Wow! And it’s in our backyard!
Last Sunday-Tuesday, my friend, Annabel, and I took a road/camping trip along the Uncompahgre Plateau. It was the first time we made this trip after living in this neck of the woods for almost 5 years–and it’s in our backyard (so to speak)!! We started from Montrose, taking old Highway 90 up the Plateau, proceeding along Divide Road. First night we spent at Colombine campground, a no-charge primitve site with picnic tables and fire rings. I don’t recall exactly, but I think we were definitely at 8,000′ or higher. The road took us through mostly thick pine forests and occasional open meadows, with the beautiful Colorado wild flowers in full bloom. Despite 2 very good maps on hand, we noticed many more forest and 4-wheel drive roads and trails not marked on our maps. Obviously, more local folk in no need of maps knew this area better than we did and were out enjoying it all on quads and quadripeds (aka horses). Only 2 parties in camp that night.
Next day we continued north along Divide Road, which took us to greater heights (over 9,000 feet) and along the ridge overlooking canyons and the west end of Montrose County toward Nucla and Norwood, with sole Lone Cone Peak in the distance. Terrain kept changing from evergreens to aspens, open meadows, fields of wild flowers, to our next campsite at Cottonwood, now in Mesa County. Again, just us and another party, and a herd of cows. Our airedale dogs became cow dogs and helped herd them away from our site. Both nights we enjoyed good, warm weather (after one brief downpour the first night), BBQ’ing on the fire ring, and me with my baby Taylor guitar singing around the campfire–about the only time I play and sing these days, and my fingers let me know I was out of shape!!
Tuesday, we dropped down off the Plateau and Divide Road (about 90 miles later from Montrose) onto Highway 141, on the Unaweep-Tabeguache Scenic Byway, about 15 miles south of White Water. We’ve driven this stretch before, but it’s still as beautiful and breathtaking as always, as we head south back toward Ridgway, stopping in Gateway at the relatively new Gateway Canyons Resort for lunch at the Paradox Grill. A few miles from home, along Highwya 62, a black bear runs across the highway in front of us. Only the second bear sighting since living in Colorado–we were thrilled!
Getting home is always a pleasure and a reminder of how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place on earth. The day and our short road trip ended, as usual, on our front porch swing with cocktails in hand, enjoying the gorgeous, never-the-same sunset Alpenglow over the Cimarron Mountains. Ah! Life, she is good!
~Ninah
Photo from my front porch of sunset over the Cimarrons
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