Volume 8 , Issue 46

Passing O'er Wolf Creek Pass (CO)

It was sometime after 1:30 pm, Sunday, Duchess and NW Okie were driving up the eastern portion of Wolf Creek Pass last Sunday afternoon, November 12, 2006.

Big trucks were stopping -- other small cars were stopped to put on chains... waiting out the blowing, low-visibility, fine snow that was ravaging Wolf Creek Pass. BUT... NW Okie and Duchess slowly, steadily kept tracking upwards in their Toyota Highlander pass the ski resort -- towards the Summit of Wolf Creek Pass -- onwards to Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Just the same morning, Wolf Creek had about 6 inches snow before we traveled it that same Saturday afternoon. They had graded it once in the morning. By the time we reached Southfork around 1:30pm MST and started upwards, it began snowing again with a fine snow flurry around the area of the new tunnel and continued to cover the road all the way to the ski resort and summit, and coming down the other side. About a mile on the other side of the scenic overlook the snow packed turned to slush and wet roads where we passed a snow grader heading the other way. It took us 50 minutes later to find ourselves across the pass.

It was really low visibility closer around the ski resort and summit and slowly clearing as we got closer to the scenic overlook. It got better and better and better as we approached Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

Traveling through Kansas was with a chilly, northerly gust of wind on Saturday. On Sunday It was dry from Blanca, Colorado to Southfork, Colorado along Hwy 160, except for a light snow around Monta Vista, San Luis Summit and LaVeta Pass area.

Duchess was glad to get back home and looked forward to one of Sadie's greetings as we climbed out of the car. David said that Sadie had been moping around the last couple days. Duchess had been doing the same. When we turned on the road to our adobe south of Bayfield, Duchess got excited, recognizing a familar scent in the air -- wanting this NW Okie to stop the car right there. When we were making the turn into the driveway, Duchess was whimpering and knew she was home. Sadie was so excited to see us -- to see Duchess. She finally had someone to chase her around the yard again.

Yep! We made it over the Pass, arriving south of Bayfield, Colorado around 3:30 p.m. only to find later restrictions for commercial trucks and chains for vehicles traveling the Pass.
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