Memorial Day Journey to Hotel Mesa

[roverrocks]

Wandered from Montrose, CO to Hotel Mesa, Utah overlooks on Memorial Day. Approximately 120 miles to the Hotel Mesa scenic views from my home. Nothing hard about the Dolores Triangle trails once into Utah in the slightest but the solitude (saw only a few people all day) and views were terrific. Every year I journey at least once to Hotel Mesa which looks down on the confluence of the Dolores and Colorado Rivers with the Dewey Bridges (burnt old one and highway new one) in the distance. Been doing so for 20 years from Ford Explorers to my present beat up Rover. There was a good weekend rain over the weekend so everything was perking/greening up some plus the air was very clear and skyblue. No high winds and dust: A miracle for this time of year!! Off to the south from Hotel Mesa one sees the long crest of Top of the World Ridge with the snow clad La Sals peeking over the Ridge. Both the small Dolores and much larger Colorado Rivers are rising rapidly with turgid snowmelt water. Good flows down the Colorado River this year from the excellent snowpack over the winter. The only bugaboo for the day was that the no-see-ums are appearing. Dratted little bugs!! Took lots of my usual wildflower pictures though the flowers are poor this year. The rain will help. Picture heavy post.

 

[roverrocks]

More pictures.

 

[roverrocks]

More pictures.

 

[roverrocks]

More pictures.

 

[roverrocks]

More pictures.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Took lots of my usual wildflower pictures though the flowers are poor this year.

Really? I'm surprised. Everywhere I have gone in the desert this year so far the flowers have been plentiful and amazing!

 

[roverrocks]

Really? I'm surprised. Everywhere I have gone in the desert this year so far the flowers have been plentiful and amazing!

Very glad they have been good where you have been. The low desert areas around Montrose/Delta were really dry in the late winter/spring and to me there are few flowers compared with most other years especially the Claret Cups and Sego Lilies. I haven't been in other areas of Utah this spring other than the Dolores Triangle and the first 30 miles of Kokopelli's Trail. This last rain was good in many western Colorado areas and should help a lot. I have seen many Sclerocactus in good bloom this year. The road down into the Triangle from the state line showed good runoff from last weekend's storm and very visible greening/perking up from 5 days before when I was in the Triangle. The various species of Globemallow I saw in the Triangle looked pretty good after the rain on Sunday. Very glad you've been in better flower areas this spring then I have been but then I haven't wandered too far from Montrose. Enjoy. PS. Love all your photos and trips you post. Great stuff always. You get out and about more than I do plus can hike when I no longer have the ability to do so.