Santa Fe to Durango and Back

After a few marvelous days in Santa Fe, we headed north on route 84 towards Durango, Colorado. Before we left town we picked up croissants at our new favorite bakery, the French Pastry Shop, and road snacks at Whole Foods. The drive takes roughly four and a half hours, whether you take the smaller 84 or the larger 550.

I didn't take many photos heading north - but part of me wonders whether I'd have captured the beauty of the landscape anyway. I did take more photos on the way back to Santa Fe via highway 550. The landscape was quite stunning and the ever-changing light and sky conditions only heightened the drama. Despite the dramatic landscape, the road itself is not treacherous - it was pretty easy-going both ways.

Driving south, we passed through a number of tiny towns, including Aztec, Co. One little highlight was crossing the Continental Divide, which divides the continents rainfall and sends it coursing either to the Pacific or the Atlantic (and, though unmentioned by the sign, the Gulf of Mexico - the sad state of the Rio Grande River notwithstanding!).

Leaving snowy southern Colorado...

Passing through Aztec, CO

...heading into snowy northern New Mexico

Driving south on 550

The Continental Divide