Good Bye Cortez

 This is a quick review of our last week in southwestern Colorado:

We made an afternoon drive to Mesa Verde National Park.  The main road through the Park travels high for great views of the mountain ranges in the distance.  We think one of these distant mountain ranges here is where the community of Dunton is located.

From the Mancos Valley Overlook in Mesa Verde National Park we saw

the town of Mancos and the La Plata Mountain Range.

  We have enjoyed a few other visits to Mesa Verde National Park in the past and it is always a special treat to revisit some of its highlights.  The Cliff Palace is the most prominent of the many cliff dwellings in the Park. Estimated to have been constructed by Ancestral Puebloans around 1200 AD, this cliff dwelling contains an amazing 150 rooms.

This is a small section of the Knife Edge Trail from the Montezuma Overlook.  A portion of this trail follows the old road bed first built in Mesa Verde National Park in 1914. 

While Ronnie and I were enjoying the views up here, three antique A-Model cars pulled up.  After visiting with the couples, they told Ronnie they were all driving their restored vehicles through Mesa Verde National Park, then onward home to Massachusetts.  Check out this Historical Photo of the old A-Models as they traveled the original road in Mesa Verde National Park HERE.

We also walked the 1.2 mile Soda Canyon Overlook path to get a view of the Balcony House Cliff Dwellings.  At first it was hard to locate the camouflaged cliff dwellings on the rock wall.

The National Park Service offers tours of this cliff dwelling however to access these ruins tourists have to be able to climb that 32 foot tall ladder and crawl through a narrow 12 foot tunnel.

This Public Space cliff side ruin can easily be seen from the main highway in Mesa Verde.  If you look closely you can see carved foot holds on the rock wall. 

The House Of Many Windows can also be seen from an overlook on the main Park highway.  Historians believe these openings here are not windows but really doors.

On each of our visits to Mesa Verde National Park, Ronnie and I have always discovered something new.

Ronnie and I had a memorable evening at the Cortez October Third Thursday Market and Music Gathering.  Because of the unusually strong cold front that passed through that day, the band had to play inside the First National Bank of Cortez.  We were completely wowed by this outstanding North Carolina contemporary bluegrass band, they were excellent. Songs From The Road Band, from Asheville, NC, played some outstanding, entertaining music and we especially loved their hit song "Waiting On A Ride".

West View RV Resort, found on Hwy 145 between Cortez and Dolores, was one of the most comfortable homebase campsites we have experienced.  The Sleeping Ute Mountain can be seen here on the horizon.

That month went by so fast! We loved our time in southwest Colorado, it is no wonder why it's called
"Colorful Colorado".
More Later as we Eas-on Down The Road
 to familiar
 Biloxi, Mississippi.

Aspen Autumn: Taylor Creek Rd & Hillside Drive Rd

We had two more San Juan National Forest Roads we wanted to drive: Taylor Creek and Hillside Drive National Forest Access Roads.  Both roads are right off Hwy 145 (with signage), they were well maintained dirt roads with easy navigation.  We passed several others in regular cars and trucks enjoying another day of bright sunshine, mild temperatures and brilliant aspen color.

The hillsides along Hwy 145 are all yellow now.

The Taylor Creek Road, part of the San Juan National Forest Access Road system, was a first for us.  This road was right off Hwy 145 just west of Dolores.

Leaving the aspen groves, the road climbed to the top of Table Mesa.

A yellow carpet of aspen blanketed the hills.

These aspen groves displayed incredibly tall, stately trees.

Our lunch spot with two free range cows this day.

Here I go again, too many photographs!

Orange blended in with the gold.

Even a little green chlorophyll still trying to hang on.

Windy days mean leaf strewn paths.  Forest Access Taylor Creek Road was a pleasant surprise with some very nice views.  We did not complete the drive, we turned around after about two hours or so.

Hillside Drive National Forest Access Drive is about 10 or so miles further north on Hwy 145.  We made this drive last year so we knew we had saved the best views for last.

The farther we drove Hwy 145 toward Telluride (and climbing in altitude) we could see that several aspen groves had already dropped their leaves.  Reaching open areas on Hillside Drive, those leafless patches where again evident, however there was still some good color.

The dirt road climbs gently here to show off the surrounding mountains and hillsides.

The afternoon sunlight comes from the right direction to illuminate this patch of aspen.

Hillside Drive Road winds in and around the hills to show off the golden fall aspen groves. 

This section of road cannot be seen from the main highway, look at the color!

As we rounded another bend in the road, we were suddenly stopped in our Jeep tracks.  In front of us was a hillside awash in fire-like yellows and golds.

Colors mixed with sunlight at every turn.

High valley views peep through the trees.

High hillsides topped with gold.

It seemed the farther we drove into the forest after every turn in the road, the more beautiful the aspen groves.

  Making another bend in the road and we come to this burned area. Unfortunately a wild fire must have erupted here sometime last year.

Hillside Drive Road continues on for miles into the San Juan National Forest.  We made the decision to turn around as it was getting late.  Return views are grand.

Aspen groves arching over the dirt road, created this amazing yellow tunnel effect.

One more walk to enjoy this golden color.

It's time to move on.

Another memorable Aspen Autumn logged in the Eas-on Down The Road photo album.

More Later from Cortez, Colorado.

Aspen Autumn: The Dunton Road & Hwy 535

Locals here have told us the autumn leaves this season have been some of the best they've seen.  For about two weeks, during peak colors, we drove up and down Hwy 145.  That highway travels through the historic mining community of Rico and the historic 'railroad-head' town of Dolores.  Because our campground homebase was a little closer to Cortez, we used that town's resources for groceries, Walmart and etc.  Spending a nice afternoon at Cortez's September Third Thursday Music and Markets Gathering, I spoke with a resident familiar with the area.  He suggested we not miss the San Juan National Forest Access Road 535 for leaf peeping.  We made that day trip twice it was so scenic and colorful!

