Back to Mancos

When I was twenty one, I spent a summer working as a wrangler at guest ranch in Mancos, Colorado.

Mancos is a small town located midway between Durango and Cortez in Southwestern Colorado. 

Pronounced MANK-us rather than Man-COSE, the town is knowns as the "Gateway to Mesa Verde."

It's a cute town in a beautiful part of the state, but also, a long way from Aurora.

riding Amigo in the 1990 Mancos Days Parade

In all the years we've lived here, I've only made it back to Mancos once. 

That was in 2017, when we took the kids to Mesa Verde over Fall break.

No one was interested in helping with trip planning so I booked us into an Airbnb yurt in Mancos.

It was pretty rustic, and the boys complained.

They complained a lot.

Whatever. 

I thought it was cool.

Plus, it was really close - walking distance! - to Lake Mancos Ranch Majestic Dude Ranch.

Teenage attitudes aside, that was a fun trip. 

"If that's the last time I see Mancos," I told myself as we were driving home, "It's okay. That was enough."

And it would have been, but still, there are some places you always want to go back to.

For me, Mancos is one of them.

Last Sunday, Karen and I and our dogs drove from Aurora to Durango. We arrived after dark, checked into our hotel and had a quiet night.

The next morning, we both had business to attend to. When that was done, we climbed into the car and headed west.

It's a short drive, but I was impatient.

I filled the time by taking pictures.

Horses!

Closer.

Closer!

Almost there.

Huzzah!

We drove into town, turned right at Co Rd 42 and started climbing up the mountain. I waved at the yurt as we went by.

We made one more turn and saw the cluster of red buildings on the left. I told Karen to keep going until we saw the lake.

We pulled into the lot and parked. 

I got out of the car and took a deep breath of fresh Mancos mountain air. We had arrived.