Say "Hello" to my Little Friend: Lands End Observatory CO

It was a beautiful, but hazy, day in July when we drove to Lands End Observatory on Grand Mesa. It literally is located at the edge of the mesa and overlooks the entire valley below. It's quite a site as you climb from the valley (4,583 feet) to the mesa at an elevation of 11,332 feet. Wildflowers are always blooming along the 12 mile road off Scenic Byway 65 that leads to the observatory. The road has 6 miles of gravel, followed by 6 miles of paved surface through beautiful groves of trees and fields of flowers.

While the views are beyond belief, what makes the trip for us are the squirrels. We always make sure we take sunflower seeds to feed them as they will eat right out of your hand. There is a short trail along the rim that takes you to some awesome overlooks. I did notice that some people have left rocks along the edge with the names of loved ones who have passed.

Primitive restrooms are available. Bring your own drinking water and food. At such a high elevation the sun can be very unforgiving and you can easily get dehydrated and/or sunburned. Also, make sure you have plenty of gas as there are no gas stations on the mesa.

Equipment:
iPhone 10
A 15 year old Olympus VG-140 Camera
Akaso EK7000 Camera
Bcway Phone All-in-One Travel Tripod with Remote
Trekking Poles, Insulated Bottles, and Backpack are Ozark Trail
Hiking hat is a Tilley

Music:
Nitpicky Picnic by The Whole Other
Swoop by The Mini Vandals
Longer Distance by TrackTribe

We travel in a 2019 Toyota RAV4 XLE front-wheel drive with over 102,000 miles. We are still praying for a small Scamp or an Aliner to tow behind it.

Recorded on location July 15, 2021 at Lands End Observatory, Grand Mesa, CO