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The past meets the future in this quiet, relaxed area at the northern portion of the Santa Fe Trail, where progress and preservation live side by side. BOGGSVILLE SETTLEMENT, MILES/ANNA ZOROMSKI DAY 1 Start at the Colorado Welcome Center in Lamar. The center is a bit of an attraction itself, featuring a train engine, 100-year-old windmill and water tank — the only spot in the nation to include all three alongside a historic depot. Afterward, head over to the Great Plains Reservoirs, a collection of seven glassy lakes perfect for boating, fishing and water-skiing. Bring binoculars — the reservoirs and surrounding prairie have hosted almost every bird species ever documented in Colorado. On any given day, you can spot tern, piping plover, lesser sandhill cranes and maybe even a bald or golden eagle. Grab dinner in Lamar before exploring the town’s historic district. Check out the Big Timbers Museum’s collection of old wagons, fire engines and cars. Or check out the Madonna of the Trail Monument, an homage to the courageous women of the frontier days. If the timing’s right, catch a movie at the Lamar Theater, a chrome-and-mirror art deco wonder built in the 1940s. DAY 2 Head west on the Santa Fe Trail to Las Animas and the Boggsville Settlement (1). Built in the 1860s, it was one of the first areas in Colorado to begin livestock trading and included some 20 structures, including frontiersman Kit Carson’s last home. Two have been restored and can be toured. Continue on to Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, a re-created buffalo-trading post. For years, it was the only permanent settlement on the trail between Missouri and Mexican settlements. From Bent’s Fort, detour south to the Picketwire Canyonlands along the Purgatoire River in the Comanche National Grassland, where you can spend hours exploring ancient Plains Indian rock art, early Spanish settlements and North America’s largest dinosaur tracksite. Hiking, biking and horseback riding are permitted, and you can also arrange for a guided auto tour through the U.S. Forest Service. Later, continue west to La Junta and take in some of the local culture at the Koshare Indian Museum, home to an astounding collection of Western art as well as a massive kiva that hosts the world-famous Koshare Indian Dancers. Another local museum, the Otero Museum, is dedicated to documenting the day-to-day life of early La Junta. The museum’s historic building collection includes a turn-of-thecentury grocery and a primitive log schoolhouse. STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Hasty (page 206), La Junta (page 207), Las Animas, Lamar, Rocky Ford
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