Travel Review of Blue Lake Ranch in Hesperus, Colorado

On August 3, 2008, my husband and I checked in at Blue Lake Ranch in Hesperus, Colorado, which we had selected to be our "home base" while exploring nearby Durango and the San Juan Skyway, a beautiful, approximately 200-mile loop through national forest lands.

Beside Highway 140 and marked only by a quaint mailbox, Blue Lake Ranch is certainly located off the beaten path. With a bright, cottage-style exterior and richly colored southwestern interior, the main building at this B&B is equipped with a gift shop, library, and dining area, as well as a patio complete with rocking chairs. After a warm greeting, I was provided with a quick tour of the property while my husband pulled our vehicle around to our unit, "the Cottage in the Woods."

The brightly painted cottage is surrounded by a garden thick with wildflowers. Its front porch features a pair of lounge chairs and a charcoal grill. The front door opens to a kitchenette that has a microwave, sink, mini refrigerator, basic coffeemaker, and coffee grinder. The kitchenette is stocked with microwaveable popcorn, hot chocolate, and coffee beans. The closet, which is located inside the bathroom, has an iron, ironing board, and two robes, and the bedroom has a television as well as a wide selection of books. We thought the king bed was comfortable. The only aspect of our accommodations with which I was a little disappointed was the poorly sealed bathroom windows, which enabled many insects and spiders from the garden to join us inside.

During the first day of our stay, we walked down to the "lake," which I think could more accurately be described as a large pond. As we sat beside it in white Adirondack chairs, watching the birds and listening to the grasshoppers, I felt relaxed and as though we had found a private, peaceful escape.