Roadtrippin' Colorado Style

I guess someone really wanted to advertise the driving range. Those letters are huge.

I was tempted to pull over and hop on the swing sets for a while, but then I remembered that I want to take pictures of roads. Can't do that from a swingset.

These Safety Enforcement Zone signs have been aprouting up all over the place. I guess that means the rest of the time the State Patrol doesn't enforce safety?

Creede is a little outside the San Luis Valley. I'd say we have about 25 miles more to go in the valley.

How the streets are labeled on this side of the valley.

Another sign of a past age! A drive-in!

This drive-in is still open, too. Unless Nacho Libre is a re-release.

Getting closer to the western edge of the valley.

Entering Del Norte, where someone thought it would be cool to use the Brush Script font on the welcome sign.

Not to be outdone, CDOT's official city limit sign has an error, too. The elevation line should be the same size as the city limit line, not the Del Norte line.

At the END! of SH 112. It heads north then east to meet up with US 285.

Looking down 112. I didn't turn here because the cop that has been riding my bumper since the drive-in is turning here. I seem to be a magnet for bumper-riding cops. (And get your minds out of the gutter: that's not how I meant it!)

Standard Windows XP desktop background, eat your heart out!

These tracts were all meticulously numbered for no discernable reason.

Creeping closer to the mountains again.

This street sign seems to be missing some borders.

So tantalizingly close yet so frustratingly far away.

Wow! Free coffee?!? What is this, my birthday? WAIT! IT IS! Bwahahahahahaaaa.

Now thoroughly wired on caffeine, we continue the trip. Here's a nice shot of house and mountain. I shall call this pic "House and Mountain."

From here until South Fork, there's a stretch of unused flatbed cars just rusting away. I can't even guess when these cars were moved last.

Approaching South Fork, CO.

Another great relic of a railroad era long gone.

While not labeled exempt, I really doubt this crossing is used much.

These cars have been around for so long now that local merchants use them as a place to hang their advertisements.

Approaching SH 149. 160 has been resurfaced in cement through South Fork.

The truck and trailer aren't pulling onto 149. It's END! is a little ways ahead still.

The upcoming intersection is also where the Silver Thread Scenic Byway begins.

At the turnoff for SH 149.

Looking north on SH 149.

Those are really faded Begin and Silver Thread signs.

Turning around and heading back to US 160 again. We don't get an end sign for the state highway, but we know that the scenic byway isn't going any further.

Just a little rumble strip to brighten your day. Beats missing the stop sign and finding cross traffic I guess.

From the side, this logger is bent forwards a bit. That, combined with the expression on his face, really makes me think he needs to take a biiiiiiiiig poop. You know, pass a sapling. (Oh, that was really bad.)

Old neon warning sign. Really cool that my camera got the text, too.

Finally we see our western destination of Durango.

Looks like we're about to enter the mountains again. That's one imposing rock face there.

That's advanced warning for the ski area.

Overhead VMS for our driving pleasure.

At the lower gates for Wolf Creek Pass. It's all uphill from here.

Wolf Creek Pass just had a section rehabilitated. These foldover signs advertised construction conditions.

Steadliy climbing.

The east side of Wolf Creek Pass is in the Rio Grande Forest.

Old alignment or berm to catch falling rocks? You be the judge.

Looking ahead at a large rock face up against the road. And what's that on the left?

Why it's a very crowded campsite! This is what Coloradans call "Getting away from it all and going camping." *sigh* There's pristine land just over that first ridge, yet they're all packed in there like sardines. I don't get it.