The Grandeur of the Rockies, His Grandeur

Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 11:50pm

C. completed a week's bicycling up the Colorado Rockies with the Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour. The 250 hard core bicyclists biked through Grand Junction to Hotchkiss, to Gunnison, to Buena Vista, to Glenwood Spings, to Hotchkiss, then back to Grand Junction. They climbed through several mountain passes: the scenic Grand Mesa (elevation 10,000-11,000 feet), Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Forest, Cottonwood Pass and Independence Pass on the Continental Divide (elevation 12,126 Feet). A day's ride and drive was typically about 80 miles.

The Continental Divide, the "Great Divide" of North America, is a high point that separates major watersheds and river systems. The southeastern side of the divide flows down to the Arkansas River, to the Mississippi River, and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean. The northwest side would lead to the Gunnison River, the Colorado River and finally into the Pacific Ocean.

The weather was mild and pleasant; cold, especially in the mornings. One appreciated the cool mountain breezes after coming from a hot, humid summer and RAGBRAI in Iowa (elevation 1000-2000 feet).

Maia and I were C.'s support staff, his groupie, his sherpas, although we camped comfortably in hotels while some toughed it out with nature around the towns' high schools. We did a lot of reading, Zumba dancing, TV time, singing and dancing in the car with the long rides (particularly the 2 day trek from Iowa to Colorado), movies (Captain America and Rise of the Planet Apes), and preparing our sandwiches when not on the road. We appreciated City Market's deli and ice cream as we only had two restaurant meals while in CO (Mother's in Buena Vista, Ribs in Glenwood Springs).

Maia and I will not forget our trek of 25 miles through Gunnison National Forest, a narrow two lane gravel road climbing up to 10,00+ feet above sea level, where we were at the ravine side (!). I inadvertently followed the GPS' directions and not the bicyclists' route through paved, regularly traversed roads from Hotchkiss to Paonia, despite C's advice. I didn't listen and did not think through the route. I, the driver, not particularly fond of heights (discovering this through trips to Sta Fe Mountains in the Philippines, the Banaue Rice Terraces, the Empire State building, the St. Louis Arch, and paragliding in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico), was the responsible adult (!). Maia was the able navigator, but I sensed a hint of anxiety. There were scant vehicles passing through, there were no homes because it is a national forest. We saw cattle and forest mice by the road, waiting to cross. I was grateful we were in the U.S. of A., and not through the mountains of South America; that afforded me a great sense of security. The vistas were grand and beautiful, though. C. called it an "adventure." I call it a "lesson" learned, to use one's brain and not totally rely on the computer.

The Rocky Mountains is composed of several ecosystems. The towering peaks and deep valleys are made of igneous (from fire) and metamorphic rock. The mountains were sculpted by glaciers of yore. The riparian (wetland) ecosystem have 150 lakes and 450 miles of streams with lush plant life. Forests of pine and grassy hillsides dominate the montane (mountain) ecosystem. As one gains elevation, the subalpine (below the alpine) ecosystem will have bent and gnarled bodies of spruce and fir trees, indicative of hard summers and harder winters near the mountain tops. The alpine tundra is the highest, as in the Independence Pass. This land is too harsh for trees and appears barren, but there is dense carpet of plants with areas of snow (even in the summer). There is a wide variety of fauna, but we only saw deer, cattle and mice, since we stayed on the roads.

We were "assaulted" with vistas and vistas of beautiful grand views of forests of pine, aspens, grassland, rocks, rivers and streams with each turn. It was truly grandeur, grandiose. The quiet and serenity afforded one to delve in prayer, reflection, meditation and gratitude. It is a beautiful place; it is a beautiful world. God is gracious; God is good.


Ref: National Park Service, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO
http://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm