Current residents of the San Luis Valley...Can I ask you a few things? (Denver: how much, squatters)

[brown_dog_us]

Originally Posted by Hyperviktor

I don't mind if someone steals it as I wrote earlier, I'm more interested in practical opinions - could a metal box harm animals ? Would it be weatherproof ? Do I need to slightly dig it in the ground ? Etc.

Thanks for all the other info so far.

I don't see how a metal box could harm animals.

Some storage boxes are waterproof and some are not. You will need to read the product description before purchasing.

I have never seen one buried. I have seen them bolted (with the bolting from the inside) to large concrete slabs or footings to make theft harder.

[Hyperviktor]

Thanks Dog, that's the sort of answer I'm looking for, if someone wanted to steal it nothing will stop them but if it's safe to leave and weather won't bother it than I guess that's the way to go just to leave a few small things.

[Hyperviktor]

Any pros/cons flying from Denver to either Alamosa or Pueblo ? It seems if we fly to Pueblo car rental is cheaper than in Alamosa but then we'd need to drive from Pueblo to SLV, we'll probably stay in Fort Garland, at least that seems conveniently close to Blanca.

[interloper1138]

The flights from Denver to Alamosa are well worth it if you can make the connection times work. It saves a tremendous amount of time. They're very tiny planes, hold about 12 people total, so not great if you have a lot of luggage, but it's so much better than driving from Denver, Springs, or Pueblo.

I can't always make it work when I fly, but whenever I can I do it.

[Hyperviktor]

Time is not an issue, we’ll stay a day both ways in Denver.
Is the drive from Pueblo that bad ? Seems like a good two naybe three hour drive.
But then again, renting a car in alamosa seems much more expensive then Pueblo, I guess they’d have to transfer the car from elsewhere.

Luggage definitely not an issue as we fly handlugagge only.

[brown_dog_us]

If you plan to spend the night in Denver, it's probably easier and faster to drive to Blanca from Denver.

[Hyperviktor]

Speed is not a factor, we like to travel. I was just wondering practical things. Denver is a huge distance away, I think that’s way too much to drive.

[interloper1138]

The drive is only a factor for those of us that are here all the time and travel frequently. If you don't care about the drive time then I agree that flying into Pueblo is fine. For what it's worth, I've flown into Denver, Springs, Pueblo, Alamosa, and Gunnison when driving back home into the SLV. Regardless of which route you take, the drive is beautiful and a lot of fun when you've never done it before. But if you're doing it all the time, which I occasionally do for work, then my preference is to save time by flying into Alamosa whenever possible.

The drive time will be significantly shorter for you from Pueblo as opposed to Denver, so I say go that route. La Veta Pass is beautiful, although most of it was burned in last year's Spring Creek Fire.

[Hyperviktor]

How long is the drive from Denver ? I can only see what the map says but it seems way too optimistic.

[interloper1138]

Depends on traffic. I don't live in Blanca, but it generally takes me right around 4 hours from the the Denver airport to my house. I would expect about the same for you unless traffic is really clear.