Ouray, Colorado ~ Julie Lence

John Wayne's Hat, courtesy Julie Lence

 On Colorado’s western slope lies the small town of Ouray. Most John Wayne buffs know Ouray and it’s surrounding areas is where True Git was filmed. On Ouray’s main street is The Outlaw, a small steakhouse the Duke frequented while filming the movie. He gifted The Outlaw the hat he wore in the movie and the owners proudly keep it on display above the bar.

courtesy Julie Lence

  A handful of miles north of Ouray is Ridgeway. This small town is home to a few more scenes from the movie and The True Grit Café, another eatery the Duke frequented. Inside The True Grit, some of the walls are lined with John Wayne and True Grit movie memorabilia. 

West of Ridgeway, the highway snakes west as it climbs in elevation, leading to the Last Dollar Ranch; a sprawling working ranch with spectacular views. Not too far past The Last Dollar Ranch is the home featured in the opening and closing scenes of True Grit (and is for sale), and past that, one can turn off the main road onto a narrow trail through and around Aspen trees that lead to the famed ski resort of Telluride, Colorado. (Hubby and I did this drive in the fall and it’s beautiful! The scenery is breathtaking, and there’s something so peaceful and humbling about stopping beneath a grove, rolling down a window and just listening to the soft rustle of leaves.)   

courtesy City of Ouray

  Though this area is perfect for John Wayne buffs (myself included), Ouray boasts other claims to fame. Sitting at 7,800 ft. in a mountain valley, the jagged rock formations on either side reaching upward between 12,000 and 13,000 feet, Ouray is nicknamed Switzerland of America. At the north end of town are the hot springs. The Million Dollar Highway is at the southern end; a paved road leading to Silverton and Durango that takes travelers over 14,000+ foot mountains. Due to its sharp switchbacks, The Million Dollar Highway is considered one of the most dangerous roads in America and one the most scenic. Ouray is also home to many creeks in and around town. 

courtesy of Julie Lence

Gold was discovered in the area in the 1870’s, hence the formation of Ouray, Silverton, Telluride and nearby Lake City as mining communities. Once not too popular in tourism, today, these four towns are crowded with people who enjoy hiking, camping, 4-wheeling and sight-seeing, and with several mountain ranges, trails and ghost towns, there is a lot to see in and around Ouray.   

If you like to get out and explore old western towns, or nature, I highly recommend Ouray. It's a quaint little town with plenty of restaurants, shops, and small hotels. The people are friendly and the scenery is breathtaking. Getting to Colorado's western slope is easy by car. If you prefer to fly, Ouray and Telluride both have very small airports. Most aircraft in and out of these towns are private planes. Up the road from Ouray is Montrose with a somewhat bigger airport, but I would check to see if commercial airlines fly in and out of there. Grand Junction is about 1 hour north of Montrose and has a bigger airport with commercial flights. The two days hubby and I spent in Ouray was perfect for driving the backgrounds and dining at the above mentioned restaurants. We skipped the Million Dollar Highway as I have been over it and didn't care to do it again, but to see or do everything, as the Black Canyon of Gunnison (think mini Grand Canyon) isn't too far away and well worth seeing, you may want stay 3-4 days in Ouray. It's an area I highly recommend, especially in the fall when the Aspens are changing color, as in the photo below. 

courtesy Julie Lence

      

      

    

Great Sand Dunes National Park

When the state of Colorado is mentioned, most people immediately think of Denver, the big city a tad bit east of the Rocky Mountains. Sports teams, an amusement park, and an abundance of snow often spring to mind next. While Denver is home to several attractions and an abundance of history, there are other areas in the state which are just as fascinating to explore. One such place is the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Bordered by eight 12,000+ foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the sand dunes evolved after centuries of streams, creeks, melting snow and flash floods turned bits of rock into sand grains. With the grains exposed to the elements, southwesterly winds ignited a slow process of moving the grains toward the low curve of the mountains. The grains piled up there to become the sand dunes, reaching as high as 750 ft. The sand dunes are the only wilderness that is defined as a saltbush-greasewood ecosystem. Several different type of plants grow in the area, to include Indian rice grass and prairie sunflower, and the dunes are the only place in the world that is home to the Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle and the giant sand treader camel cricket. The dunes cover an area of 30 square miles and became a national park/monument in 1932.

