When I arrived in Pagosa Springs, Colorado at 3:30 p.m. after leaving Mesa Verde, it was pouring rain.Β After checking in to my hotel, The Alpine Inn, I headed straight to the library to do some research my youngest brother had assigned me.Β Pagosa Springs was my mother’s hometown, and my brother had asked me to find what I could about the Saddleback Ranch and “Fomp” Turner.Β The librarian was very helpful; she found that the ranch had recently sold for $11,900,000, as well as some vague directions.
The librarian also helped me search for “Fomp” Turner on the microfiche of The Pagosa Sun. There, I found some articles about her and also, incidentally, some articles about my mother. I found that my mother had been Miss Red Rider Roundup in the annual 4th of July celebration in 1950. I found she was a bridesmaid at the wedding of her cousin, Phyllis Martinez. I also found that my grandfather, Jasper Martinez, departed for Texas to spend the winter months with his daughter (& my aunt), Judith Shaw, in 1976.Β What interesting news these small town newspapers carry!
My grandfather’s brother, Emmett Martinez, had written an article about “Baldy” and “Fomp” Turner and a brief history of the Saddleback Ranch, that I found in The Pagosa Sun.Β Apparently, Wellmore “Baldy” Turner, a successful attorney in Dayton, Ohio, and his wife, Florence “Fomp” Turner, bought a major portion of the Saddleback Ranch in 1925. In 1927, he added more land to the ranch. Later, they built the lodge at Saddleback using spruce and aspen logs from Turner Mountain, near the ranch. Around 1935-1940, a two-story frame building was added to the the main ranch log cabin at the south end of the big meadow. A barn was built southeast of the main ranch house, along with a corral area to support cattle operations.
The Saddleback Ranch was a summer retreat for the Turners. Mrs. Turner usually arrived in early June, and divided her time between the ranch and her dress shop in Pagosa Springs called The Fashion Bar. She also entertained a lot of friends from the east and didn’t return to Dayton until late August or early September. Mr. Turner would stay for a shorter time each year, as he had to return to his practice in Dayton.
Though my grandmother, Hazel “Babe” Martinez, was not mentioned in this article, I found from my Aunt Judy (my mom’s sister) that Babe cleaned house for the Turners at the Saddleback Ranch.Β At that time, my grandmother had left her three daughters, including my mom, in an orphanage, as she was unable to care for them. Apparently, “Fomp” had five dogs and Babe used to sit with the dogs on a rock in one corner of the ranch.Β When Babe died, her son (my mother’s brother), Gilbert Martinez, buried her ashes one night in the pouring rain by that rock in the corner of the Saddleback Ranch.
Somehow, “Fomp” took an interest in my mother and took her to Dayton and helped her attend college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for one year.
Fomp Turner died in 1973, and Baldy Turner sold the Saddleback Ranch in 1975, and died in 1980. The Saddleback was purchased in 1983 by Adolph Coors Company.Β I wasn’t sure who owned it at the time of my visit.
Apparently, my brother was interested in this information as he had spent a summer in Pagosa Springs with my Aunt Judy and had visited the Saddleback Ranch in the late 1970s.

Bojack Ranch in Pagosa Springs
After doing my research in the library, I went in search of the Saddleback Ranch. The directions I got from the librarian said it abutted the southern boundary of the Bootjack Ranch, and was 15 miles down the valley from the Wolf Creek Ski Area.Β It was getting late in the day and I was driving down dirt roads in the middle of the San Juan Forest, and as darkness descended, I gave up trying to find the ranch.Β I found instead the Bojack Ranch, which looked pretty impressive.Β I don’t know if the “Bootjack Ranch” and the “Bojack Ranch” were one and the same.

Bojack Ranch in Pagosa Springs

Bojack Ranch in Pagosa Springs

Bojack Ranch in Pagosa Springs
I stopped for dinner at Kip’s Grill & Cantina — “Pleasin’ the People for 22 years.” The place was bustling. I enjoyed a Fort Collins Wheat while waiting for a table.Β License plates on the walls said: “Eat Rice: Potatoes Make Your Butt Big.”Β And “Free Beer tomorrow.” And “Oklahoma RDY2FLY.” Burly men sat at the bar.Β All around me were ruddy whiskered faces, baseball hats, plaid shirts, hiking shoes or heavy boots, camouflage jackets and hats.Β Waitresses had green-tinted hair. A poster said “Wolf Creek: The Most Snow in Colorado.” I enjoyed three shrimp tacos on corn tortillas while testosterone buzzed around me.
The next morning I got an early start for my long drive to Crestone, crossing over the snow-covered Wolf Creek Pass summit at 10,856 feet.Β Tall thin trees jutted up through wispy clouds like swords piercing the sky.Β Chartreuse cottonwoods huddled alongside a boiling, churning river below.Β I passed Goodnight’s Lonesome Dove & Moon Valley RV. I drove past Chinook Cabins and the Rainbow Motel under heavy skies.

