Skywatch Friday: Road Trip

We jumped in the car for a road trip from Southern Colorado to the Phoenix area yesterday so I thought I'd document the trip.  I apologize in advance for all the grainy photos taking from inside a moving car.


We decided to take the scenic way through the mountains of Colorado.  These are the Spanish Peaks near Walsenburg.


More mountains on the way to La Veta Pass.


A volcanic dome.


Mt. Blanca at the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo range on the way to Alamosa.


There's starting to be more snow as the elevations rises.


Heading towards Wolf Creek Pass.


I want to come back here in the summer with my camper.  Beautiful area!


We went through a couple tunnels.  Not nearly as long as Eisenhower tunnel on I-70 which is the highest roadway tunnel in the world at 11,158 feet.


When you reach the summit of the pass it's time to come down.


I loved CDOT's sign for truckers pointing out the hairpin curves that were ahead and the location of the truck ramps.  Who has time to read that in a big rig?


Four to five foot banks of snow on either side.


Another warning sign.


Beautiful view out the driver's side.


Truck ramp coming up!


There it is ahead.  Didn't look like it had been used recently thankfully.


The La Plata Mountain Range came into view near Durango.


Then we headed south into New Mexico.  On the very right side of this photo in the distance is Shiprock National Monument.


We turned onto some country highway and passed by the Bisti Badlands south of Farmington, NM.


This is me driving which means my hubbie had to take over photography.


More unique rock formations in northern NM.


We finally made it to Arizona and headed south at Heber.


Elevation starts going up near Payson so the snow is back.  I've seen wild horses along this stretch before, but none today.


After 14 hours we finally started descending into the Valley of the Sun (and all its smog).  Too dark for anymore photos.  Now to enjoy a few days in the sun.

I'm just posing it publicly that I will never again sit in a vehicle for a 14 hour road trip.  I'm retired now, I have all the time in the world, and life is too short to not smell the roses along the way!

Happy Skywatch Friday!




Comments

Yogi♪♪♪ said…
I love road trips. Especially when Heather drives then I can take all the photos I want and regale her with scandalous tidbits that I find on wikipedia for all the small towns we go through.
February 15, 2024 at 3:52 PM
Spare Parts and Pics said…
Looks like a fun trip. I've seen wonderful photos from the Bisti Badlands and would love to visit sometime!
February 15, 2024 at 5:17 PM
Lisa said…
Lovely photos. I live in a valley, and don't have chains on the car I have now. So, no leaving! Actually, no going to another city in the same valley without carrying chains.
February 16, 2024 at 8:46 PM
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