It's Day 330.....It's also March 31 2020.....And we're back on Colorado's Western Slope.

It's Day 330.....It's also March 31 2020.....And we're back on Colorado's Western Slope.

An early start out of Delta and we were headed into Grand Junction in no time…driving deeper into the Western Slope region of Colorado. Highway 50 continues to wind it’s way west through the hills and valleys…culminating in the flat topped mountain Mesa's surrounding Grand Junction....glistening in the morning sun with their signature red hues.

These mountains are always so striking in the morning sun....considering nature....and the universe has been at work on these things for millions of years....they truly are a work of art. The Colorado...and Gunnison rivers have done their work well here. And the Grand Mesa is the largest flat top mountain in the world rising to an elevation of over 10,000 feet...and an area of over 500 square miles....the perfect masterpiece to round out the 40 mile long mountain range. The area is packed with over 200 lakes, countless streams, and stunning views across multiple plateaus making this area extremely popular with outdoor enthusiasts from around the world.

Driving through the area....looking around...and thinking about the some 60 thousand or so folks that call Grand Junction home today.....I wonder....how many of those folks are aware of the history that surrounds them. Another American town...born in the late 1800's....after centuries of inhabitance by the Native Americans of the region...and as the Ute people were rounded up and shipped off to Utah....Grand Junction....named for the confluence of the Grand River (now the Upper Colorado River) and the Gunnison River....would begin it's ascent to becoming the area's hub it is today....a town born in the railroad era...and growing rapidly thanks to it's agricultural promise. ....even quickly becoming the heart of Colorado's wine country.

From Grand Junction it is north on CO 135 for the final 85 miles or so into Rangely.....a drive that transitions you from the mesa’s, across more farmland, into the high country of Douglas Pass, and then off the backside into the high desert landscape that is...The Western Slope.....and Rangely.

Arriving in Rangely .....I was feeling ..... sorta....safe. We pulled off in a rest area just outside of town....and during a morning walk with Dougie....and breakfast....I was reflecting back over the last few months. Realizing that we had been chased across four or five states by a storm on our way east last fall.....and now here we are....being chased in the other direction...by a pandemic...insert video.....3000 Americans have died from a virus....terms like social distancing...quarantine....ventilators...and self isolate are becoming a regular part of the daily dialogue. Both Washington state....and Oregon had issued staty at home orders back on the 23rd...around the time we were passing through Kiowa Oklahoma....so I thought....where better.....to isolate....and escape a pandemic....than Colorado's western slope. So here we are.....in Rangely.....I think for a while this time....

We'd also roll into town early enough in the day for a run through the hills in the new and improved V2. I'd named our new little buddy.....the 1982 Chevy Silverado square body.....in honor of Vacilando. Figured ol' Vacilando has done such a great job of haulin the boys and I all over this country.....what better way to carry on the name.

And V2....was well on his way to becoming what I had hoped! The lift kit and upgraded suspension, along with the new tires ....All installed while we were away.....and they made short work of our run through the ups and downs of whatever we could find. No better way to spend and evening on the Western Slope. And most certainly no better way to put a huge grin on this guys face....instantly confirming....that I'd probably picked just about the best place I could have....to ride out a pandemic...

Spring on Colorado’s Western Slope.....well that will keep a guy guessing. For this guy…who stopped watching the weather forecasts a week or so ago…there is a bit of wonderment in wrapping up a 68 degree afternoon dropping into the 50’s into the evening…and then waking up to 36 degree’s and blanketed in 3 inches of snow. The flurries continue into the late morning hours when the clouds clear out, and the high desert sun takes over making short work of those early morning snow showers. By 4pm we are back in the 60’s and not a trace of the white stuff that came through just a few hours ago. A temperature swing of 40 degree’s in 12 hours will expose many of mother natures personalities in these mountains.

An early morning run through the hills given these brand new conditions seemed obligatory. Coming down out of the hills just 12 hours before, I had no idea the different universe that awaited us as we headed back into those very same hills this morning. A few inches of snow softening the rugged landscape while rendering the spring vegetation nearly invisible takes the never ending horizon and stretches it even further.... beyond imagination. The wide open vista’s become as endless as gazing out over an ocean during a perfect sunset…you know there is life out there…but you have no idea how far out there it is. If I’d not experienced it for myself last summer, it would be hard to imagine that these very same mountains…in just a few short weeks…will greet each morning with 60 degrees and soar to a tick past 100 by noon each day. The extremes here are incredible, they awaken a new respect for the flora and fauna that even consider an attempt at survival in this rugged wilderness.

As March became April...and April was giving way to May....it seems that with all the changes 2019 had brought to our lives...2020....is hellbent on bringing ... even more…more than we could have ever anticipated and certainly more than we wanted.

