What an adventure we had visiting southern Colorado this past month. I survived Red Mountain Pass; really wanted to get the sticker, but couldn’t find one. I literally held the armrest of the truck the whole time. How silly is that. Like if we went off the road, that would really help…

Our home based was Molas Lake Campground.  A great central place to stay, along Hwy 550, where you can easily access Durango to the south or Silverton just 4 miles away to the north. You can also access the Colorado Trail (eastbound) at Molas Campground; the northbound trail is at Little Molas just a couple of miles away.

The Million Dollar Highway is not for the faint at heart, but you are rewarded with the most amazing views as you drive the winding road north/south between Silverton and Ouray.

Note to self, when visiting small towns, check to see if they have special events going on BEFORE you go there!

We hopped over to Telluride and got stuck downtown in the aftermath of their bluegrass festival traffic. We went to the falls, took a picture and ran. We will leave Telluride for another trip. It looked like a great little downtown, but we are not ones to fight the crowds, so we will leave the exploring for our next trip; we will return.  Did find that the ski area had free gondola rides. So, if we had known better, could have parked at the free parking and taken the gondola down to town. Who knew?!

Lizard Head Pass was pretty awesome too. It’s hard to say which pass had the best views. Heading south towards Dolores, we came across gorgeous vistas along the highway. Saw several potential future camping spots. We will have to visit again for sure. Too many great places to explore, so little time!

While driving the southern highways, we also saw the devastation of the multiple fires currently burning in the area. Glad there wasn’t lost of life and that the courageous firefighters were able to keep the structure loss to a minimum.

Mid-week through our trip, friends joined us as we gathered to celebrate friendship and someone’s birthday!! Happy 29th my dear friend 🙂 We hiked, we fished… but mostly we drank wine. There was a mean game of Bean Bag Toss going on too.

We ended the week along the Arkansas River just North of Salina, Colorado. A bit busy since they are at the peak of their rafting season, but still wonderful to be on the river. Beautiful water.

As always, fun was had by all. Until we meet again at a forest near you…

Note: Excellent mexican food on this trip with a few brews in the mix…

• Dolores, CO – Chavolito’s Mexican Restaurant – on the southside of town along the hwy. Great service and the food was excellent. ♥♥♥♥♥
• Leadville, CO – The food is always great at Casa Sanchez 2. ♥♥♥ (service was a bit off this last time because of how busy they were)
• Silverton, CO – Natalia’s was a unique place. A mix of American and Mexican food with good friendly service. ♥♥♥
• Silverton, CO – Avalanche Brewery – Great place to have a cold beer and pizza. Worth the stop. ♥♥♥♥