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About Us
Hi, Debbie and Kaylie here. It is our pleasure to welcome you to our backyard—the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado. We love where we live and want to share it with you.
Debbie My life in the San Luis Valley began over fifty years ago. I was born in the city of Alamosa to an agriculture family from Mosca (a town 13 miles north of Alamosa). Growing up on a farm, we raised alfalfa which helped feed the Holstein cows on the dairy run by my parents, aunt and uncle. My family milked the cows by hand each morning and evening until we automated the process. I was in second grade when the milk cows were sold to another dairy. To supplement our income, we purchased land a mile from the entrance to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We built a store which carried Sand Dunes souvenirs, food items, and a gas station. For a number of years we lived in a trailer house which we moved from our ranch in Mosca to the Sand Dunes store where we worked from Memorial Day to Labor Day, seven days a week, and about twelve hours a day. For a few years, we decided to leave the trailer house parked at the Sand Dunes which was a wonderful place to live, seeing wildlife consisting of coyotes, mule deer, a bear, badger, and elk on the mountain range.
Being raised so close to the Great Sand Dunes is one of the reasons why I enjoy the Great Sand Dunes National Park so much. It is ever changing with the winds each spring. The beauty which surrounds the area is breathtaking. After high school I attended Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business. I married a farmer who loved the life in the San Luis Valley as much as I did. We are both 3rd generation to the area. We raised potatoes, wheat, and malting barley, which is sold to Coors. Being in agriculture meant relying on good years of snow in the mountain ranges to the east and west as that meant certain water runoff in the spring which helped supplement the underground aquifer. I welcome you to see an exciting event—come in the fall and watch potato harvest. It is a truly amazing time of the year as farmers rush to get the crops out of the ground before the fall freeze.
If you ever wonder where your baked potato or French fries come from, I encourage a visit to the San Luis Valley in the summer to see the colorful potato blossoms, to the fall harvest, and even tour a potato warehouse to watch the process of cleaning, sizing, and bagging the potatoes to be shipped to grocery stores. I also love the town of Creede, Colorado. Creede was once a boom town full of miners but as the mines began to close, the residents of Creede united together to boost their economy by having many fun family activities throughout the summer including the well known Creede Repertory Theater. I am excited to be writing about the many, many activities, entertainment, dining, and beautiful areas of the San Luis Valley. Kaylie Hi, my name is Kaylie. I was born and raised in the San Luis Valley and lived there until I left for college. It was a wonderful place to grow up. Even though the valley covers a large area, it has a very small town feel. Many families have lived in the area for multiple generations so it seems everyone knows everyone. Our family was very active and spent many weekends camping, fishing, and riding four-wheelers around the mountains. I can recall hunting for Easter Eggs at the Great Sand Dunes and ice skating on San Luis Lakes during the winter. Growing up this way gave me a love for the outdoors that I still have today. I am proud to say that most of the pictures on this website are my own. I love visiting the different areas of the San Luis Valley many times as it is always changing and you never know what amazing view you will see that day. Even after I left for college I enjoyed coming home. Many of my college friends were blown away when I brought them home to this hidden gem in Southern Colorado. They could not believe the sand dunes or the bulk storage of thousands of pounds of potatoes.
It was in visiting with people from college that the idea to start this website was born. When I tried to explain where Alamosa is they would always link it near Pueblo or Durango, both of which are over two hours away! From the conversations of trying to explain where I was from I decided that a website would be great. I thought if people from Colorado did not know about the San Luis Valley how would people from other areas of the world find out about it. Even though the San Luis Valley is not where I currently live it will always be “home.” I really enjoy sharing about the amazing places there are to see and visit in the area. We hope that you enjoy this website as much as we enjoy sharing our love for the area with you! |
