Colorado Trip across 70

Traveling across the Rocky Mountains along interstate 70 is awe-inspiring.

Did you know. The Rocky Mountains stretch for 3,000 miles, from Canada all the way down into New Mexico.

The highest peak is Mount Elbert at 14,440 feet, in Colorado.

It's very hard to get a feeling of great altitude, when your already at 5,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level, while traveling across the mountain range.

The Rocky Mountains are an important habitat for all sorts of wildife, including Big Horn Sheep. Check out the ones I saw eating grass at the side of the road.

The Rocky Mountains form the Continental Divide, separating rivers draining to the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, from those draining to the Pacific.

 

Driving across the Rocky Mountains can be a bit tricky during the winter months.

 

And what's one of the main attractions of Colorado... skiing!

Check out some Rocky Mountain National Park webcams at: http://rockymountainnationalpark.com/pages/webcams.html

From Mountain Tops to Desert Floors (What a Day)

California, one of my favorite places to travel, is a beautiful state. Coming south on interstate 15, the trip down the mountain from Hesperia, CA to San Bernardino, CA is a steep drop. And right now there is snow on the distant tops, making the view even more spectacular.

Once you you get down the steepest part, there are these big plates of solid rock, pushing up from the ground.

Once down the mountain, near San Bernardino, sometimes you can see the mountains in the far distance. And some times you can't. But this day, you not only could see the mountains, but there were clouds hanging low.

Through out parts of California the horizon seems so vast, and can make you feel so minuscle. The shape of the mountains are attention grabbing, to say the least.

Then there is Pisgah Volcano, a young volcanic cinder cone, rising above a lava plain in the Mojave Desert, between Barstow and Needles, California. There may have been activity at this site as recent as 2,000 years ago, though more likely 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. It is too young for the commonly used potassium-argon dating technique, which is usable on specimens over 100,000 years old. Although I have to say, the volcano doesn't look like much more than a black colored hill.

As the sun went down, it brought a beautiful pink tone to the sky. I have to say.... what a way to end the day.

 

 



After the Snow Storm

Recently, I was in Washington, D.C. delivering Ford Concept cars to the upcoming Auto Show. And wouldn't you know it, I got stuck overnight, when a big snowstorm came in. Needless to say, the roads looked a mess and I could hear sirens buzzing in the distance all night long.

The next morning, the roads looked better and I made my way out onto the streets and headed back home to Michigan. The countryside, full of fresh winter snow, was extraordinary. I grabbed my camera. And this was the first shots of the morning.

Of course, numerous vehicles were still stuck at the side of the roads. Tow trucks were pulling cars and trucks, out of the snow from the night before, at almost every turn.

There's something so appealing about fresh snow, the way it lays so thick on the branches, the crisp air it brings, and the bright white color. It is such a lovely aspect of living.

And the countryside is so sweet in Pennsylvania. The Smokey Mountains are striking.

Churches and barns are a favorite thing for me to photograph. Their structures, always different, and eye-catching. The scenery that surrounds them, just as significant to my fascination with them.

All and all the roads were plowed very well, making my travel trouble-free. With fresh snow, the countryside vista couldn't have been more spectacular for the ride home.

Welcome Back To Wyoming

WELCOME BACK

TO

WYOMING

Welcome to winter time in Wyoming. Quite different looking, than the pictures of this state in the summer time. In fact, I feel like I am in the middle of Alaska at this time of year. I have to say... Ice Road Truckers have nothing on me!

When driving through Wyoming, the speed limit normally is posted 75 mph. But this day, with wind gust exceeding 55 mph, the speed limit posted was 45 mph. A very sluggish pace indeed, but when the wind is trying to push you in the other lane, it is a whole lot safer to slow down and do that reduced speed.

                                

It is an incredible sight to see the snow racing across the road. Looking like a sand storm blowing across the dunes; only white, cold, and much slicker.

At times I wondered... ski slope or road?

And in some spots the wind was so powerful, making it difficult to see in front of you. And I wondered if I'd be able to remain on the road. The strange part, if you looked up, you could see that Wyoming blue sky. But it was very nerve-wrecking to drive in.

During a gap in this winter blast, I spotted a lone, wild black horse out in the middle of nowhere and managed to get a shot of it.

How the horses are able to deal with the blistery wind and snow... I don't know. Certainly glad I was toasty in my vehicle.

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All that blowing snow gave the distance some amazing scenery.

I believe this is black butte mountain in the distance.

  
What a day it was driving in this wintery scene. Truthfully, I am so glad to be safe and sound, and out of Wyoming. I much prefer summers.