Spring Getaway
- Denise Dethlefsen
- May 27
- 4 min read
We'd been anxiously waiting for the right weather for our next camping/photography adventure. Last fall, we discovered the Unaweep-Tabeguache Scenic Byway (see my post about it, Unaweep-Tabeguache Scenic Byway), and both agreed we'd have to explore it further. However, with a good, soaking rainstorm settling in for a few days, it was touch-and-
go whether we'd be able to pull it off as planned. In actuality, the mountains just west of home got several inches of snow the night before we left, so we ended up with a belt of wet, snowy country between Colorado Springs and Wilkerson Pass, then again at Monarch Pass, but after
that, conditions became steadily drier and warmer.
Because Colorado can get snow days well into May, it's sometimes interesting to figure out where "spring" has actually "sprung!" And it's good to be prepared for the adventure of finding out. On this trip, we found that the Western Slope was much nicer for travel and camping, and we were really glad we'd made the trip, in spite of the doubtful nature of its beginning.
We expect snow on Monarch Pass into June of course, because its summit is more than 11,000 feet, and we weren't disappointed. The heavy cloud cover was trying to part by the time we got that far, and this photo was the closest to capturing storm light (when sunlight brightens a foreground against dark clouds) that I was able to attain.
After we dropped back down to lower elevations going in to Gunnison, the snow rapidly disappeared and green began to show everywhere. Arriving at the Uncompahgre Plateau area in the far western part of the state, we had sunshine and drying conditions. In fact, it was
quite sunny when we reached Ridge Road on our way to our camping site. The photo above shows the west-facing cliff that Ridge Road climbs up to the Uncompahgre Plateau (yes, there
is a road just behind the trees at the top of the cliff; yes, the road up is fairly steep; yes, there are switchbacks; and yes, the climb begins just past the lower part of the cliff at the far left of the photo).
Once we reached our campsite, I was intrigued by the scar in the face of the sandstone cliff just across from it that reminded me of a dragonfly, or possibly a mythical wyvern. I don't remember seeing particular marking during our visit last fall; however, because the sandstone is often layered, pieces will flake off periodically. The lighter scar lacking dark desert varnish seems to indicate may have happened during the winter.
Up on the Plateau, we found the evidence of springtime with quite a few wildflowers blooming -- bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), pasqueflower (Pulsatilla nuttalliana), and desert globemallows (Sphaeralcea ambigua), for example. Bearberries are relatives of the manzanita I was familiar with in northern California, but short and ground-hugging; this plant is also known as kinnikinnik. Pasqueflowers are a type of anemone and similar to crocuses. They're
some of the earliest flowers to bloom and can sometimes be seen peeking through snow. Globemallows grow taller than either of the others and are often seen in colonies along roadsides. We were introduced to this wildflower for the first time when we went to Utah last spring. We found these near West Creek down in the Unaweep Canyon when we visited Gateway one day.
We revisited a few of the locations we'd seen the previous fall -- Gateway, Thimble Rock and Driggs mansion, as well as the cliffs overlooking LaFair Creek not far from Dominguez Canyon and its creek. I'd gotten similar photos previously, but it's always nice to see places during a different season of the year. Unfortunately, Gateway was only barely more green than when we'd been there previously, which made me think the
winter had been quite dry. The pair of horses in the small pasture next to the road were pretty thin, so someone was having to feed them. Thimble Rock was a amazing as I'd remembered it. I'd love to camp at the base of this feature and spend time exploring it on foot. It appears
like it would be possible to climb to the top of the plateau from several places near here, although it would be a scramble to do it. However, the area is all privately owned so that will have to remain a dream.
On our way home, and going back across Monarch Pass, I was finally able to catch a moderately decent photo of Tabeguache Peak with Mt. Shavano (two more of Colorado's 14ers at 14,157 and 14,228 feet respectively). It's our current plan to spend several days in the Salida-Poncha Springs area next fall because we've never gotten to spend any time exploring here yet. It's is part of the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area, and there are back roads all over that we haven't driven. Looking forward to it!
Some of you will have noticed that I'm partnering with Art Storefronts to make my photo art more readily available, and that for the first time, you can purchase art merchandise like notecards, tote bags, throw pillows, phone cases, mugs, and puzzles online. Just use the Shop Art link here, or go to the Shop Art tab on my website. I'll be adding to it regularly going forward. Please drop a comment or email me with any questions or suggestions. I'd love to hear from you with ideas for scenes you'd like me to try to capture, too!
Comments