The Rocky Mountains in Colorado!

Whew, I am exhausted! We gained an hour by going from Kansas to Colorado, but we definitely used it up sightseeing the Rocky Mountains. We left Colby, Kansas and headed into Denver, Colorado. I met up with a friend I haven't seen in a few years and caught up with her over lunch. Then it was off to the Rocky Mountains.

I have to say, Colorado terrain is pretty incredible. I figured it might take me about 3 hours to get through the Rocky Mountains but turns out it took us about 4 1/2-5 hours. There are majestic mountain sides simply filled with slabs of rocks. And there are mountain sides filled with trees and trees. Peaks after peaks rose, and the pictures really can't do justice to the vast beauty of the land that only your eyes can soak in. It turns out that there are also remnants of glaciers at the peaks.

My sister and I decided to take the "Old Fall River Road" instead of the "Trail Ridge Road" in touring through the Rocky Mountains by car. Why? Because the "Old Fall River Road" is closed during winter time, which intrigued us, and looked somewhat shorter in the map. Maps, it turns out, are quite deceptive. The road turned out to be unpaved, and only one way going up. It was so narrow, steep, and close to pretty much falling off the mountain side, anybody going up that way had to crawl at about 10 mph. The recommended mileage was 9 mph, with 15 mph as the maximum. As much as I love to speed, safety took precedence, and I crawled. The prize, though, was eating up the incredible views of the peaks close up and to gaze down to the valleys. We even got close to the glaciers! It was a really LONG drive (not mileage wise, but time wise) but definitely worth it.

After getting to see the mountains, deer, and whatnot, we headed to our stop for the night -- Frisco, Colorado. We are staying at Ramada Inn, a newly built Inn, which wins for the cheapest room rate we had to pay so far at less than $70 (with all the amenities, plus extra complimentary goody packages). Tomorrow, we plan to see Grand Junction, Colorado and the Colorado National Monument. AND I plan to sleep in tomorrow morning! Even I can sleep in every once in a while. ;)