Rocky Mountain Low to a Triple Sunset July 9, 2007

Walking in the Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, CO

On the Road with Bluboo and Rosalita, Day Six

As we sang “A Horse with No Name” for the tenth time today, it occurred to me that I have never been through the desert on a horse with no name. However, I drove through New Mexico’s high desert with a NAG. Okay, forgive me … I thought of that line bout 1,000 miles ago and I was determined to use it.

Sadly, we left Albuquerque this morning and headed north along I-25 to Cheyenne, WY, and then west along I-80. 700 miloes or so later, we would up in Rawlins, WY, which seems to have no other useful purpose than being “motel heaven” after Laramie and nothing but mountains and grass. Over the course of the day, here are some of the places that we passed through or visited.

Santa Fe, NM: it’s a pretty little city nestled into the side of the mountains. Rosalita developed a fondness for the architecture and the city’s design, but I remain too partial to Albuquerque.

The Raton Pass: here is where I had early indications that many of my remaining “good” memories of Colorado were about to be blasted out of the water. When I moved here 24 years ago, one of my favorite memories was viewing the Rockies looking north from the Raton Pass. Today, smog, fog and clouds completely obscured the view.



Trinity and Pueblo, CO: endless road construction and cities growing for no apparent reason.

Colorado Springs: I had already been disillusioned about my former residence five years on a company-paid trip to Denver and a side jaunt. The city has grown immensely and much of it has become one very long strip mall. Some neighborhoods maintained their charm and some new areas looked okay. It just strikes me that the city planners must have been stoned for about fifteen years as this expansion took place. The traffic going north to Denver on I-25 was horrible, some of the problem caused by a drunk driver who drove his car into a ditch and then ran off (a favorite way to escape a DUI in the Springs).

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs: this still is one of the most spectacular attractions anywhere, natural rock formations caused by seismic, tectonic and volcanic activity. This free park sits in the shadow of Pike’s Peak and is a great place to see more of nature’s power. The Air Force Academy, north of the city, also has wonderful views and a long history.

Denver: the first warning signs were the CITY of Castle Rock, an area that my memory recalls with a gas station, a railroad crossing, a cow and one community built around a private country club. It was at least 20 miles to Denver … but now it has three exits, a ton of houses and is just another suburb. Denver itself was smog, traffic, and INSANE drivers … we really didn’t feel safe until we were north of Fort Collins and on our way into Wyoming.

Cheyenne and Laramie, WY: we really didn’t see much of these two towns, but they are certainly remote enough. It’s interesting that I-80 goes straight back to the George Washington Bridge into New York … about 10 minutes from where Rosalita and I work.

The end of the day, driving west on I-80 into the Rockies, gave us a delicious treat … THREE sunsets in one day! There were two times we watched the sun set behind a mountain ridge in front of us … and both times we crossed that ridge to see the luscious purple and pink sky ablaze from the large, red orb sinking lower in the sky. All I can say is … WOW!

Tomorrow we have a relatively short trek to Jackson, WY, and Grand Teton National Park. Since we only have five hours or so to go, maybe we can sleep a little late.