In Between the Towering Giants

This morning I drove through the mountains, down steep inclines and around sharp curves, it was hard to watch the road with all of the spectacular views. Every turn was another rising peak and colorful changing foliage.

On the other side of the lush green mountains near Pagosa Springs the landscape becomes a flat open bowl of sand. After getting a bit turned around, missing 285 North, I ended up having to back track and was anxious to get back to the mountains. 

The cool blue peaks enticed me and I found myself not stopping to take many pictures until I came  across Russel Lakes State Wildlife area. What struck me was how desolate it was, the wind blew across the sand and there was nothing else, the only company was white butterflies that flocked along the roadside weeds.

I enjoyed the solitude and the drama of the huge landscape that surrounded me. There was a well surrounded by large willows that didn't seem to fit the landscape and the blue mountains in the distance, it was really a beautiful place, a foothill to the mountains ahead of me.