Rainbow Motel on the way to Crestone
Past the mountains, the land flattened out and browned. Ranches abounded: the Pronghorn Ranch and the Double Spur Lodge and Ranch.Β Pioneer United Church and Haefeli’s Honey Farms offered glory and sweetness.
When I reached Saguache County, a handwritten sign on the road said “This is the Cosmic Highway.”Β Another sign notified drivers that this was a UFO-spotting site. High Valley Retail Cannabis beckoned. As I turned onto a county road, a herd of yak nodded a “Welcome to the Baca Grande.”Β The GPS led me over dirt roads: Tranquil Way, Caprice Way, Harmony Way, Peaceful Way, Rarity Way, and Spanish Trail.
My youngest son wasΒ WWOOFing on a small organic farm in Crestone, so I met him at the yurt where he was staying.Β The couple in the yurt ran a small farm that had been in operation for two years. They used the three bedrooms on the bottom floor for Airbnb clients.Β My son, who was working for them for no pay, just board (but no room) was staying in a hammock under a tarp outdoors on the grounds.Β He had set up an elaborate system of cairns around his “living space” as a bear warning, as well as a special meditation spot near his hammock.
The farm had raised beds with fences around them to keep deer and other animals at bay. A Geodesic greenhouse nourished crops they’d transplant when it warmed up. They had chickens and ducks and collected 20-30 eggs each day from the chickens. A rabbit coop kept rabbits for slaughter.Β The owners got their protein from the eggs, chicken and rabbits.

Yurt in Crestone
My son was at that time investing in a 6-acre piece of land that looked quite barren to me. He had done research to find that Crestone has quite a large aquifer underground and in order to develop the property he would first need to drill a well 80-100 feet to draw on the aquifer.Β This would be sometime in the distant future, as he had no means to develop the property at that time.

my son’s land
We drove all over dirt roads, hilly and bumpy, roads with soulful names such as Spring Beauty Trail, Enchanted Way, and N. Wanderlust Trail.Β I got a tour of a hodgepodge of architectural styles: Earthship homes, yurts, cobbled-together structures, and a residence that locals called a Dr. Seuss house.Β Quirkiness ran rampant. While people had to get a permit to build, they didnβt have to follow many regulations on how things got constructed. Solar and other forms of alternative energy were popular.

Earthship house under construction
The Baca Grande subdivision was also known as a center for alternative building, permaculture and sustainable living. Environmental organizations, eco-villages and community gardens were located here.

close up of Earthship house under construction

Dr. Seuss house
Crestone itself had just 127 people in the 2010 Census.Β The entire Saguache county had a population of 6,108.Β At 7,500 feet in elevation and ringed on three sides by mountains, Crestone is beautiful and isolated, subject to extremes of weather, wind, and temperature. It is known as a spiritual community and a haven for those seeking a contemplative or alternative lifestyle. It has an array of spiritual sites: ashrams, monasteries, temples, retreat centers, stupas, labyrinths, and other sacred landmarks, including a ziggurat, a structure modeled on the temples of ancient Babylon. Centers hereΒ represent faiths that includeΒ Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Native American spiritual traditions, and New Age beliefs.Β Eastern spiritual traditions, especially Hinduism and Buddhism, are pervasive. However, all paths are honored.
The community of Crestone is unique because of its spirituality, its social and political activism, and its commitment to environmentalism.

“downtown” Crestone

“downtown” Crestone
We enjoyed lunch at a cafe in town: a chili vegetable stew chock-full of onions for me and a chicken sandwich for my son.

Cafe in Crestone
After going to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, my son wanted us to stop at a hot springs but it was getting late.Β We drove back to Crestone, where we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the only restaurant in town, Desert Sage.Β I had a huge meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy and a glass of wine (not a smart move with a long drive ahead of me).Β I left half my meatloaf with my son, dropped him at the farm, and took off as the sun was setting for a five hour drive to Pueblo, where I’d reserved a non-refundable room early in my trip, before I’d known my son would be in Crestone.Β I wished I’d opted to stay the night in the yurt, because it was a very unpleasant drive in the dark over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in total darkness.
For our visit to the Great Sand Dunes, see my previous post: great sand dunes national park.

