I don’t think the trip back to Denver was quite as difficult as going over. Yesterday was overcast, rainy, and much cooler and that helped keep the transmission temperature down. That and the fact that the eastbound approach to the Eisenhower Tunnel is a much more gradual slope. But Vail Pass? Brutal! It is so steep I drove much of it at less than twenty-five miles per hour and the transmission temp still shot up to 232 degrees! I had to pull off the road three times to let the truck cool down. I tried the trick of staying in third gear and that didn’t help. I have vowed never to pull this camper with this truck over these mountains…ever again. It was too stressful and I was exhausted when I was done. But, we arrived safely and got parked back under the tree at my son-in-law’s parents’ house so all is right with the world.

We camped the last three nights at Redstone Campground in Redstone, Colorado. What a beautiful place. The campsites are broad and private. We couldn’t even see the next site and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. The camp host told us there had only been one bear sighting in camp this summer and that was back in May. I was kind of surprised because the campsite was literally surrounded with shrubs that were loaded with all kinds of berries. We paid for a double site in order to maintain privacy. If someone took the other side, our door would literally open up on the neighbor’s camper, so it was worth the extra expense.

When we returned to Denver, we took our son-in-law’s parents out for dinner at Culver’s. It’s a hamburger place but we had salads that were quite good. After dinner, we went for a drive and went to see the new Light Rail Station in Westminster. Denver is developing a wonderful train system that will soon be completed. You can now catch the train into downtown Denver and be at Union Station in eleven minutes. Senior Citizen rate is $2.60 round trip. You can’t park downtown for that! We’ll take the train down just for the experience while we’re here. Maybe we’ll go to the Art Museum.

There is so much to do and see in Colorado. And, I don’t think it is my imagination when I say there are more people here than there was when I left three years ago. Granted, I’ve been living a fairly solitary existence, but this is crazy! It felt like being in a bee hive. There are people everywhere. I especially noticed when we went to Maroon Bells near Aspen. Here we were, in one of the most picturesque settings in the stat…bus after bus emptying tourists from all over the globe out onto a parking lot. Paths spread out in every direction like tentacles and there were people wherever you looked…scrambling in every direction…grasping for their moment in the sun. It made me cringe. It made me sad. I think maybe the economy is allowing people to vacation again and there does seem to be an awful lot of people camping these days. Colorado is a desirable destination and it IS high summer tourist season so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised…but it was surprising nonetheless.

Regardless of how busy everyplace was, Mr. Fix and I had a fabulous time and we made wonderful memories. After all, that was the goal. Mission accomplished! ❤️

“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