS 6:45 “our time” (CST) and he was raring to go! One of the things I am enjoying so much this trip is how much he loves this area. His enthusiasm is contagious.
After a less than stellar free hotel breakfast, we drove east to visit the site of Bent’s Old Fort, a reconstruction of a trading post/fort that was active in the 1840s. The drive was beautiful - high plains scenery with plenty of antelope and deer grazing. These small sunflowers lined the highway and fields.
After arriving at the fort site, we walked the 1/2 mile path to the fort itself only to find it was locked up tight; there were guided tours offered but we didn’t time our visit to coincide with a tour. So we took a few pictures and headed on to La Junta. Once there we found a grocery store for a few lunch provisions and headed to a nearby park where we sat in the truck and had our lunch (couldn’t find a shady table). Entertainment was provided by a dacshund in the distance who was living his best life running like a madman all over the park.




We arrived in Westcliffe around 3:30. A small town nestled in between the Sangre de Cristo and Wet Mountains, Westcliffe and the adjacent Silver Cliff comprise the Wet Mountain Valley. Our AirBnb was the top floor of the original train depot that served the Denver and Rio Grande Westcliffe’s Branch Line.
We headed down Main Street to Imperio Azteca for dinner. The food and service were great but we were seated next to a very large party and we couldn’t hear ourselves think much less hold a conversation!
After we escaped the noisy restaurant, we drove down to The Bluff and Summit Park. One of the unique aspects of this area is that it is considered a dark sky community and as such, Custer County has ordinances in place to minimize light pollution. The Bluff and Summit Park, located at the end of Main Street in Westcliffe, offers a serene setting for viewing the Sangre de Cristo mountain range. We stayed for quite some time watching the sunset and went back once it was totally dark. Unfortunately the cloud cover didn’t make for a good night of star gazing.








As the wind picked up and the clouds continue to roll in, we walked back up to the depot to turn in for the night. Enjoy this picture of no stars in the dark sky.
-Karri Temple Brackett
June 6, 2025