Notes from Colorado

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Today is our last full day in Colorado. We have enjoyed our stay here. There's so much we like about this area.

The views are beautiful. We enjoy watching how the mountains change their appearance and color depending on the time of day and how the sun hits them. The sky is usually clear and a rich blue, and when clouds do appear, they seem to decorate the mountain tops.

I especially love the beautiful mountain streams as they wind their way down from the mountains. They run free and clear, usually over shallow, rocky beds, and they usually pioneer the way for any roads in the area.

People have been very friendly, and service in restaurants and grocery stores (about the only "shopping" we do) has been great.

The towns we have visited -- Cortez, Durango, Telluride, Dolores, and Manco -- have all been clean and tidy. Lawns are usually lush and green. Downtown areas are clean and well maintained. Coffee houses and microbreweries are very popular up here. Cortez, a town of about 8,500 people, has 2 microbreweries, and we sampled them both. Nearby Durango, with almost 17,000 people, has 4 microbreweries. In fact, I read somewhere that Colorado has more microbreweries than any other state.

Tourism is a big deal here. Shops and services for the tourist abound in all the towns we have visited. You can always find a good meal or whatever you crave as a tourist. Lodging opportunities are varied and plentiful, including numerous RV parks.

Having said all this, though, we are ready to move on down the road. Since our arrival here 2 weeks ago, temperatures have steadily dropped. Today, we awoke to a temperature of 41 degrees. That's just 9 degrees above freezing, and it is only the middle of September. We'll drop about 2,000 feet when we go to Moab, Utah, and gain about 10 degrees on average.

Prices here are a bit high. I filled up with gas yesterday and paid $3.75 a gallon for regular; it was $3.69 when we arrived. Meals in modest restaurants are usually 10% to 25% higher than what we would pay for a comparable meal in Texas.

And I'm tired of driving mountain roads. Yeah, the scenery is spectacular, but I really get tired of driving on a narrow road along the side of a mountain with a drop off of hundreds of feet on one side. And even though the places we visit are all beautiful, after a while, they all begin to look the same. Telluride and Durango, for example, both have historic downtown areas that cater to tourism. The streets are dominated by eateries, coffee shops, bars, and boutiques selling various clothing items and trinkets. It's hard to tell one place from another.

And it is so busy up here. Everywhere we go, cars and people fill the street. We are amazed at the volume of traffic that passes the RV park where we are staying. We can't figure out who these folks are. Are they locals going about their business? Are they tourists? From sun up to sun down, traffic is steady and brisk. And drivers here are a bit aggressive. Texas drivers can be aggressive, too, especially in metropolitan areas, but smaller towns seem to be more laid back. That isn't the case here.

But we like it here. It's a good place to pass a few weeks during the summer. Time for us to pack up, though, and head to Moab, Utah, for a week of exploring some national parks.

We'll see you down the road.

Hovenweep National Monument

Hovenweep National Monument is a collection of 6 prehistoric villages built between AD 1200 and AD 1300 that housed about 2,500 people. It is located due west of Cortez, Colorado, just over the Utah state line. The people of Hovenweep hunted animals and farmed the rocky lands of this harsh, rugged country. They left behind a wealth of structures that give us clues to how they lived.

The pueblos of Hovenweep are actually scattered over an area extending for several miles. On our trip, Donna and I only visited the greatest concentration of buildings located near the visitor center. There is a short, well maintained trail there that loops around the canyon where the structures are located. To complete the loop, you must actually cross the canyon, which is about 80 feet deep at the point where the trail traverses it.

Hovenweep National Monument Visitor Center

We picked up a copy of the Little Ruin Canyon Trail Guide at the visitor center and followed it as we made our way around the canyon. I took a large number of pictures and will post a few below. Please use the Little Ruin Canyon Trail Guide to get more information about the structures shown in the pictures below.

Looking up the canyon

The picture above shows a number of the buildings in Little Ruin Canyon. Use the trail guide to help you and see if you can find them all. One of the interesting things about these buildings is how well they blend into the environment; after all, they are actually an outgrowth of the environment. Buildings in the picture above are, from left to right: Twin Towers, Rim Rock House, Eroded Boulder House, Round Tower, and Tower Point.

