On the Road....#16

These kids were fun for him and he kept them occupied in the back seat while their father navigated the increasingly treacherous roadway on the way toward Steamboat Springs. This was a good ride. It began on the edge of the Denver suburbs and looked to take him all the way of what was a six hour drive.

First sign was not good. Road closed due to an avalanche at Rabbit Ears Pass. Once the father understood the circumstances involving an all night effort to clear the road, he began to back pedal. Requesting a conversation out of ear shot of the two young ones, he explained that we needed to part ways. The family was going back to a nearby motel and he preferred no outside company. In fact, he did not want his location to be known to this vagabond, and that was that.

Trying to catch a ride over on one of the snow machines proved futile. As darkness was not far off, he decided to find a place off the road a ways to set up his tent. He always sleeps so well in his bag and sleep is what he did. Waking up from time to time, he could hear the continued roar of the heavy equipment, grinding away at the snow packed road.

At one point there was quiet. He eagerly awaited daylight, and the wait became long and unsettling. Finally, after hearing cars moving on pavement he unzipped the tent fly and took in a face full of fresh powder. The snowfall overnight had covered the tent completely, creating the illusion of darkness. Turned out it was near noon.

It did not take long for him to pack his gear and get his yawning ass up on the road. First ride was from one of the plow guys just finishing a shift and headed home to a town called Yampa. The man offered him a donut, saying “they’re a night old, but still fresh.” “Yeah, me too,” he responded, with a mouth full of long john.