On the Road Again - Pt 4 - The Trip Home

As I have been trying to do on all of my recent trips I tried to make sure to stop and see things on the drive home from Colorado to Patterson. There are always multiple route options depending on who or what I can see on the drive as well as time. I am fortunate in that time isn't often a consideration. I decided that I wanted to see Mesa Verde and other things in southwestern Colorado so I went through the San Luis Valley and over Wolf Creek Pass. It was a beautiful drive and I stopped on the Continental Divide and at a pullout where I was able to take a short hike to Treasure Falls. I was thinking about how many people must just drive by without ever knowing it was there or stopping to see it.

I made another stop at Chimney Rock National Monument. Even though there wasn't much to see without going on a tour it was an interesting rock formation and there is a lot of interesting history associated with the area.

I drove to Mesa Verde National Park next and spent a few hours driving and hiking. The history of the area is remarkable. Once again I didn't sign up for any of the tours here either because I really enjoy getting out on my own. It is a place where you could certainly spend an entire day or even longer including tours.

I spent the night in Cortez and got an early start to Arizona where I planned to visit the Petrified National Forest and the Painted Desert. I couldn't believe how close the park is to the Interstate. As a matter of fact the Interstate actually crosses part of it and old Route 66 actually drove right through the park.

My last day on the road I stopped in Ludlow, California for breakfast. We had briefly lived in Ludlow when my Dad was doing pipeline construction and we were following jobs. We attended a one room schoolhouse while we were there and the school is still there as a private residence after all these years. Then I made one final stop at the Headquarters of the Mojave National Preserve for information with plans to spend more time there on future trips.