Colorado Trip: Part 1

I’M AT THE FREAKING TELLURIDE HORROR SHOW.

But first let me explain how we got here.

We got a late start out of Flagstaff and so ended up camping in the national forest outside of Cortez, near Mesa Verde National Park. I found the camping spot online. The first review said this.

A camping spot that looks like a scary movie scene?? WHERE DO I SIGN UP?

Honestly, the site was entirely fine, though we did hear a couple of coyotes very close to our tent. But in the morning, this was the view in one direction,

and our view in the other was of Mesa Verde.

Not too shabby.

We then drove through Durango and onto Silverton. We stopped to take in the view

and discovered a forest road that looked treacherous inviting. Bob just got the Jeep fixed and thought it would be fun to put our lives at risk try it out.

At first, the road was good, and the scenery astounding. We found this little pond that was like a mirror.

But then the road got bumpier and narrower, and soon we were dangling off the side of a cliff. Bob said I was silly to be scared, but he didn’t have my cliffside view of imminent death. And in the middle of all of this, we come across this sign.

Is that meant to be funny?

We made it out without rolling to our fiery deaths incident.

Our next stop was Molas Pass, which offered this view from one side

and this view from the other.

(Did somebody arrange the pine trees in Colorado? They look so neat and tidy.)

Next stop, Ouray, a beautiful little town that I did not take pictures of, though it deserves many. I was more taken with the pink rock that surrounds the town.

Finally, we went looking for a campsite on West Dallas Creek. Views from the road looked like this,

and our campsite was here.

Although it was already 4 pm, we decided we could handle the 3.3 mile hike to Blue Lake, which did live up to its name.

Sure, we had to hike out in the dark, but it was a full moon or thereabouts, so we didn’t even need headlamps. And then we went to bed and slept very very well with visions of horror films dancing in our heads.