Southwest Colorado still a fav

I can’t resist driving through southwestern Colorado. I even considered moving there during my journey with Ava through this part of our country in 2011. We both fell in love with it but Ava wanted to move to Santa Fe and I wanted to move to SW Colorado. It would be right in the middle for me…between her and Mandy, my God Daughter, in Boulder. So, when I had a chance to go back through here and share it with my BFF, Pat (now and forever Patty since she made the mistake of telling me of her childhood nickname), I took her the scenic route up Hwy.160 & Hwy. 84 (a real back road) and down into New Mexico on another beautiful back road Hwy. 64.

Southwestern Colorado

Pasture, Mountains, Sky..oh my!

Blues and purples of New Mexico

No words…climbing up Hwy. 64 in New Mexico

Just had to pull off for this shot! No 80 MPH pix on this road! LOL

After all this majestic beauty, we found ourselves in the middle of something I’d never seen before. People by the hundreds (or maybe thousands) parked FOR MILES up and down the main road of Espanola, NM (Hwy. 84) in RV’s, trucks, vans, cars, popup campers, fifth wheels excitedly awaiting something…but what?

This was toward the end of the route where the smaller vehicles were parked.

As we drove, the signs put up by the police indicated an “event” and to “seek an alternative route” for which there was none for us. I just pushed through the insanity and buzz of excitement with the ferocity of a madwoman driving through Atlanta rush hour traffic. My truck is big and bad, Montana’s head out the window barking at bicycles (whose nickname is now “Killer”) and Patty’s head spinning at wonderment as we joked, laughed and couldn’t wait to find out what the big deal was.

Lo and behold, I guessed it.

They were waiting for the CHRISTMAS PARADE! What a surprise! This big hoopla over a Christmas parade. I LOVE IT! I wanted to stay but there was no place to park! Every single person living in Espanola (10,000 population) came for this!

Got safely outta’ there and back to the surreal beauty of the setting sun.