I'm home but let me recount the rest of the journey. Crockett and I pulled out of Grand Junction Friday morning in the mist and low hanging clouds. Way cool. I have a pic in the gallery. The trip east along I-70 was as pretty as the trip west. The section between Monument and Rifle was breathtaking and the Glenwood Springs Canyon rivals the Colorado River canyon bordering Arches NP. We had some time to spend so we made our way up to Steamboat Springs. I was a little disappointed at all the ski resort development. I was there 30 years ago and there wasnt much but the the historic western town and a ski slope. A lot has changed and I'm sure that some folks love it.
That reminds me of one of the struggles I was talking to Crockett about the NPS has with the parks. You have to strike a balance between what people want to see and do in a particular beautiful environment or it may no longer be special. If it gets trampled or developed too much, then where is the appeal?
We made it back down to Hot Sulphur Springs and spent the night in an old timey motel with no A/C. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary with windows open and temps in the 50's.
The next morning I took Crockett about a mile out of town to the Sheriff Ranch, one of the largest and oldeset working ranches in Colorado, to meet his Young Life backpacking group. These were all volunteers from around Colorado who give time to YL for these backpcking ventures into Colorado and Wyoming. (They also offer sea kayak adventures in the Gulf of Cortez!) Crocektt's friend Ethan came on the bus and they will return to Jackson on the bus on the 4th.
I drove all day (from 11:00 to 1:00am) to get to Fort Worth. The scenery changes are so fun to notice. From mountains and snow, to no snow, to hills, then to flat. As the elevation dropped, the mercury rose. Around 10:00, I was near Vernon Texas and the temp was 97. Ouch
Well, I'm glad to be home. Real glad to see Teri and Cray. But, I can't help but start thinking about the next venture. And, as I always do, I want to encourage you to go somewhere you haven't been before and see new things. If you can't, then go some place you really love and enjoy. The opertive word is "GO!"
