Gorgeous Trip Home-down memory lane

I took the back way home avoiding Denver traffic except when I made a wrong turn. That was a 30 mile detour but I am glad I; 1) turned on the Garmin, and 2) decided to go back up the mountain. As a grade-schooler the trip to Denver from Steamboat was a six hour event on highway 40. Sometimes it required a drink for the car from a canvas bag that hung on the hood ornament. Later it was in the 1953 Buick "three holer" which was a smoother car all around. I can still remember the hum of the Dyna-Flow transmission. Mom's sister Helen had high blood pressure so we had an "air-conditioner" which was a plug-in-to-the-lighter swamp cooler. Not especially effective as I recall.

I didn't recognize very much on I-70 this time until I got off the highway at Idaho Springs. Old 40 ran right through the middle of town and Idaho Springs has not changed much in 50 years. The "period" houses have been painted bright colors, and there are a few new businesses. It was like stepping back in time. A treat to see where friend Susie grew up as the daughter of the town doctor--practically as it must have been.

The road over Berthoud Pass has been widened but I think some original guard rails still exist. I passed the spot going up where I usually wailed "I'm going to be sick!" from the twisty high altitude switchbacks. Altitude 10,000 feet.

I was amazed at how some places were caught up in massive development mode (Winter Park, Granby) and others were dying a slow death. The pine beetles have decimated the forests ( and I use the word correctly) so mountains are mostly red/brown with patches of green. Aspens seem to flourish.

The high plains meadows around Rand through Walden were lush and the hay crop was more than abundant-miles and miles of meadowland. Whether the Arapahoe National Wildlife Refuge buys most of, or it is trucked out, I don't know because I did not see large herds of cattle. Dodged a few deer and trailed bicyclists who apparently have the right of way in Colorado because they go right down the middle of the road.

Before and after Walden the landscape turns "Wyomingish" with more sagebrush and grassland. Riverside and Encampment, Wyoming look to be flourishing. I was without cell coverage in some of that area but caught cousin Ann as she was unloading from a trip to Laramie for 11 days. Ralph's mother Gladys has a hairline hip fracture and they have been attending. But she said to pick up a six pack of Miller Lite Chill (lime flavored) and we three enjoyed a refreshing cool one and watched the fuller than usual river at their summer place in Saratoga.

As Ann had a dinner engagement I pushed on to Rawlins where I was overcharged for a tasty steak at "Fat Boy's" (enough to share with my fuzzy child, though) and we then pushed on home arriving about 10:00 p.m. Saw Riverton clearly from the top of Beaver Rim- unusual for some reason.