The Canadian Badlands

12 Thursday Jul 2018

I heard the rain fall a bit overnight, and was afraid today would be another overcast day. Turned out to be bright and sunny, a perfect day for driving across Alberta. Rush hour was essentially over by the time we hit the road. The Calgary Stampede is this week, so there was still a fair number of cars (and semi-trucks) on the road with us until we got outside of the city. Calgary definitely has a frontier, wild-west feel to it. Of course, it was probably somewhat intensified given the Stampede. An easy city to navigate, but I’m still partial to Toronto. We have more places to see before we get home, so I may find a few new places to love.

My brain is feeling clearer, and my mood has definitely lightened now that we are out of wall to wall mountains. They are beautiful to look at, and I have great respect for those who can live on or near them. I need to see a horizon, and preferably the ocean. I did comment today that a wheat or grain field would be the next best thing to being at the ocean for me as I could at least watch the undulations of the vegetation and pretend it was ocean waves.

As we left the city behind, we watched field after field of mustard open before our eyes. Deep, rich green fields of hay and unflowering mustard followed by fields of flowering mustard so bright you almost had to shield your eyes.

We were definitely out of the mountains and back to rolling hills and prairie. Sprinkled among the croplands were livestock farms and more than the occasional oil drill.

I was glad GPS showed the road turning just before the silos. Looked like we were going right through them.

Even the hay along the side of the road is harvested.

One of the great things about the Trans-Canadian Highway is the pullouts on the side of the road. There are trash and recycling cans to dispose of waste, and a very large shoulder for resting if needed. There are also rest areas, but they are generally two unisex bathrooms which are more like port-a-potties than actual restrooms. Mom had a bad experience in one yesterday, so we pass those by. The pullouts are a good spot to stop for a photo, though!

The Badlands of Canada look nothing like the Badlands of South Dakota!

Our first stop today was the Saamis Tepee. We learned from the Visitor/Tourist Center nearby it was originally built for the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, and moved to Medicine Hat in 1991. At 215 feet tall, it is the equivalent of a 20 story building. It didn’t feel that way standing under it. Inside are 10 handpainted storyboards that tell the history and influences on the area’s First Nations heritage. You can easily see the tepee from the highway, and it would be easy to pass it by as just another tourist destination. We were both incredibly moved and learned a great deal. Definitely worth the stop.

The Medicine Hat Tourist Center has free bikes for anyone to borrow for rides along the bike/walking trails or to ride the coulees. Looking at the size of the ravines, definitely not a leisurely stroll or something that I want to attempt. If you are an avid outdoorsman, this area has a lot to offer.

It was still a little early for check-in at the hotel, so we opted for a late lunch/early dinner at Medicine Hat Brewing. They opened for business in December 2016, and have an extensive, and very good, selection of beer. We each had a burger (note to self, remember to ask for it to be cooked medium or it will come out well done.) We each did a beer flight, enjoyed our burger, and enjoyed wonderful conversation with our waitress.

We were going to take the self-guided tour through town, but the wind was mighty strong. Once we got into our hotel room we opted for driving through, and maybe a stroll, as we head out of town and continue east tomorrow.

Posted by andreapw | Filed under 1988 Winter Olympics, Alberta, Calgary, Canada, Canadian Badlands, First Nations, Medicine Hat, Medicine Hat Brewing Co, Mustard, Mustard Fields, Saamis Tepee, Vacation2016

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Geez Louise! Lake Louise

11 Wednesday Jul 2018

A peaceful night’s sleep with the fan blowing and the window open. The early morning bird calls were a delight as we generally don’t get to hear them when on the road. We packed up, loaded some of the car, and hit breakfast. Breakfast was described as a “light affair” when we checked in. That definitely described it. Three kinds of dry cereal, various bread and bagels for toast, hard boiled eggs, thin sliced Canadian bacon (may have been ham), and two kinds of thin sliced cheese. Coffee was watery, but did the trick. We loaded the rest of the car and struck out for Banff National Park and Lake Louise.

