Today was dedicated to getting across Colorado and the Rocky Mountains via I-70 and getting myself installed in my last motel room for a while in Moab Utah.

The eastern third of Colorado is, not surprisingly, a bit like western Kansas. I-70 in Colorado has a 75 MPH speed limit and the local people take full advantage of it. To be honest, this is not too surprising since in all the western states things are much further apart than in the east. In vast stretches of geography here you would be hard pressed to damage anything other than yourself by running off the road.

Eventually the terrain gradually starts to gain altitude and present a more "hilly" appearance as befits an approach to the mountains. Approaching Denver from the east is not an impressive sight. The road is steadily climbing, but not dramatically so and, suddenly, you are in the suburbs of Denver. Since Denver is located on a, reasonably, flat plateau there is no real sense of being "in the mountains". (You are much more aware of the topography of the land in Pittsburgh. ) This is exacerbated by the fact that, like most large cities, Denver is covered in a blanket of haze. This means the Rockies are only dimly visible from Denver and, when you do glimpse a distant peak, the snow has a distinctly yellow / brown tint to it.

Since I arrived at Denver in mid morning I plowed right through the center of town, not there is much choice if I wanted to stay on the Interstate. There was only moderate traffic, aggravated by a few construction sites. (I think EVERY city on I-70 has had some sort of construction going on.)

The climb over the Rockies begins almost as soon as you leave the city and at a grade that shows the mountains mean business now and are out to teach the first time traveler a thing or two. EVERYTHING slows down and, given the Coloradens like for speed, it is not out of a sudden desire for safety. The procedure is simple, keep downshifting till you no longer loose speed with your foot to the floor. In my case this worked out to third gear and about 45MPH. From a bit into the mountians, and a bit out of Denver, the snow on the mountians has shown itself to be white after all.

Stopped and took a few pictures at "Dillon Reservoir". This is a sizable body of water close to the continental divide and the high point of the road. I presume it is the water supply for most of the ski resorts in the area. Just down the road is Vale Pass (10,662 feet) the highest point on I-70 in Colorado. I-70 through the mountians is a bit "claustrophobic" in that you can often not see much besides the road and the close in cliffs. Most of the towns appear to be small, or at least not visible from the highway. The parts not visible from the highway must have some spectacular access roads.

On the way down the western slope I noticed that the highway shares the way with the Colorado river and the Union Pacific Railroad. There were quite a few trains, though mostly freight. The route would make an interesting passenger run though. There are also quite a few ski resorts in this area. You can see a few of the ski slopes from the highway and most look too steep summer decent let alone a winter one.

Grand Junction Colorado has achieved the dream of many a small town with an interstate that passes it on the outskirts. For some reason the westbound lanes of I-70 are close in this area and ALL traffic must go through Grand Junction. I wonder if the local Chamber of Commerce has dynamited a bridge ? :-)

A short while after crossing into Utah I get to loose the interstate at exit 202 and head for Moab via Utah Route 128, two lane blacktop, that follows the Colorado river. Good scenery and I took a few pictures. At one picture stop another car pulled up and a man got out to do the same. He noticed the Pennsylvania license on my car and it turned out he was, originally, from Philadelphia though he was now living in Denver.

In Moab I found that "Motel 6" has let me down. Both their web site and printed directory list a Motel 6 in Moab, but it does not exist! I had to pay too much for an elaborate room but you have to expect some surprises on a trip or you may as well stay home.