It
was a great day for enjoying scenic travel.
The Route
Our 236 mile trip into Colorado was pretty simple ... just drive
north, then drive west. We left Taos on US-64 and connected with a scenic route
(NM-522). NM-522 took us north to the
Colorado state line where it became CO-159.
CO-159 continued northward to Fort Garland where we turned left onto
US-160. We continued westward on US-160
to the campground in Bayfield.
About the Day
We left Taos at 10:15. It
was sunny and calm with a temperature of 63°.
The temperature climbed to a high of 80° by early afternoon. It dropped to 48° when we crossed the Continental Divide.
On the Way
Much of this trip was on routes we’ve never traveled.
The highway
between Del Norte and Chimney Rock provided some exciting curves, ascents and
descents. We had a few long pulls in 2nd
gear and crossed the Continental Divide at Wolf
Creek Pass (elevation 10,850 ft.).
It rained lightly at the higher elevations.
We passed Great Sand Dunes National Park (northwest of Ft. Garland) and Preserve and Chimney Rock National Monument (just east of Bayfield).
Along the way …
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| Leaving Taos on Paseo Del Pueblo Sur |
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| From US-64 |
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| This geodesic home was a eye-catcher. |
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| NM-522 heads north |
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| Coreopsis or Daisy (?) decorate the highway. |
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| Approaching Ft. Garland and US-160. |
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| Church in Ft. Garland (On the corner of Beaubien Ave. & 5th St.) |
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| Living along US-160 can be lonely. |
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| Going down? |
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| Tunnel on Wolf Creek Pass |
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| Tunnel view is cool inside, too. |
The Campground
The Bayfield Riverside RV
Park is conveniently located on US-160, 14 miles east of Durango. It’s quite nice and very busy this weekend. We squeezed into an overflow site.
The grounds are an attractive change after a long drive …
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| The Office |
 |
| The Owner's Home |
Tomorrow
We’ll explore the area.
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