Saturday, 21 July 2018
O and I wake early. From our lodge window we can see members of the group outside, already packing the van to drive to the airport in Denver. O and I go out to say our farewells. Rob, John and Susan ask us all to return to the lobby. They have mementos for all of us and some “awards.” They admit they were up late and very tired when they came up with these. Mary, our oldest hiker is deemed “Most Inspiring.” Anna, who had a few falls, receives the “Timex award” – takes a licking and keeps on ticking. O gets the “Most Inquisitive” award. I receive the “Audobon Award” for being most knowledgeable about birds, although I believe that is more a commentary on the others’ lack of knowledge than on my familiarity with our feathered friends. The awards go on in similar vein. We each receive a bandana with a contour map of Rocky Mountain National Park.
After hugs and goodbyes O and I drive to Estes Park for breakfast and a cup of real coffee at Claires on the Park. We return to the lodge, pack up Vincent and drive Trail Ridge Road one last time, heading over the continental divide and on towards Fruita. Rob informed us before we left, that the Colorado National Monument is right at Fruita and deserves a visit. We had no idea it was there!
We continue our drive passing through scattered showers with some impressive lightning strikes. After several hours, we finally rejoin I-70. As we proceed westward, O and I can’t help but notice the ominous dark clouds with the orange glow to our south. The sky to the north is blue with scattered clouds. We suddenly realize the dark “cloud” to our left is actually billowing smoke from the Eagle forest fire. We are glad we are not any closer!
As we drive west, the thermometer climbs to a high of 40.5 degrees C (over 104 degrees F.) We arrive in Fruita around 4:30 and drive to Suds and Bros. after checking in at our motel. We have a good dinner and two good beers: an amber ale for O and a honey orange wheat for me.
After dinner we drive the scenic rim road in the Colorado National Monument. We are back in the Navaho, Kayenta and Wingate layers we remember from last year’s sojourn in Utah. As we pause to admire the canyons and the rocks sculpted by millions of years of erosion, we also get to see our first desert big horn sheep of the trip. Now, it is back to the motel to rest up for our next day’s drive.
