Day 5, Tuesday, December 16, Wolf Creek Pass, Colorado

Good morning Colorado! It is snowing again...lots. We made it to Cortez and are in sight of the mountains now! They were beautiful now with caps of snow peaking through the misty morning air. But we really can't see them anymore...there are clouds sitting on them, and the snow is falling thick and fast.

We have to drive cautiously because the road is a two lane, and it is very snowy. The countryside is so lovely, so breathtaking. I love it here, even more with the snow!

We have something we call a class-three-poker in front of us right now. They are vehicles that drive inordinately slow. I secretly appreciate them because I get a chance at more pretty photos. :)

We are trying to get to Colorado Springs tonight for dinner. The problem? Wolf Creek
Pass! Its elevation is 10,857 ft, and it is not very attractive to drive over this time of year...especially in a blizzard. Some say even summer travel on this pass can be treacherous. :)

A small waterfall frozen in time. Isn't it like a winter wonderland?

The pass is eight miles long. It took us about half an hour! There were times we couldn't see anything at all! Every once in a while, there was an orange post or a road sign that told us we were more or less on the road. Frankly, we were surprised they hadn't closed the pass yet. Mama had the video camera out, but she kept turning it on...and then turning it off again because it was so scary!

I kept getting glimpses of forbidding rocks, dark in the snow and half-submerged in a sea of frosted pines. Once in a while, a grim peak reared itself out of the mist, but only my eyes could catch the shadows because of the snow. It was like being in a dream-country...almost as if the mountains were there only half the time, and shrouded in mysterious shadow.

There was a tunnel that gave us a short respite, but it felt strange to be able to see again.

Honestly, I didn't put the worst "windshield shot" in. It was so bad that it looks like a white sheet...really not much to look at. Later, Daddy said that if he had known it was going to be so bad, he would not have tried it. But when we were down, all of us were so excited that we had made it, that we had a "Let's do it again!" attitude in the back seat...not the front seat...you can see more from there.

When we finally reached the other side of the pass, we saw Wolf Creek...not much huh?

Next up is La Vita Pass... Does it look good from here? :)