It was a cloudy day that turned into a gray and overcast day, but the mountains were still glorious. Fortunately there were more opportunities for photos today. We crossed through Robert’s Pass between Revelstoke and Vernon. It’s interesting that the highest peaks in the Canadian Rockies are shorter than the US Rocky Mountains. They seem so much larger, but I think the vastness of the space between them makes them appear taller. The hairpin turns through Canada are much easier to drive than those in Colorado.

Mom got to see a few trains along the way today as they paralleled the road, as did several rivers. We fortunately stopped to purchase our day pass for the park before we arrived which made entry much easier. The area is well marked for the most part. Lake Louise Village is the first thing you see, and it looked more like shopping and dining than an actual parking area for the lake. As we continued up the mountain, gut instinct said I should have continued straight rather than going right. A quick U-turn, and we were face-to-face with a wooly marmot. I thought it was kind of him to stand up and pose for me to get a few pictures!

We parked the car, found the rest rooms, then followed the crowd along the pathway. It truly is more glorious in person than in photos. (Aren’t most places, though?) Despite the crowds jockeying for position for photos and selfies, there was a palpable serenity to the place. The vast expanse of mountains and glacier, and the calm green of the lake . Even the canoes on the lake seemed to float as they paddled along.

We walked the pathway around to the Fairmont Lake Louise Chateau, and checked out the shops inside. We admired the flower gardens in front of the hotel and took a last look at the lake.

Just as we began our walk back to the car, it began to sprinkle. By the time we reached the car, it was a pretty steady rain. We couldn’t have timed it any better!

We drove through the town of Banff, but didn’t get a chance for photos. The sky was threatening more rain, there was no parking anywhere nearby, and it was very crowded. A cute little town, though.

The terrain flattened quickly, and we were back in rolling hills and farms. About an 75 minutes later or so we were checking into tonight’s lodging in Calgary. On our way in to town we passed the Calgary Flames stadium and the Olympic ski jumps. Reminded me of watching the ski jumpers practice in Trondheim, Norway just over 2 years ago.

We lost an hour today as we crossed into mountain time zone. Waiting for dinner to be delivered, then calling it a night. Tomorrow we are off to Medicine Hat. I think we will both be a bit glad to be out of the mountains for a while!

Posted by andreapw | Filed under Alberta, British Columbia, Canada, Canadian Rockies, Columbia River, Exploring, Lake Louise, National Parks

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Welcome to Canada!

10 Tuesday Jul 2018

Sunday dawned earlier than I might have liked, given the fun of the night before. Packed up, and breakfast in the hotel restaurant. (My review would be “meh.” There’s a reason it only has 2.5 – 3 stars. But it fit the bill for all of us.) Car brought down, loaded, goodbyes said, and momma and I hit the road.

Our first stop was Chateau Ste. Michele Winery. It was about 25 minutes from the hotel, and on our route. As we’d enjoyed many good beers over the past 2 days, a wine tasting seemed appropriate to start our return trip. The grounds are beautiful and picturesque. Manicured lawns, gorgeous architecture, families enjoying picnics…clearly a place to be on a Sunday afternoon in the summer. I wish my impression of the tasting room were as good as the outside. While the staff were helpful, they did not have time to, or did not want to, give us more than the basic description of the wines and move on to the next. At $15 a tasting (we did opt to share one), and only having 5 wines on the tasting list, we could have bought 2 bottles at the grocery store and enjoyed it as much, possibly better. But we can say we have been.

Perhaps if we’d done one of the bigger tours and tasting the experience would have been different. But the Canadian border was calling us, and we had about a 4 hour drive to our destination.

We had about a 30 minute wait at the border crossing in Sumas, WA and drove into Canada about 4:08PM. A bit of traffic along Trans-Canadian Route 1 as we started, but it soon opened up. Fortunately I remembered to set the speedometer to KPH before we crossed the border. The mountains soon loomed ahead of us, and I tried to keep at least one eye on the road as I turned my head from side to side and watched the beauty unfold before us. Unfortunately, not a lot of places to stop and take photos. I managed to get a few at a rest stop near Coquihalla. The Coquihalla Summit was 1244 M (4081 feet). It seemed much higher, but will be nothing once we hit the Canadian Rockies!

