Overflight brings memories of our Dinner at Grand Junction

Our banquet on the banks of the Gunnison on St. Patrick's Day in March of 2008. That's corned
beef and cabbage on the platter on the right.

On our way back from Tucson in 2008 we stopped to see our daughter in Grand Junction, Colorado, where the Colorado River joins the Gunnison -- in a "grand junction." Jennifer's arty landlord treated us to a delicious and memorable dinner as well as a glorious view from her home on the banks of the twisting, turning Gunnison.
It was St. Patty's Day, so in honor of our Irish we ate corned beef cabbage and boiled potatoes and such. The merry evening ended with a bonfire under the stars.

The Gunnison River curve seen from the artist studio.

Below the artist's studio window, the Gunnison turns a sharp corner, hugged along the shoreline by the Union Pacific railroad tracks in what is said to be the tightest turn in modern railroadom. The heat from steel-on-steel friction created by the extreme turning is cooled by pools of thick lubricant spread by the company along the trackage.
Yesterday, returning from California, we overflew Grand Junction and sure enough, there was that sharp turn in the Gunnison, traced by the railroad. It stirred memories of good times staying overnight with our daughter in a tiny cottage in the back yard. You could light the stove for morning coffee without getting out of bed -- the ultimate in convenience.

Our accommodations were --
unusual -- that night in 2008.

Grand Junction is on the doorstep of the Rockies, so the next day we were treated to the grandeur of a magnificent snowy drive over the peaks to Denver, gleefully photographed by Kathleen while Stan kept a tight grip on the wheel.
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(On yesterday's flight we also got a bird's eye view of all the ships at anchor collected at Long Beach due to the dock strike, as well as the gorgeous snow-capped San Jacinto peak near the project house, the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead still showing the effects of a long drought, and, of course, snow-covered Shakopee - Home Sweet Home…. where wife and dog would warmly greet the weary traveler.)

Grand Junction yesterday from 35,000 feet. Jennifer used to live beside the sharp turn in the river.