Now on the day that John Wayne died
I found myself on the continental divide
Tell me where do we go from here?
Think I’ll ride into Leadville and have a few beers
Think of “Red River”, “Liberty Valence” can’t believe
the old man’s gone” Incommunicado (Jimmy Buffett)
As Jimmy Buffett fans, we couldn’t resist having “a few beers” in Leadville even if it wasn’t on 11 June, the day John Wayne died.
After being away from Colorado for many years, I was happy my memory of the clean, crisp air and wide open spaces didn’t fail me. We got out of Denver (altitude:5,430 ft) right after landing and made our way to Silverthorn (altitude: 8,730) for an overnighter. Coming from sea level didn’t cause any of us too much trouble although we all felt our hearts beating a little faster and any exertion (running up stairs) caused a bit of heavy breathing.
The next day we headed up to Leadville (altitude: 10,152). Our vacation rental house wouldn’t be ready until 4 pm so we stopped often and enjoyed the beautiful views as much as possible.
Continental Divide ~ Tennessee Pass.
Every continent, except for Antarctica, has a continental divide. The North American Continental Divide divides the flow of water between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Rain or snow that drains on the east side of the Continental Divide flows toward the Atlantic Ocean and drainage to the west side flows toward the Pacific Ocean.
Fly Fishing Anyone? Think “A River Runs Through It” setting
At Turquoise Lake just outside of Leadville
If you find yourself in Leadville (or nearby), be sure to eat at High Mountain Pies. After all my travels and more than a few pizza pies (Italy included), I can honestly say it’s the best pizza I’ve ever tasted. YUM! Now I’m on a quest to find a similar pizza in the Washington DC area. Where’s your favorite Pizza place?