Three weeks in the West, part three

We left Colorado Springs on Memorial Day, bound for the western slope of the Rockies (Ridgway, CO, specifically). I called my colleague from the Doha days to tell her that we'd arrive in three or maybe four hours. She simply said "It'll take longer than that, but OK."

About an hour into the drive, we encountered a detour that took us off of US 50. We ended up on a couple of graded, dirt-and-gravel roads that ran though a wildlife preserve and a section of the San Isabel National Forest. That's where we saw the horses -- just chillaxin' in the road -- and the mule deer (that I thought were antelope). It was a long, bumpy arc to Salida, but certainly worth it for the views and the close encounter with a hummingbird on the side of Waugh Mountain.

We arrived in Ridgway after seven hours, chatted, and then made our way to the hot springs in Ouray. Again, it was nice to have a soak after a day on the road. And there was Friend Moon above Red Mountain to close out the day.






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Photos from days one and two are here.

Photos from day four are here.