The big city of Denver slowly receded into the background as we motored south with the intention of returning to New Mexico for the summer months. We chose to drive along 285 to the smaller towns in the mountains south of Denver, rather than making miles over Interstate 25 through Colorado Springs. With reservations in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area outside of Salida, we enjoyed a leisurely drive before stopping in Buena Vista for the afternoon.

As we’ve experienced in quite a few towns across the country, the spelling of a town name does not always indicate the correct pronunciation. Lowville in upstate New York, for example, is spoken with a “plow” sound (as in plowing snow) rather than a long “o” (as in laying low). I only discovered this last summer after stopping to fill the RV propane tank at a service center and answering where we were headed in response to the person at the desk. Things get even more complicated when a town name is borrowed from a language other than English. Before leaving Denver, Tyler informed us that we’d like Buena Vista and it’s pronounced “Byew-na,” mangled from the proper Spanish pronunciation of “Bway-na.” We’re obviously travelers and not always capable of blending into an area, so little tips like this help us feel a bit more at home when entering a new town.

Buena Vista definitely attracts a tourist crowd, and the establishments in the small downtown area were already prepared for the tourist season. We parked the RV in a large gravel lot beside the river, just on the edge of the South Main Street business district. I don’t mean to overstate the size of Buena Vista (or simply “BV” as the locals refer to the town) by describing an area as a business district, when it’s more of a town square with a few restaurants and shops scattered along the main road.

We strolled along the river walk and began soaking in the sights of BV. It’s immediately apparent that the town is home to an active community, as evidenced not only by the river trail, but also the skate park, two large dog parks complete with playground-like equipment, a pump track for mountain bikes, a small rock-climbing obstacle with basic instructions for beginners, and a group of people in the river practicing stunts on short kayaks and standing boards in the eddies. Buena Vista has more options for physical activity crammed into one half-mile stretch than most towns have throughout an entire municipality. In addition to the activities for outdoor enthusiasts, BV also seems to foster an artistic community, with a number of galleries around town and an installation featuring tiled furniture shaped into an open-air sitting room.

After our walking tour, we popped into Eddyline Restaurant to sample the local fare (the Eddyline Brewery is also in Buena Vista, but we specifically went to the restaurant location). A cozy hangout with decent beer and above-average food, Eddyline welcomes regulars and tourists alike, as we learned from the bartenders and a couple of customers. Apparently people from Kansas visit Colorado as a summer vacation destination, which the bartender informed us after noticing an increase in Kansas forms of identification over the weekend. I asked about the local music scene and learned that nearby Salida has more going on for live music, although BV will have a band or two during the weekends especially during the summer tourist season. The town is also host to numerous festivals centered around biking and river-related activities. According to some of the restaurant staff, Buena Vista experiences mild weather through the summer, with temperatures in the 80s, a constant breeze, and not a lot of bugs.

We only spent a few hours in town and we never even ventured into the town center with even more restaurants, shops, and a distillery, but our initial impressions were completely positive and we both agreed this was the kind of place we’d probably like to live. The real estate in BV is, of course, not cheap and construction sites for new apartments and townhomes popped into view as we explored a little more after our visit to Eddyline. A few hours in one location is hardly enough to generate an informed opinion, but we’d like to spend more time in Buena Vista and recommend adding it to your list of stops when traveling south of Denver.

Salida (pronounced with a long “i”) is less than half an hour from BV, with the Salida East Campground in the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area just three miles outside of town. The AHRA actually spans over 150 miles, but the Salida East Campground is just off US 50 south of town. The camping spot was formerly BLM land which allowed free camping, but because of issues with visitors not taking care of the area and occasionally causing problems for local law enforcement, the Bureau of Land Management in cooperation with the community decided last year to lease the land to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, converting the area into a paid campground with developed sites. The campsites are now all reservable online, while the fees might be a tad high for primitive camping in my opinion, you’re definitely receiving a prime location along the Arkansas River very close to town. You will hear road noise since the campground is along a major roadway and people frequently drive in and out to access the boat ramp, but these are minor annoyances considering the setting.

As we entered the campground, we promptly spotted a naked man showering outside of his RV in pretty plain view of anyone around. I thought to myself that our visit was off to a good start before promptly removing my pants in an effort to fit in with the local crowd. We found our spot and quickly settled in for our stay, shortly after being greeted by the ranger on duty who maintained a frequent presence checking reservations and generally keeping an eye on things. The camping area also has a camp host on duty, but we didn’t have any interaction with that person. You won’t find any electric hookups, flush toilets, or showers (except for the back-of-the-RV publicly nude variety) at AHRA-Salida but you will enjoy a convenient location nestled between mountain ridges along the river, just a short bike ride outside of town.

