We departed Crested Butte and headed south with a few stops planned on the road home from the Mountain Words Festival (see blog). On our way out, we stopped at this fence for a quick photo of the clear sky and snow capped mountains.
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South edge of Crested Butte, CO
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We made our way down to Penitente Canyon. This is on the western side of the wide San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. It's across the valley from Great Sand Dunes National Park. Penitente Caynon's rocks were volcanic in origin and associated with the San Juan volcanic field and the collapse of a caldera 20 million years ago. The area is popular with rock climbers. Our campsite was tucked into the rocks, similar to a spot we had a Joshua Tree a few years ago.
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Camper van tucked into the rocks
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We hiked the Penitente Canyon loop trail through, and up above the rocks. There are pictographs in the area, including one at the trailhead.
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Hiking into Pentitente Canyon, CO
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When the rocks look back at you. Look up Bebop!
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Up above the canyon with a great view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the distance
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Pictograph at the trailhead
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We followed the Rio Grande south and camped along the river in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area at the Rio Bravo campground. This is a bit southwest of Taos, NM. We hiked a few trails - one overlooking, and one along, the Rio Pueblo de Taos.
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Along the Rio Grande
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Bebop enjoys a swim in the Rio Grande
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| Flowers along the Rio Pueblo de Taos |
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| Overlook at the Rio Pueblo de Taos |
Next, we made our way south to Santa Rosa Lake State Park. Similar to many western areas we've visited in recent years, climate change is taking a toll on the water level. It was less of a lake and more of a large brown puddle. The campground was nice, and we took a hike along the (former) lake edge trail. That evening we had threatening clouds, but the rain missed us. The storm became tornadic about an hour later. |
Storm forming overhead
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Sunset clouds
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The drive becomes pretty dull after that as we made our way toward Lubbock to visit Elena's mom. We monitored the weather, as Texas has been repeatedly pounded by storms while we were gone, and they were forecast to pop up near Lubbock again. We avoided the heavy storms and made our way to Lubbock, then back to the DFW area.
Trip Data Summary:
| Miles
Driven: 1,933 miles |
| Average miles/day: 193 |
| Time Driving: 39 hours |
| Avg Speed: 49 mph |
| MPG: 17.6 (vehicle calc); 16.8
(actual) |
| Gas Used: 115 gallons,
average of 11.5 gallons/day |
| Gas Cost: $355 ($35/day) - avg
of $3.09/gallon |
- Paul
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