Scheduled trip: Grand Junction, CO - Boulder, CO
Actual trip: Grand Junction, CO - Lafayette, CO (280 miles)

Kings of the Hill
Around 10 AM that morning we went out to the soccer tournament that took place in the outskirts of the town. A host of matches were already under way, both girl and boy teams played. Dave went looking for Karla while the rest of us followed some of the games. Some time passed. Finally Dave returned with Karla and we were all introduced. While Dave and Karla talked of old times, Manuel and Niels went to buy brunch and supplies at a nearby supermarket.

The climate in Colorado was comfortable. It wasn't as hot (or as dusty) as New Mexico or Arizona. Although the sun felt less potent it soon proved necessary to turn to the old trusted friend: the sun block. A few hours of exposure in the relatively thin air caused sensitive places to sting. An ample amount of lotion, strategically placed on the hotspots provided instant relief.

Just after noon it was time to get back on the road. As we pressed eastwards, the road gradually rose ahead of us. Crossing the Rockies was quite easy due to the excellent I-70: Four, six lanes of traffic and surprisingly few sharp bends brought us to altitudes of 10-12,000 feet.

The ascent took us way past the timberline and eventually we also encountered some snow by the side of the road. We drove through Vail, the classy ski resort, its lower slopes were grassy green. In due time the road started to slope downward. Just by putting the car in neutral and let it roll freely, speeds in excess of 85 mph were easily attained.

Even though it was Sunday we encountered many heavy trucks, thundering down the steep road. Sensible drivers geared down in order to spare the brakes any unnecessary punishment.

We turned north before reaching Denver, the Mile High City. In Boulder we had a hard time finding a suitable motel, spending ages looking for one. Ultimately we found a suitable place in Lafayette, just east of Boulder. It wasn't really a room - it was an entire apartment with two rooms, a bath, kitchen, and 3 televisions (only 2 worked!). The price was reasonable, not more than we usually paid for accommodations. We even had a porch with lawn chairs! One of the working TVs showed the 7th and final play-off game between Utah and Seattle. Manuel was certain that one of these teams would replace Chicago as World Champion.

Marco called David McCusker's sister, Nancy Benson, who lived in Boulder with her family. She invited us over that evening. We spent a nice couple of hours talking about our trip and our native countries. They urged us to visit downtown Boulder, which we did later that evening. Finally we looked for a fast food place but everything was closed.

<<June 1, 1996<<

>>June 3, 1996>>