day 11

Ridgeway to Moab

Orvis hot springs is clothing optional so they don’t allow any kind of photo taking but it was a real sanctuary. There were many hot spring pools of varying temperatures some of which had small cold waterfalls to cool off. They also had an indoor pool with wall to wall murals. The grounds in between were soft grass and lots of flowers with some bench swings and adirondak chairs. Really wish we had a spot like this in the bay.

After having some breakfast, I headed to the nearest town Ouray for a coffee and a walk about. Very sweet little town enveloped by mountains.

Took about four hours to get to Moab - listened to more of my book, War on Drugs, Adrienne Lenker, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and more Handsome podcast to get me through yet more rain.

Sick of saying this but the drive was beautiful!

Pulled into Moab in torrential downpour. Had to drive through some flash flooding on the roads, but no biggie with the Sub. Sat in the car at the visitors center where there was wifi (view from my car below), made some phone calls, figured out my plan for tomorrow, went through some photos. Then set up my tent, went for an evening walk, and called it a night.

day 10

Santa Fe to Ridgewaay

A very big driving day! Ran some errands in the morning - had to get those coffee filters - and got an insanely delicious breakfast burrito from the El Chile Toreado truck (a recommendation from Jamie and Peabe, thank you Jamie and Peabe).

Did about 8 hours of driving so listened to a lot of My Brilliant Friend, the Handsome podcast (especially helpful during the massive amounts of rain I encountered), and The War on Drugs’ Lost in a Dream on repeat.

Drove about an hour and decided to stop at Abiquiu Lake for a dip. It sounds like Georgia O’Keefe lived in the area at some point and was very inspired by the surrounding mountains (same). The swim was short but refreshing and I got to hang out with a little dog named Maisie.

Driving out of New Mexico from Abiquiu Lake was colorful in a way I had heard of but did not expect. Making my way into Colorado was a transition from desert to forest.

The real stunner was the Million Dollar Highway, from Durango to Ouray (aka Little Switzerland). It was one of the most beautiful drives I’ve been on. Photos do not do it justice, the mountains were colossal.

The Million Dollar Highway took me right to Orvis Hot Springs where I camped overnight. I spent some time chatting with a couple from Denver who had a lot of great stories of their travels: hitchhiking, train hopping, and crashing on couches. They were super excited for me to be on my trip and were very encouraging. I did many rotations between hot pools, sauna, and the cold plunge. and headed to bed.