This photo, taken from the Jeep as Ronnie drove Hwy 145 towards Rico and Telluride, was always stunning with autumn's colors.  Our first trip to Forest Access Rd 535 was just north of Rico. 

Mountains and hillsides are nearing their peak fall colors this particular week. The variegated patches of aspen yellow, chartreuse and green appear to look like a quilt. 

Red earth exposed on the road embankments seemed to enhance the yellow colors.

Ronnie researched this Forest Access road to discover it would be an easier drive than the Last Dollar Road experience.  We passed several cars, pick-up trucks and a few high clearance vehicles on this well-maintained dirt road.  It appeared several others were out this day taking in the colorful fall scenery.

Immediately turning off Hwy 145, the dirt road climbs upward, making several switchbacks through thick aspen groves.  This drive was so scenic we actually drove it again on a second day trip.  I'll post those photos later in this blog.

Finally reaching the top of the hillside from all those switchbacks, the aspen grove opens up to the stunning view below.  Wow..that skinny little line right of center in the photo there is Hwy 145.

These photos show the nice wide road, no rocky outcrops or deep pot holes.  We had no water crossings and it was easy for two vehicles meeting each other to pass safely.  We came across only one short yet small ledge section.

We saw several mountain peaks, but unfortunately I cannot determine their names from the San Juan National Forest maps.  This is Dolores Peak maybe??

Hwy 535 continued its climb to a wide, expansive meadow.  That same peak was still visible from the road.

We stayed straight on Hwy 535 towards Dunton, electing not to take the spur road to a hiking trail here. 

Ronnie found this drive easier to navigate and I, the scenic views so photogenic.  We made this drive on two different days it was so inviting.

Unfortunately we saw very few animals on this back country road.  The only moving things we saw (other than cars with people) were a few crows and a couple of hawks flying in the sky.

This was the only shelf or cliff ledge section of Hwy 535 and it was a small one (compared to some we have been on).

San Juan National Forest Road 535 went in and out of aspen groves, conifer forests and wide, expansive landscapes.  Every view was quite interesting.

And in sections the only sounds we heard were the rustling aspen leaves.

  We saw this mountain peak several times as we traveled westward on the road.

It's really dry this season. Hwy 535 was very dusty.

Hwy 535 goes by the San Juan National Forest Burro Bridge Campground.  We did not drive through the campground but from what we could see of it from the road it offered nice wooded sites with pit toilets.

The surrounding aspen here were glorious in the afternoon sunlight.

These aspen trees nestled in the evergreens looked like fluffy buttered popcorn placed in a green bowl!

Gorgeous golden leaves shimmering in the breeze.

Now, I know this is Lizard Head Peak, 13,114 feet.  We continued on to the historic, very small community of Dunton and the Dunton Hot Springs Resort.  This was the view in the Jeep's rear view mirror as we finished this day's leaf peeping trip.

The very next day we returned back to Hwy 535, this time traveling to Dunton first by way of Hwy 38.  Making a left off Hwy 145 just northwest of Dolores, this road is paved but then turns into a well maintained dirt road.  That highway dead ends and becomes Forest Access Road 535 which travels through back country back into Hwy 145 north of Rico.

The Dunton Road (signage leaving Hwy 145 states West Dolores Road) hosts several sprawling ranches, quaint log homes and the Dunton Hot Springs Resort.

Views of the West Dolores River, it flows along the road to Dunton.

We passed by beautiful ranch pasture lands along the West Dolores Road (Hwy 38).

Appearing quaint and unpretentious from the roadside, this is the Dunton Hot Springs Resort.  It doesn't look like much from the highway, does it?  You see a collection of barns, a few cabins, a smallish parking lot on a dirt path.  However, you cannot judge a book by its cover here.  To learn more about this historic abandoned mining community that is now remodeled into an exclusive resort, click HERE.

Dunton was a tiny mining community begun in the 1880's.  Due to its remoteness, it was nothing more that a small assortment of log buildings. The few people that lived there mined using the tipple method.  What seemed to draw others to this remote area was a mineral-laden hot spring.  Over time many of the old log cabins and buildings were gradually abandoned and finally in the 1990's the land and buildings (what was left of them) were purchased by a developer who had a vision for creating a resort-type area here.
To learn more about the history of Dunton click HERE.

Relics of Dunton's past still visible from the roadside.

With the sunlight at our backs now, the light on the golden leaves really popped against the blue sky. 

We made our way back up the pass to the wide, brown grass meadow.  We found this old abandoned homestead, we didn't stop because there were prominent 'No Trespassing' signs displayed.

Views of the Lizard Head Wilderness Range from the meadows.

We continued on our way to observe valleys strewn with more golden-tipped aspen peeking through the greenery.

It was difficult for me to cease looking though my camera's viewfinder when every sight or turn in the road seemed to present that perfect landscape.

Once in a while we would see orange tinged leaves mixed in with the gold.

We traveled back down the switchbacks where Forest Access Rd 535 meets Hwy 145 just north of Rico.  It almost felt like we were entering an illuminated golden tunnel.

Just like the Last Dollar Road, the sunlight displayed a warm radiance as it filtered through the trembling aspen leaves.

 Tangled aspen tree trunks.

The last switchback on San Juan National Forest Access Road 535.

Passing back through the old mining town of Rico, the golden yellow aspen surrounding the town seem symbolic to me of the gold nuggets that were mined from those hills.

More Later

One more Aspen Autumn Road Trip