In spite of everything.....we're all dealing with, the world continues to turn day by day, plowing into tomorrow un-effected by what happened just yesterday…It is what time does....isn't it....and in my head....there's always a song....I can't explain why.....but a sound track....today.....driving into these snowy mountains....it's Reba....insert 9 second video..... “I guess the world didn’t stop for my broken heart”.....thousands are dying every day....most of which I'll never know....but I've lost dear friends....people I did know......Life.....

As real life forces us into a new normal and expectations shift faster than we can keep track…sometimes the simple things really are the best.

Here.....We packed up and headed back into the mountains of the western slope. This time, we would set camp about two miles into Brushy Point wash…about 4 miles from where we camped just last week at Willow Creek. Surrounded by countless acres of rugged wilderness....... social distancing.....well...out here.....that....goes without saying.

It is Turkey season here on the western slope so there are plenty of excuses to spend hours traipsing up, down, across, and every other which way across the mountains of East Douglas Pass.

An afternoon run up Razorback Ridge jolts the senses into a much different reality. Strip away the manufactured reality we work so hard to create.....and then conform to...

And replace it with a fresh set mountain lion or bear tracks just below the snowline and suddenly everything feels different. Sitting on a mountainside gazing across endless vistas drenched in the deep blue afternoon sky, everything except the need to explore and see more seems to somehow just disappear into nothingness. If it is not around the next bend in the two track ....then it probably.... doesn’t matter.....does it.

Returning to camp brings the aroma of stewed chicken in the cast iron dutch oven snuggled into the campfire coals....right alongside that other pot....the one that will produce a glorious peach cobbler dessert…all tainted just perfectly with that smokey campfire scent that somehow makes it clear that there is nothing more important in the world than putting the next chunk of wood on that fire.....at precisely ..... the right time.

It’s tough to walk away from that camp fire....even when you know it's bedtime…but it is all somehow worth it knowing that in a few short hours....we'll will be back out there stirring the embers, throwing on a fresh log or two, placing a cast iron pan on the fire for a breakfast scramble and coffee...... and that chill....in the morning air... that will somehow, believe it or not, elevate the experience.

In a time when external forces dictate what we should and shouldn’t be doing…I’ll say it again…sometimes the simple things really are the best.

And then a few weeks later.....as the calendar flips May into June....the hours spent on V2.....another pretty awesome way to take my mind off of.......insert June Covid 19

Whether it is spending hours slicing, cutting, cleaning, filling, sealing, and sanding cracks in the dash so I can resurface it…tinkering with the carburetor…sanding rust spots out while trying to figure out how to salvage a door, a wheel well, or a fender…pulling door panels…or pulling the gauge cluster to decipher why things don’t light up anymore…it is all so interesting to see how it all went together. Figuring stuff out…learning….and making it work again brings satisfaction. It has taken some hours of online digging but with a stock GM steering wheel from Surprise Arizona, a stock radio from Grand Junction Colorado, along with a heater/ac dash vent from Missoula Montana…piece by piece V2 continues to clean up and gets more handsome every day…at least in my eyes. Beauty…as they say…is in the eye of the beholder….whether anyone else sees it or not, I love this little guy. I will continue to stay focused on working with what we have. V2 was built once. It all went together and he served well. To tear him apart, discard the old and replace with new somehow just doesn’t feel right. Driving around in a 39 year old American made vehicle not only rings with nostalgia…it brings a sense of connectivity to the surroundings.... this little guy has spent his entire life here....he's seen a lot.....and the two of us....we'll see more.

After pulling and cleaning the carburetor and replacing the valve cover seals I decided to start on the interior. Had no idea what was instore! Plastic, not to mention most every other material used in his construction becomes very brittle and fragile after nearly 40 years of exposure to the harsh winters and intense summer sun of the Western Slope . One learns quickly that there is no quick fix when it comes to these guys. When focused on repurposing there is a bunch of reading, learning, creating, then hurry up and wait for stuff to show up in the mail. None-the-less, things are coming along. After the dash, door panels and headliner I will tackle the flooring. I am also planning to replace the bench seat with a bucket seat/console arrangement so I can install cup holders and relocate the door-lock and window controls to the center console. I’ve seen video’s of guys replacing the bench seat with bucket seats out of everything from Audi’s and Chryslers to Jeeps and newer Chevrolets. Matching color, style, and condition proves a bit challenging…so the search continues!

I’ve..... also spent the last few weeks working on profile pages on Facebook and Instagram.... I don't think I'm really much the social media sort.....I think I'm most excited about....the website. Life Out There dot me. Our own little corner of the internet......a spot where I can put everything all together....the podcasts...the blog....all the pictures.....and I think most importantly....a place where we can chat....it's pretty fun hearing about the adventures of others out there on the road.......and hearing what they think of ours. It's most definitely....a work in progress....and I'm learning....but I'll keep at it!

We'll also keep at this social distancing thing....and keep hoping folks are safe out there.

And workin on where we'll head next....

And wondering what we'll learn there