Gallup, NM to Alamosa, CO
308 Miles
What a day.
We left New Mexico this morning on route to Colorado. I truly enjoyed the ride
today, because we did not take major highways, instead secondary highways and
roads. The milage was 70 miles shorter and the time was equivalent. This gave us
the opportunity to see the countryside of New Mexico and Colorado.
Driving through northwestern New Mexico is a humbly
experience. Out of about 600 miles we saw eight houses. The other dwellings
were shacks and mobile homes. It is amazing the poverty in portions of the
United States.
I also learned about myself, how comforting it is to drive
through towns instead of being in the middle of the desert.
Soon we arrived in Colorado.
Now, Dad was familiar with mountain passes. I figured
mountain passes would be similar to driving through the New Hampshire White
Mountains. Boy, was I wrong. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined or
dreamt up what a mountain pass entails.
Now, I don’t have a
picture from the bottom, because I was too queasy and focused on not passing
out to think of taking a picture. I thought to myself, "I'm not sure I want to do this."
You start at an elevation of about 7,000 feet, and you are surrounded by
mountains 10,000+ feet over your head. The only way to look is up. Ahead you see the road you are about to drive up, and I had no clue how we would get that high. Needless to say, Dad is a great driver
and had done this before. We climbed for 8 miles. During the climb you can see
right over the edge. I was much more comfortable halfway up. Once we got to the
top I took this photo. It was truly spectacular.
I am amazed at how beautiful Colorado is. We are
off to the Great Sand Dunes National Park with the dogs tomorrow, and then Tuesday off
to the Rockies. I can’t wait! And I am very glad I know what a mountain pass
is. Next time, I’ll know what to expect.
A
P.S. Our campground is surrounded by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
It is beautiful.
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