A Drive in the Mountains

No matter where it is, a drive in the mountains is always inspirational.  The tall trees and the green hills are a perfect backdrop to some adventurous explorations.  When I visited Italy a few years ago, I spent one day doing exactly that, exploring the Dolomites of northern Italy.  Driving along the road I passed beautiful villages pressed against the mountains as though they were hugging the land in appreciation.

Some villages clambered up the side of a hill and then capped the effort with a tall tower above it all.

In other places a castle could be spotted sitting in a high enough position to watch everything that passes by its doors.

Some villages brought images of ski slopes and resorts to mind with their Alpine chalets and an occasional chair-lift.

Tiny churches clutched the edge of the road with their steeples appearing to mimic the rocky peaks behind them.

Every now and then a group of brown cows would gather at the side of the road with curious stares to go along with the clanging of their cow-bells.

Some settlements sit so precariously on the side of a mountain that I wondered how they keep from sliding down especially when the snows come.

Rounding the curves in the road always brought some new vista to admire.  Sometimes it's a green valley, sometimes the steep slope of the mountain and sometimes a picturesque village that requires a quick stop to admire and photograph the scene.

Above it all are the jagged, snow-covered peaks framed by the soft green of the pine trees swaying in the mountain breeze.  The magnitude of these grand mountains are both awe inspiring and humbling to me and following the winding roads through them was an adventure I will never forget.