August 5, 2008
Colorado Springs, CO
We saw a car pulling a travel trailer in a rest area with this slogan painted on the window. It looked like a family on vacation from New York (based on the license plate). This slogan dates back to the gold rush days, when people used the trails that became US-40 and eventually I-70 to migrate westward. I've never had a particular burning desire to visit Pike's Peak, but this is a good stopping point on our trip west as well. It'll allow us to spend a few days and acclimate to the altitude (over 6,000 feet) before we head to Durango next week.
We rolled into Colorado Springs (in the shadow of Pike's Peak) in the afternoon, just ahead of the daily thunderstorm. Apparently, like a lot of places we visit, geography plays an interesting role in weather. Here, warm air rides up over the mountains, meets with cooler air aloft, and dumps rain on the eastern side, also known as the "front range". We didn't realize how much we'd climbed from the plains in Kansas until we got here, since everything appeared "flat". At times, I could feel the thin air in my breathing, so I knew we'd climbed somewhat. On the other hand, I had it in my mind that Colorado Springs was lower than Denver by 600-800 feet. I had the difference right, just backwards!
The rain didn't start in earnest until after we'd done a "full deployment" (hookups, slides, grills, outside lights, etc.) since we'll be here for a week. It didn't slow us down any since a) we came prepared with dinner already made (thanks, Mike, for the lasagna!) and b) we are road-tired after a couple of days on the move. We'll be calling it an early night...
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