Higher and Higher

This blog is dedicated to Gilly who needs to come and see the Rockies herself.

We left Denver on Saturday morning having said our good-byes to the family on Friday night.  Dad chose our route with input from me ;) saying how much I had enjoyed the Red Rock Canyon west of Glenwood Springs a few years back on a train.  I had noticed in narrow spots there was only room for the train, the Colorado River, and a highway which I hoped to traverse some day.  Subsequently, my DH and I drove it, but here was another chance!  A remarkable piece of road.

We were sad about the clouds going up into the mountains, afraid that we would miss the views:

But soon the sun broke through:     

  Coming up to the famous Eisenhower Tunnel:

The Eisenhower Tunnel is so named because of his effort to get an interstate highway system.  It is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world, at 11,112 feet elevation.  It is 1.69 miles long which seems like a long ways when you are in it.  It is clean and bright which you can’t tell from my photos taken at 55 mph! Through the windshield, no less. At the summit is Lake Dillon, now frozen over:

        Ski runs visible in Vail: 

Many ski condos in Glenwood Springs and Vail:

Coming into the red rock area:

Nice textures:

   

There is a bike trail running alongside the river below the highway:  The photo below shows the train tracks on the left, the Colorado River, a very small ribbon of bike trail and then the split-level eastbound and westbound lanes of I-70:

I did not “fix” this rock color, I swear.  It was all like this, which is what makes the other photos disappointing. Impressive clouds; rain in the distance:

The day’s not over yet but it’s time for me to quit.

[I have struggled to move between Windows Live Writer, Picasa 3 for collages, and my original blogger site.  For some reason when I do a collage and post it , it always goes to Blogspot and not Live Writer where I am working.  Can anyone out there help me?]

Now, what shall I make for dinner?