I had three days and two nights to see as much as I could on my first solo adventure. I prepared my truck the best I could with the right gear and supplies to give myself the most ease of mind I could muster to focus on photography. The plan was pretty simple; I wanted to see Monument Valley and see that famous stretch of road I remember so distinctly from Forrest Gump. Along the way, I also wanted to visit Four Corners and Mesa Verde National Park.
I headed out bright and early to avoid as much traffic as I could getting out of Denver. It didn't take too long for what little traffic there was to thin out as I got further and further into the Rockies. On a whim, I decided to visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park as it wasn't too far out of the way and I was hoping to see snow on the surrounding peaks. I ended up having to race a storm that was rolling in from the west, but I ended up having enough time to get some great photos and eat my lunch before the rain caught up. That little race wasn't just the beginning of my experience with that storm.
The storm turned out to be a blizzard that hit Denver pretty hard, and as I went over my last pass towards south-west Colorado, it gave me a run for my money too. It took about 20 minutes for the strength of the storm to hit, and visibility went down to around 20 feet. The passing traffic came to a crawl as cars up ahead started crashing into each other. At one point the visibility got down to about 5 feet with snow coming down thick. After coming over the pass, I had to make it back down... I'll just describe the experience as intense.
Now that was on the west side of the Rockies, a first for me to drive, the weather lifted, and a beautiful sunrise was in store. I made my way into Mesa Verde later than I planned. Though I don't regret my stop at the Dunes, that plus the blizzard put me in the park after hours. Though the park was still open, they don't close the gates, the central area with the ruins are locked off to prevent vandalism. Though I did at least get a decent sneak view, I would love to come back. With the little light I had left in the day, I explored as much of the mesa as I could before turning into to my Airbnb. My first day of adventure was a success. All my gear was charging, I had a fantastic first day, and I was excited to see Monument Valley the next day.
Photography Date: 4-28-17
Writing Date: 3-19-18
