Dove Creek Superette, nice grocery store at the heart of town.
I love small towns. Always have. Probably because I grew up in one, and haven’t felt attracted to the noise and stress of living in a city. To each their own. And I know my own.
The outskirts of town: Dove Creek, Colorado.
These days one of my favorite local towns is Dove Creek in southwest Colorado. It’s a small farming hamlet out in the middle of The Great Sage Plain (nowadays the Great Agricultural Plain to me) between Monticello, Utah and Cortez, Colorado. Dove Creek claims to be the “Pinto Bean Capital Of The World”. Despite such a lofty title (one wonders how many challenges they have to fend off), the locals have always seemed very friendly to me. Real salt of the earth types. But, trust me, a local business is called Adobe Milling, and they have some awesome food products. Including pinto beans, corn, and really great hot sauces. I use their chipotle-habanero sauce in my eggs in the morning. That’ll get your taste buds’ attention.
Vintage vehicles, edge of Dove Creek, Colorado.
And Dove Creek does have–don’t even try to be surprised–a Lonesome Dove Bar. In the ugliest metal building, like something taken over from part of a warehouse. It could be really cool inside, I don’t know. I’m still trying to work up the nerve to walk inside like I belong there. Maybe to ask directions (“Which way to the pinto bean fields?” might be a big hit.)
To be sure, they have a sense of humor, even on serious subjects, to get your attention. I was in a local store and saw a breast cancer awareness sweatshirt for sale. It had the usual neon pink ribbon, but in an homage to hunting and other rural traditions, a pair of big deer antlers with “SAVE A RACK” in the middle. I am not making this up.
So it’s springtime in Dove Creek. Everything’s greening up, fields are planted or are in the process of being so. The air is clear and the skies wide open. And this week, after a springtime rain storm cold front had passed through, especially clear air and gorgeous cumulus clouds.
The Great Agricultural Plain, Dove Creek.
Me, I hunt photographs, and it was pleasant to drive around town and in the countryside (which is only a few blocks out of town). The brilliant skies made the place look even more squeaky clean.
It’s a wonderful place, and here are some choice photos to show you why.
Cumulus clouds across the Great Sage Plain.
Then it was north of town. To the Dolores River Canyon. But that’s another story, isn’t it?
Photo location: Dove Creek, Colorado.
© 2015 Stephen J, Krieg
Stephen Krieg Photography Blog 