May 2023

 

We started May pet sitting a small mixed breed dog in a very nice single storey house near Cortez, Colorado.  Most days, we just drove out a few miles to one of many walks over the desert landscape or along the edge of a reservoir.  On the second, we had a variation and went up to the Mesa Verde National Park, which required renewing our annual pass.  $80 very well spent.

View across Mancos reservoir

We are in black bear country.

Unfortunately, many of the trails were still closed, which meant that we didn’t get close to any of the preserved cliff villages for which it is famed.   Even more unfortunately, dogs are not permitted on the trails so we had leave ours at home.  She pointedly turned her back on us when we returned and wouldn’t come near us until we took her out for a little walk later in the day.  

River walk in Ouray

On Saturday the 13^th, it was time to move on.  We didn’t have far to go to our next sit and plenty of time to get there so took a scenic route.  First North, to Teluride, a ski resort then on to Ouray, Colorado’s answer to a Swiss village in the Uncompahgre valley.  We spent 2 nights in a very nice guest house, going out on Sunday to another Canyon – Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  This has a totally different geology to those we saw in Arizona and Utah, being carved through metamorphic rock rather than sandstone: black schist and red gneiss.  Photos, as ever, don’t show the scale. 

Black Canyon

Gneiss cliff over 2200 ft high.

On Monday, we drove over the ‘Million Dollar Highway’ so called because at the time of its construction in the early 20^th century, it was the most costly ever built with sections costing over $10K per mile.  There are many hairpin bends, many with great views for the passenger, taking one over 3 passes, 2 of them over 11,000 ft.  

Ouray from above.

Bear Creek Falls.

We had hoped to go for a walk at the top but the trail was covered in snow so we continued through Durango and had a lower altitude (6,000 ft) walk along the banks of the Navajo Reservoir.  Our accommodation for 2 nights was just North of Pagosa Springs in a very nice apartment in a forest setting.  There were many mule deer in the area, which kept the grass well-trimmed but we noticed that all the flowers and vegetables in the neighbourhood gardens were fenced in. 

Mule deer.

An Alpine meadow.

Piedra River

On Tuesday we had a short drive to the trailhead for a walk down the Piedra river.  7 miles at nearly 8,000 ft meant that we were both glad to have restful afternoon.  The last 3 miles to the trailhead were on a dirt road under maintenance. The procedure was to drench it, then grade and roll.  This left a nice muddy surface and Dora gained a new coating on her lower half.  Rain was forecast for the afternoon but never materialised so we had to journey on with a dirty car.

Dirty Dora

The road in.

Next stop, Colorado Springs.  From here we hoped to drive up Pike’s Peak, the southernmost 14,000 + Ft peaks of the Rockies, but were a few days early as they had not finished clearing the winter snow so had to take the train instead.  By luck, we managed to book seats on the port side, which has the best views.  We got a pair of facing window seats so that Elsie could face forward both ways, which avoided unnecessary cleaning.  The worst part was the conductor’s jokes (Sample:  If the brakes fail, there are two big springs at the bottom: Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs).  The views should have been great, as it was cloudless and there had been rain the day before but, unfortunately, huge wildfires in Canada were covering the centre of the continent in smoke so it was all hazy.  Never mind, we achieved a new altitude of just over 14,000 ft.

The Cog Train

You can just about make out the route up.

Hazy view from the top.

Having sat down all morning, we went for a walk in the ‘Garden of the Gods’ on the edge of town. Very scenic, not too crowded and not too hilly. The trails took us round some large rocky outcrops including one topped with the ‘Kissing Camels’.

Kissing Camels

Nature will find a way.

Garden of the Gods.

On to our next sit at Boulder.  To get there, we drove up the I 25 including about an hour of urban interstate driving, my least favourite bit of travelling here.  If you are not driving at least 10 MPH over the limit, you effectively get bull-dozed off the road and even then you will have a RAM truck six inches from your rear bumper and some wannabe NASCAR king weaving in and out of the lanes doing 20 MPH faster than the rest.  Fortunately, we arrived at a tranquil, luxurious house 1000 ft up in the hills with some great artwork and just a couple of cats to look after for 4 days, so could relax.

Our 'Home' is somewhere up there in the haze.

Prairie dog.

On Wednesday we drove down into the valley (only 5,300 AMSL) and had a nice walk round farmland and wild areas, watching birds of prey soaring above the prairie dogs, which emitted a constant cheeping but were forgiven for looking so comical. 

