"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood... And sorry I could not travel both. I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference." --Robert Frost

Monday, September 26, 2016

An Autumn Drive Along the San Juan Skyway - CO

Durango, Colorado
La Plata Fairgrounds

While we have driven portions of the San Juan Skyway during the past few months, today we will do it in one long day trip.  Curt and Glenda were up for it so off we went for a very long drive to see some of best towns in the glorious fall color.  Once again, it was perfect weather.

 
The drive is over 200 miles.  We started in Durango and drove past the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park.  Some of the mostmajestic mountains you will see are on this loop.

We drive through Delores and along the Delores River with its many rolling farm land.

As we climb towards Montrose, the rugged mountains appear.



A large flock of sheep grazing in the valley.

The watchful sheepherder keeping a close eye on things.

How would you like your own private lake?


The Aspen are in full color up and down the mountain valleys.




Most of the peaks behind us are over 14,000 feet elevation.  We also found a geocache here.


 
As we come into Montrose, a herd of Elk were across the road.

 
This bull elk was rubbing his antlers against the pines.

This guy had some serious equipment.

While we were in Telluride, we of course had to ride the free gondola.


That's Montrose in the background.




And Mountain Village on the other side.


I could've used that guys mega lens for this shot.  In the middle is a huge waterfall that runs down the mountain.  This is as close as I could zoom.  It's a very long way down the mountain.



Curt finding a large geocache at the old jail.

Around the mountains toward Ridgway, Mt. Sneffels in the background.  I really love the views of the mountains on this side.  I wish I could've gotten more blue sky without the shadows, but it was getting late.  Still stunning, right?




In Ouray, this lookout hangs out over the mountain.

 
Back towards Silverton we pass many old abandoned towns and mines.

 
The color is just amazing!

Couldn't figure out what shot he was going for.  Or maybe he was hiding?


Silverton, Colorado.

The sun is setting so we stayed a bit to get some great shots before driving back to Durango.


 
 
 

20 comments:

  1. Ok, so we have only been in Arizona for less than a month and I already miss Colorado.

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  2. All I can say is WOW! Those are some of the best aspens shots I have seen. Nice work!

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    1. I was afraid we'd miss out on the color, but we were there until just past peak time. Even had a little light snow before we headed out to AZ.

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  3. Gorgeous colors in the trees! But my absolute favorite is your shot of Mountain Village taken from the gondola :-)

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    1. Thanks Rene. Such a beautiful part of Colorado. The southwest is my favorite.

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  4. With or without clouds, all the shots are stunning. The colors are so vivid, and so different from New England. How great to see the Elk!! You can really tell how much you love the mountains :-)))))

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  5. We gotta get to Colorado, absolutely beautiful!

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  6. Replies
    1. Thanks guys! We feel a special connection to the mountains in Colorado!

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  7. Awesome pics of the fall colors! We need to spend more time in CO!

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  8. That was a great tour of the area. Loved the fall colors and wildlife. So glad we took the detour to meet you in Durango. Thanks for showing us around.

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    1. It was one of our highlights of our time in Colorado! Lot's of fun!

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  9. Stumbling upon your site I was so fortunate! Brother has lived years in Durango; told me the country was so beautiful. Yes, it is. Lucky brother.

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