Some Colorado Mountain Passes Make Me Pucker
I’ve said it several times, I’m not originally from Colorado.
Being from the flatlands, one of the things that still gets me are the mountain passes. While the scenery is beautiful, some of those roads make me pucker. You could say I’m a little afraid of heights and I don’t like flying too much. However, my dad was a pilot, and I didn’t have any issues when he was at the helm, so maybe it isn’t a height issue.
We used to give mountain pass updates on the air, but with apps and text alerts, we don’t have to do that as much anymore.
I’ve been over several of those gorgeous passes: Molas, Rabbit Ears, Wolf Creek, Lizard Head, Monarch, and Red Mountain, but I prefer not to travel most of them in the winter.
At Christmas one year, I drove back to my old home state to visit my family. Trying to put tire chains on, in the dark, on Monarch Pass, when it was snowing is definitely an activity that I wouldn’t want to do again. Though it is better than sliding off the pass.
Then there’s Red Mountain Pass. While the drive from Ouray to Silverton is scenic, I really don’t like going over that pass, even in the summertime. I have a really good friend who feels the same way.
My husband, who was born and raised in Colorado, really likes driving over mountain passes. He used to travel much more than he does now, but still drives a lot for his job.
Last week, he experienced a “first” in his travels. He was driving to Aspen by way of McClure Pass. It was the first time, ever, that he had to dodge a falling rock. He said the rock was rather large and would have caused some damage to his vehicle had he not swerved to miss it. It’s a good possibility that falling rocks contributes to my issues with mountain passes.
Though, I’ve been here longer than I was in my home state now, I think I’ll probably always be a flatlander at heart.