Yesterday when I posted this photo of the “Welcome To Colorful Colorado” sign, it was with quite a bit of sarcasm since the entire photo consisted of browns, tans and taupes.
But after today’s scenic drive up the Million Dollar Highway — from Durango to Montrose — I would hereby like to retract my snarky sarcasm for reasons which you are about to witness. Boy did we pick the perfect time to come here!
Yet another representation of amazing human engineering prowess. Only this time it’s 1,400 years old! These Ancestral Pueblo folks built multi-story units into the side of cliffs that are over 7,000 feet above sea level, with nothing more than primitive tools. Proof that the human mind is capable of amazing things — especially in times of survival. That’s one more Unesco World Heritage notch on my belt.
I think it’s safe to say that I’ve now entered what many refer to as “Middle America.” These pictures certainly won’t be the most scenic of the trip (for those, please refer to yesterdays Grand Canyon photos), they will however give you a good idea of what’s out here in the middle. The highlight of the day had to be stepping onto The Four Corners — the point at which Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico all meet. This shattered my previous record of 3 states in 3 days, coming in at a whopping 4 states in 4 seconds! Despite the fact that this part of the country is pretty desolate* it still has some pretty cool topography that I wouldn’t mind calling MY back yard.
*and by desolate I mean you find yourself turning around to go backwards 20 miles because there’s probably no gas for another 60 miles and you’ve only got an eighth of a tank remaining!
If you choose to continue on and look at the next photograph, I must insist that you pay me $7.50 to look at it since it cost me $5.00 to take it. 🙂
The sure don’t call it “grand” for nothing! Upon first laying eyes on the canyon I was completely in awe at the sheer magnitude of this gigantic chasm. Seeing such an amazing piece of mother nature leaves one speechless. Simply being here made today one of the happiest days of my life in quite a long time (and I’m a pretty happy dude!). Add on top of that a 6+ mile, 2,000 foot vertical hike and it was an equally rewarding experience. I’ll definitely be coming back here someday soon. Will you be joining me?
There are no words that can describe the beauty of this place, so I’ll just let the pictures try. Truly epic scenery everywhere you look, especially from atop Cathedral Rock. You MUST visit this place to see it for yourself.
