Snow 10/19/2013

We woke up early with the intention of making our one last great push west,  and ending our day in Grand Junction, in western Colorado, about 560 miles away. Imagine our surprise to lift the shades and see everything outside coated in a blanket of wet snow. The temperature outside was a balmy 34 degrees. And it was still snowing.

We ate breakfast, showered, packed up, and pushed off. In our haste, we inadvertently left behind one of our wheel chocks. Oh well.

The first part of the drive took us through a bit more snow, some fog, then mist and clouds. Gradually, the weather cleared. Western Kansas and the eastern third of Colorado are flat and featureless, with farms lining the interstate on both sides. The snow persisted on the ground from the campground all the way to the western side of the mountains.

Once in the mountains, the scenery was spectacular. We saw snow-capped peaks behind golden aspens. And we passed through Glenwood Canyon, where rock walls soar 1300 feet above the Colorado River for 12 1/2 miles. The going was slow pulling the trailer up the mountains.

By the time we had arrived at Grand Junction, the skies were clear, and the temps had warmed to the high 50s.