Driving through the Rocky Mountains

Driving to and through Colorado the Rocky Mountains are unavoidable. Roads with miles of incline and miles of decline, the inevitable snow mounds on the side of the road, and the fear of a random snow storm out of nowhere were all concerns to us (and probably our parents). Here are some of the fun things we did while driving around the Rockies!

The mountain passes in Colorado are no joke. They are steep and curvy and some areas are known to be quite dangerous if not driven carefully. We took lots of breaks on these roads to enjoy the scenery, let the van have a break, and to switch drivers. It was important that the driver stay alert, so we switched frequently to avoid fatigue. We also didn't want to burn the brakes when going downhill or overheat the engine while going uphill. This picture is from a scenic overview in central Colorado as we were crossing over a pass that went up to 10,000 feet elevation.

We did run into snow covering the shoulders and fields next to the highway when we were in central Colorado. This peak (Wolf Creek Pass), upon which there was a ski resort, was 10,852 feet above sea level and had several feet of snow along the road. This was the tallest mountain Madi had driven up... and she was not to thrilled to be the driver for this stretch of the trip.

We stopped at a hiking trail that was literally on the side of US-160 in San Juan National Forest called Treasure Falls. It was just about 1.5 miles roundtrip and it hiked back a little ways to a beautiful waterfall. This was a great time for Acadia to get a walk, all of us to stretch our legs, and for Adam to grab a few pictures.

It was the coldest daytime weather we've had so far on our trip at about 45 degrees, but it helped prepare us for the chilly nights the mountains bring. It's barely springtime at this elevation so snow, ice, and cold temperatures are still common. However, we did get to spot a few elk and neat birds on our drives!

We're always happily surprised at the beauty and little gems found along national forests and lesser known areas of the country. Sure there are a thousand more famous, bigger waterfalls in the United States, but there was just something special about this quiet trail in the mountains that led to this snowmelt-fed waterfall. Our second top roadtrip rule is to never underestimate the beauty in areas outside of national parks (our top roadtrip rule: never pass up a good food stop). Of course, we love national parks, but there are some amazing places to visit that are protected under different agencies: national forests, public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, national monuments, preserves, state parks, etc... Check out this picture Adam got on the side of the road on public land: it's incredible!

We've been laying low this week relaxing and catching up on some of our schoolwork, projects, and book interviews. We visited family in Colorado and got to catch up with some friends we haven't seen in two years. We've been to Colorado many times now and this one served us just as well as the previous times. Thank you Colorado, friends, and family for another great visit to the mountains!