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Finally making my run towards the Tetons and Yellowstone. Left out of Granby and headed towards Steamboat Springs on US40. Let me just say, this has to be one of the most beautiful and most interesting drives in the country. I have traveled many roads and highways, through mountains, and alone the seashore, however, for shear diversity, I have never seen such variety.
Starting in Granby, you drive leisurely through rollings hills and wide-open ranches, with snow-capped mountains in the distance. The railroad parallels the highway to the south, and you gradually catch up to the Colorado River as well. As you enter Hot Sulphur Springs, the road starts a gradually descent and you enter into a canyon, were railroad, river and highway all converge to run side by side through some extremely picturesque scenery.
As you emerge on the far side, you once again enter into open plains, with an obvious obstacle to the west. As you cross these high plains, and view hundreds of wild flowers blooming roadside, as the Colorado lazily leads the way. Shortly, you begin to climb. An as you gradually gain altitude, the landscape undergoes a definite transition. Going from open plain, to dense forest of evergreens and aspen. Then snow begins to appear road side as you climb closer to the sky. Suddenly, as you round the bend, there is a sign just as you cross through Rabbit Ears Pass. It’s the Continental Divide. Here at 9,426 feet, the snow is nearly three feet deep.
You continue to climb and head upwards toward the tree line. Suddenly, there is movement on your left. Off in the snow field to the left, is a lone figure, trotting across the snow covered meadow. Then you notice just up the hill, a second similar shape just up inside the trees. It’s a brace of coyotes attempting to cross into the wooded area to the north of the road.
You spend a very brief moment above tree line, and then clearing the second half of Rabbit Ears Pass, you begin an immediate decent. The grade is 7% and is a downhill run of about nine (9) miles. After you enter back into the tree line there is a mile or so of slow sweeping turns on a very wide road. There is a break in the trees, and you get a view into the valley below and can see for miles and miles. Beautiful lakes and meandering streams. Seems like you can see clear into Utah. What an amazing view.
As you nurse the brakes and try to maintain speed and not lose control of the rig, the road levels off into rolling terrain once again and begin to see the signs of civilization near Steamboat Springs. Entering this tourist mecca, and good old cowboy town, you discover that the folks are quite friendly and helpful, and not at all pretentious like some of the other tourist destinations in the area. I enjoyed a very nice stroll downtown, which by the way, IS US40.
The remainder of my afternoon was spent driving up into Wyoming. I continued west on US40 into Craig CO, then turned north to find I-80 in Wyoming an almost 100 mile run. Only one town this entire stretch was Baggs WY, right on the border with Colorado. A quick tank of gas and a soda, and off I went to find the KOA in Rawlins. Along the way I spot two more ‘wildlife firsts’ or life listers as it were. I see my first Pronghorn Antelope and a rather good sized Golden Eagle. He was quite stunning.
One last observation as I turn onto the entrance ramp to I-80 east for my run to Rawlins. You know you are in the boon-docks, when you enter the ramp, you must cross over a cattle gate. Yes, I said a cattle gate! For those of you not familiar with the term, this is a device placed in the road bed that is constructed of a series of pipes, much like a sewer grate. This allows traffic to safely cross, while discouraging animals, mainly cattle, from crossing over.
A cattleman’s opinion of a fence by the way, is not to keep the animals within a certain area, but to keep them OUT. An important distinction if you think about it. Think open range . . .
For my good friends Chuck and Betty Wilson, a bit of cowboy wisdom. Please excuse me if you used this one in your BLOG last year.
‘Don’t kick fresh manure on a hot day!’
