The coolness of Crestone

We got "stuck" in Crestone, Colorado during an impromptu visit in which a whole bunch of unexpected snow fell overnight.

Crestone is a small, unique town southwest of Puebla, Colorado. As we were driving to it I noticed these strange looking "cows" in the pasture ahead of me. When I got close enough to see them well, I realized they were yaks! This area shares a similar climate to the Mongolia and Nepal areas, so these beasties are uniquely suited to life in the Crestone area.

They live a good life without much human interaction on the ChoKuRei Ranch. They are indeed slaughtered for their meat, but they are slaughtered on-site rather than going through the terror of transport and the slaughterhouse experience. I don't eat meat, but if you're gonna, this is the way to go.

The AirBnB DeLora scored for us had a great view of the surrounding valley. We watched the storm roll in across the valley from the extremely comfortable living area in the apartment.

This is what the valley looked like just before sunset.

And this is what it looked like the following morning.

These are the mountains in which we were staying. Big difference! We were supposed to drive out this afternoon and go catch a plane back to Austin. Definitely not happening.

The property owner was kind enough to help us out by extending our stay for a day or two and talking to us about the history and culture of the surrounding area. As soon as we were able, we set off to explore.

This is the Yeshe Rangsal Stupa. Locally, I've heard it called The Stupa of Enlightenment.

Deer out on a morning walk.

The clear crystal at the top of the stupa represents the crown chakra.

DeLora hiking near the stupa.

Yeshe Rangsal Stupa

Crestone, Colorado

October 2013