The Rockies!!!

Day 22 - The Rockies!!!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

We were on the road with 6,199 miles just after 7am. We took breakfast to go from the hotel.

It was a painfully bright sunrise as I navigated Bill out of Albuquerque and into the scenic southwestern neighborhoods of New Mexico.

The vacant highways and byways afforded a relaxing change from our typical routes on busy interstates.

We crossed into Colorado just after 11:00am. Northern New Mexico was pretty, but CO was instantly more lush in several different ways.

It was a peaceful two lane highway as we climbed deeper into the state. The mountains enveloped us, and the aspen trees were in full radiant color. It was a spectacular ride.

We stopped at a park in Gunnison to walk Solo, and then found a great little lunch at Gunnisack Restaurant.

As we were dining, the weather changed dramatically. Dark clouds and thunder accompanied us on our climb to Crested Butte. After 21 days of dry weather and varied temps, the first rainfall of our journey was a fine change of pace. A hail storm greeted us on top of Mount Crested Butte.

We were delighted to see the magnificent landscapes and mountain homes, some of which were shrouded in clouds at 8,800 feet.

We checked into the Grand Lodge, and we're very pleased to find a spacious suite and reasonable off-season price.

After a little relaxation, Jim and Ally met us in the lobby and drove us to a terrific Asian restaurant called Ryce. It was great to catch up on the last few weeks. They left the vineyard two days before we started our trek out west.

After a fun visit over a nice meal, our altitude sickness disappeared and we said good night.

Bill and I walked Solo and enjoyed the moon peeking out from the clouds with the big mountain ever present in the darkness.

	Photo 1 [Map]

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