Denver Area and then on to Grand Junction, CO

We left N. Platte, NE and headed toward the Denver area, Westminster Elks to be exact.  We dodged a bullet about midway into the trip when Dick noticed in the camera that the car didn't seem to be towing like it should.  We happened to be on a road with no shoulder to pull off so it took a bit to find a place but when we did, we found that one of the bars wasn't extending like it should……whew, it was an easy fix and we were on our way again.  Those cameras are sooooo important!!!!  Arrived at the Elks Club in Westminster after 280 miles and were able to get a 30 amp site for the night.  

Our friends who live in the area came over for a nice visit  and then we went to dinner.  She has been fighting a cancer battle (brain tumor) for several years and most recently had surgery in April.  The tumor is growing again, in a different place, so at a doctor's appointment this week they will see how the meds have affected this new growth and may have to do radiation again.  She has the most positive attitude, and truly believes that plays a HUGE role in your recovery.  This all started back in 2009 with lung cancer (yes, they both STILL smoke which is unbelievable to us) and she has known all along that this type of cancer would probably move to her brain.  In any event, people do whatever they feel is best for them, so who are we to judge.  

Tuesday we left Westminster headed to Grand Junction, about 250 miles but this was going to be a very pretty drive on I-70 west.  Lots of uphills, downhills, through tunnels, one of which was the Eisenhower Tunnel at 1.6 miles long, and, of course, construction.  At the conclusion of the day, Dick said it was a 'fun' day of driving instead of just straight up and down the roads.  We passed through Vail, CO which is beautiful but in desperate need of rain so not as green as normal and lots of other scenic areas along the way.  Dick's brother lives here in Grand Junction so we had dinner with him that night and got caught up with all his happenings.

The other 'mechanical issue' we had this week was the a/c in the cab of the truck went out. Fortunately, the a/c in the coach part works fine so we aren't in desperate need but going into the desert in the next couple of weeks we'd like to have it fixed.  Once settled in the RV park in Grand Junction, Dick found the Freightliner dealer and made arrangements to be there at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

This is one downside to a motorhome because when it needs to be worked on, you have to 'close up' and find something to do for several hours or the day….and with a dog, that can be a challenge.  Anyway, after a couple of hours waiting at Freightliner the office gal came out and told us that they basically just had toooooo much work and wouldn't get to us that day or even the next few days.  Ugh!!!!  Why didn't she tell Dick that the day before?  So we came back to the campground, and Dick started trying to find another source to come fix it.  He found a mobile guy that came on Thursday afternoon and found the condenser was bad.  Of course, no one had a condenser so it had to be ordered from Freightliner who said it would be delivered on Friday a.m.  It was, and the mobile guy came back, installed it and it works.  He did find a fan switch that was bad too but we'll have that fixed in Phoenix when we return.  Dick can still turn the fan on manually when the a/c is on so it's not a big deal.  

We have been to this area of western CO before and done the sightseeing things around here such as the Grand Mesa, the CO National Monument, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Montrose, and much more so we have just been kinda 'hanging out' waiting for the a/c repair.  Dick has kept busy washing and waxing the coach, I've worked on the inside still rearranging after the remodel, and giving it a good cleaning.  It has been nice.  The weather has been awesome too.  There is quite a bit to do in this general area and Grand Junction is a good base to do the above, with lots of hiking and biking trails too.  One of the wonderful things about this area this time of the year are Olathe sweet corn and Palisade peaches.  Oh my gosh, both are absolutely mouth watering yummy!

We had planned to leave here today for Moab, however, our mail didn't come in yesterday as expected so we will leave tomorrow once the mail arrives.  It's a relatively easy drive to Moab so if we leave late morning, it'll still put us in Moab by mid afternoon.  We'll spend a week there before making our way to northern AZ, probably the Flagstaff/Williams area where it will be much cooler than Phoenix.

Cruising down I-70 West in CO

One of many scenic views between Denver and Grand Junction

Vail, a beautiful, very expensive, area

One of many many condo complexes in Vail

Gypsum Canyon

Up, down, over and around on I-70 West

This was parked a couple of sites down from us for a couple of nights.
Lovely couple who drive this around the country to Jelly Belly sponsored
events.  He always has Jelly Belly's in his pocket to hand out.  He said
everyone wants their job!!!