The Sangre de Cristo’s border the park from the east. Marshy wetlands cover a portion of the valley floor. Ponds hug the sand sheet’s eastern edge, and open fields surround the floor. The wind blows more often than not, whirling the sand. Several species of insects call the dunes their home and spadefoot toads have been seen.     

The dunes make for a great day trip or for a few days of camping. There are plenty of campgrounds in the area to leave a tent or RV while you spend the day hiking through the sand or exploring its perimeter. Air temps reach about 85 during the summer and drop to 20 below 0 during the winter. The surface temps reach as hot as 140.

Spanish Peaks

The nearby mountains often more options for hiking, fishing and even horseback riding. There are small towns near the sand dunes, but if you prefer a bigger town, Walsenburg is not far to the east, and the Spanish Peaks near Walsenburg make for another great area to explore. So leave Denver behind, head to the southern part of the state and squish your toes in the sand, you might even spot a grouse, a hummingbird or a Northern pygmy owl, not to mention a bald eagle or a crane or great blue heron in the wet grasslands. Then again, you might see catch sight of elk, a bobcat or a coyote. Occasionally, they sneak onto the dunes. 

Northern Pygmy Owl

 

Bring Me Luck By Julie Lence

I’m so excited. Today is release day for my latest work, Bring Me Luck. People often ask me where I get my ideas for a storyline. The answer for Bring Me Luck is easy. This is the fourth book in the Weston Family Series and features Rachael Weston as the heroine. Fans of the series will remember Rachael is Lucas, Royce and Creel’s sister. When I originally created the series, Rachael had run away from home. No one knew why she’d left or where she’d gone, including me. I’d always wondered about that but never had the time to explore Rachael, until now. And boy, did she surprise me.  Below is a short passage for you to enjoy.   

Excerpt:

“I severed our relationship!” Jess kicked aside the quilts and lunged to his feet. “You ran out on me.”

Anger sprang into her eyes. “I did not. You shunned me on the boardwalk and then you ceased all contact with me.”

“The hell I did.”

“Oh?” She fisted her hands on her hips. “You didn’t shun me?”

Heat crept up his neck, spread to his cheeks. “That I did do, because I didn’t have a choice. Carl was with me. You and I had agreed to not give our families reason to suspect we favored each other until we were ready to tell them.”

“I would’ve accepted your explanation, except…” Her brow furrowed. “What are you doing on your feet? Lie back down before you do more damage to your back.”

“My back’s fine.”

Her gaze rapidly filled with damnation. “You lied about your health?”

“How the hell else was I going to convince you to let me stay?” he groused. “And don’t change the subject. Finish what you were going to say.”

“You know the rest.” She pivoted on her heel and strode toward the kitchen.

“You’re not getting away this time.” He went after her, gently grasped her arm and turned her to face him. “I’ve waited twenty-two years to hear your side of the matter. I’m not waiting any longer. Spill it.”

“My, my, what a tyrant you’ve become.”

Jess rolled his eyes. “I’ve been called worse. Now talk.”

“I’m sure you have.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste before pulling free from his grasp. “I saw Alexandra and Cynthia at the dress shop before I saw you and Carl. Alexandra told Cynthia you didn’t favor relations of any kind. I didn’t believe her, but then, you shunned me and stopped meeting me.” She squared her shoulders. “I waited for you, but you never came.”

“I came,” he spat. “You were nowhere to be found.”

“You’re a liar! I was at your pa’s lineshack every day for a week.” Her gaze narrowed. “Where were you?”

“For a week? What the hell for? Everyone knew Carl and I were in the calaboose.”

“You were not. I would’ve known if Sheriff Crumb had locked you in his jail cell. The gossips’ would’ve talked about nothing else the whole time you were there.”

“I wasn’t in the Coyote jail. I was in the Pueblo jail.”

“Pueblo?”

