La Veta, Del Norte and The Storm

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We left La Veta and headed for Del Norte, Colorado. Marie's roots go way back in Del Norte, although there are no family living there now. Her family lived in and around Del Norte in the 1890's. We did some research on the families at the museum and the cemetery. Marie and her mother were both baptised at the local church.

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We stopped by Skaff's supermarket in Del Norte for food for dinner, just as we were getting on the bike to leave, a mini-tornado started trying to blow us over. It was all I could do to hold up the bike and as I tried to get the kick stand down, the wind took my hat and blew it high into the sky. Before long my hat was just a dot almost lost in the sky. I figured I would never see it again. The wind blew some shingles off the house next to the parking lot before it went on.

Del Norte is on Hwy 160 and our plan was to go west to hwy 149 and turn into the high country. Del Norte is at an elevation of 7874 ft., but the mountains around are still way higher.

We turned on to Hwy 149 at the town of South Fork and went through Creed, an old mining town. We were getting tired and hungry and were looking for a campground. We stopped at Silver Thread Campground (9500 ft. Elev.) because we were hungry, tired and there were some really dark clouds ahead.

We ate a leisurely dinner and put up the tent. By the time the tent was up and everything all cozy, it started to rain. About ten minutes later, the thunder storm let loose. Flash, one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, thr-BOOOOM. We listened to the storm, until we fell asleep.