Navajo
Eighteen degrees this morning, but no trouble with the slide awnings. No snow or ice. From Manitou to Durango. It’s an easy drive down the interstate, then a drive straight west through the mountains. That’s not how we did it. We took the scenic route. We went west instead of south first. That made it a day of mountain passes. Ute Pass, Wilkerson Pass with a stunning view of South Park, Trout Creek Pass with its view of the Collegiate Range dropping down to Buena Vista, Poncha Pass overlooking the San Luis Valley, then the big one: Wolf Creek Pass. Woodland Park, Divide, Lake George, Poncha Springs, Saguache, San Luis Valley the sand dunes all white covered with snow, Del Norte, South Fork, Pagosa Springs, hung a left and dropped down to Navajo Lake State Park, a little southeast of Durango. We’re still in Colorado, but right on the New Mexico state line. It’s warmer here. We’ll lurk until it’s time for Durango.
Manitou springs
A hike in the Garden of the Gods park; a trail through rolling foothills, punctuated by vertical red sandstone, scattered pinon/oak scrub. Headed back, directly into the afternoon sun setting behind Pikes Peak. No visor cap on to shield my eyes from the sun, I’m wearing a ski hat to keep my head warm. Suddenly I found myself in the middle of a crowd of people. That was odd, but looking down, the only direction I could see, I could see their long shadows in the afternoon sun. I looked up. I was not in a crowd of people, I was in a crowd of mule deer. Accustomed to humans, the deer didn’t bolt. They stood there. I stood there. Then they quietly walked away. All but the spike. I thought he might be feeling the fall juices flowing and have something to prove, but after munching on a bush to demonstrate he wasn’t concerned by my presence, he walked past me within two feet. That was fun.
Along the way
Steller’s Jays are all western birds, but interior birds look a little different from coastal birds. Our jays have white marks on their forehead that coastal birds don’t have.
Anniversary
Our second anniversary in the coach. It was Halloween night we moved from Louisville. We stayed in the house all evening for trick-or-treaters. When it got quiet, we went to the coach in the driveway for the night. The next day we relocated to Dakota Ridge in Golden. It has been a good ride. We mean to keep it up.