Colorado

Sept 17     Sand Island Campground - Cortez, Colorado     90 miles     2 1/2 hrs

We drove to Mesa Verde RV Resort today, located between Cortez and Mancos. This is a pretty nice park, we decided to stay 5 nites. Kind of expensive, $40 per nite.

Joe cooking dinner

Sept 18

Today was a real busy day. We started our adventure at 8am and didn't come home until 630pm. We drove along the San Juan Highway, one of the most scenic and spectacular mountain drives in America, spanning elevations from 6,200 feet near Cortez to 11,008 feet at Red Mountain Pass. The scenery was absolutely amazing with the fall colors coming in.

We drove thru Durango and onto a small mining town called Silverton. It took 2 hours to reach Silverton. We went to the Silverton Museum and Jail. We had lunch at a restaurant called Handlebars and ate too much.

Main Street in Silverton

Joe in jail

Sitting on the potty

Old steam train that goes between Durango & Silverton

Wild life on the road

Then we drove another 45 minutes to Ouray. Nicknamed the "Switzerland of America",  the town sits at the head of a narrow valley, surrounded on three sides by 13,000 foot peaks of the San Juan Mountains. We went to Box Canyon Falls Park and did a short hike to view the falls. Then we drove thru the main town, and at the end of town was Ouray Hot Springs Pools. The pool holds more than a million gallons of naturally heated, crystal clear mineral water. Kind of expensive $12 per person. We spent about an hour soaking before heading back.

Trail to Box Canyon Falls

Water was cold

Joe swimming in the hot springs

This is the baby pool

This place was huge

The drive back down the mountain was really nice and relaxing. Maybe because Joe did all the driving. The fall colors are something to see.

Fall is my favorite season

Sept 19

Today we drove to Telluride. About 75 miles away and it took about 2 hours to drive. There's actually two towns there. Telluride has preserved its wild west color and retained its charm and authenticity. On the other side of the ski mountain at 9,545 feet, Mountain Village boasts views of some of  the highest and most magnificent peaks in the San Juans.

Telluride's Main Street

There's no need for a car while visiting the Telluride region. A free gondola connects the two towns with a 13 minute ride.

Bridal Veil Falls

First stop for us was Bridal Veil Falls - Colorado's highest free falling waterfall.




Then we found parking in town and walked to the Gondola to go up to Mountain Village. This is a new, ski village. We had lunch up in Mountain Village and came back down to Telluride. There was an open market going on right in town so we took a walk and bought some fruits.

The trail to the Gondola was right along this stream

Of course I had to feel how cold it was

A view from above

Approaching Mountain Village

Enjoying the scenery on the way home

Today was another long day. We left at 9am and came home around 430pm. We ended up going to the pool when we came home. The pool and hot tub was so relaxing after a long day.

Sept 20

We went to Mesa Verde National Park today. We got a late start, we left at 11am and returned a little after 5pm. Once you pass the park entrance, it's quite a drive to the first site. You drive up a twisting, curving road up the mountain.

First stop was Far View Sites, a mesa top community. The trail to see the area was about a 1 mile hike.

 Coyote Village

Megalithic House

Far View Tower

Next was the Spruce Tree House. This is Mesa Verde's best preserved and third largest cliff dwelling. The hike was only 1/2 mile but it was a steep trail that descends 100 feet. Amazing, we could even climb down a ladder into a kiva. Spruce Tree House was our favorite.

Spruce Tree House at the top of the trail

Spruce Tree House up close

Going down the kiva

Inside the kiva

Climbing back out

The trail full of switchbacks

Cliff Palace

 Cliff Palace is another cliff dwelling. The only way to access this one is to pay for a guided tour. We just viewed it from across the canyon.











We stopped at most of the overlooks.   

Square Tower House

Sun Temple

Our last hike of the day was Soda Canyon Overlook Trail, 1.2 miles. Good view of Balcony House from across the canyon. To go to Balcony House you need to go on a guided tour. The hike was pretty strenuous, had to climb up ladders and crawl thru a tunnel so we decided to just view it from afar.

Balcony House

When we got home, we were so exhausted. But we found enough energy to go to the pool for a swim and a nice, long soak in the hot tub.

Sept 21

Today's our last day in Colorado. We had 3 full days of activities and really enjoyed Colorado. It's Sunday so I cleaned a little, did the laundry, and watched football all day. Pretty lazy day, but I spent a lot of time planning our next few days on the road.