Zapata Falls on nearby BLM and state-owned land isn’t huge, just 24 feet tall but a bit of an oddity in this dry landscape.   We head out around 9 to check it out.  At the trail head we find a sign warning us that to actually see the falls one has to hike about ½ mile up the running creek bed.  Darn, none of my research told me that!  We give it a try anyway.  Maybe the water level will be manageable?  Nope.  We hike the dry first half mile or so and find that we will have to wade at least high-ankle deep the entire remaining route to the falls and neither of us are in suitable shoes.  It sounds beautiful….we settle for that and head back.

Since we are pretty early off the trail, we take a side trip to check out The UFO Watchtower. It’s been on my list since we got here.   What a joke.  It is definitely an “anything for a buck” place not the serious sort of alien believers we have found at Roswell and Marfa.  Probably worth the $5 each for entertainment value!

We lunch at Emma’s Authentic Food of the Southwest in Alamosa.   It is a small family place a little higher priced than most Mexican-like food establishments but the service is great and the food delicious.  I have stuffed sopapilla Christmas (green and red chillis) and Kent tries Emma’s Special, a taco, burrito, refried beans (excellent) and a sopapilla with honey butter.  I’d do it again.