In The Rockies At Last

September 21^st, Colorado to Utah

We so enjoyed our morning over coffee and breakfast with Elizabeth and Yasu.  Yasu would get in from the restaurant after we had gone to bed so mornings were when we could talk in a leisurely way with all four of us.  Like Joyce and I, he has an inquisitive mind and we laughed over the questions that would come tumbling out of him.  I envisioned future visits with them for the endless conversations I knew there would never be a shortage of.  I was feeling the lack of sleep from late night talks over wine with Elizabeth and mornings full of dialogue with a table of four but that competed with my excitement of getting into the thick of the Rockies during our drive that day. 

Joyce and I left Denver in early afternoon, later than we should have for a long bit of driving today. 

It was Saturday afternoon and a bright, clear day as we set off on I-70, west yet again.  In no time we were in the high elevations and seeing incredible views along the curving, stay-alert highway.  Joyce had been in this particular part of the Rockies before but this part of Colorado was new to me.  I oohed and aahed my way through the first hour with the beautiful views and the first gold aspens of the trip so far.  I have to admit, I am moved by seeing it all.

The most dramatic sights were to come after our lunch break in Vail.   We had some really good pulled pork bbq at a tavern there called Bearfish Bar and Grille…excellent and considering we were in Vail, not expensive.  I had not driven at all yet that day but found myself getting so sleepy after lunch that Joyce had to take over again.  It was Joyce driving when we hit the most amazing views I’d seen on a major highway so far….the drive through Glen Canyon.  Suddenly we were in high red cliffs climbing straight up and a river running below the now elevated highway.  It curved in and out of this narrow canyon for quite a few miles, one incredible view after another.  Unfortunately, there were few areas to pull over and get some photos taken.  Another area we would like to come back to someday.  

The rest of the day and into the evening Joyce and I drove through Colorado and saw many changes in terrain.  I finally get over my sleepy feeling after a 30 minute nap and took over the driving.  I really enjoy driving in such wide open country.  We left the highway around a place called Rifle and things became decidedly unpopulated, vast and remote.  It was a long day of traveling to our destination of Dinosaur National Monument and our first bit of camping but the drive held so much to see it didn’t seem that long. 

We got into the Green River Campground around 8:30pm to a quiet little valley in between mountain ranges and geologically-significant ranges full of multi-colored mineral rock.  We would only realize this in the morning, though, since it was well into dark and a bit cloudy.  Joyce and I set up camp as quick as we could with the threat of rain on the forecast.  We had a light meal of soup and bread sitting around a fire.  We were lucky in that for quite a while the skies cleared and an almost full moon revealed the magnificent mountains surrounding us.  We were able to see quite well as we cleaned up and readied for bed.  

I have been a little skeptical about my comfort level on the sleeping pad with our sleeping bags but it was surprisingly very comfortable.  I slept really well for a good few hours until thunderstorms came along and the rain hit but Joyce slept through even that.  Leg cramps were what woke Joyce up - - - hazards, perhaps, of long drives with a manual transmission.

I was happy to have the reviews proved right about our Marmot tent and we remained dry and comfortable all night long after different rainstorms came along.  The rain fly proved to be not only effective but also kept us warm, a bit too warm for that night but I knew it would be helpful for us once we got into colder climates.