Day Twelve - Blackhawk to Provo

Altitude

In the Mile-High City of Denver, asthmatics and other folks with lung deficiencies may have some issues to deal with.  After a few days visiting our son Arthur, who climbs all the 14,000-ft+ mountains in the state and obviously has good lung capacity, it was time for those of us who don't to move on.  So naturally, we moved west to Blackhawk, altitude 8042 feet.  Despite our good luck at the Lady Luck tables yesterday (dinner table not included, mind you) we tried to get some sleep on the ninth floor (altitude 8132 feet) but without success.  With a seven-and-a-half hour drive today to look forward to, a little sleep would have been helpful.  But we headed west, crossing the Vail pass at 10,622 feet.  

The White Mountains

Think the snow is gone?  Not here.  In fact, although the weather has been mostly very nice since early spring, many of the mountain crests have some melting left to do.  All these were taken along Route 70 in North Central Colorado. 

Not too much snow in the many tunnels, though.

The Rockies become really rocky

Some of the angular strata is a paleo-geologist's dream:

In Northwestern Colorado, the geography changes a lot, becoming flatter, sandier, and much less green.

And by the time you reach Northeastern Utah, it has changed even more.  Not for the better.

Trees become scarce.

And the world becomes flat.

With lots of rocky ridges and escarpments.

Understand, we still feel the most beautiful places on earth are in Utah.  But well south of here.

We pulled into the Utah Welcoming Center for the usual adjustments, and see if anything between here and Provo warranted an arrival earlier than already planned.

Mary Frances.  Nice slogan: Life Elevated.

An old guy we ran into.

After a hundred fifty miles or so, Utah began to go green.  In fact, it began to look a lot like Colorado.

Even a little snow.

And sometimes with a patch of iron-red.

At last we arrive in Provo, enjoy a very nice dinner and drinks at Wingo's Grill, Restaurant and Brewery, and settle in for the night, hoping for a better night's sleep, since tomorrow's trip to Reno covers even more miles, across even more difficult terrain, than today's.  At the other end, the Atlantis Casino & Hotel.  And well, you know...