We checked into our hotel about 7:15PM in West Kelowna, BC. They had a restaurant attached, so we grabbed a sandwich and called it a night.

Today (Monday) was a short drive day, roughly 2 1/2 hours from last night’s lodging to today’s. I didn’t realize when setting the return route I was taking us right through the heart of British Columbia wine region. (Those of you who know me personally may find that hard to believe! But seriously, I didn’t until I picked up the brochure last night.) Anyway, when you have a short drive day, why not stop and see how the wine is, right? We stopped first at Sandhill Winery in Kelowna. The staff were friendly, knowledgeable, warm and made us feel right at home. The wine was far better than I had expected. One of the labels at Sandhill is Wayne Gretzky’s. We passed his winery near Toronto last October but didn’t stop. I couldn’t pass this by without at least a photo or two!

If we were staying one more night in the area, we would have bought a bottle and sat on the couch for a few hours! Such an inviting tasting room and staff.

Our next stop was Blind Tiger Winery. They are situated on a ridge overlooking one of the many mountain lakes in the area. Absolutely beautiful views, and some pretty good wine there, too.

Such fun to pass apple and cherry orchards on our way down to the highway!

We left this area and began our trek north and east. There were a few scenic overlooks today where I was able to stop and snap a few photos of the majesty around us. When we have criss-crossed the US, we can usually say “this reminds me of…” and fill in the blank. The past two days have left us at an absolute loss. Mountain lakes that are fed by waterfalls of varying size, pastures that seem to be among the clouds, and the vast expanse of space. Rivers, creeks and streams that flow alongside the road, what seem to be rolling hills but are just smaller mountains. The photos will not do its beauty and majesty justice, but it’s better than nothing.

Tonight we are staying in Revelstoke, BC. Rather quiet in the summer months compared to the winter. In winter this is home to snowmobiling and heli-skiing. Not sure that being dropped off at the top of a mountain by helicopter and skiing my way down would be my idea of fun, but it seems very popular in the area. Summer is mostly mountain biking, canoeing and hiking. Certainly a picturesque area to do any or all of it!

We are staying at the Glacier House Resort, set off from town in the quiet of the forest. We have brought all food in from the car as there were bear sightings earlier. All rooms are on the 2nd floor, so we are safe. The view from the room and the peacefulness of the surroundings should make for a restful night’s sleep.

View from the hotel restaurant patio

View from our room.

Tomorrow, Banff.

Posted by andreapw | Filed under Apple Orchards, Blind Tiger Winery, British Columbia, Canada, Columbia River, Kelowna, Lake Okanagan, Mountains, Revelstoke, Sandhill Winery, Travel, waterfalls, wine, Wine Tasting

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Saturday in Seattle

10 Tuesday Jul 2018

I think we squeezed in just about everything we could in under 48 hours. Saturday dawned partly sunny, and in the upper 70’s. The girls got underway about 10:30AM for the Space Needle. We stopped at The Yellow Leaf Cupcake shop in Belltown for coffee and breakfast on our way. 2 cups of pour over coffee, a bagel sandwich, and an incredibly light and delicious bacon cheddar biscuit, and we were on our way. I was impressed with the number of restaurants everywhere we walked. Some larger than others, most what I would call “intimate dining.” Every type of food imaginable, and all seemed to have no lack of business.

We reached the Space Needle in time for our noon tickets, and got in line. The walk up to the elevator took about 30 minutes, but the history of the 1962 World’s Fair and the construction of the Space Needle was very interesting. Beautiful views, but we were bummed the restaurant was closed for renovations. They did have a snack bar at the top observation deck, but with all the construction going on even at that level, the ambiance was a bit lacking. We did walk around and get some great photos.

Not sure if they’re mosquitos or spiders, but it was a funny sight to see!

We found Mom and started off to the Chihuly Gardens. (She passed on the elevator ride to the top. Heights aren’t her favorite.) My husband joined us after his visit with friends we don’t see nearly often enough. There are never words to describe Chihuly’s work, and there doesn’t need to be.

