Pancakes, Maple Syrup, and a Road Trip

It has been a busy week after having a week off for spring break. We took a short trip last week-end to Glenwood Springs, a mountain resort in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. More about the weekend in a moment.

Wednesday night we had pancakes for dinner. Sometimes breakfast for dinner tastes pretty good, but this time the pancakes were especially good. Judy at  Daily Yarns 'n More  has been writing about her and her husband's sap gathering and making maple syrup in Wisconson. I have always been facinated with tapping trees to get real maple syrup, so I followed their process as Judy shared each step of tapping the trees to the syrup making. I commented and I asked what she was going to do with all of that syrup. She replied that they would sell it a local farmers markets, and she asked if I would like to buy some. I emailed back asking if she shipped to Colorado and indeed she did. The syrup came this week and we had pancakes for supper. While Mrs. Butterworth's has been a mainstay on our breakfast table, Gentle Heart Farm is absolutely  wonderful. Move over Mrs. Butterworth's, there's a new syrup in town. I've hidden it behind the ketchup and mustard in the fridge; it will be judicioulsy used on special Sunday mornings for breakfast. Thank You Judy for your kindness and generosity.

Road Trip: Glenwood Springs, Colorado

We drove over to Glenwood Springs to attend a banquet; it was a pretty quick trip over and back, and I wasn't really inspired to take pictures in town. Besides we were busy and didn't leave the hotel to sight- see. Click on the title to read about the historic Colorado Hotel where we stayed. On the way home, however, as we traveled through Glenwood Canyon I was struck by the enginering of I-70 as it winds its way through the canyon. I took out my little Olympus and took a few photos through the windshield of the truck. I thought you might enjoy a bit of a road trip through the Colorado Rocky Mountains and Colorado ski Country.

Interstate 70 East following the Colorado River.  (actually the river flows to the west) West bound traffic travels on the upper level. Building this highway was quite controversial. Folk singer John Denver bitterly fought the expansion of the highway. While it was probably necessary to improve the two lane highway that wound its way through the canyon of the Colorado River, drivers are a bit tense because the canyon walls are not always stable and falling rocks are an ever present danger. It's a scenic drive, especially during the summer.

Vail, Colorado: Condos and more Condos with the ski slopes in the background.

There is still plenty of snow in the Colorado Rockies. One day it melts a bit and the next day it snows again. Some say that the skiing may last until June this year.

Inside Johnson tunnel that burrows through a mountain, another engineering feat. The east bound portal is named after a Colorado governor, while the west bound portal is name for President Eisenhower. The tunnel is at 11, 158 ft. elevation.

Headed down out of the mountains. The highway is steep, a 5%-6% steep grade. Traffic is always heavy. Denver looms in the distance. From Denver, Glenwood is a 3 hour drive.

Now headed north toward home on the Colorado plains. Urban sprawl encroaches on the farmlands where corn and wheat are still grown. Traffic was light that day.

Hope you have a good weekend. Tomorrow I am meeting the little granddaughter (ages 2 and 4) and their mother at the local garden nursery to attend its Fairy Garden event. The little girls are into fairies--so is grandma!