The ride into Creede made me glad I had not walked down from San Luis Pass. As the little truck wove it’s way down the dirt road into town I chatted with Debbie about the town. I was surprised at the lack of homes, and she confirmed that much of this was due to historical mining activities in the surrounding mountains. Chemicals used to strip silver from the rock in which it was embedded had contaminated water sources.
Related Posts: Colorado Trail – 2020; Colorado Trail Day 29
Much of the land was also owned by the Forest Service, and unless you bought an old mining tract, it was difficult to acquire property. Purchasing old contaminated mining tracts of land is probably not ideal for most home owners.
Creede was exactly as I remembered, with it’s high towering cliffs that seemed to run right up to the edge of town. The town itself was still tiny, although I could see a few more modern restaurants and retail stores. As we passed down Main Street I was surprised at the lack of masks. Covid did not seem to be as much of a problem in Colorado as it was in Connecticut.
Debbie dropped me and the other two hikers off at the Creede Motel. It was under new ownership and I was impressed with the owners and rooms. They were great hosts and the rooms themselves were clean and neat. The shower pressure and heat was awesome which is always a win for me. The best part of the location was that the breakfast diner was across the street. Yes!
I settled into my room and cleaned up, washing myself and my clothes in the laundry room on-site. This was after I went to the awesome barbecue trailer up the road where I got the BEST Chula beans I’ve ever eaten. Honestly, this was some seriously good barbecue for a tiny mining town in Colorado. The barbecue truck was definitely the best place to eat in town.
The rest of the evening was spent lounging on my very comfortable, clean bed. This town appeared to be closed today so the next day would be spent running errands. I needed a warmer hat and gloves, Post Office resupply box, and to grocery shop. I usually try to do these things when I arrive in town so I can take a zero day to do some digital work, but Creede is on it’s own schedule.
I would adjust to the town schedule though – eating several times as I worked my way up Main street. If I could not zero and be lazy then I would take advantage of my town travels and more barbecue.
It was a good zero day, but I was ready to head back into the mountains. I was usually pretty restless by the end of a day off from hiking.