A bite of lunch at Bambino’s on our way back to the hotel. The 2 salads would have individually fed 4 of us, the meatball appetizer was entree sized, and half the 10″ pizza left the restaurant with us. Another small place, but they had a steady stream of customers. We were back to the hotel in plenty of time to get ready for the wedding, and the reason this entire road trip became reality!

A 20 minute or so Uber ride to the Seattle Tennis Club on Lake Washington. Across the lake were very large homes where apparently the Gates and Bezos residences are. The Virginia Steamship came through just as the cocktail reception ended, and Mt. Ranier came out from behind the clouds during dinner.

We were back in our room about 12:30AM, and did think about going out with some of the wedding party. Sanity kicked in, fortunately for me, as we had to begin our return trip the next day.

Posted by andreapw | Filed under 1962 World's Fair, Chihuly Garden, Lake Washington, Seattle, Seattle Tennis Club, Space Needle, Washington

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Seattle in two days

10 Tuesday Jul 2018

When you earn a “Lifetime Achievement” badge from your fitness band, you know you walked a lot over a 2 day period. Friday we walked to Pike’s Market and met family from across The Sound. They had ferried over to spend the day and be our tour guides. We stopped at the coffee and pastry joint across from Pike’s Market that had the shortest line, then fought the crowds through the market to the Pig statue. What an amazing place! The sights, sounds, smells….rather crowded early in the morning, but when we walked through later in the day the crowd had thinned significantly. The crowds this day were fun, though, as the Special Olympics National Games were that weekend. We saw teams from Indiana, Kentucky, and Southern California.

The famous fish monger was just inside, so we waited to see the fish throwing before making our way down to the waterfront. The nice thing about local tour guides is they know where secret elevators are. It made our trek down (and back) that much easier.

Our next stop was Wings Over Washington. A virtual reality tour over Washington State. The floor drops, the seats slide forward to a 180 degree screen with 5K cameras, and you are off an flying along with a “spirit eagle” through Olympic National Forest, Mt. Ranier, Snoqualmie Falls, the San Juan Islands, and back to the Seattle Great Wheel. It lasts about 10 minutes, but is worth every penny, at least once.

Lunch was the next order of business at Elliot’s. Fresh seafood, good beer, and great conversation catching up with everyone.

A quick stop at the Copperworks Distillery where they make vodka, 2 kinds of gin and a whiskey, all from beer. We shared two tastings between 6 of us, and probably could have done with just one. Intimate place, and very friendly staff. A cruise through the antique store across the street, farewell to our tour guides, then back to the hotel to get ready for the welcome reception.

Husband, daughter and I were just a tad hungry from the days activities, and ready early for the reception. We opted to stop for a nosh at the Purple Cafe on our way. Great wine selection, and the lobster mac & cheese was out of this world. BIG chunks of Maine lobster throughout.

Over 5,000 bottles of wine and spirts on the spiral staircase, then more on shelves behind it.

We walked a few blocks further to Pike Brewing Company where the reception was in full swing. A fun evening reconnecting with family and making new friends. A nightcap in the hotel bar, then off to bed so we could squeeze in more before the wedding!

Posted by andreapw | Filed under Copperworks Distillery, Elliot's, flowers, Pike Brewing Co, Pike's Market, Purple Cafe, Seattle, Seattle Waterfront, Wings Over Washington

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Eastern Washington to Seattle

06 Friday Jul 2018

Our adventure hasn’t ended yet – we’ve just been enjoying time with family in Seattle, and then recovering a bit from all the fun. There should be daily updates from now until we return home a week from today. (I am so blessed to work for the company I do. 3 weeks of vacation is an absolute joy, and it should keep me going until at least September!)

We had an absolutely wonderful view of roughly 27 fireworks shows from our hotel window on Wednesday night – everything from neighborhood displays to the 3 professional displays over Red Mountain. I realized all that was missing was the patriotic music. Phone to the rescue – patriotic songs pulled up on a music app. A few card games after the fireworks ended, and we called it a night. We had a relatively short drive to Seattle, but we were both anxious to get there and see family.

We enjoyed fireworks displays in every direction!

