Day 43 to 45 - Snowmass and Drive to Rocky Mountain NP

After 6 weeks on the road, we were looking forward to a change of pace in Snowmass Colorado. We arrived into Glenwood Springs where we parked the rig for three nights as we caught up on some personal stuff, re: much needed hair appointment, before departing for a two-night visit with friends, Mike and Bonnie. The one night we stayed in the rig, we had one of the most spectacular sunsets, Pat was able to catch some remarkable shots while I cooked dinner. Mike Daniels and Pat were on the high school debate team together back in Cape Girardeau and reconnected when another debate team member, Bill Wilson, got the team together about 5 years ago. Mike and his wife Bonnie were kind enough to host us at their Snowmass residence. This was no small feat; they were in the process of renovating the house and leaving for Spain the same day we departed from our visit. Hats off to the them for hosting us. We had a wonderful time together; I had never met either and Pat had not met Bonnie, but you would have thought we were old friends with the comradery and easy conversations. One of the topics of conversation at dinner was bears, they have had a bear enter the house twice and advised us to make sure our windows and doors were locked. You can bet I checked every window and door on the lower level before going to bed!!

We played golf at their club, Snowmass Golf Club, the guy’s played well, shot in the 80’s, Bonnie had her best round of the year, I played so so but thoroughly enjoyed the course and stunning surroundings. I will say, climbing a hill to find your errant shot is a little harder at 8,500 feet above sea level. After a rest and getting cleaned up we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Bonnies’ favorite restaurant, Il Poggio; a very pleasant evening sharing some fine Italian food and wine. Up early the next day, us off to Rocky Mountain National Park, Mike and Bonnie off to Spain.

Bonnie shared that the stretch of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon was one of the most breathtaking and also the most

expensive 12 miles ever built, $490M spent when completed in 1992. I can see why when you look at the engineering marvel to fit 4 lanes of high-speed traffic through a very narrow canyon with cliffs towering over 2,000 high. On the way to Glenwood Springs, we kept seeing amber warning signs that Glenwood Canyon maybe closed due to flash floods. On the drive through the canyon, our side was reduced to one lane as they completed cleanup of a mudslide that happened a couple of days earlier. The rest of the trip to Rocky Mountain National Park was uneventful, we are used to narrow, twisty turning, steep roads by now.
Stats: 305 miles, 36.2 gal gas
Weather: Sunny, low 80’s during the day, upper 50’s at night. Great sleeping weather.
Photos: Friends, Sunset and Glenwood Canyon