11. Colorado

Day 30 - Friday, August 18, 2000

The cooling rain during the night brought the temperature down to a comfortable 60F, but the sun came out early and it warmed up to 69F. We headed out at 9:15 AM and quickly made our way back to I 70. Jumped off again at the Fruita exit and headed for Colorado National Monument, definitely a "must see" place.

The sun was out in full force and we had excellent visibility as the road climbed some 1,500' to the visitors center. The 22 miles rim road offers spectacular vistas of cliffs, canyons, and red rock towers

The road from the east entrance (our exit) quickly took us into Grand Junction and back to I 70. Stayed on the interstate until Rifle, then took SR 13 to Meeker and Craig, then US 40 to Hayden, Milner, and Steamboat Springs.

This pretty town initially was a winter resort, but skiing enthusiasts have stayed on and made the summer season almost equally active. Lots of bicycle paths, concerts, exhibitions, etc. Our former NJ neighbor, Monica, sold her house in Mountain Lakes about a year ago and bought a beautiful condo here. We are planning on a day of R & R with her, and we all, including the poodles and Nellie - her German shepherd - are enjoying the reunion.

Drove 250 miles today, was on the road for 7 3/4 hours.

Day 31 - Saturday, August 19, 2000

Worked all day on the journal, downloaded e-mail, cleaned up files, uploaded e-mails and revisions. In the meantime Monica and Antje were off on bikes and on foot with the dogs to explore Steamboat Springs and to spent quality time together. Enjoyed dinner at the Cafe Diva - excellent food, great service, and resort-type prices.

Day 32 - Sunday, August 20, 2000

Woke up quite early, 4:00 AM, experiencing shortness of breath. Given the altitude of 6,500', I guess one just has to breath harder to get the normal oxygen level. Oddly enough, when I go vertical, the feeling goes away but returns when I lie down.

Tried to get more sleep but gave up around 7:00 AM. Enjoyed the comforts of Monica's guest suite, including a rich shower and a great bathroom generally. Meanwhile Antje was sleeping in the adjoining suite, so I didn't need to worrry about disturbing her.

While I started to load the van and get ready to continue our journey, Antje walked the three dogs. She noticed a real Steamboat Springs tradition and attraction - the morning hot air balloon flyover.

We were on the road by 9:15 AM, fortified by the rich breakfast that Monica (who is usually not a morning person) had prepared for us. Thanks again, Monica - we'll be back!

Took US 40 east to get out of town, then SR 131 to Woolcott and I 70. Next an absolutely beautiful stretch of I 70 - going through the Glenwood Canyon. The road builders did an incredibly good job of fitting an interstate highway into the environment, and they threw in a bike/roller-blading/walking path for good measure. Rest areas along the way are starting points for excursions - one being the climb up to the Hanging Lake.

I had sort of hoped that Antje woldn't notice the reference to Hanging Lake in the guide book. After all, to get there requires a 1.7 miles hike, 1.2 miles of which are either vertical or extremely steep - depending on whether you believe National Geographics or Colorado Tourism. Well. she noticed and a two hours' stop ensued. I must say this about my wife - whenever she reads or hears words like "difficult," "challenging," "not suitable for novices," "impossible," etc - it's like waiving a red flag in front of a bull - she's just got to do it. Some friends maintain that this spirit of conquering impossible challenges is why she married me.

So off she was to climb up to Hanging Lake - and since the published information desribes the effort as a 2 to 3 hours hike, she had to do it in 1 3/4 hours and then take the bike and ride an additional six miles through the canyon. Here are the photos she brought back:

Next came a fabulous drive on SR 82, from Glenwood to Carbondale, Snowmass, and Aspen. While Aspen might be considered a watering hole for the rich and famous - give 'em credit, they sure know how to create a beautiful town in a lovely setting.

Next came the white-knuckle drive to Independence Pass - definitely not recommended for long/wide vehicles or the faint of heart. At the top awaits Independence Pass - at 12,095' the highest elevation of our trip.

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Next came a breathtakingly beautiful decend to Twin Lakes. Picked up US 24 for the short drive to Leadville.

The altitude here is just about 10,000' - the town claims to be the highest in the US. We got a site at the Sugarloafin' Campground - which may well be the highest fully-developed campground in the US. $24.60 got us a level site, water and electric hook-ups, and use of a modern and very clean bathhouse.

Spent the evening working on the journal, while Antje enjoyed sitting outdoors and Souco did his usual "watch the neighborhood and the tray with the cocktail hour yummies" bit. Tia slept.

Was on the road for 7 3/4 hours and drove 230 miles. Bought gasoline in Leadville for $1.749/gal and averaged 15.4 miles to the gallon on the last tank.

Day 33 - Monday, August 21, 2000

It wasn't a very comfortable night for me - the 10,000'+ altitude made me feel short of breath quite frequently. Got up several times to drink water, which seemed to help. Outside the van the nighttime temperature dropped to 39F and the sky was beautifully clear and full of stars.

The poodles kicked me out of bed at 6:00 AM and I took a positively sinfully enjoyable shower - rich stream of water, constant temperature, a shower stall large enough to move around in.

We were on the road by 8:45 AM, beautiful sunshine and 46F. Headed north on the scenic US 24 and then connected with I 70 near Vail - another attractive resort town with prices that will give you sticker shock.

Quite frankly - based on price/cost observations during previous Colorado trips and this one - I suspect that the whole state is a gigantic tourist trap with outrageous prices for anything from groceries to campground fees. In addition, I learned that in some touristy places the natives are given special ID cards that get them sizable discounts on items that visitors have to pay inflated prices for.

Anyway - got off I 70 near Empire and took US 40 west to the Berthoud Pass (11,307') and Winter Park. The last few miles to and from the pass are a gigantic construction zone - plan on losing at least 1 1/2 hours. But the vistas along the way are worth it - which I cannot say for Winter Park.

Next comes Granby, Granby Lake, and the entrance to the Rocky Mountain National Park. The main park road is very challenging to drive, and many vistas are spectacular. However, they don't come close to the beauty of the Canadian Rockies.

A special treat for Antje was the hike out to Bear Lake (Carl used the time for a nap)

Had originally planned to spend the night at a campground in Estes Park, but decided to move on in order to shave some driving time off tomorrow's schedule. Found an OK campground in Longmont - the Boulder County State Fairground - where $12.00 got us a level electric site and access to a very clean and modern bathhouse.

BTW, some readers of my journals have asked why on this trip I seem to use public campgrounds much less so than I have done on previous trips. The answer is that this is the time of the year where families with small children are on the road - and they seem to prefer camping in federal and state parks - and too many of the small children aren't trained to keep the bathhouse clean . . . From Labor Day to Memorial Day - I greatly prefer state parks. From Memorial Day to Labor Day - I pay a premium for the cleanliness of commercial campgrounds.

Spent 9 1/2 hours on the road today and drove 270 miles. Bought gasoline at Estes Park for $1.839/gal of 87 octane and averaged 18.8 miles to the gallon - probably an inaccurate number because to cost per gallon made me be less intense than usual about filling the tank to the rim.

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