Colorado this Colorado that

Our target today is Denver which should be doable, coming in at around 320 miles from Moab……..I have come to totally disregard the travel time the GPS calculates because I just can’t make those times pulling the trailer and we always stop along the way. During stops, Jutta always uses what she calls her “Personal Throne Room” in the trailer, while I get friendly with the truckers inside. Some of the truck stops along the way have gone totally crazy…….I mean “great” crazy……….counter merchandising, the spaces themselves, and the range of products offered is off the charts………we’re talking full on liquor stores (not in Utah), a wide, wide, range of cool portable electronics, a whack of fresh, cooked, and frozen food, clothing (I bought a whole new wardrobe and set of golf clubs in Grand Junction), the usual candy, gum, and chips, media galore, showers upon request (rub and tug extra).

We met some “folks” from Texas in the park yesterday and had just a great chat with them. One of the fellas told me to take an alternate route out of Moab tomorrow, rather than just run up the highway to connect to I-70.
Route 128 leaves Moab and heads NE following the Colorado River through what turns out to be the most beautiful drive we have encountered on the entire trip…….not kidding…….we have been sounding like a broken record for the past couple of weeks…….”You’ve never seen anything like this”, “Oh wow”’ “So beautiful”……..and so on , and so on,……..but believe me this was the best……..really, it was, and we end up back and forth over the Colorado for most of the day. I could have spat my gum in the river from the truck on numerous occasions we were so close……..many campgrounds along the banks which have no services, but Jutta and I are convinced we could be boon docking down there…….trails galore…….as we get deeper there are a few guest ranches that would be a blast to stay at, offering horse treks, mountain bikes, 4WD, kayaking, etc, etc………there is a separate paved bike lane which runs for about 5 miles in from Moab, but after that you are on your own……..we are on the road early, and there is hardly any traffic either way in the canyon……..this stretch of road is known as The Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway. What a tip…….thanks Texas……..enjoy the pictures.

The rest of the drive is as expected, having done it many times before……….I was a little concerned about the mountain passes on the way to Denver, but the truck handled them without a problem at all………Vail pass was a shit show with lane reductions and road repairs………….only 30mph for most of the climb up to 10,603ft at the summit………the road was crap on the run up to Eisenhower Tunnel 11,000FT+, downhill from the tunnel to Georgetown was crappy road also, but, what we planned as a lakeside snack in the trailer in Georgetown turned into a brewski and sandwich at the new local brewery……….wasn’t there before but happy to see it………… at the end of the day, we made it, and are happy to be here in Golden……shit is it hot.

So here we are in Golden, Colorado, just west of Denver, the home of Coors, and a place I spent some time during my 12 years living in Colorado. I have booked one of those in town RV Parks that is heavy on asphalt and concrete, but is in a great location with full services, and 10 minutes from our dinner reservation with my son Aaron and his partner Jolene. Great to see Aaron and to meet Jolene for the first time…….and awesome Tex Mex dinner at Table Mountain Grill on Washington Street…….I used to come over here for lunch from our office in Denver West Office Park. Somehow, we all forgot to take pictures……had the phones out sharing pictures of our dogs, but never did the point and click!……idiots! Too many Margo’s I guess………we are back to Plan B, and ready to make the run for the border………we figure 3 days at +500 miles and we are home……..go to sleep!