Rocky Mountain High

Drove over the mountains yesterday. After 5 years of seeing them daily, I got a bit inured, but that has worn off. As soon as I turned west, I was enchanted, and coming over Kenosha Pass took my breath away. I've driven up 285 many times, and negotiating the curves and slopes didn't seem like any big thing, but suddenly the immediate mountains fell away and I was looking out over South Park, a huge valley (immortalized on Comedy Central) bounded by massive peaks, including the Collegiates. Many are still snow-covered. There were rain and thunderstorms around me all day, but I never experienced more than a few sprinkles. In Colorado, radio is intermittent, and you learn not to be bothered by a little static in the background.

In the midst of the mountains are huge valleys, completely flat almost to the horizon, with roads stretching out straight ahead. I was almost convinced that Mancos wasn't really in the mountains, but there's always another range up ahead.

I finally drove over Wolf Creek Pass, a longtime family legend, which I never did see during college. Over the course of a long trip, you start taking the driving for granted, and things like preparing a snack, reading the map, and taking pictures become acceptable to do without stopping. On Wolf Creek Pass, however, even changing the radio station is not advisable. Unlike many of the other passes, where you work your way up gradually, Wolf Creek is more like a crude drawing of a car going up and down a mountain (picture an inverted "V" and a sketched sedan), but with switchbacks. And the scenery is stunning. You approach through a narrow canyon, lined with high rock faces, pine trees, and the eponymous creek (more like a river after all the recent rain). There are tunnels and shelters to protect the road from avalanches. Suddenly, you are above the treeline, and then you're smelling brakes. I'm glad my vehicle didn't run away, because the runaway ramp comes after several hairpin turns. If your brakes cook, you're cooked too.

If you haven't seen the Rockies, you must. If you have, see them again. They don't disappoint.