It's All Up hill From Here

Well it is from Bluff anyway.

So we left Bluff at around 9am yesterday morning and first had a nearby stop over at a site of where there were Petroglyphics on the side of a cliff face.

here are a couple of pictures from this but I will put more on the Profile later.

You will have to zoom in a bit on them to see properly but know that this is how the Navajo recorded things a couple of thousand years ago is pretty remarkable. Long may they protect these sites.

The other symbol that will be seen all over America is that of Kokopelli  who is a symbol of fertility who also is a story telling musician that goes back thousands of years. Strange how when we were at Vances workshops in St. Helens, Oregon he had one there as well as us seeing them all the way on our travels. He looks like the character on the Inn sign below--

So we left Bluff with the temperature somewhere around 85 degrees and started to drive to our next destination Denver first while finishing at Montrose.

Denver being back in Colorado is surrounded by Pine Forests and Mining. Plus it has a real live narrow gauge railway that has an 1890's train that travel daily from there to Silverton, up in the Rockies. Lynda and I went on this to the zip lining location about half way up and this was pretty amazing.
Here are a couple of piccies from the railway station and lunch in the restaurant in Denver--

 

Sorry about the sideways picks --I will fix that first next time--and yes that was the attire of the waitresses--well, it is in keeping with the atmosphere, just don't let the wife catch you ogling too much.

Anyway, I don't think any one of us could have envisaged the drive through the mountains--I reckon on the way to a Silverton we were probably up as high as 11 to 12000 feet elevation with some pretty scary drops on the right side on the way up and especially down.

Half way was a town called Ouray, which they describe as the Switzerland of America and you can understand that as I think with a metre of snow and this would just look like it--google it and you will see what I mean.

By this time of course the temperature had plummeted to 50 degrees and it was raining most of the way in the mountains --didn't I mention that driving was made much more fun by the rain, especially when you drive over where mud has slid onto the road.

Still it does look spectacular.

So we arrived at Montrose and after a bit of essential shopping, we found our The Black Canyon Motel -- and learned another valuable lesson regarding books and covers and not judging -- because the rooms are very good, large with everything in and the best wifi so far.

So last night , we dined on Mucky Kentucky, with beer and wine, in the room and thoroughly enjoyed it.

So the sad thing is that we were hoping when we all booked this trip months ago, that in august the weather would be good for the last few days for chilling by a pool in sunshine but this does not appear to be going to be the case so we have to make the best of what we have.

Breakfast in a moment and then plan for the day-- we are going to go to the Black Canyon national park and other local sites and I am told that some shopping  therapy is on the cards as well.

We are spending the final night with Rod and Ann tomorrow night at the Cliff Hotel in Pikes Peak which is a real class place and a final splash in Nordstrom's in Denver before flight home.

That's it, a continental breakfast is calling and need to get planning-- Oh and Good luck to the mighty Blues tonight as Chelsea take on Real Madrid in the Guinness Cup in Miami, now where is that Sports Bar--- Carefree people and KTBFFH.