Twin Towers, which once housed 16 rooms.

Some of the structures, like the Twin Towers above, were built on the rim of the canyon, while others, like the Round Tower shown below, were built down in the canyon.

Round Tower, located near the canyon floor

Good view up the south arm of the canyon, with hiker on ridge for contrast. Notice how deep and steep the walls are. In the picture, you can see several structures: Hovenweep House, Hovenweep Castle (both near center of picture on ridge) and Unit Type House on far right of rim.

Tower Point, located at point between two canyon arms, thereby providing a commanding view of the community. The building was probably used for storage.

This view up the southern arm of the canyon shows Hovenweep House, Square Tower (down in canyon), and Hovenweep Castle on ridge.

Eroded Boulder House is one of the most interesting structures in the canyon. It appears to be a boulder hollowed out, then with rocks supporting the overhang.

Hovenweep Castle

This is a remarkable archaeological site. It is located 45 miles from Cortez on paved county roads through productive farmland. On our way there, we took the northern route via US 491. On the return trip, we followed McElmo Creek through a canyon of rich farmlands growing various crops, including grapes.

Sundance RV Park: Cortez, Colorado

Sundance RV Park in Cortez, Colorado, is one of the finest RV parks we've come across in our travels. We knew we would enjoy our stay here as soon as we pulled into this tree shaded park.

Park office near entrance to park

Internal roads are all paved while sites are level and gravel. Almost every site has at least one tree, and many sites also have healthy patches of grass.

Our trailer in site #15

The laundry room is the best we've ever seen. The bathrooms have roomy showers. Everything is clean.

Laundry room

Row of washing machines, clean and ready for service

We have a large number of cable TV channels, including HBO West, and the WiFi connection at our location is excellent, the best connection we've had on this trip.

The park is just east of downtown, and it is a short walk to numerous shops and eating places. A Walmart Supercenter is just a few blocks east. Yet, the park is quiet, especially for the sites away from the entrance.

Street scene outside the park. Note park sign and mountains in distance.

In Texas, we talk about "winter Texans", those folks who escape their cold, northern homes to spend the winter in the warmer climate of Texas. I suppose in Cortez there are "summer Coloradoans". We met several couples from Texas while there, from Frisco, Harlingen, and Waxahatchie among other places. Most were scheduled to leave for the return trip home about mid-September.

The park schedules numerous activities for the residents. On Labor Day, our second day there, all residents were invited to a chicken dinner at the patio just off the office. The hosts provided the fried chicken while all residents were asked to bring sides or deserts. It was fun to visit with other travelers and to share experiences.

On every Friday evening, Happy Hour is scheduled from 4 to 7. This is another great opportunity to meet and visit. On Sunday afternoons, residents gather at a specified location to watch the Denver Broncos.

This is not a luxury resort. There is no swimming pool, no game room, no miniature golf, or anything like that. Sundance is a small park with friendly hosts and residents, located in a great location with easy walking access to numerous restaurants. It's a great place to pass the hot summer.

San Juan Skyway

Donna and I got high yesterday, really high. To be precise, we got 10,222 feet high.

The San Juan Skyway is a component of the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway System. The Skyway is 233 miles long. Due to mountain travel, reduced speeds, and numerous stops to see the sites, it can take the better part of a day to travel the entire loop. Donna and I decided to sample about a third of the Skyway, so we went from Cortez to Telluride and back, a round trip of about 150 miles.

The road from Cortez to Dolores is an easy drive with little change in elevation. Cortez sits at almost 6,200 feet while Dolores is just over 6,900 feet. At Dolores, the highway crosses the Dolores River and parallels that river for the next 40 miles or so, leading us deeper and deeper into the mountains, constantly rising in elevation.

The Dolores River, several miles northeast of Dolores

Shortly after leaving Dolores, we entered San Juan National Forest. There are numerous trailheads and  forest roads located just off the highway. Hiking opportunities abound in the area. This part of the road is fairly easy to drive as the highway stays in the river valley for the most part.

At nearly 50 miles, we arrived in Rico, elevation 8,800 feet and home to about 250 hardy souls.

