~soon to be time to pass over the mountain~

Good afternoon dear friends and family with greetings to you all from the "other side", the Pacific side of the Continental Divide.  This morning back home in Hutchinson, Kansas the temperature was setting at 55 degrees and mostly sunny skies as I awoke at the 7 a.m. hour.  Yet here at home in Montrose, Colorado our temperature gauge registered a chilly 34 degrees and we knew upon waking that this would be a day that we would not be seeing a whole lot of the sun in the sky.  Up on old Monarch Pass, folks there are facing a day of yucky weather and are in for winter storm warning conditions for the next 24 hours. The temperature up there, at over 11,000 feet, is staying right at 19 degrees with blizzard-like conditions from time to time.  Sounds lovely, doesn't it?   The long range forecast shows much of the same for that point on the map that we have to watch closely as we plan any travels back and forth between Kansas and Colorado for the holidays.  Living where we do in this part of the state, we are totally at the mercy of the mountains and the winter weather.  With hope, it will be only 11 sleeps more before we take out and head back to Kansas for the Thanksgiving holidays with our friends and family back in Reno and Sedgwick counties.  Surely looking forward to that visit upcoming in short order.

This is what the world looked like this morning, at least from our vantage point along the Western Slopes.  That's old Silver Jack in the background, looming off into the south east.  It's a view I see every day here as I arise and not only do we see this mountain but the San Juan Mountains as well, just outside the kitchen window.  Last night a person couldn't even begin to see them because of the very thick clouds of the storm system that went through.  What a difference just 12 hours makes as shown below.

                                               5:00 p.m. last evening

                                 7:00 a.m. this morning....  "magic, magic" 
                                                They have reappeared.

Never in my wildest of dreams did I imagine that I would be living in a place such as Montrose, Colorado and even more unimaginable for me is that I would have to worry about crossing over a mountain pass like the one at Monarch.  But on both counts I do and if I wish to get home for the holidays, both at Thanksgiving and Christmas, then climb up and over it, I must.  Our plans are to take out from here, dependent upon projected weather conditions, either Tuesday evening or Wednesday in the early morning hours before Thanksgiving Day.  We have rented an SUV to use in the journey back to Kansas and we will wait until much closer to the time to make our decision as to when we will take out.  We will be praying for no trouble and with both Mike and I taking turns behind the wheel, we hope all will be well.

I have a couple of friends (ok, ok, more like a dozen friends here)  who think we are a little crazy for even attempting a trip to Kansas in the middle of winter. When I tell them that we are going home for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, they really raise their eyebrows at me.   They have reminded me that people just usually remain on this side of the Divide until the spring weather returns come about late March.  My answer to them is generally always this~"Well those people were not born and raised in Kansas."  But hey, I do appreciate their thoughts and concerns. Truly I do, but we are going back to be with our families this year and one way or the other, we will make it.  I am most grateful that Mike is travelling back with me and that I do not have to go alone.  But even if he could not have taken the time off, I would have gone anyway.  It means that much to me.

Mid-afternoon has arrived here now and the sky is most surely dark and cloudy.  All the way around us we can see that the storm is hitting the mountains and down in the valley we find protection from the worst of it.  Cold intermittent rain falls down upon the earth here in Montrose County and the weather app on my phone says it's a cold 43 degrees.  Wow, that same weather app also tells me that back in Reno County folks there are enjoying a balmy 77 degrees right now.  Lucky ducks, that's what you guys are!  I'm glad for you and can only imagine that folks are out enjoying every minute of it.  I'd sure be doing that if I were them.  

One thing I have learned in the nearly year's worth of time that I've either been visiting or living in Colorado is that the weather can change quickly and for anyone who travels over the mountain passes to get to where they must be, well you best be doing so very carefully.  I learned to have a lot of healthy fear and respect for driving through the high country when I first came here to visit in January of this year.  It only took me one time of landing in a snow covered ditch on the way back to Hutch in February to learn just how serious driving around here in the winter time can be.  Luckily for me, that time I was only 28 miles away from Montrose and could return back to wait out the remainder of the storm with Mike.  I was fortunate~I got out.  That's not always the case and with so many areas around the mountains that receive absolutely zero cell phone service, well you are taking a lot of chances just to try it in the first place.  I know that and promise to always remember it in my desire to get back to Kansas from time to time.

You know, I keep seeing all of these "signs" that I'm no longer in Kansas any more and one of those signs was shown to me at school this week.  After years and years of passing out notes from the Hutchinson Recreation Commission for kids to become involved in basketball and other sports during the winter season, I have finally passed out my first notes for kids to sign up for skiing and snowboarding classes down at Telluride.  Wow, now that was a weird feeling to me.  One of my students asked me if I knew how to ski and when I told them the story of "old lefty", one of my boys wisely said to me....  "Uhmm, maybe learning to ski isn't such a good idea for you Mrs. Renfro."  I tell you what~I couldn't agree more with that young man's words of wisdom.  I think I'll just save myself for snow shoeing.

Hope that you all are enjoying a wonderful weekend, wherever you may be this good day.  Take care of yourselves, all of you.  I like having you all around, alive and well.  Be at peace this day.  See you Kansas in just a few more days.

The road to Kansas is right behind me in this photo from this afternoon.  Thinking it would be a whole lot safer to just stay put until things calm down a bit over Monarch Pass.  I'm not a fan of winter, blizzards, or wind gusts at the 11,000 feet elevation mark.  Our day to come home will get here soon enough.  Love you guys, all!