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Monday, August 26, 2013

Journey Home and a Close Call

I have one more chapter from our mountain trip. After my icy bike ride that I wrote about two days ago, we headed eastward, generally toward home, with plans for one more stop along the way.

Believe it or not, as we drove home, we suffered *another* flat tire. We'd had our original flat tire fixed in a small town, and the Runner had taken off the spare and put the original tire back onto the LabMobile because the original was a better tire than the spare.

We drove this route...(photo from www.theroamingboomers.com)
No guard rails, no shoulder, and a huge drop-off to one side (photo from John Prichard's Flickr Photostream).
7936 No Guardrail or Shoulder on the Million Dollar Highway 550, Silverton to Ouray, Colorado
Fortunately, our front tire blowout didn't happen until about 5 minutes after we'd driven this stretch of road. We'd made it out of the intense mountains and were on a flatter section of highway. Whew. We both were terrified when we realized how close we'd come to having a blowout in a very dangerous place where going off the road would have been fatal.

After the Runner changed the tire and we got moving again, we made it to a great campsite. We arrived late, after dark, and the Perseid Meteor Showers were in full swing. We ate a quick dinner and then zipped into our sleeping bags to watch the shooting stars in the cold mountain air. It was spectacular!

The next morning, I rode a favorite section of trail, under threatening but not yet storming skies.
It was glorious. I love the buttery consistency of this trail and the endless views.
I did continue my sprint training (ha!) as I eventually had to outrace the storms back to camp. That was the theme of this trip - I was constantly just barely ahead of big storms during my bike rides! The next view was looking behind me as the storms were catching up.
In the multiple LabMobile wheel changes he'd done during this trip, the Runner had tweaked his back so we spent the rest of the day lazing around camp, hoping that his back spasms would ease. This was the view in one direction from camp.
And, this was my girl near sunset.
It was so beautiful. Shyla and R remind us every single day to "See Beautiful", and it's hard not to when we're living our dream in the Rocky Mountains. (Hint - Notice Shyla's tag in the next photo).
After a day of total relaxation, we were both feeling good enough to travel the rest of the way home. It had been a memorable journey, full of wild mountain weather, close calls, and glorious beauty. We feel so lucky to call this place our home.

20 comments:

  1. You sure did have an extra exciting trip this time.

    Cindy

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  2. Thank you for sharing this incredible trip. That was a close call and I am so glad it all worked out. Now its time to relax from your vacation lol.


    Anne and Sasha

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  3. Whew, another close call - glad it all worked out so well. You would have a hard time getting me in any vehicle to drive along that roadway:)

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  4. You sure know how to take a vacation! But it sounds like it all ended well, with many wonderful memories and photos. I love the time lapse of the stars! And the silhouette of Shyla against the clouds. You have seen beautiful and caught it in your shots and story.

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  5. Bunny just got one of those tags, too, and she's wearing it with pride! I am glad you beat the storms. It sounds like a very fortuitous ending to your trip. I'm glad you made it back safe and sound!

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  6. Oh my word lady! You make us nervous up there, BOL
    Benny & Lily

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  7. Nope, don't like the look of that road.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

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  8. What an amazing trip!!! And that Shyla totally embodies "See Beautiful".
    Blessings,
    Goose

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  9. What a scary thing to have happen!
    We love your tag, Shyla ♥

    Love ya lots♥
    Mitch and Molly

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  10. Without a doubt, a See Beautiful trip for sure! We are so lucky to share in the beauty that you see.

    We are relieved to hear that tires didn't blow out on top of the mountain, backs felt better and that you made it home safe.

    ALWAYS enjoy your adventures!

    Hugs,
    Lily Belle & Muffin

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  11. We just returned from our own vacation so I have scrolled through the photos from your amazing trip. Gorgeous! What a beautiful part of the country. Glad you are all home safely after your adventure in the backcountry.

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  12. A wonderful adventure indeed but you could certainly have done without all the tyre sagas!

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  13. That road looks amazing but I don't think I'd ever be brave enough to travel on it. I'm so glad someone was watching over you guys and taking good care of you. I wonder just how many accidents do occur on a road like that.

    Again...beautiful photos.

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  14. That road is scary! I can't believe it has no guard-rails! It's prettier without them, but just so dangerous! Glad your flat tire happen in a safer location.

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  15. I HATE all the WV mountain roads without rails..can't even imagine *real* mountain roads without them. Ack.

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  16. Scary, glad everything was OK. Beautiful shots in a beautiful place.

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  17. We are so happy that your family never had any bad total disasters while you were away. That road looks very scary- even when there are no problems ,, lurking.
    The beautiful Rocky Mountains- oh we long for,,,, but thank you for sharing them with us,, your camp trip the stars and paths you traveled- your experiences,.,, something we will never have- and we thank you- for sharing these photos.
    We hope the Runners back is better, and we do see beautiful- through you.
    love
    tweedles

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  18. Very beautiful! My pawrents have pulled the little wheelie through some of those roads. Mom says it is scary!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  19. Yikes! That made me a little dizzy just seeing the picture! Glad the Lord was looking out for you and you avoided disaster! :)

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  20. Wow! What a trip! Sounds like it was worth it though. But please take care! Glad you see so much beautiful.
    Melon

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