Monica and I packed up the dogs and headed south to Aguilar last weekend to catch the annual aspen show in the mountains above Aguilar. It’s a beautiful route that wends around the southern exposure of the Spanish Peaks. We drove it a couple of years ago as part of an epic aspen day trip that included at stop at Mosca Pass and a meandering four-wheel drive trek through in the San Isabel National Forest that I thought for certain would lead to our having to spend the night in the truck.

This time I brought along the gazetteer before heading out. It was the smart play, nipping any potential Donner Party scenarios in the bud.

After moseying along Las Animas County Road 42 for a spell, we made the turn up to the Cordova Pass, which tops out at 11,243 feet. It’s a 30-mile stretch of rocky, often twisty, and sometimes narrow dirt road that has some eye-popping views. It’s easy work for my truck, even though it’s pushing 20 years and has over 230,000 miles. Monica and I were both surprised to see a couple bold adventurers bouncing their RVs and fifth-wheelers down the road.

We made a few stops along the way, including the Apishapa Trailhead, grabbing a bite to eat and letting the dogs take in the forest. It was a perfect early autumn day: breezy and cool, and not a cloud in the sky.

On the way home, I was determined to redress my navigation error that nearly led to our demise from two years earlier, so I made the turn north up Highway 69 toward Gardner after driving through Walsenburg. A quick check of the gazetteer set us on the proper course up and over the Greenhorn Road. The rest of the drive was, thankfully, uneventful. Just a slow, sometimes bouncy, but quite beautiful drive back to Highway 165, down the Hardscrabble Canyon, across the prairie, then home.