BRRRRRRRRRRR!

This morning we awoke to a very cold morning in Colorado. When we left the hotel at 7 it was 41 degrees so we put on a lot of warm clothes. We got about 30 miles down the road, stopped and put on more warm clothes! Despite the cold though, it was another breathtaking ride for the first 135 miles as the road climbed peak after peak and then descended into the canyons and gorges on the other side. Vail peak is the highest at 10,630 feet of elevation. We passed all of the well known resorts including vail and Breckenridge. Very very beautiful country and now with the aspens turning golden it is even more so with the morning sun. It took the better part of the morning to get to Denver and we stopped for lunch just northeast of there.

Now I am not complaining but once you get east of Denver and at least as far as we got today (Grand Island Nebraska) there is a lot of open land and not a lot of note to report on. It is beautiful country and you see a lot of ranches with cattle and horses but there is not a lot other than that and because we are somewhat anxious to get home, we are not doing a lot of exploring off the interstate. We did see an original Pony Express office but the museum was closed. Late today we passed under the Great Platte River Road Archway. Apparently this archway, which is massive and spans the interstate, was designed by Walt Disney studios for a private investor and it is quite a museum to the history of Nebraska. Only problem is that while it spans the interstate, there is no exit for it and it is only accessible via a service road off the exit before it.
 look it up with this link: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/9790
We also noticed that there are a number of wind socks along the road. According to the lady at the gas station, the winds here get so severe that they are to warn motorists. Luckily they were hanging pretty limp today. She told us if we had been here yesterday, we would have experienced quite severe winds.
When we stopped at one gas station in Western Nebraska, there was a group of kids in a car with NY plates. Ever the inquisitor, I asked them where they were from. "Oh a little town about 40 miles north of Syracuse" was the reply. Turns out they were from Mexico and Pulaski and I know one of their Dads. Small world HUH?
So we are hunkered down tonight in Nebraska and after tomorrow, I'll be riding alone. Looks like it will be another great day weather wise tomorrow and we'll see how far we get.