On Day 3 I had plans to complete my 4 year old mission of seeing Gato / Pagosa Junction. But, that's not what happened. Before I left Houston I had the brakes on my truck checked because of a strange sound I'd been hearing. The brake guys fixed the brakes, but said the sound I was hearing was probably the rear differential. They figured I had 6 months left before needing to repair or replace it. So, I made the moronic decision to wait and fix it after the trip to Chama. On Sunday when I left Sublette I heard several clunks from the rear end. I was torn on what to do, so Monday morning I got up and took the truck for a drive to see how bad it was. My plan for the day was to explore Gato and the old ROW all the way to Durango. However, the truck sounded terrible and there was no way I was going to risk getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere. So, I called the Ford Dealer in Santa Fe and made plans to take the truck down there first thing Tuesday morning and get it fixed.

With the truck more or less out-of-commission and my plans for the day shot, I found myself with an unplanned free day to explore Chama Yard at my leisure. Heck, if ya gotta be stuck someplace Chama is about as good as it gets.

For the record: Carlatte's makes the best quesadilla I've ever eaten. I think I downed 6 or 7 of them on this trip. And, Fosters makes a killer burrito. Be sure to get the red chili... but brace yourself.