No time machine, just using up the stash of left over napkins Mom had. At least they had fireworks on them! 🙂

We opted for the state highway 243 over the interstate for the beginning of the drive. Right on past the Hanford Nuclear Waste site. Fortunately the road didn’t go directly by it. As we wended our way through the Columbia River Valley, we passed miles of apple orchards, sprinkled with the occasional vineyard. We stopped briefly at Wanapum Dam for a pit stop.

Model of the wind turbine that powers the dam

As we started on I-90, we passed another “Little Brown Sign” for the Petrified Ginko Forest. I didn’t have to ask twice if we should check it out. The forest itself would have required a bit of a climb up a steep hill, and it was rather warm. We opted to pass on that for this trip, and headed back toward the museum and gift shop instead. Interesting information sprinkled throughout what is mostly a gift shop for rock and gem collectors.

We made a second pit-stop at Thorp Market for fresh off the tree Ranier and Washington cherries and a few gift items. By this point, we were both anxious to get to Seattle and out of the car. The drive over the Cascades was beautiful, and relatively easy compared to the Rockies. Traffic into Seattle was light (at least in comparison with Atlanta area traffic!) We found the hotel easily, unloaded the car (well, technically the bellhop unloaded the car), and had parked it for the next three days.

We met my brother briefly for a beverage and snack before he had to head to a pre-wedding function. We were joined shortly thereafter by my daughter, and eventually my husband. We found a great Italian restaurant around the corner from the hotel which was open late. A bottle of wine, some amazing pasta, and a cannoli for dessert. A perfect end to the first half of the roadtrip! And the view for the next 3 days was pretty amazing.

Posted by andreapw | Filed under Apple Orchards, Cascade Range, Columbia River, Columbia River Valley, Petrified Ginko Forest, Seattle, Thorp Fruit Market, Wanapum Dam, Washington

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Red, White and Blue

05 Thursday Jul 2018

Northbound adventure began about 10AM today. For a holiday, traffic was fairly light. We opted not to stop along the way to our destination as we didn’t know what traffic ahead would be like. I also wanted to be in for the night before folks began heading home from their BBQs and picnics. The temperature in Idaho Falls this morning was a balmy 45 degrees. Not exactly what we’d call summer weather, but it did warm up rather quickly. (When I checked about 6AM it was 38 degrees with a 4 degree windchill.)

Through northern Idaho and the northeast corner of Oregon and on into Washington. Watching the topography change was a treat. The flat, vast farmland of Idaho into the rolling hills and Blue Mountains of Oregon. Two 6% grade descents today – the last overlooking gorgeous views of the farms and grain fields in the valley below. I enjoyed the view, at least. The passenger is not really keen on heights, especially when wending around mountain passes.

“Bessie,”as I have named her, hit 50,000 miles just over the Oregon border. Fun to think that I have helped put about 14,000 of those miles on her, and it will be closer to 16,500 by the time we complete this journey.

We crossed the 45th parallel today – halfway between the equator and north pole. Unfortunately no picture opportunity as we crossed it, just a sign on the side of the road as you drove by.

We checked into the hotel at 3PM, settled into the room, and then decided to see what fun we could find in the Columbia River Valley area of Washington. Hello, wineries! We managed to find one open, about 3 miles from the hotel.We had a very enjoyable tasting at J. Bookwalter Winery, and then stayed for happy hour at the restaurant. A perfect little meal at the end of the day. We are hoping to see fireworks from our room window when the sun sets.

We managed to get our red, white and blue in today (red wine, white wine and Blue Mountains!)

The BEST sliders!

Wishing everyone a very happy 4th of July!

Posted by andreapw | Filed under Blue Mountains, Columbia River Valey Wineries, Columbia River Valley, Idaho, Idaho Falls, J Bookwalter Winery, Oregon, Washington, wheat, wine, Wine Tasting

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Ash and alfalfa

04 Wednesday Jul 2018

We got up early today as we weren’t sure what the situation with the wildfires would be, and the smoke was definitely having a negative impact on both our breathing. The car had a layer of ash on it when we loaded it.

