Retirement Road Trip 2011: Day 59, Sunday 10/23

482 miles, and camped at the KOA in Goodland, Kansas.

I was up at 4:30 this morning.  Karen was due at the Grand Junction Airport at 6:00.  We left the campground at 5:40 and arrived right at 6:00.  She had a 7:30 flight.  After getting Karen checked in and saying goodbye, I was on my way.  It was still dark, but the sun soon started to peek over the Rocky Mountains.  The aspen trees were in full color, and the sun sparkled on the Colorado River.

Now, I'm not a big fan of Interstate Highways, except if you need to get from point A to point B in a hurry.  However, I think the section of Interstate 70 that crosses the Rocky Mountains in Colorado is a spectacular drive.  Some of the most famous ski resorts in the country are found along I-70.  Places like Aspen, Vail, Beaver Creek are just a few.  In fact, Beaver Creek had snow on the trails when I drove by.  At times, the Colorado River Canyon is so narrow in places, it seems like the interstate, the railroad, and the river just can't all fit.  At other times the canyon opens up into wide meadows and villages.

I-70 actually crosses UNDER the Continental Divide via the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel.  At 11,158 feet above sea level, it is one of the highest vehicular tunnels in the world. The downhill side of the ride, all the way into Denver, is just as spectacular as the climb. The mountain peaks were coated in snow.

After getting through Denver, I decided to try US Highway 36.  It's a two lane road that runs parallel to I-70 and just a bit north of it.  US 36 was an awesome drive.  The speed limit was 65, there was almost no traffic, the scenery was beautiful and the drive was relaxing.  As I crossed into Kansas a road sign announced that I had arrived in the Central Time Zone.  I'm getting closer to home.

From a travelers point of view, it seems like Colorado can be divided into three regions, all running north-south.  There is the Western Slope, the Rocky Mountains, and the Eastern Plains.  The Western Slope is made up of high desert.  The Rocky Mountains are, well, high and rocky.  The Eastern Plains are farm lands.  I'm sure that's a very simplistic description, but it basically fits.  By driving east to west, or vice versa, on I-70, you can really get a cross section of the geography of Colorado.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that you can not generalize Colorado.  Most people, including me, think of the Rocky Mountains when you mention Colorado.  A very similar situation occurs in New York.  When I met some people in California recently they wondered if there were any rural areas left in New York.  It is so easy to generalize.  That's why everyone should drive across the United States at least once!

I'm not sure where I'll end up on Monday, but it will be in the direction of east from here...........