Capitol building.  The dome is covered in 24 Ct gold.

A couple of the locals.

Union station.

Thursday, a trip into Denver and a walking tour.  So-so.  The interior of the Capitol building is deliberately impressive, built to show off the wealth of the State.  Union station is nice, too, with an interior fitted out like the lounge of a grand hotel.  A nice lunch was had in the civic  centre park, not totally ruined by an ‘entertainer’ massacring modern classics.  We tried to visit the art museum but, having walked right round it without finding the public entrance, we gave up and went home.

Dora, taking a breather at the top.

And the view at 12,000 ft.  The highest peaks in the area are only about 800 ft higher.

Another quiet day on Friday then, on Saturday, we hit the road again.  This bit of our itinerary was a bit confused.  We had been determined to visit Yellowstone N.P. and, even booking 2 moths in advance, had difficulty finding lodgings, so I booked what I could.  Unfortunately not cancellable or amendable, then got its before and after which meant a rush, then a couple of days to kill.  We headed first West to Baggs.  This took us through the Rocky Mountain park and over the highest pass in the National parks – just over 12,100 ft.  Awesome scenery and Dora managed it without wheezing but Elsie was feeling a little light headed at the top and left it to me to get out and take pictures.  Baggs is a tiny one-horse town (and that is a horse that has seen many and better days).  The Airbnb was, however clean, comfortable and well equipped with the exception of no top sheet on the bed.  (For European readers, Americans have yet to discover the joys of washable duvet covers).  The owner seemed surprised that we would want anything between us and the ‘comforter’ which clearly wasn’t washed between guests, but was prepared to accommodate our strange ways.

Top of the escarpment.

From Baggs, North to Thermopolis.  First across high prairie, then along the top of a steep escarpment, looking down into the huge bowl of Wyoming.  Down we went, across a reservoir then further down the Wind River Canyon, which would have impressed the hell out of us two months earlier.  We had food with us for that evening but suddenly realised that the following day was Memorial Day, one of the major public holidays so did a quick shop and filled Dora up.  The quickest way on to Yellowstone was North, then West but, fortunately, our Airbnb had many pictures of the Grand Tetons N.P. and we realised that we were in danger of missing one of the great sights so had a quick re-plan. 

Tetons.

An early start on Monday, back-tracking the canyon to Shoshoni then West along the U.S.26.  As always, our pictures do not do justice to the grandeur of the row of jagged peaks which appeared as we crested to pass.  It would have been nice to spend at least a whole day here but we only had time to do a loop of the scenic road, then head North to Yellowstone.

Old faithful.

Our route into this park took us past ‘Old Faithful’ so, of course, we had to stop and watch it erupt and have a walk round some of the smaller geysers and fumaroles.  That box ticked, we headed out to West Yellowstone and our lodgings.  We had seen a couple of bison on our walk but here were some calves near the exit road so there was a 30 minute delay as, despite notices to the contrary, many people were stopping on the road to get a picture.  

Bison with calf.

Tuesday, we had a full day in the park, doing a loop round the northern part past Roaring Mountain, Mammoth hot springs, Undine falls, Devils den, an upright petrified tree and Norris Geyser Basin.  As we descended to Mammoth, we passed a herd of bison, heading for the higher summer pastures, being shepherded up the narrow road by rangers in a truck. Those at the end of the 2 mile tail-back would have had no idea why the hold-up.

View down East pass.

Wednesday, a long drive East.  We managed to pick the right queue at the entry toll booths and were congratulating ourselves when we hit stationary traffic with about 6 miles to go to where the bottleneck had been two afternoons before.  It took 30 minutes to travel the next mile and it seemed that we were in for a long day.  Finally we moved off at a bit above walking pace and eventually found park rangers herding bison clear of the road. We went back through the park via West Thumb and along the north shore of Yellowstone lake, over a 9,000 ft pass then down to the East entrance and along to Cody and Greybull, before climbing up the Shell river to yet another 9,000 ft pass and finally back down to the plains and Sheridan.  On arrival at our lodging, we found the key missing and, while trying to contact the owner, discovered it in the possession of a lass who was already checked in by the co-owner.  Fortunately, there was another apartment in the building which, as it was now 6 PM, we took.

Maybe not the most efficient route.

Monthly mileage: 2701.