Monument Valley and Colorado #1
(07-05-2004)

I love driving the Colorado Plateau. The view is unobstructed for miles in all directions, yet punctuated by those magnificent and haunting mesas. They beckon you to come closer, and I did, on a Navajo reservation, along a road so gutted that most opt for the tour trucks. But it was worth it. The images of Monument Valley will remain forever, as long as old westerns are rerun on TV.

“Meep-meep”. This roadrunner is off to Colorado.

The name Durango should say it all. If you can imagine an old cowboy/mining town in the process of gentrification, yet not losing its spirit, then you’ve got the right idea. In a nutshell, Durango has shiny new spurs, yet it’s never traded in its worn chaps.

The drive from Durango north on July Fourth was a treat I hadn’t counted on. Highway 550 (considered one of the most scenic in the U.S.) winds through the majestic Rockies, perilously close to the edge, but yields views for which pictures could never substitute. After about 30 miles, the highway descended into the small village of Silverton, an old mining town in a remote valley. The residents live in quaint small houses, and pick-up trucks and SUVs line the streets, which means there are shit-kickin’ bars on every corner.

An Independence Day parade was in progress. Not the big city kind, or the suburbs kind either, but a genuine middle-of-nowhere parade. (See pix). I hadn’t seen a fire department water fight since I was a kid. Good people, great fun.

I continued on to Ouray (pig-Latin for Rou?), another small resort town nestled among the Rockies. It’s tonier than Silverton, but has much of the same flavor. And another water fight was being staged, except this time they turned the hoses on the crowd. I got drenched. It took an hour of walking around in the sun to dry off. Of course, hundreds of others were similarly anointed.

I proceeded on to Telluride. Some say the name derives from tellurium, a non-metallic element associated with gold mines. Others claim the name comes from the send-off given to those who went to seek their fortune in this area: “To-hell-u-ride”. Which story would you go with, considering that this is the town where Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank? Today, Telluride is an upscale skiing mecca, populated by about 2,000 Bobos, which means John Kerry signs are everywhere.

After coming off the mountains, I drove further north and capped off the Fourth at the fireworks display in Delta, Colorado.

Not much in the way of major insights here (as if I ever have any), just a fun day, met a few good folks, terrific weather, local cachet, marvelous country, and great local brews. Put this area on your to-do list. Golf tomorrow, then off to Aspen. Music for the week: Grofe’s Grand Canyon Suite.

Meep-meep

7030067, 68 Monument Valley 30082, 85 Colorado 0097, 0101, 0108, and 0094 Silverton 0128 Ouray 0130 Telluride