Today, the gorgeous Fall weather continued: blue sky, pleasant temperatures. We went over Dallas divide in the morning with the spikes of the San Juan mountains in the background and the golden leaves of Aspen in the foreground. We stopped in Telluride, which was ablaze with color in this deep valley. Then on through Lizard Head pass with oohs and aahs every time we took a turn. Wilson peak with a little snow on top and all the greens and gold below was the highlight of the day.
Wilson Peak
About noon, we came out of the mountains onto the sage brush plains. Our stop the Anasazi Museum outside Dolores, which gives a good history of the region. People have lived here since 11000 BC, but the most famous occupants were the Anasazi people from about 700 AD until they left in 1300 AD. They are most famous for the dwelling in Mesa Verde, but there are over 6000 ruins of their buildings in this region. Pueblos, Kivas, towers, and pit houses are all around this area. The best theory as to why they left is that the weather changed enough so that they no longer could grow corn here.
We continued on through four corners area - boy has this changed since our last visit. They are removing all the wood stalls and replacing them with brick, while the monument itself is now out of concrete. We continued our journey toward Monument Valley. This is dry, desert land, but the colors are really splendid.
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