An awesome drive today from Monument Valley KOA to Ouray KOA in Colorado. Waze and two GPS's took me through the San Juan National Forest and the views were spectacular, the roads clean and dry. l have not yet finished or posted my blog for the Monument Valley Tribal Tour so that will materialize at some later date. This blog will take you with me on the visual trip, so sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the views including Red Mesa, AZ, Four Corners, NM, Ute Mountain Reservation, along the Dolores River, a stop in Rico, CO for a bite to eat at the Fireweed Cafe and Mercantile, and Uncompahgre National Forest.
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| Good bye Monument Valley KOA... |
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| ...won't miss the sandstorms, but... |
...the strong Colorado winds provided "tumbling tumbleweeds" racing across my path and a "Dust Devil."
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I had to take a double take at my first stop at the Four Corners Monument.
The rocky terrain was surely going to make the young lady sorry for her choice of shoes. |
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| Being on Navajo land, there was a $5.00 entrance fee as well as the mask mandate. |
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| Once again on the road, the scenery with its eroding mesas dotted the landscape. |
Still, the spectacular scenery provided me "picture post card" photos that I'll have forever. These were taken while driving...yes, with eyes on the road but arm extended hoping for the best. Enjoy. |
| Ears already clicking but another 2,000' yet to come. |
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| Dry roads, bright sunshine and fantastic sights...that was the journey. |
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| The highest point and now, a very long ride down. |
Stopped in Rico, Colorado and treated myself to a hot cup of coffee. Read about this terrific little gold mine in southwest Colorado...lots of skiing. Fireweed Cafe and Mercantile.
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| Cinnamon Bread Pudding Strudel. |
I couldn't resist leaving without picking up a loaf of artisan Blue Grouse Bread. |
| Chelsey & Matt |
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And finally, I arrived at 5:30. With the "big" storm that was to sweep into the east,
dumping 6-10" to the west of Denver, I was in regular contact with Harlan here at the
Ouray KOA. He kept be abreast of the forecasts, road conditions and the timing of
any periods of snow. Their 3-6" ended in the morning. When I arrived the temp was 47º,
the site slushy and muddy. Tonight it'll go down to 18º by 7 a.m. tomorrow. |
I ended my long day, my long drive with an Irish Malibu cocktail. With that goes my best wishes to all the Irish (today) that celebrated. Hope you enjoyed the slide show. The upside is you weren't stuck in someone's living room watching the slide show. Tomorrow a few phone calls to the Pikes Peak RV Park in Manitou Springs, CO, the Pikes Peak Cog Railroad (for Saturday's ride...if it's open) and the CDOT for road conditions. See you there.
Ahh, best kind of roads to travel: no other vehicles in sight...
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the one thing I've noticed throughout my journeys: either I'm "taking the road not taken," the wrong time of the day or year or now, with the price of fuel, nobody's traveling...but yes, traffic is very light even more so in the remote place I've been.
DeleteAs always, great pics and commentary!!!!! Thanks so much for taking us along for the ride. Stay safe. J&M
ReplyDeleteThanks, J&M. Glad you're enjoying them, even more so that you're taking the time to read 'em. LOL
DeleteThanks again for taking me along for the ride. Great pics. Stay safe. J&M
ReplyDeleteYou're quite welcome, J. Hope these types of trips can be part of your bucket list as well. ~~Charlie
DeleteAWESOME! (You are going to be soooo bored by your terrace after this!
ReplyDeleteBJ
I've been thinking about that. There's a lot of down time in some summer months but I'm hoping to fill them hopefully with some other RVers. We shall see.
DeleteAh...that was nice. Charlie, you take great pictures AND your photos were a reminder that there's so much land out there, different places to go and different ways to be. Loved Chelsea and Matt. Long may they love. Wow, this has been one helluva trip! When is your due date back home? Hugs, S
ReplyDeleteI'll be pulling into Croton Point Park, CPP on March 30th and be there till 4/13th. I'm filling up those summer months.
DeleteBeautiful ride! RF
ReplyDeleteCan't really explain just how beautiful the ride is. I look around in awe every mile of the way.
DeleteCharlie, very nice pictures. Looks like you enjoyed the last three stops.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: have enjoyed e-v-e-r-y stop. Blink, blink, it's almost over.
DeleteDid you stop in Shiprock, site of the police station in the Tony Hillerman books? Ed and I made a pilgrimage there to pay homage to the wonderful characters in his "mystery" novels. Did you have a chance to explore on your own? There are some amazing cave paintings on the Reservation. Glad you've had good weather to this point. Fingers crossed that it stays that way. What's that Irish blessing..."May the road rise up to meet you...something something, the wind at your back...something something, and may God hold you in the palm of his hand. (I think). Well, you get the idea. Safe travels, babela. Di
ReplyDeleteNo stops in Shiprock but did pass through. And yes, I've been very fortunate in the weather department...knock on wood. My favorite Irish toast is, "May you be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you're dead." PS. I truly believe in all my travels, the wind is at my back and I am in the palm of his hand.
DeleteLoved the Four Corners! I want to go there now - in warmer weather......Colorado is one of my favorite states. So many sights to see. You were close to Mesa Verde, did you make it there?
ReplyDeletevc
No, didn't stop in Mesa Verde but did go past it...it was "a road not taken."
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