Through the windshield.

December 16, 2014: Destination: Colorado Rockies.

The alarm goes off at 5am sharp.  Today we head for Colorado to spend Christmas with our families.  I’ve been checking weather along our route for a week now to determine our best weather day for the trip. We’re on the road before 6:00 for the nearly 800 mile trip.

We select the shortest, and hopefully fastest, route to our destination – Frisco, Colorado. 

 We head north out of Phoenix on I-17 through Flagstaff, northeast through the Navajo Nation to Kayenta.  I snap this picture near Monument Valley.

Leaving Kayenta, we drive north on Highway 163 and catch Highway 191 continuing north along the eastern edge of Utah.  South of Moab I snap a photo of Wilson’s Arch as we whiz past.

When we reach Moab we decide to take Utah Scenic Byway 128.  Our goal is new scenery and knocking off 30 miles or so on our trip.  Yes, I know.  The road winds through steep canyon walls along the Colorado River and has a slower speed limit, but we’ve never driven through the entire canyon so it seems like a good idea.

Coming up out of the canyon we round a curve to this beautiful sight.  This view alone is worth the slower drive.

Once we reach I-70 it’s a short drive into Colorado.

When we drive through Grand Junction the sun has already set and Christmas decorations light up the neighborhoods.  By the time we pass through Glenwood Springs we are driving in total darkness.  The Christmas decorations in Vail light up the night.  They’re just beautiful.  Finally, there’s the road sign we’ve been waiting for – Frisco 21 miles. 

But, there is that pesky Vail Pass between here and there.

We’ve had great weather and roads the entire trip, but now it’s snowing lightly in Vail.  We leave East Vail and head up the pass.  My night vision is mediocre at best, and the increasing snowfall doesn’t help.  As we reach the summit we are greeted with no snow, dry roads, and a beeping and blinking gas light.  The snow stays on the Vail side of the pass and we can pretty much coast downhill into Frisco.  We’ll worry about gas in the morning.  Reaching our little abode, we settle in for a good night’s sleep.

In the morning, we bundle up and walk down to pick up the newspaper.

  

What a glorious view – and best of all, it’s right out our front door!  How blessed are we?  Until next time – be safe.