sunset in the Sangre de Cristos
*Pagosa Springs: Monday, May 21, 2018*
*Crestone: Tuesday, May 22, 2018*
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βPROSEβ INVITATION: I invite you to write up to a post on your own blog about a recently visited particular destination (not journeys in general). Concentrate on any intention you set for your prose.
It doesnβt matter whether you write fiction or non-fiction for this invitation.Β You can either set your own writing intentions, or use one of the prompts Iβve listed on this page: writing prompts: prose. (This page is a work in process.) You can also include photos, of course.
Include the link in the comments below by Monday, July 22 at 1:00 p.m. EST.Β When I write my post in response to this invitation on Tuesday, July 23, Iβll include your links in that post.
This will be an ongoing invitation. Feel free to jump in at any time. π
I hope youβll join in our community. I look forward to reading your posts!
the ~ wander.essence ~ community
I invite you all to settle in and read a few posts from our wandering community.Β I promise, youβll be inspired. π
- Arundhati, of The Travelling Diary of a Dippy-Dotty Girl, wrote a charming prose piece about her visit to Montauk.
Thanks to all of you who wrote prosaic posts following intentions you set for yourself. π
How interesting to find out so many facts about your family, even the mundane things like holiday plans. It must have brought them all to life for you.
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I was glad in the end that my brother gave me the “assignment” because I did find out some interesting tidbits. It was fun! π
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That is so full of quirkiness! The house with the tyres and beer cans is quite something. Also, interesting family history to mull over.
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Those Earthship houses are really unusual in that they’re made with discarded items. I think those will be covered up eventually, but I’m not sure. My son knows more about them than I do. Yes, it was interesting to find out about a small bit of family history. π
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You have some interesting family history, Cathy, but that’s an odd set up at Crestone. π π
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Yes, the family history was interesting to learn, Jo. It’s funny how nobody talks about these things and stories often die with the people who lived them. My mother may have told us about her life, but I wish I’d taken notes because I don’t remember much!
And yes, Crestone is a very unusual place and considered to be quite a spiritual mecca. I think that’s why my son is drawn to it. I didn’t much care for the fact that he was working on their farm and they didn’t even provide him a place to sleep! I think if you’re not going to pay someone, you should at least house and feed them! π
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I quite agree. They should have provided a room for him at least.
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I didn’t like it at all that he was sleeping outdoors in a hammock under a tarp in bear country. But he didn’t seem to mind. He is willing to tolerate more than I ever would.
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That yurt is unlike any I have come across! Seems like a very alternative neighbourhood. Does your son still own that land then?
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It is a very alternative place, Jude. Yes, my son still owns the land. Who knows what he will do with it. He might just sell it later, or eventually try to develop it, if he can ever finish his massage therapy school, develop a business and save some money. It will be a long time in the making!
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Sounds very much like Golden Bay which is situated at the top of the South Island, NZ. Dr Seuss house, what an imagination. I think most builders would have pulled their hair out trying to build that house. It is good that there are communities out there that those who wish to live in isolation can do so. There are some merits to living in small villages/towns.
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Sadly, I’ve not been to New Zealand, Suzanne, but I would love to go one day. Interesting that there is a community like that there on Golden Bay. Crestone is quite isolated but beautiful, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains all around the flat plain. It’s a very quirky place and enables people to explore spirituality in their own way. I agree that there are merits to living in small villages. π
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What a wonderful reminiscent trip for you.. finding out so much about your family.
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Yes, it was very reminiscent, Albert. I had also visited Pagosa Springs when I was about 10 years old with my family; there I met my grandfather and grandmother and my aunts and uncles for a sort of family reunion. I sure wish I had a journal from those days, or at least some photos. π
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I often wish I had written some form of journal to and certainly wish I had more photos.
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Don’t we all? I’d love to have had journals for my whole life as so much is fuzzy now! π
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Why thank you, Cathy! That is kind of you to share a link to my blog and post. Hugs.
Pagosa Springs is beautiful and so is the ranch picturesque. It must have been so wonderful to find stories on your family in the local newspaper. As for Crestone, it does look like another planet. I have seen documentaries on such places on the telly but yet to visit such a town. The yurt looks like no other yurt I have seen so far, so that tells me that Crestone would certainly be interesting to see. Cheers. xx
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You’re so welcome. It was so great to find some family history in the library at Pagosa Springs. I wish I’d had more time there; I might have found more. Crestone is a very unusual community for sure. There are also apparently a lot of unusual characters there as well. π
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I bet Crestone does. It reminds me a bit of Christiania in Copenhagen. The idea of it, that is.
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I don’t know anything about Christiania. Sounds interesting. Have you done a post about it?
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I have indeed. It is that idea of a freewheeling lifestyle that somehow made me find a vein of similarity between the two.
https://thetravellingdiaryofadippydottygirl.com/christiania-in-whispers/
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Thanks so much for this link, Arundhati. I learned something new about how different communities (unusual ones) come into being. There is much similarity, but the biggest differences are that Crestone is more rural while Christiania is more urban, and cannabis is legal in Colorado! Thanks so much for sending me this link. π
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You are welcome Cathy! Thank you for pointing out the differences. Ooh cannabis is legal in Colorado, is it? That is cool! π xx
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Yes, it’s probably why so many young people are going out there in droves! π
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What a cool investigative journey you took through Pagosa Springs! I’ve never heard of Crestone, but must see it one day, looks very interesting.
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It was fun to visit Pagosa Springs briefly (I went for a family reunion of sorts there when I was about 11 years old) and to find some new things about my family and the people they were involved with. Crestone is a very odd place indeed, but quite pretty and secluded. π
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