We ventured into Salida the following morning to attend the first farmers market of the season at Alpine Park. After a short ride along the wide shoulder of US 50, cyclists can either continue along the highway, or take a side road to the right (County Road 105) for a ride with less traffic and slightly better scenery. Either way, biking from AHRA-Salida into the town itself is convenient and preferable to driving the short distance and searching for a place to park your automobile. Since it was early in the growing season during our visit, the farmers market wasn’t quite fully stocked with produce but it definitely showed promise for the summer. The website advertises live music, but no one was playing during this first day. We perused the market before walking a couple of blocks to Brown Dog Coffee, one of the local coffee shops. While sipping coffee, we discovered Salida was holding its annual Pride Parade later that morning, celebrating diversity and promoting acceptance among the community. We stood with the supportive crowd as the parade members meandered along the short route, some costumed, some driving human-powered floats, everyone smiling. Salida is not a large town by any means, so seeing an event like this supported by a small community was a testament to the open-minded nature of the area.

Like Buena Vista, Salida is also a tourist town thanks to its location along the river. With its energetic downtown area, proximity to mountain bike trails, and convenient river access, Salida draws bikers and river enthusiasts throughout the year. The river area downtown even features slalom gates dangling overhead for adventurous kayakers to test their maneuverability skills. After a tiring day of riding the trails or paddling the river, visitors can choose from multiple restaurants to find a bite to eat, and grab an after dinner drink at the local brewery or the distillery located on the main street. On one of our trips into town, we grabbed a slice of pizza and sampled a local brew from Moonlight Pizza which offers a convenient lunch special ($5.50 for a one-topping slice and a Moonlite Cream Ale or house-made soda).

While Ashley took advantage of the WiFi at Sacred Ground Coffee, I pulled up a seat at Soulcraft Brewing during happy hour. While the beer was good, it wasn’t outstanding but the comfortable atmosphere (including an outdoor dog-friendly patio area) contributed to a completely enjoyable experience. The brewery even hosts an open music jam during the week, but we unfortunately weren’t going to still be in town when that evening rolled around. Located on 1st Street in downtown Salida, Woods High Mountain Distillery creates gin and whiskey, with tasting flights available as well as a creative cocktail menu featuring the locally-crafted spirits. If you’re a fan of gin or whiskey, definitely check out Woods Distillery when you’re in Salida for unique spirits and well-made cocktails.

Our time in Salida drew to a close after only a few short days, and we continued onward to the next small Colorado town for a single night’s stop. Vino Salida Wine Cellars is located in Poncha Springs, only five miles from Salida and a new addition to the Harvest Hosts program. We called a couple of days in advance to arrange our visit and had a pleasant wine tasting on the afternoon of our arrival. Vino Salida has a small tasting room complimented by an outdoor seating and activity area with cornhole boards and a disc golf basket for practicing your putting skills. The winery is located on a low ridge overlooking the tiny town, surrounded by mountains in the distance. The winery also produces mead, and I think they had three varieties available during our visit. We’re far from mead connoisseurs, but we know we generally like drier, lighter meads as opposed to the sweeter, syrupy versions. We were pleasantly surprised with the mead selections and uncharacteristically purchased a bottle of their oak barrel aged variety to stash in the RV.

Poncha Springs is also home to Elevation Beer Company, just a short walk down the road from Vino Salida. Elevation has some of the best beers I’ve tasted in Colorado, possibly second only to Cerebral Brewing in Denver. The taproom is tiny and quaint, another great neighborhood watering hole where I’d happily spend an evening or two if we happened to live in town. The bartender was friendly and talkative, eagerly sharing samples of beers with those of us seated at the bar, even going so far as to open a bottle of their cellared wheat wine to “see how it aged” as he poured tastes. I don’t know if this visit on a Tuesday afternoon was any indication of the normal atmosphere, but I highly recommend making time in your schedule to visit Elevation in Poncha Springs.

After nearly a month in Colorado, we departed Poncha Springs the following morning with already fond memories of time spent in the Centennial State. While we practically drove across the entire state, we saw only bits and pieces in our travels leaving plenty of territory unexplored for future visits. Visiting friends and family was certainly reason enough for us to include Colorado in our journey this year, but I think we’d find a reason to spend time in Colorado no matter what. We’ve yet to reach Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington – really any state north or west of Colorado – so our western exploration has barely even begun. Maybe it’s simply the fabled, unexplainable call of the west that attracts us easterners to the Rocky Mountains and the land beyond. Maybe it’s the residual allure of trekking to America’s once wild western frontier in search of adventure and prosperity. Maybe it’s the knowledge that you’ll finding pockets of open-minded, accepting communities where people feel comfortable celebrating individuality. Whether we return west in the RV, a train car, airplane, or covered wagon, we know we’ll be back again seeking snow-capped peaks, crisp mountain air, and a refreshing craft beer or two.