A Rockies Eve…

Sauntering down the I-25 through Denver as dawn revealed a mixture of overcast and soon-to-be blue skies, I enjoyed the peacefulness, a kind of optimistic stillness and quiet. I was being gently rocked by the nuances of the highway as I sat in my six-foot perch where I spend an inordinate amount of time, almost dreamily feeling the metropolis stretch and yawn and come to life. The Rockies were bordering me on the right as the highway went from four lanes to ten then back to four, cresting hills and rolling into valleys along the way.

As the city lights came into focus at one point, with The Rockies afar off, I smiled. I rolled through downtown, although the navigation system, as it often does, begged me to loop around on some random beltway. It was early enough in the day, I had no hazmat load, so I continued on the path less traveled, that is at least by a Semi-Tractor and Trailer, of going right smack through downtown Denver. I was duly rewarded with city-scape lights, sporadic yet well-purposed Christmas-time lights, and a nice peek at the Denver Broncos football stadium. Golly how funny, since, just five days ago I surprisingly whizzed right by the Baltimore Ravens’ Stadium as night fell upon the city of Baltimore, MD. I say surprisingly because I rarely drive highways at nightfall. I had a goal though that I wanted to make, so I had pressed onward, even through the bustle of Baltimore that night.

(reminder: you can always tap or click on any of these images for a larger view)

As the city became part of my rearview mirrors, the next sights to behold were Castle Rock, and then my destination of Colorado Springs. If I was in my Jeep I would have made a quick diverted stop-off to Happy Canyon, if even just for a quick selfie photo op with the park’s sign.

Did I mention that it is Christmas Eve today? I hot-tailed it across from Philly to Colorado to deliver four containers before Christmas Eve. I had delivered three yesterday in the Denver area, and the last one was alone on my flat-bed trailer for delivering this morning. Being as the particular dedicated account I now drive for with Schneider closes today at noon, I have a feeling there will be no back hauls until Monday. Seems like God would like me to spend Christmas in the Colorado Rockies. Oh, if I could only rent a cabin. Truth be told though, there is a truck-stop nearby with a spacious lot and great view of the Mountain Range, complemented by a rail system so I can hear the whistle blowing off in the distance several times a day. It is not a commuter metro-rail, it is a container and commodity rail system. The kind that seems to be four or five miles long, haha. I parked my rig strategically so I can view the mountains and rail as I pen this. If the wind gusts would stand at bay, I may just toss up my drone and pop it over toward that rail system for a closer view.

There is no snow atop this range in the Colorado Springs area. Matter of fact it’s in the sixties Fahrenheit today. Yesterday was also. I had told the teams that I brought the warmth with me from the east coast. They chuckled. Heck, I was after all in St. Augustine, FL about a week ago. Up by Denver, however, as I had rolled in from Kansas, I spotted snowstorms that were running along the ridge of the Rockies yet staying, as though cordoned off, just along the ridgeline and not coming east of the ridge at all.

I’ve worked a straight ten days, so re-setting my hours in The Rockies is not a bad proposition!! Are you at all curious what 10 days of work looks like in a map view? Okay! I made map snips of where I’ve been for the past ten days. I rolled 4,270 Miles.

As the hours clicked by, the temps fell a bit and a concentrated snow squall bustled through, in some mad dash to get to parts unknown. I didn’t see it come, but I watched the tail end pass. This time of year, the sun can be quite a visual impairment instrument, so I had drawn my curtains for a bit, and actually watched the classic: “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” — the one with Burl Ives!

I wish you all a Very Happy Christmas! If you missed the Christmas Gift Video I made with my photography, please view it today, and share it far and wide. Jump in through my blog post (link above) or just scramble directly to my YouTube Channel to view it.

How is the weather by you today? How are you celebrating Christmas, or are you celebrating a different Holiday? Drop a comment and share with us!

Cheers,

JJ

xx