September 14, 2019

We had a light breakfast at the nearby DazBog café. We started the Circle the American West bus tour this morning, leaving the hotel by 8:25 a.m. People could sit wherever they wished this morning and that would be today’s seat. Tomorrow the assigned rotating seating will start. Today’s journey was about 426 kilometers (265 miles).

We drove through the edge of Denver’s city center and then west on Interstate 70. Our guide, Matt, relayed lots of information about the rules for the trip – especially, don’t keep the bus waiting. Three people during the day didn’t appear to have heard that one. Matt explained that Colorado has three distinct geographical areas. On the east side are the Eastern Plains, which includes Denver; in the center are the Rocky Mountains which has 54 of the highest peaks in Colorado. Then the Western Slope and Plateau which is on the west side, extending into eastern Utah.

There have been several years of low rainfall in Colorado and the landscape is dry. The cliffs along our route are either reddish or a gray, and sometimes both colours in the visible layers.

Our first stop was an hour from the hotel in the foothills. It is on the Lariat Loop Byway, a Detroit Parks property for hiking. At Lookout Mountain we had great views of the valley including the North Plateau, South Plateau and the city of Golden where Coors beer is brewed. Up at the viewpoint is a gift shop and William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s grave since his death in 1917. The citizens of Cody, Wyoming were not happy that he decided not to be buried in the town that he had founded in the 1896.

Shortly after we returned to Interstate 70 and entered the Eisenhower Tunnel, the highest tunnel in the Interstate system at 3,401 meters or 11,158 feet above sea level and it is 1.6 miles (2.7 km) long. We crossed the Continental Divide in the tunnel and could see patches of snow near the peaks when we were out of the tunnel. Next, we passed the Dillon Reservoir which supplies Denver with all of its water. The greater Denver area has a population of almost three million.

The lunch stop was in Vail, Colorado which was incorporated in 1966 after skiing became popular in the area. Vail’s elevation is 2,484 meters (over 8,000 feet), just a bit higher than Aspen. It was a pleasant surprise to find that the 90-minute stop would allow us to participate in Vail’s Oktoberfest Street Festival weekend. As we descended the stairs from the drop-off to the center of Vail, we heard some bells ring 11:30. It was about 21°C and the sun was shining as the German band played. We even had a chance to dance a waltz to Edelweiss in the center of the cobbled street. We stopped at a vendor for bratwurst sandwiches with mustard and sauerkraut and shared a pastry before exploring some of the townsite and walking along the path that ran parallel to the creek. We remembered to activate the GPS which shows our meandering. When we returned to the bus we had logged 8,513 on the step counter.

Back on Interstate 70 we travelled through three tunnels as we approached the 12.5 mile long Glenwood Canyon. The greyish rock sides tower about 550 meters high. This portion of the interstate road system was not completed until 1992 due to its complicated engineering and environmental concerns. The Colorado River runs through the gorge, only 70 miles from its source and goes all the way to the Pacific Ocean. At the Grizzly Creek view point, we had a 30 minute stop where we watched rafters float by in colourful inflatable rafts. Back on the road we were entering the Western Slopes and Plateau region where in the Grand Valley orchards and vineyards thrive. The upper portion of the Colorado River used to be called the Grand River.

As we travelled beside the Grand Mesa, its towering basalt cliffs were visible. It is the largest basalt plateau in the world. Uranium was mined in the area once in the 20^thcentury, but now coal is mined and there is a natural gas reserve.

We reached Grand Junction, Colorado about 4 p.m. Grand Junction’selevation is 1,397 meters, which is lower than Denver. The bus stopped in the historic center so that the passengers could explore the area for an hour while Matt and our driver, José, took the bus to the hotel where they unloaded the luggage and checked everyone in. We walked around the district, admiring the public artwork including sculptures depicting Grand Junction’s history; finally stopping for ice cream to cool off in the 30°C heat. When the passengers returned to the bus, our room key cards were distributed on our seats. The ride was about 15 minutes from the town center to the Grand Vista Hotel.

As the group entered the hotel lobby we were greeted by a staff member offering cookies and either non-alcoholic peach punch or champagne as an introduction to the hotel. Once in our room we found that our luggage had been delivered.

After freshening up, we walked to find a restaurant and after enjoying the scenery settled at Appleby’s for dinner, about a 15-minute walk from the hotel. There was a restaurant in the hotel, but we will have breakfast there is the morning.

Steps 21,967 (about 16 km)