November 5: The Rocky Mountains. Starting mileage 34,885.
Seeing friends in Denver
We arrived in Denver in a fever, desperate to get the oil changed before the Chevy dealer closed for the weekend. And we did. The car was happy and cared for. We, on the other hand, were still a little antsy from the worry adrenaline when we met up with Denver friends. As we told the story, we started laughing about it–the oil warning light fright, the speedy three hours of driving, and the unexpected encounter with wild-west tumbleweeds. Our first telling was over a home-cooked dinner at Denice’s house, then a late-night evening and breakfast at Lew and Ann’s, and followed by telling the tale over a mid-morning coffee with Jen before we left town,
Snowing on the roads ahead / Change of plans
With our friends, we also highlighted our travels so far and discussed plans to head north to South Dakota’s Badlands before turning west through Wyoming’s Yellowstone, and on to the Pacific coast. We had a National Parks Annual Pass burning a hole in its envelope, just waiting to be used.
I’d been checking the weather. It was snowing in both South Dakota and Wyoming. The forecast called for more snow too. Despite all my destination and route planning, I had not planned on snow. I brought this up with my Colorado friends. Should we try it or re-route?
“Wyoming is 80 mph and usually clear enough…well, except that stretch around Cheyenne.”
“Up there, it’s the wind you have to worry about. But they’ll close the roads if conditions get too bad.”
“You should be ok when you put on chains. You have chains, right?”
Chains!? Mama and I are Southern girls by birth and I have to say I hadn’t ever even considered the need for tire chains. Sure, I live in Chicago now, but I don’t own a car and it’s flat land anyway. As our Denver hours passed, I grew more nervous as another realization sunk in. Crap. Not only do we have to cut out The Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and Yellowstone, we have to cross the Rockies…in November, maybe in snow. THE Rocky Mountains. The Continental Divide. IN NOVEMBER. What was I thinking?
Making new plans
By the time we met Jen for coffee, a re-route was firming up. The first step was getting over the Rockies. Today. In Colorado. We shouldn’t wait any longer, or go any further north before crossing. I made a reservation at a hotel in Grand Junction, Colorado. It was about four hours away, on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. Once we got there, we’d assess our options.
After a milky, hot coffee at a jam-packed, nook-and-cranny-cozy Stella’s Coffee Haus, we walked slowly back to the car. It was still fall here. Orange, red, and yellow leaves dotted the ground and were still clinging to the trees in this delightful old neighborhood. The sun was out. “It’s going to be a fine day for crossing the Rocky Mountains”, I repeated to myself, “Just fine.”
Getting over the Rockies
We headed out of Denver on I-70 West just before noon. After a little way, we stopped to fuel up in Georgetown. The air was a bit cooler, the trees more of the evergreen variety here. And some clouds were gathering in front of us.
Near Loveland Pass (elevation 11,990) we passed through the mountains. The Eisenhower Tunnel (elevation 11,158) is nearly two miles of unnerving white concrete and freaky yellow lights entered through a mouse hole. When we exited, the clouds were dense and low, and snow patched the mountainsides around us. Skiers were on the mountain slopes.
It started spitting snow and sleet. We saw signs cautioning “Icy Roads”, and just before Silverthorne, one sign read “Trucks, you are not down yet. One more mile of steep grade.” Runaway truck ramps appeared frequently.
We stopped for a scenic overlook after Frisco. Actually, it was a pull-out place designated for putting on tire chains. But it was pretty here by a creek in the cool, fresh alpine air. The road curved onwards around and under mountains. We saw signs for ski towns–Vail (elevation 10,666), Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, and Independence Pass. Towns included their elevation. The snow sprinkled down, sometimes turning parts of the road white as it blew across. Slow and steady, slow and steady.
And then, the road plateaued. The snow became drizzling rain. We breathed again, and I loosened my grip on the steering wheel. We just crossed the Rockies, in November!
The Rocky Mountains’ Western Slopes
We stopped for lunch in Eagle, Colorado, elevation 6,600. In keeping with our road trip lessons, we went for diner food. The Eagle Diner was warm and welcoming with its pink and blue 1950s-themed decor, and the rock-around-the-clock music pumping into the parking lot. Tasty comfort food grilled cheese and tuna-melt sandwiches go so well with hot fries and relief and joy! We’d made it over the Rocky Mountains!
Back on the westbound road, towns’ elevations were in the 5,000-6,000 range now. Still a mile high, but the threat of poor weather started to fall away. Mama got back to making notes in our travel log as we passed through more tunnels, and saw an exit called “No Name.” As it neared the hour of sunset, we entered Glenwood Canyon as I-70 ran alongside the Colorado River. In the dimming light of a cloudy day, this mighty canyon land was spectacular to see. What beautiful country the mountains are.
Reassessing in Grand Junction
We arrived not long after dark to our hotel, Springhill Suites in Grand Junction. Our plan was to take a little time to re-plan the next few days. And really, we needed time to just slow down. I think we both slept like babies that night in our comfy, quiet room.
November 6: Grand Junction, CO to Moab, UT. Starting mileage 35,144.
The next morning, we enjoyed the free breakfast buffet at the hotel. Great coffee, and Mama’s favorite–a waffle machine! We ate our fill, and took coffee refills back to relax in our suite. Unlike most days on our trip, we weren’t in a hurry to hit the road today. Mama settled in with her iPad and I got busy making some new plans online. We liked our hotel so much, that we stayed until the noon check-out time, and booked another Springhill Suites in our new, next destination: Moab, Utah.
Utah…Life Elevated!
And we headed out into a beautiful, crisp day. This Colorado-into-Utah part of I-70 is big sky country. Clouds look painted into the bluest-of-blue skies. Roads go on forever. Desolate land. Big land. Roadrunner beep-beep land. This was going to be all right after all.
And thus, Road Trip Lesson #9: Changes happen. Don’t stress, just adjust and go. Every road has something to see.
Our new plan was to break-in the National Parks Annual Pass at Arches National Park. A previously unplanned stop. But hey, we were in the neighborhood. We were over the Rockies. And life is good.
Interested in reading more about this trip? Check out these blog posts about our crazy ride into Denver, about Elvis and our road trip playlist, and about our decision to GO!
Select photos are available on Etsy.
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Thanks for reading! Safe travels!