BACK ON THE TRAIL WITH THE LAWMAN

In a previous blog, I took you on a small tour where the action in The Lawman (and the majority of the novels after) occurs. They’re all placed solidly in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado, where I grew up, and served as a Police Officer for many years. But looking through my former blog, there’s a lot of places Will Diaz and his colleagues go that aren’t mentioned.

So here we go, another whirlwind tour of the San Luis Valley.

One place mentioned is Fort Garland. Will and RJ pass through it on the way to San Luis, Colorado, to arrest a man. They stop there to pick up some Gas Station Hamburgers, a meal that’s right up there with Gas Station Sushi (In short, it should come with a warning that eating it might be hazardous to your health).

Ft. Garland has a lot of history behind it. Founded in 1858 as an army fort to help defend settlers in the region against the Ute Indians, it soon had a small community grow up around it. When the Utes were finally placed on their reservation, the post was closed. For many years it languished until it was resurrected as a museum. A list of some of the people who wandered through would read like a who’s who of the old west. Among them is the post commander Kit Carson, bounty hunter Tom Tobin, and Chief Ouary of the Utes.

If you’re interested in the Old West, it’s a worthwhile place to visit. Many of the barracks have been restored and show how the soldiers lived back then. There’s also more than a little Native American and early Mexican settler art and artifacts on display.

One of my favorite stories concerning lost gold is set in at Ft. Garland. It seems that the fort sentries saw a payroll wagon arriving, being chased by bandits. A detail was sent out to drive the bandits off and save the payroll. But they found the driver, the only member of the detail to make it that far, had been shot and was dying. He told them before he died that he’d tossed the payroll into his favorite fishing hole. The problem was, no one could agree where that was and a search for the payroll ended in vain. So, someplace out there in the Sangre de Cristo Creek, there may be a small fortune in gold coin. Of course, it’s probably been buried under a hundred years of mud and silt, so have fun looking.

San Luis, Colorado, also features in the books several times. I have to admit, it’s one of my favorite little towns. It’s billed as the oldest continuously occupied town in Colorado.  For such a small place, there’s a lot to see.

One of the biggest draws is the Shrine of the Stations of the Cross. The shrine is located on a mesa near the town called “La Mesa la Piedad y de la Misericordia” which translates out as the “Hill of Piety and Mercy.” If you’re familiar with the Catholic faith, then you’re familiar with the Stations of the Cross, and this is a life-size walkaround of bronze statues that depict Christ’s last hours, his judgment, sufferings, death, and resurrection. Formed with near perfection by artist Hubert Maestas, it’s a place well worth walking through and reflecting in.

Of course one of my fondest reasons for why I like San Luis? Food. You want some first-rate Mexican food, almost every restaurant there turns out something well worth going for.

A place Will doesn’t mention in the book, but he’d definitely gone to as a child, would be the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. It looks like something right out the Arabian Nights but is nestled at the base of the majestic San Juans. These are North America’s tallest sand dunes. Constantly shifting, and changing, the dunes are almost hypnotic. Take a picnic lunch, climb them (take plenty of water), and if you’re into snowboarding, try sandboarding,

Now one place Will probably wouldn’t have gone and visited is the UFO Watchtower in Hooper, Colorado. I mention it as a curiosity more than an actual research center. On that note, I want to say I spent a fair amount of my life under the night skies in the San Luis Valley and never once saw anything in the sky I couldn’t explain. And while I’m watching the skies, dozens of other people are seeing things up there they couldn’t explain. So either I’m blind, or something, because I’ve never once seen a UFO.

But people claim to have seen things there, so just out of curiosity, you might want to check it out.

Now if you’re into stuff you can actually point at, ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. The entire ride goes from Antonito, Colorado, to Chama, New Mexico. The scenery is simply stunning, especially in the fall when the aspens are turning. It’s an all-day excursion, and they used to provide a lunch (which you had to buy of course), or you can pack your own. Along the way, it stops at Osier, Colorado. This used to be a going concern for the rail back in the day, and two of my memories was staying a night (long before the railroad really started running) in the old station up there, and drinking water from the water tower (best water I ever tasted).

One final place to look at is a place called Cano’s Castle. Cano is a bit of local legend, and most of my experience with him is in the professional realm. Suffice it say he and I always got along well despite that. He started building this place back in the ’90s and is built entirely of recycled materials. I’m not sure if he offers tours or not, but it’s still worth taking a peek at since it dominates the skyline of Antonito.

So, there’s a few more of the many things my character saw and maybe experienced.

Of course, if you find yourself in the San Luis Valley, I’ve one other suggestion for you.

Fishing!

And as the great Stan Lee would have said, “’Nuff said!”