Part Nineteen

“Explore. Dream. Discover.”

The above quote is from an American icon who resided in Hartford, Connecticut for part of his lifetime. That icon was Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain. And his quote pretty much describes my journey out here in the Midwest for almost 3 weeks.

Exploring new parts of this country with the addition of 3 visits to states new to me has been awe inspiring. The beauty of this country and meeting up with the Navajo Indians at the Four Corners Monument was quite the learning experience. Thanks to my new friend Wayne who ran one of the concessions sites at the monument.

Dreaming about where to go can literally make my head spin. Many have told me to go overseas and see new countries. All in due time as my retirement budget shakes out. This trip was paid with owed vacation money and I am extremely grateful for that. Even though I am retried from News 8, I never took my job for granted nor did I take for granted my pay and all of the vacation time I earned which gave me the opportunity to travel and see my kids. The dreaming of where to go next will be determined down the line. Right now, this part of the dream has been superb.

Discovering goes hand in hand with exploring. I am always courteous about discovering new things. My old buddy Albert Einstein once said that "knowledge is power". Discovering lends itself to learning. Never be afraid to learn.

With all of the above stated, today was a day of traveling on a new stretch of Interstate 70 in Colorado. First, from our friends at Wikipedia.Org:

“Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah to I-695 near Baltimore, Maryland. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 (US 40, the old National Road) east of the Rocky Mountains. West of the Rockies, the route of I-70 was derived from multiple sources. The Interstate runs through or near many major cities, including Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

“The construction of I-70 in Colorado and Utah is considered an engineering marvel as the route passes through the Eisenhower Tunnel, Glenwood Canyon, and the San Rafael Swell. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the highest point along the Interstate Highway system with an elevation of 11,158 feet.

“The last section of I-70 to be completed was the 15-mile Glenwood Canyon. This stretch was completed in 1992 and was an engineering marvel due to the extremely difficult terrain and narrow space in the canyon, which requires corners that are sharper than normal Interstate standards. 

"Construction was delayed for many years due to environmental concerns. The difficulties in building the road in the canyon were compounded by the fact the Denver & Rio Grande Western railroad occupied the south bank of the Colorado River and many temporary construction projects took place to keep US 6 open, at the time the only east–west road in the area. Much of the highway is elevated above the Colorado River. The speed limit in this section is 50 mph due to the limited sight distance and sharp corners.”

I have always marveled at the things are engineered and then built. Going on I-70 thru Glenwood Canyon, east of Glenwood Spring, Colorado, was one awesome ride. The way the bridges were built. Some of them practically on top of each other.  And the tunnels.

I always wonder what it was like when the engineers started putting out bids for materials. And just like any tunnel I have been thru on the East Coast, the tunnel walls are lined with what looks like tile for the average bathroom. And the vendor yells over the phone, "You want how many tiles??!!"

Across the Colorado River was a single track main line of the Union Pacific Railroad which was formally the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. 

I look at some of the curves as I traveling east and it is a wonder how the long trains of today stay on those tracks due to the sometimes over-90 degrees curves. Adding one or two helper locomotive on the rear end makes a great difference as was seen on the freight trains that passed my hotel in Glenwood Springs.

As Wik.O states above, the top speed is 50 MPH. The curves get pretty tight up there. If you have to pass a tractor trailer, please wait for a straightaway. Those guys need that extra room. Still, what a ride and lots of fun. To my old family friend Cheryl Ierna, you were not kidding. This stretch of I-70 was very cool!!

As I approach the western suburbs of Denver on I-70, my jaw dropped as I saw my first snow of the season in the distance. 

May I say that the day began spectacularly beautiful, but as the forecasters at KUSA-9 in Denver said, the snow would be coming just after mid-day. I tried to arrange lunch with one of my ham radio buddies but overshot the exit by 8 miles, When I told him what I was seeing to the west and he having snow at his office 8 miles from me, I cancelled plans and found my way north via US 85 which runs parallel along I-25 but moves further east as you go north. I kept looking back and seeing this snow front just plow in, no pun intended. 

I can say that I am a good driver in snow…but in my own territories back home. I’d rather let the Coloradoans have fun and just stay out of their way. Even approaching Cheyenne about 50 miles to the south, there were wisps of snow collecting on US 85. Still, it was fun to see my first snow. I do look forward to winter as I get to stay home and play with my new snow thrower.

Other than that, the drive east from Cheyenne on I-80 and US 30 was uneventful. Saw a good number trains and lots of tumbleweeds being blown around. WYDOT posted sustain wind gusts of 50+ MPH. At times, I drove at 10 and 2 with my right knee at 4 to keep steady during the gusts. And the clouds 

looked frightening and intense at the same time.

Friday we continue heading east thru North Platte with arrival in Kearney for the weekend. I thought from time to time about having to go back home on Monday which I do miss. But this time, I stay home. I have running thru my mind all of the things that I want to get done. Very much looking forward to that. But trust me; there will be a lot of withdrawal from this trip. As my late father would say, make the Sign of the Cross and be thankful for what you’ve got. And I am every single day. 

Thanks, Dad.

I am Philip J Zocco. On The Road. In Sidney, Nebraska.