Eliot's Travels

The morning news indicated the weather was coming in from the east (to the west) around 7:00 am. When we got up at 6, there was no snow. It was already snowing east of town. The weather reports called for 2-3 feet of the white stuff. By the time we were on our way to Starbucks at 6:45, there was a dusting on the ground. We chose to go 285 (rather than I-25) based on the storm movement. When we got to Bailey around 8:00, there was an inch of snow on the road. We had snowy conditions some of the way, but the plows were out and roads were basically clear. Miles gave us a running commentary over Wolf Creek Pass of the "rocks, trees, and big mountain" (constantly). At 2:15, we arrived in Pagosa Springs. Bailey had already gotten 12" snow. Our trip took only 45 minutes more than our normal travel time. Miles immediately headed for the deep snow when he got out of the car. There was a beautiful blanket of snow. No dreaming of a White Christmas - it was a winter wonderland!
Mom said the local news had not stopped broadcasting since the morning show. The Denver aiport shutdown that afternoon (and would remain shut for an unbelievable 45 hours). By the end of the storm, Boulder had 32 inches and Denver 24, in less than 24 hours. My friends couldn't believe we had made it out, but we had actually beaten this epic storm. If we had left later or taken I-25, we would have been one of those travelers stranded on the road, who had to be rescued by the national guard. We had two friends who drove home from Boulder to Denver on Highway 36: one took 8 and the other 10 hours to drive 30 miles!! Many people got stuck on the metro highway and had to spend the night in shelters and at the local mall. The national guard was handing out water and rescuing people. They delivered water, formula, and diapers to the 4500 people stranded at the airport. Crazy stuff. We were so happy to be safe in Pagosa, which had gotten 12 inches the day before.