Grand Junction

I left Denver slightly later than I had hoped, but it turns out it was for the best. All of the rains the night before had wreaked havoc with the roads, flooding several major arteries. Denver may be the only town with an even more frustrating Interstate highway system than Atlanta.

I made a few stops along the way. I think one of them was in Silverthorne and the other was Vail. But it could have been Copper Mountain and Breckinridge. There really isn't that much difference in these little ski towns. They cater to high rollers in the winter and in the summer, simply switching over to rafting and kayaking after the snow melts around July 4th. I stocked up on things like bananas, apples, cheese and gorp so that I can save some money on meals. There's a grocery store out here called "City Market" which is owned by Kroger, and carries many Kroger brand products. I wasn't clear on why there needed to be a new "brand" for the west....

I'd not made reservations anywhere, and just planned on stopping in either Glenwood Springs or Grand Junction. Glenwood Springs has the distinction of having the world's largest hot springs pool. Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. Along the way I also went through the Eisenhower Tunnel, it just so happens to be the world's highest passenger tunnel, and (I think) the longest vehicular tunnel. I'm sure that the people that work here must get a boost of self-confidence with this knowledge, and I'm sure the mothers of the engineers that planned out both projects are mighty proud, but, in the end, who cares?

They were doing road construction around Glenwood Springs, so I didn't exit. Sadly I will have no photograph of myself in front of the world's largest hot springs pool. Instead, I got through as best I could and pulled off just west of Glenwood for a soak in an undeveloped hot spring out in the middle of nowhere. It isn't publicized, and the directions are kept deliberately cryptic (exit, turn left, go about a half mile, then pull over in a well used turnoff, go down the path, cross the creek, and go up the hill). This keeps out the riff raff, and ensures that only members of the Hot Springs Cosa Nostra can find and enjoy the spring. I could give better directions, but I'd have to kill you.

I made it into Grand Junction in the late afternoon, and was initially disappointed. It just looks like suburbia from the interstate. However, I sought out the downtown area, and was quite impressed. They've put up lots of public art along Main Street, and many of the stores are open and seem to be doing well. However, they all locked up tight at 5:30 or 6:00, which was the time I was there. Luckily, main street has preserved two old theaters, the Avalon (where world renowed performers like Ethel Barrymore and Pat Benetar have performed!) and another that's being used for live music. Since I arrived at about 5:40 I missed the last matinee performance of An Inconvenient Truth. It probably wouldn't have been wise to screen that on the vacation part of my trip, anyway. I found the local brewpub, where I enjoyed a local brew and chatted with an Indian about Wimbledon tennis. It seems he's a fan. I also learned that the beer of choice among American Indians is Coors Lite. This might be useful one day....

Tomorrow, off to Ouray and Orvis Hot Springs!