2016 Mtns & Mesas with covers

page 46
eroded away, a shallow inland sea crossed across the
heart of the continent and our entire region was underwater.
Thousands of feet of sand, silt, mud, clay,
and marine fossils settled on the floor of the ocean,
and over time gravity cemented them together into
stone. It was this stone that was cracked open when
the Spanish Peaks and their dikes came bubbling up
from the mantle. Much of the stone has eroded away
through the years, but outcroppings and boulders
can be seen all along this drive.
Mountains & Mesas
Mountains and meadows
Continue following County Road 54.2 until there
is a fork in the road. Stay right and turn onto County
Rd 41.4, which turns into Co Road 313. Stay on 313
for another few miles. From the turnoff onto the dirt
road until your next major turn onto Co Rd 312
should be about ten miles. The signal to turn is a rundown
one-room schoolhouse at a fork in the road.
Take a right hand turn onto Co Rd 312, and follow it
up. Keep your eyes peeled for incredible views of the
Spanish Peaks, the Wet Mountain Range, and Greenhorn
Mountain as you drive down. Remember, this
is all private property, so don’t go wandering off even
if there isn’t a fence near the road. Stay on Co Rd 312,
also known as Rouse Road, until you come to an intersection
with Co Rd 310. Stay right and continue
heading down out of the mountains on 310. Don’t
turn off 310 and it will take you all the way back to I-
25. You can turn left for Walsenburg or right to head
back to Trinidad from there.
A mountain, and, a meadow