Time to head for fresher air! Not a whole lot of scenery today along US 40 westbound. Much of the same desertlike landscape. We climbed a few peaks, and eventually hit I-80 westbound. When I saw the sign that Reno, NV was 540 miles away, I did think for a split second about heading to Sacramento. We would have had maybe 30 minutes to visit a lot of people before we had to head on to Seattle, so I nixed the thought before it really got started. It was a pleasant split second, though.

Our first destination was Salt Lake City Brewing Co and Squatters Craft Beer. Mom and I shared a salad (which, I am hesitant to admit may have been my first green veggies since we left Illinois).

We drove to Temple Square, but a large thunderstorm was brewing, so we pulled to the side of the road and plugged in the directions to tonight’s lodging. I did manage to get a photo of the capital while at a red light.

We hit a bit of rain which cleaned the bugs of the windshield and helped with visibility as we left Salt Lake City. We crosssed into Idaho about 2:40PM, and watched vast green farmland come into view. I took a break from driving so was able to get some photos along the way.

Alfalfa field

And we got to see more wheat fields. This is a bit bittersweet, though, as we were detoured off the freeway onto the frontage road due to a fatal accident with a car and tractor trailor. Watching the wheat undulate in the breeze was mesmerizing.

It was a long, slow end to the day, and I won”t lie and say it was all happiness in our car.

But we made it to the hotel, unloaded what we needed, and I made a trip to the grocery store. Tonic water, Rose’s Lime Juice, rainbow roll sushi, and a few other snack items. When returning from to the hotel, I pulled in, parked , gathered the groceries and went to the side door to go up the stairs. My key wouldn’t work, and I thought maybe I had put my cell phone near it. I headed to the main lobby entrance, walked in, looked around for a moment and realized this was not the hotel we’d checked into. I turned around on a dime, walked back to the car, and drove to the parking lot next door where we are staying. If that didn’t say it had been a long day, I don’t know what does! A beverage and nosh and we are both much better!

I think tonight calls for a good night’s sleep and waking up when we feel like it. Oh, and today’s public service announcement is a good reminder for everyone tomorrow. (I would add to this ‘unless you are a paid professional.’)

We’re off to southeastern Washington tomorrow, and hope to catch a fireworks display in town. And there are wineries within walking distance of the hotel! (Or at least it looks like they’re walking distance.) If you are traveling today or tomorrow, be safe and don’t drive faster than your guardian angels can fly.

Posted by andreapw | Filed under Alfalfa, Alfalfa fields, Idaho, Idaho Falls, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City Brewing Co, Squatters Brewing, Squatters Craft Beer, Utah, wheat, Wildfires

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Adventures Along the Road Less Traveled…

03 Tuesday Jul 2018

What an absolute treat to sleep with the window cracked open, fresh mountain air, and the sounds of birds chirping in the morning. We opted for breakfast 17 miles outside of Steamboat Springs at The Clark Store. A general store for locals, fresh breakfast, great coffee, and a fun mix of locals and travelers. The breakfast burrito was amazing. While lingering over breakfast and looking at routes for today’s drive, I spotted one that would take about an hour longer, but would bring us through Wyoming. If you’ve followed our past travels, you know which route we took!

We drove north on County Road 129, passing through Hahn’s Peak and Iron Mountain. We watched stands of white birch and aspen groves glistening in the warm summer breeze. The first highlight, though, was the sight of sheep on the side of the road, the rancher on horseback at the edge of the woods, and the little lamb who decided to nurse as momma crossed the road.

Suddenly we were looking at a dirt road, but GPS still indicated it was the correct route. I figured we could always turn around if it got too bad. The most glorious 39 miles of the trip so far! I think we saw maybe 10 other drivers along the way. Each one giving a friendly wave as we passed. As we passed into Wyoming, we found ourselves in the Little Snake River Valley. The Snake River Valley was one of my dad’s favorite places. Seemed appropriate we would stumble on the Little Snake River Valley.

When you take the less traveled road, you get to see all sorts of fun things…

My favorite sign of the day was “Drive Slow. Free Range Children.” We crossed in and out of Wyoming and Colorado several times, and eventually stayed on a more western route toward Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, UT. We even spotted two St. Paul’s Episcopal churches…one in Dickson, a town with population of 97, and the other in Jensen.

The traffic was a a little hard to deal with!

