Day 33
Friday 27th July
Watched osprey nesting on poles at the lake. On through Apache lands, west and then north towards Colorado. Indian lands always seem impoverished. Bad roads, poor housing, low reservoir. Into the National Forest the tarmac becomes smooth and the land tailored again.
Leaving the trees behind the landscape changes to chunky semi-desert hills and gullies as we drive north past Navajo Lake reservoir. Very hot and dusty road. Then we climb into Colorado and the scenery turns green and lush again.
Bypass Durango, a mountainside city, and climb higher westward at 25 mph. We stop at the root of the Mesa Verde, a huge mountain stub in the sky, to hear bad noises from the engine. The fan belt is a thread so we hobble into a closeby RV park to consider options. Nobody within 100 miles is interested in fixing it but Budget send a half price jeep so I drive into the next town, Cortez, in the fading light, to buy a replacement belt and supplies. I cook a foul and forgettable meal and we retire.
