Dear Isaac and Maia,

Today was the final leg of our journey: Hoodoos, Haboobs and Hound Dogs. We started the day in Farmington, New Mexicoas. Now, you would think we would shoot up US Highway 550 as it is a straight shot home. Except, Red Mountain Pass stirs my positional vertigo. So, we head west over Lizard Head Pass instead. It adds about an hour to the trip, but it is worth it not to get sick. I asked Google for a route last night, but I knew there was a shorter way. My Garmin Drive knew the way, but we drove in circles around Farmington for 30 minutes to get there because I accidently hit “home” and it wanted to route me over 550.

We took New Mexico Highway 170 which becomes Colorado Highway 140 about 20 miles into the drive. The scenery starts in the flat grass and sage. It winds through small towns as in climbs in altitude to the pines. It is the home of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. The La Plata Mountains lie ahead. This is a great alternative for those headed west on US 160 to places like Mesa Verde. At Hesperus, Highway 140 intersects with US 160

Today wasn’t a day for Mesa Verde. It was one of our longer drives and at some point, I actually wanted to get home. We arrived in Mancos via US 160 then headed north on Colorado 184. It was at this point in the drive that we started to re-enter the comfort zone. This is our camping territory!

Our one stop for the day came as we got to CO 145. We backtracked a couple of miles to Canyons of the Ancients Visitor’s Center. This is a great stop for the dogs and usually our last whiff of vacation. We trek up the 1 mile round trip path to Escalante Pueblo. It is switchbacks for humans (and dogs) that renders gorgeous views of Sleeping Ute Mountain and the Mesa Verde area.

At the top of the hill sits the pueblo. It is very picturesque with the San Juan Mountains in the distance. I have been here so many times but I still enjoy visiting. And, I always get a fun shot of the dogs in the Ancient Pueblo-shaped doorways. The T-shaped doorways are unique to the Four-Corners region and were probably functional or symbolic.

The Visitor’s Center is very interesting to visit. They have a lot of educational displays and videos on the Ancient Pueblo Indians and the ruins in the surrounding area. Everyone thinks of Mesa Verde, but there are so many other pueblos to visit in the area to explore. Before dogs, I spent a lot of time visiting the Visitor’s Center. Now my focus is on keeping dogs cool, calm and happy. But, today I darted in to look at the gift shop because the day was on the cooler side. I found a new road trip ornament to take home.

From there, we headed north, up over Lizard Head Pass. The Lizard Head is easy to miss as you drive through the San Juans, but it is visible at the summit. And, despite being flatter than Red Mountain Pass, Lizard Head reaches a respectable 10.222 feet in elevation. The Lizard Head itself is a volcanic plug that touts an elevation of 13,113 feet. I’m not a climber, but apparently it is one of the most challenging climbs in Colorado because it is fragile volcanic material.

Then it was on to the Telluride area, where we took CO 145 to CO 62 to Ridgway. This is my old commute route between Montrose and Nucla – we are definitely back in the comfort zone. We end up back on Highway 550, just like Google planned. Honestly, though, sometimes long-cuts are the best ways to savor the journey.

We are home and it will take a couple of days to get back in our boring routine. I can’t wait to dig out my souvenirs tomorrow! I adore my road trip ornament collection. I break out those ornaments from November-January as a way to stay engaged with my Colorado Plateau journeys after the tent goes away for the year. Maybe I’ll do a short blog about them. Until then . . .

Happy Trails, GM Cathy Hartt

Visit my Art from the Hartt website or Etsy Shop for high desert art handcrafted on the Colorado Plateau