Buena Vista is a small town surrounded by mountains, twelve of which are more than 14,000 above sea level. The town's population is estimated at 2600, but residential development beyond the city limits suggests a much greater population overall. Situated in the Arkansas River Valley at roughly 8000 feet elevation, the area was first settled in the 1860s and quite a few buildings date back to the 1880s, when the town was County Seat. This entire region has lived through the booms and busts associated with mining, but agriculture has been the stabilizing economic element, more recently supplemented by tourism driven by the wealth of outdoor recreational opportunities.
Within the past few years, a planned urban development called South Main has been successfully implemented. With a riverfront park as centerpiece, South Main's shops, hotels, and modern residences have revitalized the downtown area. Apparently, river rock is the most popular architectural element.
My first visit here was in 2003, when I immediately learned the town's preferred pronunciation is "Bewna Vista", rather than the Spanish "Bwayna Veesta". It was also interesting to learn that the closest mountain range is known as the "Collegiate Peaks" because some (but not all) of them are named after famous schools (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, etc). These mountains contained very active mining sites at one time, so now have many ruins and ghost towns to explore, as well as mining trails that serve off-road enthusiasts.
The headwaters of the Arkansas River are just north of Buena Vista, while its terminus is at the Mississippi River in Arkansas. In Colorado the river drops rapidly, creating wonderful white water rafting in several locations. The volume of the river has dropped significantly over the past century due to heavy irrigation along its length, leaving only twenty percent of its historic flow. This use has led to several court cases between Kansas and Colorado, but is now controlled under an agreement by the two states.
Shortly after my arrival on Sunday, a light rain started and continued sporadically throughout the afternoon and evening. Like most of Colorado, this area very much needed the rain, especially due to wildfire concerns. However, the rain didn't stop me from touring the town, which didn't take very long. Later, I went out in hopes of getting a sunset through the storm clouds. As it turned out, there wasn't a lot of color, so I took what I was given.
The next morning, residual clouds created a spectacular sunrise over the mountains to the east.
And the early light on the Collegiate Peaks was pretty nice, as well.
Later that morning, I headed into the mountains for the day, starting by the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort and passing the Chalk Cliffs.
Stops along Chalk Creek, Chalk Lake and Alpine Lake presented nice walking breaks and photo ops.
Let's leave it here and pick up with the next travelogue.
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