Venice to Telluride, a Road Trip
“What is that feeling when you’re driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their dispersing? - it’s the too-huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.”
As an adventurer and having been intrigued by the Beat Generation and their spiritual quests, explorations of the Americas, anti-conformist nature and so on, the idea of a cross country road trip has always excited me. The stars just never aligned until now. As much as I'd love to have a companion on this journey I think solo travel is an opportunity that one should take and I look forward to what lies ahead.
With the goal to arrive in Telluride on the 12th I ventured out leaving Venice Beach around 10am the day prior. I Airbnb'd overnight in Flagstaff with the intention of an early morning start to drive through the scenic backcountry of Utah around the Four Corners area. I ended up in the Valley of the Gods with it's magnificent vistas and astonishing canyons.
The drive included glimpses of Monument Valley which is pure eye candy. Once there I took in the view while enjoying a picnic on the hood of my car then decided to venture up a steep switchback road. At the top of the mesa I was surprised to see green vegetation with a dirt road taking me to the edge of the outcropping opening to a canyon view that had me feeling like an insignificant grain of sand on this ever evolving planet. My mind was blown when I stepped out to the edge and peered down into the crater called Glen Canyon. I departed with a promise to return and explore the area.
Hovenweep, or "deserted valley", was the next stop as it came recommended by the park ranger who rolled up as I was enjoying my lunch at the Valley of the Gods. Built by the Paiute/Utes, these ancient Pueblo ruins include towers and other buildings dating back to 900 A.D. The land is now owned by the Navajo Nation and there are several loops you can walk to see the dwindling ruins. Far off in the distance I could see where I was headed, The Rockies.