Downtown Rico, Colorado

About 10 miles or so northeast of Rico, we arrived at Lizard Head Pass, the highest point on our journey at 10,222 feet.

Lizard Head Pass at 10,222 feet

The pass sits among a group of mountains with elevations in excess of 13,000 feet: Mount Wilson (14,246 ft), El Diente Peak (14,159 ft.), Wilson Peak (14,017 ft.), Gladstone Peak (13,913 ft.), and Lizard Heak (13,113 ft.) among others.

Lizard Head, for which the pass is named.

Lovely high country meadow near Lizard Head

Mount Wilson and Wilson Peak, both over 14,000 ft.

It was only September 9 when we made this trip, but there was already some color in the high country

The most difficult part of the drive was between Lizard Head Pass and Telluride. There were at least 2 hairpin curves on this stretch, and several stretches of "cliff driving" with steep drop offs on one side. To be honest, I don't like this type of driving, but the roads are well marked and well maintained.

Telluride was our destination for today's journey. Telluride, a historic mining town, sits in the San Miguel River valley at an elevation of 8,750 ft. Actually, from what I could tell, it sits in a box canyon, with only 1 paved road in and out.

Telluride, nestled in its box canyon. This is the only paved road in or out of the isolated village.

Many of the buildings in the business district of Telluride are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The downtown and surrounding neighborhoods are lovely. Donna and I spent a little time roaming the streets. To be honest, though, this type of town holds little interest for us. The touristy shops lining the main road sell over-priced items that we do not want or need. There are numerous trendy eateries in the business district, most priced at 25% or more than we would normally pay, but the variety is great. I was glad we visited, but this is not the kind of place we would make as a destination to spend several days.

Today, Telluride is home to those with more money than Donna and I will ever have; we could not afford to live in a shed in this place. A number of famous folks also reside here, at least for part of the year. The main winter attraction is skiing and other winter sports, while summer offers a great climate and trendy lifestyle. Gasoline, by the way, was $4.16 per gallon in Telluride.

The business district is several blocks long and is nestled against the canyon walls

Donna crossing the main street in downtown Telluride (looking west, away from the canyon)

Telluride, looking into the box canyon

The scenery is beautiful along this route and the driving is not too bad as mountain roads go. The speed limit along the road ranges from a low of 25 mph north of Lizard Head Pass to 60 mph just outside of Dolores. Avalanches are possible in winter along a few northern sections of the route, and rock slides are possible all along the route year round. Gas is available at Dolores, Rico, and Telluride. Gas was $3.69 in Dolores and over $4.00 in both Rico and Telluride.

Happy Trails!

Travel Update

We are currently in Cortez, Colorado. We've been here since Sunday, September 2, and we will stay until Sunday, September 16. Here is a record of our travels thus far, beginning with Willis, Texas, where we picked up our travel trailer:

Our route thus far

• Total miles traveled: 1,478 (This includes only mileage we've pulled the trailer. It does not include side trips.)
• # nights spent on the road: 44
• Total gas cost: $545.57 (This only includes gas spent pulling the trailer. It does not include side trips.)
• Total lodging cost: $1,198.

These totals reflect our status until September 16, when we leave Cortez for our next destination.

From here, we head to Moab, Utah, where we spend a week exploring the national parks in that area. We do not have any definite plans beyond Moab. Our ultimate goal is to head to Laughlin, Nevada, when the weather begins to cool. With nightly lows now in the upper 40s where we are, that may be soon.

Traveling the way we are is somewhat expensive. It would be more cost effective to find a place to spend at least 1 month or more at a time. Monthly rates in RV parks usually offer significant savings over daily or even weekly rates. Also, traveling quickly as we are from place to place, we seem to go somewhere almost everyday. Admission fees and additional fuel costs in making these side trips on a daily basis add up; these costs are not reflected in the information above. However, were they included, they would add at least another $500 to our travels thus far. For example, we plan to explore part of the San Juan Skyway in a day or two. Since this will take much of the day, our fuel costs will be about $25 or so and we will eat out -- and dining out in this area is about 20% higher than where we come from. Expenses such as these on a daily basis add up.

