End of the year & unexpectedly found myself with a few extra days (my employer decided to close between Christmas & New Years). What to do? Kick around locally or road trip. Yep, I vote ROAD TRIP.
Durango & the many peaks on Colorado’s Western Slope have thus far eluded me – hard to spur motivation for the 7 hour drive. Having the extra days off however, no excuses. Drove 5 hours with M before camping near Pagosa Springs.
Day One destination – Mesa Verde National Park. Day Two – Dog Sledding…yep, dog sledding. Awesome idea, huh?
Added Mesa Verde to my Colorado bucket list from a AAA Traveler flyer viewed almost 3 years. Pueblo Indian ruins located in a Southwest backdrop? No brainer – gotta go!
Started at the Visitor Center educating myself on everything Native American. The Pueblo cliff dwelling people settled in Mesa Verde from 500 – 1200 AD (long ago for our continent). Their kiva dwellings were constructed under surrounding cliffs which protected from the harsh winter elements – but also trapped smoke in the village (largest cause of death).
A kiva is a room used by modern Puebloans for religious rituals, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, kivas are square-walled and underground, and are used for spiritual ceremonies.
M & I hiked down to Spruce Tree House, Mesa Verde’s best-preserved & only cliff dwelling open during the winter. Unbelievable [that] these structures still exist & remain intact for visitors to explore. Hard to imagine these ancient people constructed buildings & planted crops 7,000+ft UP. SPECTACULAR!
Drove Mesa Top Loop Road, taking in other nearby cliff dwellings before enjoying late lunch/early dinner in Cortez.
Kick back, catch some zzz’s before tomorrow’s adventure? Nope 🙂
Ended the day at Four Corners Monument, a marker designating the border of 4 US states – Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico & Utah. Located in the middle of a Navaho reservation, kinda sad to see the poverty of our native people. The hour drive from Cortez however was BEE-UT-IFUL. Savored our last hour of sunlight in the neighboring New Mexico mountains.
LOVED this place, LOVED LOVED this day!
Road Trip: The Southwest’s Four Corners
https://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/road-trips/four-corners-southwest-road-trip/
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- Mesa Verde Nat’l Park
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- cliff dwelling people of Mesa Verde
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- chilly day in the American Southwest
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- Spruce Tree House
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- inside a native Kiva
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- LOVE Pueblo ruins!
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- smoke infused village (poor circulation)
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- adobe townhomes (500-1200 AD)
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- Navajo Canyon settlement (inset)
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- Cliff Place cliff dwelling
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- 75% of park has burned since 1925 (frequent lightning strikes)
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- cowboying near Cortez
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- Four Corners Monument – CO, UT, AZ & NM
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- sunset over New Mexico – SPECTACULAR!
Coming off a marathon run last weekend AND 2 weeks of crazy cold sub-zero temps, thinkin’ this might be my best chance/motivation to complete gift purchases & send out holiday cards. Only 11 days ’til Christmas!
Think again…. received an email from Fort Collins hiking buddy, Cammy – Erik & her are free 2 of the next 3 weekends. Winter 14er hike? Heck yeah! (I’ll get holiday inspired next week 🙂 )
Teamed up with M & caravanned down I-25 to the Sangre de Cristo Range – destination: Blanca Peak. Located the pull-off from Highway 160 & managed maybe a quarter-mile off road before burrowing deep in mountain snow. Erik unloaded chains – determined their Subaru would make the journey UP.
Most cars can drive about 1.5 miles up before it gets rough. 4WD SUVs and trucks can slowly make it 3.25 miles to several pull-offs at 8,800’, before the road turns nasty.
As the clock ticked 1 (a.m.), pulled out sleeping bags & crashed for a few hours before tomorrow morning’s ascent. Ice formed on the inside of M’s jeep – all liquids froze except for a last minute Gatorade purchase. Cold, super cold!
3 of us crazies started the hike UP, catching the most beautiful pink sunrise. (M drove on to Alamosa for the day.) Snow was only wind-blown patchy in areas so I make an über dumb move & leave my snow shoes behind – opting for a lighter pack.
Another mile further we reached sunlight – warmth improved my spirit while ice dangled from my beard.
I struggled this day in knee-deep snow (why did I leave my shoes in the car? ARGH!) Found myself lagging far behind. Who wants to be that person? Decided this just wasn’t my day so I would head back – but needed to first catch Cammy & Erik. Not once but twice I almost reached the Super Hikers, only to see them complete their mini- snack break & push even further. LOL>
Snow is now waist-deep. Thinkin’ I’m D-U-N (done). Only .5 miles further to Como Lake. Totally do-able.
SUCCESS! Kicked back on the frozen lake, I refuel & catch some zzz’s.
Return hike is soooo much easier – no longer cutting a trail UP in snow. 11 mile roundtrip winter hike. No Blanca Peak today but gotta thank Team Ft Collins for pushing me this day. I’ll be back…in the summer 🙂
Wait, wait – this tale’s not finished.
Back on the highway & only another 15 minutes down the road, we take in an hour at Great Sand Dunes Nat’l Park. Sand dunes & snow — followed by Mexican food in Walsenburg. FANTASTIC finish, FANTASTIC day!
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- sunrise over the Sangre de Cristo Range
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- rated as the most challenging 4WD road in Colorado — no driving this day, we hiked UP
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- beard ice
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- staying alert – slab avalanche watch
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- only 1/2 mile further — Como Lake (trailhead to Blanca Peak)
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- creature comforts — camping here next year
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- pre-Cambrian granite (approx 1.8 billion years old)
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- tough 11 mile hike — waist-deep snow, 4000 ft elevation gain
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- Fort Collins represents at Como
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- Celebrate!
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- we’ll be back — 14er Blanca Peak awaits
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- Great Sand Dunes Nat’l Park
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- windblown ice crystals
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- winter sand
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- sand & snow against the bluest blue — WOW!
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- dune warriors
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- goodnight moon – amazing 18 hour day
Having survived heavy snow, 60mph wind gusts, & sub-zero temps just a day earlier, didn’t seem like super timing for a company tour of Celestial Seasonings — but this is Colorado! Just hang in there!
Woke to bright sunshine (& below zero temps) – perfect day for the Boulder Tea Tour.
Take the FREE Celestial Seasonings Tour!
Don’t miss your chance to see the world’s most advanced tea production plant. We offer FREE tours every day (except major holidays) so you can see first–hand how the finest all–natural ingredients from around the world become your favorite Celestial Seasonings teas.
Favourite moments:
- Hair Net (& later being asked to wear a Beard Net)
- the Mint Room – while most folks eyes were burning, think I could spend all day in Mint 🙂
- Celestial Café – I like to eat, lunch was tasty, ‘nuf said
What did I retain?
- Most of Celestial’s teas are not teas at all – but rather, herbal blends of spices, plants & berries
- Conceptually I think I understand the decaffeination process – but don’t quiz me 🙂
- Hawthorn is some scentless berry, full of antioxidants. World’s biggest producer of Hawthorn berries is Chile. [Beginning of the tour, just after receiving my beard net – clearly I was wide awake, all synapses firing…LOL>]
If in Boulder, take the tour. As ya’ll know, FREE is for me!
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- Hair Net magic
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- Tea Tour Fun!