The Dinosaur National Monument was more fun than either of us expected. Seeing an actual archeological dig site, touching dinosaur bones and realizing that dinosaurs really did roam the US millions of years ago brought a new perspective to the day.

We checked into our hotel, relaxed a bit and decided on a place to eat. The smoke from the wildfires burning in the area was a bit thicker than when we’d arrived, and we noticed ash on the car. We were happy to realize the red glow on the way back from dinner was the sun setting and not flames in the distance. Tomorrow we plan to be up and out a bit earlier than usual, and hopefully get into some clearer air and back to blue sky. Our prayers are with all those fighting the fires, those who are being evacuated, and those keeping a close eye on the situation in case they need to evacuate.

Posted by andreapw | Filed under Dinosaur National Monument, Episcopal Church, Jensen, UT, National Park Pass, National Parks, Ranchers, Sheep, Utah, Vernal, UT, Wildfires

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Rocky Mountain High – the mountains, that is

02 Monday Jul 2018

We were up and ready in time for breakfast at the hotel and on the road about 10AM. Filled up the gas tank, washed the windshield, and hit the highway. We finally saw the golden wheat fields of Kansas. The green of the corn and soybean fields next to them really made them stand out. A little research taught us this appears to be Kansas winter wheat which is planted in the fall and harvested in late June to early July. What struck us most was that it was maybe knee high or so. We’d both envisioned it much taller and really blowing in the wind. I guess that’s a lesson for us not to think about the musicals we know and love for information…or perhaps it just grows taller in Oklahoma.

We were 60 miles or so outside Denver when we spotted what has now become known as “A Brown Sign.” These are our signal that there is some interesting historical site, something whimsical, or down right odd that we may want to check out. Today’s Brown Sign said “Scenic Route to Denver.” Well, it sounded better than more of I-70 to me, so off the freeway we went onto State Route 86 through Kiowa and Elizabeth. A beautiful drive through foothills, ranches and small towns. It was the first time I had seen cows lying flat on their side, legs outstretched, in the late morning sun. We connected with I-25 into Denver, past Mile High Stadium, and eventually back to I-70. (Sorry for my Broncos fans. I was driving, and the Rockies had a home game today so traffic was a bit heavy. No place or time to stop for a photo. And a good thing I didn’t check the Rockie’s schedule before writing this as the SF Giants were in town. I might have stopped for that game!)

As traffic was heavier than we expected, we opted not to stop at Red Rocks Park and Ampitheater. This has been added to the “Next time we drive through” list. The drive over the Rocky Mountains was breathtaking. Snow was still visible on many of the mountain tops, and it felt many times like we were on a roller coaster – just when you thought you had finished the climb to the top and were heading down, you’d climb some more. We stopped for lunch in Idaho Springs, and I reported to family members we were on the westside of the Rockies. If I’d looked at the atlas, I would have realized we’d just barely started our climb. We watched white water rafters getting started, others finishing their trip, passed ropes and zip-lining courses, drove through 8 tunnels (maybe more) and continued to climb higher. We were over 10,000 feet up, maybe even 13,000 feet before we started the first descent. 7% downhill grade for 7 miles. Kept the foot off the brake as much as possible as I was not planning to use the runaway truck lane if I didn’t have to! Unfortunately, the turn-offs we passed along the way came up suddenly, or were full, so I didn’t get a chance to get pictures. Photos on the internet, in movies or on TV do not do it justice. It is absolutely worth the drive.

We had a second 7% grade descent, but this only lasted 5 miles and led us eventually to Rabbits Ear Pass and the Continental Divide. Our third time crossing the divide in 5 years. Our next crossing will be eastbound in Canada. The landscape changed from dry, almost desert-like to more lush and green as we got closer to Steamboat Springs.

We pulled into our hotel about 4:30PM, unloaded what we needed for the night, and, despite the road buzz, opted to head into town for a nosh and beverage. We stumbled upon Table 79 which had a wonderful happy hour. We relaxed, ate, drank and soaked up some fresh air. The air is a bit thinner, and it’s a bit harder to take really deep breath. The view from our room patio makes it all worthwhile, though!