A Stone Past Stony Pass
I am posing on top of Stony Pass, Colorado.
Azure skies, pale and gray puffy clouds growing and gathering, floating by onto a journey it only knows on its own. Trees gently bending down, leaves swaying on a soft breeze, listening for something, a sound, noise, something that would indicate change was coming. Wildflowers dancing lazily in their spaces, eager for water to descend. Up we came, slowly, watching a magical landscape unveil a green velvet curtain, like a tapestry, right before our eyes.
I knew it was time and had been time for a long time. To what you may ask? It was time to stretch the Bronco’s “feet” (or tires) on a road that was not paved, that would be a fun challenge, and yet beautiful to drive on.
We decided to seek a new trail that we hoped would delight us. A trail that only my husband and I would find adventure, rain, and a wayward driver.
Amazing landscape on Stony Pass.
Lunches and snacks packed, as they are important on a long trip, we set off on the new trail, hoping for safety and plenty of adventure. Full of fuel and aired down tires, smiles on our faces, we embarked on a new journey, hoping for incredible sights and a smooth drive, if you can call offroading on a dirt or rocky trail, “smooth.”
Trails sometimes can be hard to find as there are not always signs indicating where the trail is. With a map on my lap, I gently guided my husband to the trail, which was imminent.
Such joy I felt when we entered the trail, but also a little trepidation, as I did not know what we were going to face. Off roading can be a dangerous sport, and we know what the danger is and its consequences. But we moved forward as we felt we were safe rather than face impending danger.
The road below as we drove higher on Stony Pass.
Dwarfed by tall, magnificent pine trees, with that fresh “piney” smell, I felt comforted, enclosed as we drove through these elevated wonders. There is something peaceful about trees, especially aspens and pine trees. I could sit by them for a long time, empty my stressful thoughts out and enjoy the tranquility trees can offer.
A brilliant display of green jeweled grass and the dancing wildflowers.
Bumpty-bump bump bump we went along a dirt trail, with rocks thrown in for a challenge. As we moved higher and higher, the pine trees we first saw was disappearing, with grass coming in prominently and the wildflowers. Wildflowers! They were so beautiful, with its pinks, yellows, whites blooming far above ground, dotting the green landscape with a burst of color. I wanted to run on these wildflowers, like Julia Andrews did in “Sound of Music,” and spin around in circles as a young child would.
Grass was dissipating, and the rocks were in control now. Rocks rocks and more rocks. I think that is why they call it Stony Pass, for all the rocks and stones. With the trail behind us we stopped on a small hill, savoring the countryside with wonder in our eyes. As I looked up, drops started to descend. Gentle, but with purpose, a cooling shower rained down on us with delight. The clouds that were gathering have attached themselves to each other to bring out the rain to the inhabitants below.
The author on top of Stony Pass!
We stepped out of the Bronco, with no umbrella, took deep breaths of the clean, cool and moist air. Well, I did, and believe me, it was better than smelling the dust from below. Camera in tow, I took photos, careful to wipe the camera lens and protect the camera as I did not want water to damage it. We saw the sign that marked the top of the pass, Stony Pass, and my dear husband took a photo of me by it, indicating we were there.
Since it was raining off and on, we did not stay long. I had a song in my heart as we left this wonderous place, full of leftover mining, piles of gold colored dirt, and even a mining shaft or two. I admire the brave people that once lived in this area so long ago, with a drive to dig for precious metals, facing imminent danger and moody weather.
Heading down on Stony Pass. Back to reality!
Slowly we went, basking in the scenery descending back to the pine trees. We met up with a driver and her pickup truck. Common courtesy is for people that are going down to move over if the road is narrow to help the people coming up on a trail. Well, there was no room for us to move over and this girl had the room but kept moving. So, we had to squeeze around her, and I mean SQUEEZE as we barely missed rubbing against her truck.
We made it through that narrow passage, and a lot of off-road trails can be narrow, so what I usually do is look ahead to see if anyone is coming, plus cross my fingers if I cannot see ahead. Before we knew it, we were back at the bottom of the mountain, back to reality and back to airing up the tires.
The trail ride is now over, and it is time to face reality again. Sometimes, I wish we could just stay up in the mountains, where there is peace and quiet, so much to see, but life has a way to remind you of other things to do, like working, family, shopping, you get the picture. I hope you enjoyed coming with us to Stony Pass in Colorado and we enjoyed you coming along with us!
If you get the opportunity to do an off-road trail, I suggest contacting a local off-road tourist place and have someone else lead you. It is safer and a lot of fun. This is what we did long ago, and why we do it today, with our own 4x4. We love it!