day 5: Part 7: a beautiful end to a long day

so after hitting Colorado for the first time during my trip, i felt pretty good. i was heading north from Tierra Amarilla, NM to Pagosa Springs, CO when i crossed the state line. the driving was great and the scenery was better. i was tired, it had been a long day and i was ready to be finished. i still had hours to drive to reach Mesa Verde, my intended stop for the night.