Road Trip....continued.

The next morning after visiting with Carrie and the boys, we left Denver and headed south on I-25. At Walsenburg we turned off on one of our favorite stretches of road - Hwy 160. When Robert had driven it on the way to Denver, he said it was full of beautiful fall color. I was looking forward to seeing some spectacular scenary and hoping I could capture its beauty with my camera.

As we headed through Fort Garland, we could see Blanca Peak (elevation 14,345') off in the distance. We wondered how long it would be before we hit snow...


...and it wasn't very long. We drove through Wolf Creek Pass (elevation 10,850') during our honeymoon, which was in December, and we hit a white out. This time it wasn't as bad, but the snow was thick and it was cold. Robert said this area was alive with color just a few days ago. I guess winter comes fast in Colorado.


Just past Wolf Creek Pass we came to a viewpoint. It was wet and cloudy, but lots of beautiful color.


We pushed on to Cortez where we would lodge for the night. I really wanted to see the UFC fight between Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez so we found some dive bar called Angels that was airing the fight. I don't know which was more entertaining, the fight or the local drunks. One guy kept making bets and he was so drunk he couldn't remember who he had chosen. Of course he kept losing! Actually Cortez was a really cool town. We both liked it very much.

Oh, before arriving at Cortez, we saw this pond with a beaver lodge in it. I'd never seen one before. At least I think it was a beaver lodge and not just a pile of sticks.

The next day we visted Mesa Verde National Park. Again, we had stopped here during our honeymoon, but the weather wasn't very cooperative. This time, however, it was.

Heading into the park we saw lots of deer.

Our first view of the cliff dwellings was Spruce Tree House. Simply amazing.



We drove through the park enjoying the views and each others' company. It was a wonderful day.



From Mesa Verde NP we headed towards Four Corners. It wasn't very photogenic as construction was being done, but now we can say we were there. And the fried bread was delicious.


From Four Corners we stayed on Hwy 160 to the 89 and dropped down into Flagstaff, through Sedona, and into Jerome for a photo.


From there we were anxious to get home, so other than bathroom and quick food breaks, Robert put the pedal to the medal. Other than not being able to spend enough time visiting with Carrie and family, it was an enjoyable road trip. We are planning to go back to Denver at Christmas, but not sure exactly when or what route we will take. Although I know this time I will pack my beanie and gloves, because it will be cold.