Our first full day in Pagosa Springs was mostly spent on the banks of the San Juan River, in an area where water from the nearby hot springs trickles down rocks to form warm, shallow pools near the icy river water. The hot springs here in Pagosa are the deepest in the world and the water in some places is well over 100 degrees.
Once the sun rises, it warms up quickly here and the sunlight is intense, so I couldn’t stay in the hot spring water for very long. We briefly hiked the San Juan River Trail, but soon gave up to dig in the sand instead.
The next morning (July 3) we officially signed the paperwork to sell our house. A mobile notary came to our cabin to complete the closing.
After the closing we re-grouped to take the big kids on an afternoon hike (James stayed with Angie.). We decided on the Fourmile Waterfall Trail, a top-rated six mile hike just north of Pagosa Springs. It was spectacular! Evie and Jack did great keeping up and maintaining a positive attitude. We spent a lot of time talking, and three of my favorite exchanges were:
Jack: Ack! Daddy! A bee! Jim: Jack, it’s okay. The insects here are non-violent. I know you have PTSD from Texas, but these are the mountains; you need to be worried about mammals.
Jack: *mumbling something about MarioKart*. Jim: Talk about anything other than MarioKart. Jack: Okay, what do you want to talk about? Evie: The cycle of rocks. #homeschoolingftw
Jack: Mouth don’t even think about complaining!
We were all pretty tuckered out by the time the hike ended. Thankfully John and Angie had dinner waiting for us when we returned to the campsite. We were joined by Joyee and Randy Goodall from Lakeway and Mike and Cheryl Faulkner from Colorado (as well as the Morrells).
Our last full day in Pagosa was Independence Day! We leisurely started packing up for our departure the next day, played board games and cards, and grilled hamburgers for dinner.
Pagosa Springs, unlike much of America, did hold July Fourth festivities this year, so we headed down to the town center just before dusk to watch their beautiful fireworks display. We were doubly graced with a full-moon rise from behind a nearby mountain top (there was also a lunar eclipse, although we think it happened before the moonrise.). The kids loved it and James kept asking when the fireworks would start again.
Animal ID:
McAndrewLand 
Pagosa Springs! What a serene place to celebrate the 4th of July!! With family and friends !! I love all these beautiful photos 😊.
Rickey has spent time in Colorado Springs twenty years ago and soooooo enjoyed Cave of the Winds!!! He thinks you all would too. I’m sure you would need to check up on current info….Rick’s visit was sooo long ago 🙂
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We were near Cave of the Winds last October, but it’s several hours from where we are now. Maybe we’ll catch it on our way back to Texas. 😍
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Beautiful!
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