Things started off... well kinda rough. We left Colorado Springs in a blaze of smoke, and not from my driving! The wildfire in Waldo Canyon had grown so large that Pikes Peak was obscured from our view. I have mixed emotions about this. I can't decide if mother nature wanted us to stay till we could see the mountain again; or whether it was a sign to leave before we were evacuated anyway. OK so maybe evacuation is a bit extreme, I don't think the fire would actually get that far across the city, but the point is made. We left the house with some stuff still inside, and no cleaning done. We feel bad about this, but we had to leave because of the amount of the driving we were doing. Not sure why but I had "Butterflies" in my stomach as we left. Don't know what to make of that.
I heard from my good friend Alex early on today too. We were hoping to meet up with him while we are in CA, but our route does not take us anywhere near where he will be. This really upset me. I haven't seen Alex for over 10 years, This news has probably been the worst thing so far about leaving the USA. Alex and I spent a lot of time together when I was climbing (I hung up my climbing shoes 13 years ago following a near fatal fall). Not only were we climbing partners, but we also worked together. He is probably still my "best" friend in America, again I haven't seen him in over 10 years. The thought that I may never see him again leaves me with a heavy heart.
To my friend Alex - "I ate all the pies, and I will miss you" Your friend, Cliff.
We stopped in Gunnison, CO for lunch. What a nice looking town. Greener than Colorado Springs, and I wish we had visited sooner. We found a nice park and had a quick lunch. Received a voicemail from Will. He may have sold our mattress for us. Fingers crossed. We have also offered our vacant house to Will and Becky as a refuge from the fire for some friends of theirs who may be evacuated.
After lunch we headed to Ouray, Silverton and Durango. To my Colorado friends who have not made that drive, DO IT. Spectacular views. Made me wonder if I was still climbing whether I would been there sooner? Probably. See a select few of the photos we took.
After Durango we were on our last leg. Before we reached the campsite we had to pass through the town of Mancos. Where another wildfire is burning. We got through OK, but some fellow campers have said that "they" predict the fire to cross the highway we drove on. See below for a picture of the fire taken this evening from our campsite. Mancos is perhaps 15 miles from us, so we are in no danger.
Off to bed now. Grand Canyon beckons tomorrow. Hopefully we can avoid any more forest fires.
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