The Many Colors of Colorado

Our stop in  Utah was not along my intended route, because from Vernal Utah to Grand Junction Colorado is made up of wide open desert.  To get safely back to our water-plenty route required another bit of trailering. 

But once in Colorado, with Apollo fully recovered from his respiratory infection, I was back in the saddle!

Colorado has a well deserved reputation for being a beautiful state, but it has more variety of landscapes than many people realize.  From mesas...

...to beautiful lakes,

vast empty deserts....

...to fertile corn fields.

And of course the famous Colorado Rockies! All this, just in the far western side of the state!

There's plenty to see apart from scenery here.  Old West buildings still stand amid the natural splendor.

Old barns add to the ambiance.

Traditional hogans are ready to be explored in the southwest.

Ridgway was my favorite historic downtown. 

...and home to an excellent brewpub.

We also stopped for wine tasting at Mesa Park Winery,

Sampled the famous peaches of Palisade,

Found the best donuts on the western slope,

And of course the best ice cream too!

Apollo was happy to be back on the road after his illness in Utah.

And Hermes was just a happy kitty, as usual.