Made it to New Mexico

I made it to New Mexico - it was a fast and furious trip, but it was also a nice break. The hard work is about to begin!

It has been quite some time since I've updated this photo, but I did a couple of days before I left Maryland. I didn't update it for our TX-VA or VA-MD moves, but here we are. You may remember it from our WA-TX move. 

I took off from Maryland on a Thursday morning, and made great time. I started in Ohio seeing most of my side of the family, then off to Memphis to see Christina. Due tot he so-called gas shortage, I took the scenic route. From Memphis, I drove through Arkansas and the Ozark National Forest, then up through a corner of Missouri on my way to Kansas. I spent the night in Kansas and then made my way to Colorado, where I had planned to spend 2 nights.

I arrived a bit after lunch, so decided to hike up to Gem Lake, not far from Estes Park) the Gatllinburg of the Rockies, only way less crowded...). Gem Lake is about a 2 mile (one-way) hike with 1,000 feet of elevation gain, topping out at 8,800 ft. About 3 minutes from the top, I heard a rumble of thunder but didn't let that stop me.

Gem Lake itself is a little tarn tucked between a cliff on one side and the remainder of the mountain on the other side, with narrow inlet/outlets on the north and south ends. It was an easy hike, and quite popular - it took a bit of waiting to get no people in my photos.

On my way down, the storm moved closer, just starting to sprinkle on me when I made it back to the van. I drove deeper into Rocky Mountain National Park, and came across snow on the road (the rain at Gem Lake was snow at higher elevations.

Fortunately, it was just a 1/4 inch of slushy stuff, but I did drive back to my hotel and grab some dinner along the way.

Cheers!

Marc