Going Home - Colorado Rockies - Almost 24 Hours

 

Album (side A):  White Winds

Artist:  Andreas Vollenweider

The beginning of my final journey home (to Colorado)...

from Verdi, Nevada...8 PM.

My younger sister, Bandi, and I began what should have been around an 18 hour drive...

(My younger sister and I shared the driving)...

and had ended up being an almost 24 hour drive.

I took the night shift driving

while my younger sister slept.

My trike is packed on the back of my car...

and the inside was completely packed...

with only just enough room for Bandi...

her doggie bed...

and her water bowl.

I bought a 1.6 gallon spill resistant travel dog water bowl...

and I had an extra .5 gallon thermos filled with more water for her.

My younger sister riding shotgun with a pillow and comforter to allow her rest until 

she took over in the morning.

Bandi was comfortable in her doggie bed.  

I had placed it so she could look out the side rear window...

or the front driver's side window as we drove.

We often also lowered her window so she could stick her head out the window.

I had driven across Nevada through frequent rain.

We were in Utah before the sun had risen.

At this fuel stop...

my younger sister had taken over the driving.

We were just an hour or so from the Colorado border here.

I thought I would get some sleep after my younger sister took over driving...

but, although tired...

I wasn't sleepy.

I ended up not sleeping at all for the rest of the day's journey.

However, this allowed me to take pictures along the way.

We are in western Colorado here.

It was raining here as well.

We got to the Rocky Mountains...

and then proceeded towards Aspen, Colorado.

We could see some ski slopes in Aspen...

just some of many.

More ski slopes awaiting the first snows of winter.

We traveled on Highway 82...

only because our route of Hwy 70 was closed.

This particular Hwy is something everyone should drive once in a life time...

especially during Autumn  (the colors were just beginning during our drive)...

but, you know the old saying...

You are a fool to not try it once...

but an even bigger fool to try it twice.

On the eastern side of Aspen on Hwy 82...

there lies a traffic trap in several spots...

where the one lane each way along the mountain side

is funneled into a one lane road due to the lay of the mountain.

They have permanent traffic lights controlling the flow of traffic...

alternating turns of each directional flow for a designated time to allow 

each side a turn to drive along the one lane section.

The problem lies with only a short period being used...

just enough for about ten cars to go at a time...

followed by enough time for that group to traverse the length of the 

one lane road...with no feedback system monitoring actual traffic 

on each side.

As a result...

the line we were in going eastward had a tail many miles long...

and the other side having just a few cars at a time needing to go westward.

We had spent many hours in slowly creeping traffic

with the only saving grace allowing me to easily take photos 

from the car.

Bandi loved looking through the front windshield

over the driver's left shoulder...

as we drove.

We had finally passed the last one lane section of 82...

and soon turned off on to our next hwy.

We had traveled through the Rocky Mountains from the northwest to the southeast...

from above Aspen to just one hour west of Colorado Springs...

to where my home lies...

at just over 9,600 feet in elevation.

We still had several more hours of driving at this point.

We kept going up in elevation.

Although I didn't see any elevation markers along the hwy...

we must have been at or above 11,000 feet on one of the passes...

as the tree line stops at the 11,000 foot range.

The drive was beautiful...

as was the temperature.

The air had a crispness to it...

and the fall colors...

although only just beginning...

lent to an air of great beauty.

There are many mountain peaks over 14,000 ft in the Rockies.

We were just a couple of hours away from home here.

One of the over 14,000 footers near my home.

We are less than half an hour from my home here.

Just a handful of miles from home here.

We arrived at my home just as the sun began setting.

I had taken this from my lower driveway.

As my home sits upon a ridge line...

facing east...

I may see, both...

the sunrise...

and the sunset (especially from the third floor deck).

I had taken this from the first floor deck facing the east as the sun was setting.

Both, my younger sister and I were dead tired at this point.

However...

we still had to unpack the car...

as our cots were in the car...

without which...

we would had to have slept on the floor.

We unpacked the car...

unfolded the cots...

placed our pillows and comforters upon them...

and then soon fell asleep.

I took one of the second floor bedrooms...

and my younger sister took the loft.

After initially airing out the house by opening all the windows...

I left my bedroom windows open all night long...

as the temperature outside was comfortably in the high 40s...

I put on some music and fell asleep...

but only for half the sleep I needed...

as my moving pod had arrived early...

and my internet installation was scheduled for the next morning.

So...

I awakened early and I drove to Colorado Springs to meet the movers

who were to unpack my pod onto their truck for delivery to my home.

I was so pleasantly surprised by the drive.

Not only was the traffic surprisingly light for it being morning rush hour...

the drive in and back was pure pleasure in sights and temperature.

I drove the whole way there and back with the windows open.

The light chill in the air was refreshing...

and the scenery the whole way was so beautiful.

I really love the mellow vibe of all of the Coloradans I have met.

I attribute it to the beautiful surroundings.

I think it is hard to stay mad when surrounded with such beauty.

After finally getting internet...

and having the boxes from my POD placed in the appropriate places in my home...

I got some more much needed sleep before waking up...

taking a shower...

and then driving into a nearby major town up the road 1/2 an hour away.

We tried a Greek restaurant.

Although I could tell the cook wasn't from Greece...

the food wasn't bad.

We then drove to a supermarket where I could pick up just a few essentials...

until the first of my major shopping trips tomorrow at Costco.

I still have no food at home...

as I don't have any cook ware yet.

I plan to buy a Wok and a large pan to start out with...

along with the cooking implements.

I will get trash cans and trash bags as well.

I ordered plates, flatware, knives, cups...etc.

They should arrive starting in a few days (Amazon).

And as Snow season is nearly upon us...

I have to order a snow blower...

and get delivery of a washing machine and dryer set.

The effects of our altitude (9,600 ft)

has made me breathless with just the slightest exertion...

and I am very tired.

However, I should acclimatize over the next few months.

I have felt no effects of altitude sickness...

as I had been living over a mile up in elevation for over thirteen years 

(Mountains of Reno, Nevada)...

so I have partial adaptation already.

Over the next several days...

besides having to schedule many important and necessary 

appointments normal to moving to a new state...

I will need to buy almost everything new...

and so...

I will take pictures of my home in detail over the next few days...

as I find this home to be so interesting in design and function.

One thing for sure...

this home is where I have always meant to be.

It is a mixture of adventure...

freedom...

and serenity.

In short...

I love it here...

and over the course of my many following articles...

I will take you on the same adventure I will be experiencing

for the first time.

I have a debt of deep gratitude to my sisters and my brother in law

for helping me make this dream of mine...

a reality.

They will always be welcome in my home.