Highway 50

I write from the Adobe Inn in Durango, Colorado. I hope to blog through the rest of the weekend by night's end. I'm considering going skiing tomorrow either at Purgatory or Wolf Creek. At this point, I'm leaning towards Wolf Creek (even though it's a little further away) because that's where all the locals have recommended.

I left the Western Lodge in Salida (pronounced Sa-lie-da), Colorado early Saturday morning with the expectation of being in Ouray, Colorado by mid-afternoon. The sky hung heavy over Highway 50, a harbinger of the snow and ice that was to come in the evening. Despite the less than ideal lighting, the scenery did not disappoint. The terrain on this leg of the journey is mountainous but not of the snowy, alpine variety I would encounter later in Ouray. It's sparse and brown and rough. More striking than beautiful.

A good portion of the drive after leaving The Bean in Gunnison ran along the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado's largest body of water. There are numerous recreational pull-offs on Highway 50 that offer fishermen access to water's edge and hikers a stepping stone to cracked, earthen protrusions of rocks. The first roadside pull-off that got me out of my car was at the Dillon Pinnacles, a row of pointy rock towers that somewhat resemble giant hands clasped in prayer (pictures four and five below).

Another spectacular roadside stop was some unnamed ravine (pictures six through nine). After pulling off the highway here, adventurous motorists can descend on an unpaved road deep into the ravine and stare up at the craggy brown rock overhead (perhaps wondering if their vehicle has sufficient horsepower to climb back out on the loose gravel).