Driving the Rockies

Well the best way to describe todays drive is that the 1st bottle of wine is gone !!!!!   We didn't realize the climb up the Rockies we would have today ...we "thought" we had chosen the least "climb" by going the route we did, and maybe we did, I cant even imagine if we had to have gone a higher route ....but the day started out so nice with our visitors to our campground ..

 

The first part of our journey was a bit twisting and turning and some downhill, it was pleasant to be following along beside the Arkansas River

(The bottom right hand picture in this group was part of our higher road :()

Then we began a climb ....it was steep ....but we didn't know how steep ...we started at 7000 ft and at the summit (Monarch Mountain) we were at 11,110 ft ....and of course what goes up must come down ....

The one thing I wasn't expecting was the color thoughout the Rockies ....its not like Ontario with the oranges and reds and golds, it is mostly gold ...but breathtaking ...if you can breath at 11000 ft .... :)

Apparently, according to the owner of our campground tonight, we have two more hill pulls, tomorrow, but they are "half" of the Monarch Mountain Pass ....Wooooohooo!!! should have bought more wine :)

We move on to Moab, Utah where we will visit the Arches and Canyonlands :)   we can look at them from the ground ...we don't have to drive over them :)

Happy Trails!!!