June 16 & 17, 2026

Independence Pass!

We had a bit of a long day yesterday, heading back up CO 133 past Redstone and Carbondale to CO 82 leading to Independence Pass. We have to tell you this is a favorite place to visit. For Hank it would make the whole trip worthwhile all by itself. We’re glad that life hasn’t been stingy at all, giving us wonderful memories of places and people who have enriched our journey. Today is a down day for lounging, laundry, eating, packing and lounging, for tomorrow we ride about 260 miles to Estes Park.

A heads up. This post may drift into sentimentality a bit, so proceed at your own risk.

The weather was very hot here in Paonia, so we were happy to speed to Independence Pass, which crosses the Continental Divide in the Sawatch Mountains of the Rockies. It was a happy trade going from 95F to about 62F at 12,100 feet. Of course we had to return to the heat but … oh, well.

Independence Pass has been a magical place since first visiting on our 2017 ride. Some things have changed. The Lookout Point buildings have been updated but there are fewer benches. In 2017 the road seemed carved through 8-feet of snow pack left over from winter. This time there is no snow remaining and the air is dry.

The magic happens when you stand and gaze at the majesty of these tremendous mountains. Even after climbing two miles above sea level they still tower thousands of feet above. The Continental Divide is a jagged knife cutting the sky that marks the Divide on the earth below. Seems no matter how high you climb, there is always more.

One’s heart fills to overflowing standing before the immensity and intricacy of creation, and to feel your place in it. We are awed. And grateful. We are so blessed to have come to this place.

As you know by now, one thing we love about traveling this way is the chance to meet folks. A common introduction is to offer (or be offered) to take a group shot without the awkwardness of selfies. Just happens that Connie is a talented photographer and always gets the pleasing shot. Sometimes this leads to introductions and conversation. Sometimes even to trading contact information and, if we’re lucky, to friendship.

It happens that we met a couple, Wolfgang and Angelika, from Germany, who are visiting for 4-5 weeks. Both are doctors, one an MD, the other we believe is a Ph’d who studied in the US at Rutgers University in NJ. Of course they are fluent English speakers and a delight to converse with. They were so kind as Connie and I shared our stories of having exchange students and learning of other cultures. Even more, they graciously endured our broken attempts to speak Deutsch. Did I mention that they are kind?

Wolfgang and Angelika are headed to a rendezvous with a son who lives in San Francisco. We traded contact information and would be so pleased to meet again.