Leaving Mesa Verde, we turned to the north up CO145, which happened to be marked on one of our maps as a scenic byway. We were not to be disappointed. This route follows the Delores River, along one of the most picturesque river valleys we’ve seen. The hillsides are deeply populated with aspen, sometimes more than 3/4 of the forestation. This time of year, their brilliant new-green makes the landscape look like someone over-did the color saturation in Photoshop. It is, literally, unreal in its intensity.

Plentiful spring wildflowers added to the colorful majesty as we wended our way to Telluride. Yes, we worked our way up through some of the most famous ski country in the US, and it is just as impressive in the springtime as the winter. There were plenty of camp areas along the way, and it was clear that we could spend some time here during a future trip.

As we got closer to Telluride, the deserved reputation of the Colorado Rockies became apparent.

We stopped one time to check our maps, and this guy was just up the road. Karin had a chat with him and his (blind) doggie. He wanders about, using the local hot springs to meet people and clean up now and then. His rig’s motor no longer works, so he travels by waiting for a trucker with enough space and muscle to take him along. We left him with some food and good cheer.

Telluride is truly a storybook town, nestled at the foot of imposing peaks. The town is oddly parking-unfriendly, and we didn’t stay for long, but we did see that it’s pretty up-scale. (no surprise, huh?)

The second half of the day’s journey took us through more mountainous terrain. A brief roadside stop found some ravens working the swirling air currents in the range.

Finally, we arrived at Black Canyon NP after a five-mile 2000-foot climb up from the highway out of Montrose. Our camp is unexceptional, with neat spaces fairly close together but separated by heavy brush. Private, quiet, no views. Just a place to stay, actually.

The canyon was indeed properly named, and we eagerly looked forward to exploring it.