Southwestern Road Trip: Durango and Mesa Verde NP

After leaving Bandelier, we decided to carry on to Durango, back in Colorado. We went past the Valles Caldera National Preserve and decided to take what looked like the scenic route on the map. We drove north on Hwy 126. There were many signs indicating that this was a mountain road and was seasonally closed. There were other signs that warned us this road was about to become "unimproved". I guess I didn't really comprehend the full meaning of an "unimproved" road until the road suddenly had no more pavement, continued to climb, and alternated between accumulated snow, melty snow, mud, and gravel. We continued on this so-called state highway for 26 miles until we got to Hwy 550. I kept thinking about the family that got stuck and lived in a flipped car until they were rescued... yikes! We did see other people on that road getting their Christmas trees so I guess we wouldn't have been stuck for days. The car got a nice mud bath...and looked like this...

We continued on to Durango and really liked what we found. We didn't stay too long, but we had an opportunity to catch some local food and beer, walk the downtown, and enjoy their Christmas traditions. The downtown was beautifully decorated with lights and the famous railroad hosts the Polar Express during the holiday season. 

Mesa Verde National Park was a short ride away from Durango, so we went to explore more Pueblo dwellings and history. There was a lot that was closed in the park, however we were able to take one hike down to Spruce Tree House. During the winter, there is only one hike a day and you have to be with a ranger to see it. We joined in the naturalist led hike and learned more about the Pueblo. Mesa Verde was a beautiful place and you could see for miles! There is a lot of hiking available in the summer months, however just like all other National Parks you may not hike with your four legged friends! 

After the park we thought we would check out Telluride.We chose a scenic route to take, and this one was much nicer. We traveled along Hwy 145, the San Juan Skyway which has been appropriately deemed the "Most Beautiful Drive in America". We saw evergreens dusted with snow, frozen waterfalls on cliff faces, many beautiful ranches, and majestic mountains as we approached the ski town. 

It was beginning to get dark as we arrived. We walked in the downtown area and scoped out a good place to watch the Packers/Falcons game. We tried to stay in Telluride, but the one reasonable place that allowed dogs, closed at 5pm. They left a number to call for assistance, so we called...no answer. We went back to the downtown area and ate some fantastic pizza at Brown Dog Pizza, some of the best I've ever had. We watched the majority of the game there and then pushed on to Montrose, CO to stay in the quaint motel we stayed in last time we were at Black Canyon of Gunnison NP. All was great, the Packers won and we had a great time!