The Great Divide

On the way to Durango we drove route 160W through the Rio Grande National Forest and the San Juan National Forest – breathtaking! We drove up seven miles to a summit called Wolf Creek Pass. Wolf Creek is a high mountain pass (10,800 feet) with a ski resort at the top. The sign at the top read "The Great Divide" another name for the Continental Divide.

Continental Divide or Great Divide is the name given to the North American portion of the mountainous ridge which separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, 1) those river systems which drain into the Atlantic (including those which drain via the Gulf of Mexico), and 2) along the northernmost reaches of the Divide, those river systems which drain into the Arctic Ocean.

The decent down to Pagosa Springs is a treacherous 7% grade, which is very steep, with windy hairpin turns, a total drop of some 5000 feet. At the sharpest hairpin turn, there is a scenic overlook where we stopped for a few photos. There we pulled over and saw that our breaks and tires were smoking (they cooled quickly and we had no problems.) The only other vehicle in the small parking lot was a motorcycle. We went toward a cliff and met a friend, Donato, from Kansas City, Mo. We prayed for safety for him in his travel. He was going a very long distance and the signs in the area said that motorcyclist should be extremely careful.

At every turn on this crossing the scenery becomes more and more spectacular and the trip to Durango was no exception.