At the stunned expression on her face, his blood turned cold. Brawling with his brother. Shattered glass. Ten days of miserable hell. He’d always assumed she’d known. Pa had said everyone knew. But she hadn’t, and he swallowed hard, felt the regret for what should have been burn his gut. “I didn’t abandon you,” he said quietly before taking her hand and leading her to the table. “Sit. Let me explain.”

Available at Amazon: www.amazon.com/author/julielence

Other books available in the Weston Family Series:

Luck of the Draw: Royce Weston knows firsthand women are exceptional liars, especially the one who has wormed her way into his family's good graces by claiming amnesia. Since Paige didn't heed his advice at the poker tables, he reasons a bit of "friendly" persuasion is needed to send her packing. But when she matches him trick for trick and has his ranch hands jumping to please her, Royce is thoroughly disgusted. A simpering miss she is not. Sassy and daring, if only she'd give him a reason to trust her…

Lady Luck: Lucas Weston is living proof of the damage a woman can cause. Determined to keep another miss from running roughshod over his heart, Lucas has garnered the reputation of a man who favors flirting and wild times between the sheets. When he's roped into escorting Missy back to her home in San Francisco, he isn't too pleased, until he discovers she uses her poker-playing, whiskey-swilling ways to hide her own fears. What they might be, he doesn't know, but he's going to find out. Drawn to her from the start, Missy represents the opportunity for the life fate cheated him seven years ago. 

 

No Luck At All: The youngest son of a wealthy rancher, Creel Weston spent his childhood breaking wild mustangs and dreaming of becoming a doctor. Being blackmailed into marrying a spoiled socialite wasn't part of his plans, especially when he loved her. He'd take Racine back home with him and find a comfortable ground with her. Trouble was, she wasn't as spoiled as he'd been led to believe, and harbored scars that would take more than his doctoring skills to heal.

San Xavier del Bac Mission

Tucson

My first and only time to visit Tucson happened about 17 years ago. Mikie, a long-time friend, resides in the desert city and spent three days playing tour guide for the hubby and me.  He took us to Sabino Canyon, across the border into Nogales, Mexico and introduced me to the ‘used bookstore’. I could have spent the whole day in that store, but with my arms full, an hour sufficed. I fell in love with Tucson and the surrounding area that long weekend. The mountains and desert are beautiful, but what really caught my eye was the San Xavier del Bac Mission.

San Xavier del Bac Mission is a Catholic mission located south of Tucson. Father Eusebio Kino founded the mission in 1692 when Southern Arizona was a part of New Spain. Construction of the present day church began in 1783 after Franciscan missionary Father Juan Bautista Velderran borrowed 7,000 pesos from a Sonoran rancher. Ignacio Gaona was hired as the architect, and building was completed in 1797. With the Mexican independence, the mission became part of Mexico in 1821 and then became part of the United States in 1854 under the Gadsen Purchase. San Xavier was part of the Santa Fe Diocese and later incorporated into the Tucson Diocese when Tucson came into its own existence in 1866.   

San Xavier del Bac Mission

The mission is constructed of low-fire clay brick, stone, and lime mortar and roofed with masonry vaults. In 1887, an earthquake knocked down the mortuary wall and damaged other areas of the church. Under the guidance of Bishop Henry Granjon, repairs to the church began in 1905. Further restoration had to be done after a lightning strike to the West Tower lantern in 1939.

While the exterior of San Xavier is grand, the interior is stunning. Artwork and sculptures adorn every available space, including the ceiling. After Father Velderrain died, Father Juan Abutista Llorens continued Father Valderrain’s work. He oversaw the painting of the murals and the commissioning of religious sculptures in Old Mexico guild shops brought to the mission on donkeys. Not much is known about the crafting of the building or the artists who painted the murals, except the mission was built by the O’odham tribe and no less than three artists painted the murals.

Interior of San Xavier

Today, San Xavier is a National Historical Landmark and also known as The White Dove of the Desert. Thousands of people visit the tranquil grounds each year to learn about its history. The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity live in the convent and teach at the school opened by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1872. Worship services are held on a regular basis.       

Exterior of San Xavier