Weenie & Dex in Leadville - COLD
After a wonderful week of hiking, the Weenies said goodbye to Pagosa Springs and turned their sights westward toward Durango and beyond. Sadly, the Durango Railroad didn’t allow poodles, so we continued on up past Silverton to the heart-pounding twists and turns of the “Million Dollar Highway” (named, I assume, for the amount of money you promise God you’ll donate to starving orphans if you survive). Clark Griswold had us on a tight schedule, so after a quick lunch in the sleepy mining town of Ouray, we headed out for our next destination.
Bill + Train = Hubba-Hubba-Hubby
The highlight of the day was definitely the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park. The Royal Gorge seemed comically small compared to this rugged masterpiece of solid rock. We saw lots of wildlife there, including some sort of chicken-like creature we initially thought was a hawk. (Clearly the Weenies’ birding skills are not very well developed.) We drove all the way down to the riverbed, 2000 feet below, then tried getting back up to the top before sunset. Have you ever tried outrunning the rotation of the earth? Not as easy as Superman made it appear, but sort of fun in a Lucy and Ethel kind of way.
Gunnison National Park's Black Canyon
The only negative was that I left my coat at the hotel where we stayed that night, which didn’t bother me much until we got to Leadville the next day. Did you know Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States? And do you know what that means? That means it’s freaking COLD there, people.
Tune in next time for Part 11 in the Travelin’ Weenie series.
Part 1: Travelin’ Weenies – The Colorado Experiment
Part 2: The Comfort of Crap
Part 3: Weenie in Her Full, Upright and Locked Position
Part 4: And they’re off…
Part 5: Down in the Valley
Part 6: Lost in Condo City
Part 7: Man Does Not Live by Cookies Alone
Part 8: Mountain Mama
Part 9: Why Poodles and Spas Don’t Mix
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh man, I love the Black Canyon! It’s where I lost my fear of heights. Really!
As a kid, I was seriously afraid of heights. When we drove over a bridge in the car, even just a run-of-the-mill over-another-street bridge, I’d be on the floor in the back seat, terrified. Then, at the ripe old age of 12, I encountered the black canyon, and I fell in love with it. Much to my own surprise, I was walking right up to the edge of the cliffs (I’m guessing there are guardrails now) and casually stepping over 1000-foot-deep fissures like they were nothing. My fear of heights completely disappeared.
About 15 years ago I decided to go back. I did a one-week driving vacation by myself. I saved a pricey bottle of wine and a bit of combustible treats and eagerly headed north to visit what had become a place symbolic of Great Transformation for me. Unfortunately, I decided to do this in January. Driving my sporty Acura Integra. After getting stuck in snow drifts in Ouray and thanking the beefy Scandinavian boys who *lifted* my car out and helped me put chains on, I headed to the canyon. In January. When it’s closed. :P
Julie Gomoll recently posted..Pita Pizza with Spinach- Onions- & Mozarella- 4 points
LOL! Sorry to laugh at your misfortune, but that’s pretty funny stuff right there. Hopefully the combustible treats softened the disappointment. :)
Laughing is acceptable :-) FWIW, I also couldn’t make it up the entrance hill to Mesa Verde, either. Go Figure.
Julie Gomoll recently posted..Pita Pizza with Spinach- Onions- & Mozarella- 4 points
Ilene, my hubby, Ryan, and I took a trip with Elizabeth when she was 9 months old (now nine years old).
We went to Hoover’s Dam, Grand Canyon, drove down Route 66 and took in a game at the Bank One Ball Park in Phoenix. It was a week-long trip and she set the pace for us, much like Dexter did for you. Dogs and little kids who can’t yet talk or go potty by themselves — so much in common.
Can’t wait for your next post! We leave for Colorado/Mt. Rushmore/Yellowstone next month.
Anne- Looking forward to hearing about your trip! I’ll be so jealous when you’re out of this furnace we call Austin. Hope to see you at the Women In Communications coffee next week!