red wing/gardner area question (Alamosa, Walsenburg: houses, schools, gated)

[bluejeans]

I've never heard of Red Wing, and it seems most of the web hasn't either, except a guy with a story about passing through...

After back-tracking for 15 minutes, I came to the dirt road, just before Gardner, that I guessed to be the brown-dashed line. I proceeded down a long and bumpy road that was lined with a barbed wire fence. At the end of the road was one of those small aluminum pull trailers from the nineteen fifties that looks like a can of Spam on wheels. It had markings on it that declared, "Red Wing Post Office." Apparently, Red Wing was a town because, in addition to a post office, there was a house.

Anyone know a thing about the place? Going by maps, census data (well lack of), it practicly doesn't exist. I'd like to know what recreational opportunities for teens exist in the area, what the area is "like", if it has much of a small-town feel, etc...

I pulled up to the house and knocked on the door. Dogs barked and a woman in a bathrobe emerged. From behind the screen door, she listened as I explained my need to find the service road that would get me to Alamosa. She looked beyond me to my sporty rent-a-car, and said, "That's what you're driving? There is a dirt road goes right over that mountain." she said pointing to a snow covered peak of at least 10,000 feet. And then she directed me to the service road entrance by saying, "Just drive down to the end of the fence and turn right. The road'll wind around a couple corners and then head straight over. Good luck."

There were two roads near the end of the fence, and it was hard to know where the fence ended, or was supposed to end, because actually the fence just sort of disintegrated near the end. This caused me to guess which road she considered to be "at the end of fence." I guessed the first dirt road, and I drove on it, over bumps and through water-filled dips. As I wrestled with the steering wheel, a song appeared in my head, "Over hill. Over dale, we will hit the dusty trail, as those caissons go rolling along." (I have no idea what a caisson is, so don't ask).

The road began a steep ascent up the mountain, and never rescinded. I was extremely nervous and anxious: "What if I miss my lecture?? I've never missed a talk before. I'll lose my $2000 speaking fee. I won't be able to pay bills! How long will this road take??" My mind wouldn't stop screaming in panic. I had that whole body hot flash you get when you almost crash your car - but mine wasn't going away. I needed relief, so I punched on the radio. I swear to the heavens, this is the song that came out: The Beach Boys singing, "I want to go home. Let me go home. Yeah yeah. Hoist up the sails boys, I wanna go home." It tortured me more, so I shut it off immediately. Yet another example of Voltaire's observation, "God is a comic playing to an audience that's afraid to laugh."

Outside my windows, which were increasingly being covered with splashing mud, there were no signs of civilization - only trees and rocks. And then SNOW. After going uphill for what seemed like a long time, I hit the snow line in spring time. That's how high up on this mountain I was. And my car began sliding and slipping. I could picture a search and rescue crew finding me after a blizzard, digging me out after I'd been trapped for a week, and asking me right off the bat, "What were you thinking when you rented a sports car??" I just knew my car was going to slide off the mountain road, and get stuck between two trees. I don't carry a cell phone.

It was 3:35 already and downhill was nowhere in sight. I was thinking I'd guessed the wrong road at the end of the fence. Maybe I wasn't on the brown-dashed line. Maybe I was on a jackass trail. And then I navigated around a slippery bend in the road, and saw a downhill straightaway of road that intersected with a highway - the highway I was looking for, 160! I've never been so excited to see a highway before, or since, in my life.

For the whole story, click here and select "I drove straight over a Colorado Mountain" - a good read.

[suzco]

Originally Posted by bluejeans

I've never heard of Red Wing, and it seems most of the web hasn't either, except a guy with a story about passing through...

Anyone know a thing about the place? Going by maps, census data (well lack of), it practicly doesn't exist. I'd like to know what recreational opportunities for teens exist in the area, what the area is "like", if it has much of a small-town feel, etc...

Pass Creek Road, Huerfano County, Colorado
Gardner, Colorado, a small historic town in Huerfano River Valley of southern Colorado

[bluejeans]

Originally Posted by suzco

Pass Creek Road, Huerfano County, Colorado
Gardner, Colorado, a small historic town in Huerfano River Valley of southern Colorado

Walensburg seems to be the only town of any size - what's your general opinion of prospects for a family with teens moving there, or retirees?

[winglady]

My opinion of Walsenburg is that it is a struggling, rather depressed (financially) town in a fairly attractive setting. It doesn't seem quite as run-down now as it was about 10 years ago, but that's not saying a lot.

Red Wing is extremely small and pretty remote -- you can easily drive through it and not realize you are in a "town" -- more like an area where a fair number of farm houses happen to be in the same general vicinity. Pretty scenery, but I can't even think of a single business -- not even a general store -- that I've seen anywhere nearby.

[CrazyBeautifulDisaster]

The reason you find that it practicly doesn't exist is because it practically doesn't. As far as recreational opportunities for teens existing in the area...I would have to say it's practically non-existent as well.

I would not recommend this area at all...unless you like the feel of a ghost town.

[Julietlucero01]

I agree there is nothing there and hasent been for almost a centery. You won't find any schools for miles so it wouldn't be wise to live there and the winters are really harsh seems it is close to themountains.My family live there years ago when it was still mining copper and when the copper ran out the people all left including my family.