Traveling to Colorado and Back, part 2

Were did we leave you last Gentle Reader? Ah yes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, where we almost left the electric cord. That day we were determined to cross the Continental Divide at Monument Pass then onward to Cascade and then Colorado Springs. This is the view from the top of Monarch Pass, elevation 11,312 feet. My vertigo was so getting to me that we decided it was better to have me drive than sit in the passenger seat whining and moaning and having an anxiety attack. Thanks for being patient with me sweet Hubby!

• After getting over the pass, it was on to Hwy 285 north and then up to Hwy 24 east to Cascade where we stopped to visit our friends Bud and Teresa. Then on to Colorado Springs where a clean motel bed awaited us for the next 2 days while visiting Me Brudder, his lovely wife Lisa and their tall and talented son Tristan. They had a cookout for us and even though we had rumblings of thunder and even a few rain drops, the storm moved further east and I caught this shot.

Our stay in the Springs was only 2 nights, then it was on to Denver to visit our friends Riki Matthews and Glen and Maryann Wolfel. We lunched with Riki and dinnered with Glen and Maryann. Next morning, we needed to be off so we could get home so I'd have a day to pant before heading up to Reno for the Nada Motel show. We had decided that we'd take I-80 on the way back, but both Me Brudder and Glen opined that we might be better off going Hwy 40 into Salt Lake City and picking up 80 there instead of driving all the way north to Cheyenne and then driving all the way through Wyoming.

• After a quick check of the map, we realized they were right. So we took I-70 out of Denver over to Hwy 40 - which to my mind is almost as lonely as Hwy 50! And besides we'd go through Dinosaur National Monument and who knows what kind of "Beware of" signs we'd see there! We didn't see any beware signs, but check out the Flickr site for more photos of Dinosaur country. At one point we pulled over for a "beagle break" for Crash and I realized once more than he'd never be a dessert dog!

He loves rolling in the grass too much! Once we hit I-80 in Salt Lake, I'd like to say that it was a breeze, but I'd be more honest to say that it was a gusty experience. And here we are in a 9 foot tall van, wheeeeee. After our stay in Salt Lake, we made it to Reno the next day and were almost tempted to try to push it home, but we both were pooped and Crash doesn't have a drivers license never mind an opposable thumb. So we stayed at the worst place to stay with a dog - please see previous post - and hit the road early the next day.

• Wow, what a trip all in 9 days. We decided that one night each place didn't really give us much time to explore the areas where we were, but I was on a mission. You can see the rest of the photos at:
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/ann_tracy/

Now, all I have to do is process the photos from Nada Motel, which was great! I actually sold some work.