HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREGORY!!
5 am. Up and trying to get warm. It’s 19 degrees. So cold! When you expect cold it seems not to bad but when surprised with it then it’s really cold. Haha. Temperatures have been so mild for us lately that I forgot it’s not really spring yet. Going to have to get my coat back out if this keeps up. We are headed in to Colorado today and according to the weather report we may have some snow. Definitely going to need the coat.
7 am. Stopped at a rest area in Sterling, Colorado. They have this beautiful statue titled Metamorphosis. Love the butterfly!


Kaiden had a Boy Scout event at a radio controlled airplane show.  Sadie watching with the binoculars

At our highest altitude today.

We had a little truck trouble today. I’ll let Greg tell you about that. So we stopped to have lunch and this is what happens to the squeeze mayo at 10,000 feet.  It was siracha mayo.   I bet his sandwich was hot!

A few pictures of the Colorado River.     

Abby had a dance tonight and went with her boyfriend Caleb.  Aren’t they adorable?   

Gregory’s birthday present from Melissa was pictures of Alex.  Isn’t he adorable?  Yes, I am a very proud grandma.        

DG:  Well, this will be the day that the mountain kicked my behind. 

Going up a mountain ain’t so bad. It’s slow, depending on how steep the mountain and how heavy is your load. It just takes longer. 

Going down is another thing. You can use your engine to hold you back but you have to watch that you don’t let your engine rev too high. That could damage some things. So you use your brakes, but just enough to keep your speed at a controlable rate. You also have your Jake brake that uses your engine to retard your speed. Well, somewhere on the downhill I used my brakes too much and things started smoking. After they start smoking, if you don’t stop and let them cool they will quit on you. That’s when you look for the runaway truck ramp and hope your life insurance is paid up. Well, I stopped as soon as I saw the smoke rolling. I was watching for it as I knew I was braking too much and as soon as I saw it I pulled over. I wasn’t parked five minutes and the safety patrol pulled up behind me and asked if I was having trouble. Once I explained to him the situation he told me he would let the tunnel know I would be moving in about 30 minutes. Since there were several tunnels on this mountain I guess they have to keep track of any trucks that may be having trouble. He as very nice and I thanked him for stopping. 

We got a little higher than that first picture of my GPS data indicated. 

  
That’s why my condiment bottle spewed all over me. It had come up the mountain from near sea level and when I opened it the lack of that pressure holding it in allowed it to escape. If you need further explanation contact Bill Nye. Science guy. 

Here is the perfect wife holding the phone so her husband doesn’t miss any of the Kentucky game while he is fueling his truck. She is just the greatest. 

Well, got more mountains to tackle tomorrow so better get my rest. Y’all keep ’em straight up there. Byyyyyyyyeee. 

God bless.