gerryalex

Well the remainder of the trip was just a matter of pointing the car in the direction of home and trying to stay in between the two weather fronts. We had spent the night in Amarillo Texas and left on the morning of the 10th under very overcast skies with some light misty rain. We were now traveling on Interstate highways in order to make some good time. The sight seeing was over and the objective was just to get home. In the eastern part of Oklahoma the countryside varied from slightly hilly farmlands with a few trees and bushes to very hilly with lots of trees. They were deciduous trees that had just barely begun to change colour. As we neared the Arkansas border the skies were sunny but we could see that it was ... read more

What a difference a day can make when it comes to the weather. Yesterday it was 70 degrees when we arrived in Colorado Springs and this morning it was 37 degrees with light snow. UGH!!! We had planned to go to Pikes Peak but obviously that was out of the question due to snow on the mountain. We chose instead to visit the Air Force Military Academy and the Chapel. At the visitor center, we viewed a short film about the academy and then I went to the Chapel to photograph this architecturally interesting building. The following is information written about the Chapel. "Like a row of jet wings set on their end, the Air Force Academy’s chapel is one of the most architecturally significant structures in Colorado, representing a new modernism in governmental buildings, while ... read more

After the rainy day we had yesterday, we were very happy to see bright sunny skies even though it was a little cool with temps in the high 40's and low 50's. Our plan was to visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It is one of the steepest, darkest and most rugged of canyons and was formed by the Gunnison River as it flowed through hard ancient rocks at the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, on its way to joining the Colorado river at Grand Junction. The gorge reaches depths of over 2,000 feet while often being only 1,500 feet across, sunlight illuminates the walls only briefly, hence the name 'Black Canyon'. The Gunnison River drops an average of 43 feet per mile through the entire canyon, making it one of the ... read more

Well flexibility is always best when traveling. We were to go to Black Canyon National Park today, but because of the changeable weather, we thought it was best to see Telluride and surrounding areas while we could. What a fabulous area of Colorado. I think that this is my favourite of all the places we have seen in this state. We headed out on Highway 550 from Montrose towards the town of Ridgway, then onto Hwy 62 also known as the San Juan Skyway/Million Dollar Road. From there it was onto a small road that Frank had discovered on a previous trip 4 years ago. It was called the Last Dollar Rd. and what an incredibly scenic route it was. It is unpaved, winding and at times a little rocky. A four wheel drive vehicle helps ... read more

Its difficult to imagine that this area of central Colorado didn always exist as we know it today. The geological history is fascinating and the more I see and learn the more Im amazed. Everywhere we look its a breathtaking panorama. This morning the air was a cool 49 degrees, the skies once again pure blue but today they were especially clear over the mountains. The temp was below freezing last night and the little fountain in front of this wonderful hotel froze for the first time this winter. Little Oscar, the resident Dachshund was not impressed with the cold weather and he quickly went out for his morning business and then hurried inside to lie in a sunny spot by the door. Today we headed out to further explore this area. We started with a ... read more