After leaving Rock Springs, WY we continued our goal of driving to back roads home. What we thought was a nice paved road to Steamboat Springs, changed upon hitting the Colorado border. We were stopped dead in our track by two signs. One "Leaving Wyoming" and the other "Unpaved road". After inspecting the quality and debating a 50-mile back track, we decided to take our chances. It was a slow go at 35 miles an hour for 40 miles through Irish Canyon, but the road was in good condition with no wash outs. Back on paved roads, we passed sheep and cow ranches that hugged a curvy river. One ranch branded their herd with a $ symbol and called it S Bar. Someone has a sense of humor. A quick over night in Steamboat Springs and we were ready for the long climb up to the Eisenhower Tunnel. 11,100 feet in elevation. Beulah crawled up the pass at 30mph with her blinkers on and gas pedal to the floor. Judy fell into a hypoxic slumber and woke as we descended into Golden, CO.
Beulah was parked in a gravel lot full of bunnies with a sign out front saying it was an RV park. Our week in Denver was non-stop and we wouldn't have it any other way. Coaster and Warbler's place (friends from the AT) was our home away from home. Many late nights were spend reminiscing about the AT and an all out battle playing our favorite Monopoly card game. Rob (a friend from flight school) and His wife Victoria meet us for some tasty high alcohol brews and pizza. The pie of the day was meat and mashed potatoes. Needless to say, he was out voted. Our timing was perfect to see Dan aka Nimbus Dodger, a friend from Nashville. He was in a dazed, confused, and thin as a rail state from just completing the Continental Divide Trail thru-hike. It's amazing to sit back and think about where the 3 of us were 9 years ago in Nashville. Shadow was an air traffic controller that I had not meet, Dan was a was a traveling business man, and I was a flight instructor renting a room from him. The 3 of us never expected to be sitting at a bar comparing hiking gear after walking over 2,000miles. Not one of us could have expected our lives to change this drastically and none of us would have had it any other way.
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| WY/CO Border |
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| Irish Canyon |
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| Eisenhower Tunnel |
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| Monopoly opponents, Coaster and Warbler |
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