The drive from Bryce Canyon to Grand Junction was another beauty, but there was an interesting stretch in there that can only be described as desolation. There were large vistas, but the mountains and steppes were almost completely barren of any plant life. Then I hit the Colorado border, and things started to green up a little.

Grand Junction is a small city with a nice attitude. The people were very friendly. I was at the Ramada Inn and they were very helpful in anything asked. I went to the Colorado National Monument one afternoon, and it reminded me a lot of Zion National Park in the beauty of the spires and the way the canyons developed over time. It’s been great having a National Parks Annual Pass, as getting into the parks is now so quick and easy. I’ve decided to mostly let the pictures tell the story here, but I feel the people who live here are really fortunate that they have such an amazing national park nearby. And if the others I saw along the way are an indication, they do take advantage a lot.

I had been told that the steaks at WW Peppers would “melt in your mouth.” It was right beside the motel, so I decided to try them. I had one of those exceptionally perky, 45 year old waitresses with a hairdo from a 1960’s teenager who was a real treat. The steak was less than advertised, but the experience was rather fun.

I played golf at a place called Adobe Creek and realized that I was slowly getting my golf game back in shape, but was having some difficulty with my driver. It was very unpredictable, but especially I was tending to pull the ball strongly. At the same time, my proficiency with my relatively new 3 fairway metal was becoming quite good, so on short par 4’s, I was using that. Since then I’ve realized it has been more a problem with my weight transfer, so I’ve been to the range and worked on it. The other interesting thing is that one can get very seduced into thinking one’s power is increasing dramatically when you’re playing golf at 4000-6000 feet in altitude. I was regularly banging out 210 yard drives, when 190 is about my usual average. I’ve had to recalculate the distance of each of my irons also, as I’m hitting all of them further at this altitude.

I then drove to Denver. I’d spoken to my brother, Jim, and realized the weather might get a little testy the next afternoon, and since I had to go over Vail pass, which is over 11,000 feet, I decided to get an early start. One of the most interesting parts of this trip is the driving itself. This was a beautiful drive, winding through very narrow canyons on very well-maintained highway. Driving through the ski areas made me long for getting back on skis again, but that will have to wait until next winter. In the long descent down into Denver, there was one stretch where the cops were out in force, and I saw 3 people pulled over within about 10 minutes. I have been very careful with my speed on this trip, partly to avoid a ticket, but also as part of the experience to really see the countryside and not be in a hurry. The less traffic, the more I simply put it on cruise control and look at the world. Next: Denver