What a great evening we had last night. Fire blazing and the stars were shining. I wish I knew how to photograph the night sky like the professionals do. But all I can do is aim my iPhone to the sky, hold it for three seconds, and see what happens.
It looks like a black screen, but if you really look closely, once you expand the picture, oh my. There are millions of stars and even the Milky Way is visible. Chama, New Mexico is one of the darkest cities in US. We are camped just outside of Chama, plus there is a New Moon, All the boxes are checked and so we get to see all the brightest stars in the night sky. It’s worth walking all the way from Canada to get a glimpse of God’s glory and His creation!
Today we are road walking. Flat Road is a smooth gravelly route that takes us to the Scenic Steam Train. It’s the main reason people come to Chama. We are going for resupply, rest and some town food. And if we can hitch a ride on the train, that’d be a big plus.
It was a short walk down to the main road, Highway 160. Our FarOut app told us that many hikers waited for hours to get a hitch. We tried our luck and decided to walk up to the Train Station. There were tons of people waiting for the train to arrive. This is a perfect place to get a ride, train, truck or Subaru.
Within ten minutes, the big black steam locomotive cane chugging up the hill. Kids were clapping, parents were taking pictures and several professional photographers were set up to take their once in a lifetime photo with a train and all the fall colors. This has to be he best time of the year to ride this scenic train.
After talking with the conductor, the train was headed to Antonito today. And it was fully booked. Well, there’s always a ride with a kind hearted soul. Sure enough, Rick, a Photo Tour Guide was more than happy to give us a ride to Chama. We put our packs in his truck and off we went.
Chama is a small town that is fairly spread out. Very eclectic place to land. Obviously the number one attraction is the train. After that, maybe fall color chasers and after that, I’m not sure. It boasts 907 residents and if you want to buy property, a house or business, you have much to choose from. Just about everything in town is For Sale.
Jen and I landed at the Cumbres Suites courtesy of Jen’s Dad Stephen. Thank you so much. We desperately needed a bed to rest on and a place to get out of the weather! I think this is one of the biggest rooms we’ve had. It was once a Lodge for Hunters. There’s a big open concept downstairs for gatherings and nice backyard for sprawling out.
We were able to get much accomplished while in town. Hit the Post Office, Grocery’s which is also the Hardware and Sporting Goods Store and found Hunters Restaurant, a recommendation from our ride Rick.
Back to the trail we go. We’ll be crossing over the Colorado/New Mexico Border in four miles. That’s hard to believe! Four states walked and one to go. Our next stop will be Ghost Ranch in about a week. Hogged Up has found her trail legs and she is well ahead of us. She took a different route out of Creede and is carrying on. I’m not sure if we will ever catch up with her, but crazier things have happened. We wish her well, safe hiking and God’s grace. .
“Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 NLT
