Life is a Highway

San Juan Skyway (and a surprise)

Yesterday we decided to drive the San Juan Skyway, an extremely scenic drive through the San Juan Mountains. Since we were starting out in Cortez, we decided to take the "clockwise" route, which would take us through the towns of Delores, Rico, Telluride, Ouray and Silverton, ending in Durango. The entire trip was awe-inspiring and beautiful. A bonus for us was that the aspens were at their peak color in the lower elevations (6000 to 7000 feet). Since we're usually here only in the spring, this was a real feast for the eyes. And there was snow on the mountain peaks! Here are some photos of the trip from Cortez to Telluride.

The first town we spent any time in was Telluride, where I swear you could see the dollar bills dancing down the street. This is one trendy and expensive town. And beautiful. We found one shop that we could afford to be in, and enjoyed talking with the young woman behind the counter. She told us that most of the town was about to shut down for a break between summer tourist season and winter ski season.

Next up was Ouray, which is set in a valley so narrow that the town is only four streets wide. All around are steep, towering mountains, which makes for stunning views in every direction.

We really enjoyed Ouray and spent some time wandering the town. Among the highlights was a young deer walking right past us on the way to feeding in someone's front yard. We ended our visit with a trip to Mouse's Coffee, Candy and Ice Cream Shop, where I had a Chipotle Sundae. No, really.

After a harrowing drive through switchbacks with sheer drops and no guardrails, our next stop was Silverton, the terminus of the Durango-Silverton rail trip through the mountains. As a result, Silverton is a bit touristy. Since it was getting toward evening, we drove through the town and moved on.

Another hour later we were in Durango, where we were in for a big surprise. As we drove down Main Street toward our dinner destination, Marie screamed, "OMG, I can't believe it! There's Karen and Peggy walking up that hill!" And there were the two retired schoolteachers we'd met in Albuquerque and enjoyed so much. Now, keep in mind that we'd spent the entire day driving the San Juan Skyway, and they'd arrived in Durango from Taos, NM 45 minutes earlier. And here we were at the same street corner at exactly the same time. (Reminds me of Einstein's quote, "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.") After we all recovered from the shock, we enjoyed a great dinner at Steamworks Brewpub, followed by a trip to Dairy Queen for sundaes. What an amazing day!

Settling in at Kelly Place

Yesterday both Marie and I took the morning to enjoy our surroundings at Kelly Place. We sat out on our deck and read, and Marie did a little journaling and photography. Here's one of her shots from our deck.

In the afternoon, Marie wanted to continue to enjoy Kelly Place, and I was itching for a hike. I decided to head into Canyons of the Ancients, a short hike from Kelly Place. I wanted to revisit the Kiva in the Sky ruin, which is perched high in an alcove on a cliff face.

I'd visited this ruin before, but only seen it from the trail. This time I decided to climb up into the alcove for a closer look. It was well worth the effort.

When I returned from my hike, Marie told me that Marc and Jerene, the owners of Kelly Place, wanted to take us to dinner in Cortez. After a quick shower, we headed to Nero's for a great Italian dinner.

I ordered Cioppino, which was delicious. After all of the pasta and seafood was gone, I commented that the remaining broth was so good I wish I had a straw. Of course, our waitress obliged. So what else could I do?

... and Hello Kelly Place

After a four plus hour drive from Albuquerque, we arrived at our beloved Kelly Place B&B in Cortez, CO. I referred to Kelly Place in an earlier post as our "mothership", and that's just how it feels to us. I came here for the first time in 2007, when Kelly Place was the starting point for my Vision Quest. I brought Marie the next year - and every year since, and she loves it even more than I do (if that's possible).

We always meet interesting people and find ourselves in interesting situations here, and last night was no exception. We'd stopped in Cortez on the way in and picked up a rotisserie chicken, potato salad and bread for dinner. No sooner had we finished eating than an Englishman from The Cotswalds came stumbling in and asked Jerene, one of the owners, if they had a room for the night. When she said yes, he literally fell to his knees in thanks. Evidently he and his wife had spent a busy and adventurous day in southwestern Colorado/southeastern Utah which included nearly running out of petrol. Since it was nearly 8:00, we offered them the remainder of our dinner, which they gladly accepted. Over a couple of beers, we had a very lively discussion about our respective trips.

I'm including some photos of Kelly Place to give you an idea of why we love this place. Some of you may recognize them from last year, but they tell the story well.

Goodbye Albuquerque ...

As we left Albuquerque yesterday, we said goodbye to some wonderful people. First and foremost is Sue Percilick, our hostess at Cinnamon Morning B&B. She has created the most welcoming and wonderful space, and we love arriving and hate leaving. (Sue is in the middle in the picture below.) We also bid farewell to two retired school teachers from Kutztown, PA. Karen and Peggy have traveled together to amazing places over the last several years, and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. (Karen is second from right and Peggy is on the left.)

We also left behind Old Town Albuquerque, which, though small and somewhat touristy, is really quite charming.

Albuquerque

This morning we're leaving Albuquerque for Cortez, CO and our "mothership", Kelly Place B&B. Our two days in Albuquerque have been relaxing and enjoyable. We went to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and learned about the nineteen pueblos and their cultures, as well as enjoying demonstrations of ceremonial dances.

We then made another visit to Balloon Fiesta for the final Balloon Glow.

And yesterday we got to enjoy the courtyard at Cinnamon Morning, including a visit from a roadrunner.

We always enjoy our time at Cinnamon Morning, and Sue always makes us feel right at home. If you ever visit Albuquerque, this is the place to stay.