Day 10: The Long Boogie Home: Part 1 

 

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Like a well oiled machine, Mike pulled into the St George IHG at 8:30AM just as the Bone checked out and headed to the door, Bone convinced Mike to stop for victuals before the long slog ahead. He had a particular treat for Mike in mind, CHICKEN FRIED STEAK AND GRAVY!!!

 

Mike and Bone, channeling Chicken Fried Steak!!

So what is this chicken-fried steak stuff?! It usually is a less expensive cut of steak (like cube steak), that is tenderized, coated in a seasoned flour mixture, and then fried in the same manner as fried chicken, giving it a crispy, golden crust. It is often served with a creamy country-style sausage gravy and paired with sides like mashed potatoes and green beans. The name comes from its preparation method, not from the meat it's made from, and it is the gravy, that makes (or not) the dish! After a round of gravy-ladened breakfast treats, the sated and stuffed, Mike and Bone headed out on the road, doing 70 to get to I-70 east up I-15!

 

Running through Hurricane (!?!)

 

Neither of the Boys had ever taken I-70 east before, so with gusto and grit, the midwest road warriors marveled at the iconic western desert scenery from wintery Richfield, through Emery, Utah, and on t into colorful Colorado passing de-lovely De Buque!

 

Chasing the Colorado!

It is around De Buque that I-70 pretty much shadows the mighty and majestic Colorado River! Through much of Colorado the river is fed from mountain streams and is a clear, pure blue green rushing and roaring through the rocky desert of Western Colorado.  However, on the horizon the snow-capped beauty of those most magnificent geologic formations that rose to dry out that Paleolithic Ocean that formed so much of the Southwest, better known as the Rockies!

 

The looming Rockies!

Mike and Bone talked about how dry western Colorado is for the first two hours in the State. But sure enough as they approached the Western Slope of the Rockies. The Western Slope is a local term to describe the part of the state of Colorado west of the Continental Divide.

Bodies of water west of the Divide flow toward the Pacific Ocean; water that falls and flows east of the Divide heads east toward the Gulf of Mexico. The Western Slope encompasses about 33% of the state, but has just 10% of the state's residents, which is why Mike and Bone drove for several hours with out seeing anything but the river and the growing mountains!

 

Sensing Snow in the Rockies

Many think that Colorado is all mountains and the reality is that the western third is flat desert, the middle third is in fact the Rockies, and the eastern third is flat prairie, no better than Nebraska! However, because of the Earth's rotation that makes winds and weather (typically) come in from the west, that huge backbone of rock rising out of that flatland makes a great weather, hence water catcher and in the winter collect a ton a snow! This simple but powerful natural process, makes the snowy mountains a paradise for winter skiers! Soon, Mike and Bone drove through the infamous ski resort towns of Vail and Breckinridge, as the snow pack grew by the mile in front of the Boys as it starting snowing as it grew dark!

 

Seeing some Skiing!

resort towns of Vail and Breckinridge, as the snow pack grew by the mile in front of the Boys as it starting snowing as it grew dark!

 

Packing Bad Pie in Boulder!

The more vertical the climb, the darker the night became, along with the snow really coming down, Mike called it quits driving for the night just west of Denver around 9:00. The Boys checked into an IHG right off of the freeway that so happened to have a local pizza joint! Sadly the best part of the meal was the service, the wine and beer, the pizza stunk! Cardboard with cheese and marinara sauce.

Exhausted, after the 621 mile drive in the snowy mountains, the Boys blissfully crashed!