Bad Planning - Good Outcome

Today was our first layover day, which meant we could stretch our legs. Finding ourselves in Grand Junction, Colorado, on a glorious spring day, we headed for the Colorado National Monument. This gem is a sort of mini-Zion on the outskirts of Grand Junction: fanciful towers, improbable vistas and - mirable dictu - no people. (This turned out to be a blessing and a curse).

After some flailing about looking for the trailhead, we set out on the Monument Canyon trail, a climbing path that transects the park. Our intention was to go half-way, and then head back. But somehow the crisp and sparkling day, the increasingly glorious trail, and our disobedient legs kept going past the turn-around point. In fact, they took us to the canyon's rim, 6 miles slog and 2000 feet up. Oh, well - we figured we could easily hitch-hike back to the car, about 13 miles by road.

WRONG. There was virtually no traffic going the way our car was parked. After staring at each other and the empty road for 15 or 20 minutes, Roger set off at a fast pace downhill, hoping to hit the visitor center - 6 miles - before it closed. We figured that Fernne's winsome form would do better at hitch-hiking alone.

But as Roger walked on - eating snow because he was out of water - no one appeared. Just before the visitor center closed - Roger was close - a large SUV pulled up with 5 people in it - and Fernne in the way-back. Saved by a Grand Junctionite squiring Austrian tourists. We made it back to the car, and stopped in town for celebratory drinks.

So tomorrow we are off to the Denver airport and a quick trip to Wewoka Oklahoma to visit our wonderful friends and ex-neighbors, the Overstreets. More to come!