I've certainly experienced it before, and many times. But it has been awhile since I enjoyed the exquisite pleasure of a partly cloudy day. It was bright and cheerful enough. The solar panels could charge the batteries. But what you really notice is how kind the world seems when you aren't under relentless attack by the sun. May and June are the worst months in the Southwest.
It takes a special effort to appreciate the importance of this kindliness. You just have to slow down, stop running around like a postcard tourist, and let it soak in.
My dog and I biked up to the top of a large ramp called the Uncompahgre Plateau, west of Montrose CO. It is not as steep and photogenic as the newer orogenies of Colorado, therefore it is less popular with sightseers. Even Wikipedia virtually ignores it. It is a place that only locals and old-fashioned outdoorsmen go. But the lack of extreme verticality makes it more fun to mountain bike and RV-camp on.
But occasionally there are peeks at the distant, more photogenic peaks of the San Juans. It's almost a tease. And a challenge. You can't just settle into the easy and lazy mode of letting Mother Nature knock the eyeballs right out of your head.
I usually rhapsodize about the rivers in Colorado. It seems fitting to visit the area where so many of the rivers start. But there aren't any big rivers here on the Uncompahgre, at least, not close. There is a pleasant feeling of detachment here.
After a mountain bike ride I am always in a relaxed mood, ready for a little mind-drifting. And thus I put on some piano music and let imagination and gravity pull me slowly off the plateau, down to that nearest far-off river.
It takes a special effort to appreciate the importance of this kindliness. You just have to slow down, stop running around like a postcard tourist, and let it soak in.
My dog and I biked up to the top of a large ramp called the Uncompahgre Plateau, west of Montrose CO. It is not as steep and photogenic as the newer orogenies of Colorado, therefore it is less popular with sightseers. Even Wikipedia virtually ignores it. It is a place that only locals and old-fashioned outdoorsmen go. But the lack of extreme verticality makes it more fun to mountain bike and RV-camp on.
But occasionally there are peeks at the distant, more photogenic peaks of the San Juans. It's almost a tease. And a challenge. You can't just settle into the easy and lazy mode of letting Mother Nature knock the eyeballs right out of your head.
I usually rhapsodize about the rivers in Colorado. It seems fitting to visit the area where so many of the rivers start. But there aren't any big rivers here on the Uncompahgre, at least, not close. There is a pleasant feeling of detachment here.
After a mountain bike ride I am always in a relaxed mood, ready for a little mind-drifting. And thus I put on some piano music and let imagination and gravity pull me slowly off the plateau, down to that nearest far-off river.
Comments
Can you see my point?
Solitude is a wonderful thing for too much jibber jabber and having to pay attention to another person draws one's awareness away from the experience of being fully in one's environment.
I appreciate your effort in trying to convey the beauty of your experience. It's just too bad that such things can get demoted and diminished sometimes.
I hope to explore the north end of the plateau, which you are referring to. But I might have to wait for the cooler weather in September.