Another drawback to this kind of travel is that you just get tired of going someplace everyday. Although we are still doing something almost everyday at Cortez, we are able to slow our pace a little since we are spending two weeks here. And even though we are traveling, we still have normal duties to perform, such as laundry, maintaining vehicles, grocery shopping, paying bills, housework (cooking and cleaning), etc. While in San Angelo in mid-August, for example, we had our truck serviced and new tires put on, we had medical appointments, and we conducted various financial business. In Big Spring, I replaced the electric jack on the trailer, which had stripped its gears. In Willis, I washed the entire trailer and had it inspected. So, even though we are on a sort of vacation, there is still work to do.

But we are seeing some magnificent country. I wish I had the words to describe what we have seen so that I could share our experiences with you. Any direction we look is a breathtaking vista.

Anasazi Heritage Center

The Anasazi Heritage Center, located just west of Dolores, Colorado, should be one of your first stops if you want to explore archaeology sites in the Four Corners area. Not only is it a treasure trove of information for archaeological sites in the area, it has a nice visitor center and 2 pueblos on site for viewing. I won't repeat information from the website, which is linked above; if you are interested, you can refer to it. I will share our experiences here, though.

The center is located on a slope above McPhee Reservoir, which is formed by the Dolores River. Currently, the lake is quite low due to low rainfall and snowfall amounts during the past year. However, the natural beauty of the lake is quite obvious.

As you approach the center, you pass the first pueblo, the Dominguez Pueblo, a four-room structure that was built about AD 1123. This pueblo would probably have supported a family of 4 to 8 people, and other pueblos were located nearby, forming a small, loosely organized village.

Dominguez Pueblo. A small kiva was located in front, but was backfilled to preserve it.

Admission to the center is $3 per adult. Once inside, we browsed the various displays and watched a short film. By learning all we could at the center, our visits to other archaeological sites in the area will be more interesting.

Typical of displays found in the center. This shows how natives would grind corn.

After seeing all that the center has to offer, we walked the half-mile interpretive trail that zig-zagged up a hill to Escalante Pueblo. The paved trail was lined with benches and interpretive signs that described the plants along the way.

Paved interpretive trail with sign providing information about plants.

As we worked our way up the 3 switchbacks, the views became greater. We were especially interested in the view of Ute Mountain (9,979 ft.) to the south. We had been watching the mountain since our arrival in Cortez, and I had read somewhere that there was a story behind it. Signs along the way indicated the various mountains in that direction as well as their elevations, and one sign told the story about the Sleeping Ute for which the mountain is named. I'm providing pictures below that relate to this.

Ute Mountain information

Sleeping Ute Mountain. Can you see the sleeping Indian as shown in the interpretive sign above?

At the top, we came upon Escalante Pueblo, a structure reflecting the architectural style of Chaco Canyon. The original structure was built about AD 1129. This pueblo contained more people than the Dominguez Pueblo.

Escalante Pueblo

This photo more clearly shows the kiva in the center of the pueblo

Escalante Pueblo is located at the top of a hill. Its location affords a great view of McPhee Reservoir and the surrounding area.

McPhee Reservoir, looking north. The pointed peak in the center is Lone Cone Mountain, and it is 12,614 feet tall and about 25 miles away as the crow flies.

Four Corners Monument

There is only one place in the United States where 4 states meet. Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah meet at a place called the Four Corners. There is a monument there on Navajo land that marks the exact spot where these 4 states come together.

Chimney Rock, a prominent landmark about 20 miles south of Cortez, Colorado

To be honest, there really isn't much to do at this place, but it still draws a crowd, and that is good for the native people who own the land, for they charge a $3 per person admission fee to the site, and Native American vendors have stalls that line the monument where they can see their goods. We were there fairly early in the morning, probably about 10:00 or so, and there were probably about 50 or more people already there. This is one of those places you feel the need to say you've been, for it is unique in this country.

Monument, with vendor stalls in the background

Where 4 states meet

Donna standing in 4 states

Each state has a monument. Notice vendors doing a brisk business in the background.

The desert landscape of southeastern Utah

Mesa country south of Cortez