Nomad Life - Day 362

First full day in Colorado during my Nomad Life!  This morning, I woke up at 0500 (with alarm) and started teleworking.  For some reason, I was feeling very tired.  While working in my room at the Red Roof Inn (Grand Junction), I skipped breakfast.  Along the way, I also did some cleaning in my room, which didn't seem to have been thoroughly checked before it was deemed "ready" for a guest.  Speaking of the staff, they knocked on my door before checkout time to see if I was leaving (meh).  Sadly, a late checkout cost almost 50% of the overall price for the room...  At 1100, I gave the desk clerk the key and went out to my car, where I worked for the next hour.  It was another beautiful day (sunny and in the mid 60s) so I rolled down the window during this phase of my telework day.  The view from my parking spot included a panorama of Colorado National Monument and I started thinking about driving up on to the top of that plateau (for the first time in over 42 years).  Taking into consideration the gas prices (although they'd dropped a bit since Nevada), the mileage on my car (and a hope to avoid costly maintenance) and a desire to get some exercise outdoors, I decided against a trip into the park.  Meanwhile, I started thinking about doing errands while I still had a good signal for my iPhone hot spot.  So, I drove next door to the Conoco gas station and topped off my fuel (1120).  As I mentioned, the prices were dropping (although it was for 85 octane) and I was pleased to see that my fuel conservation efforts had been successful (31.6 mpg).  Next, I drove (on US-6/US-50) to the southeast, looking for a lunch venue. Freddy’s and Chick-Fil-A were too busy and Panera was too far away - but then noticed a Sonic, which had no lines (1140).  I got some of their interesting "drive-in" food and relaxed in the shade while eating and continuing my telework day.  At 1200, I left Sonic and drove to nearby Las Colonias Park, where I parked at boat launch on Colorado River ten minutes later.  For the rest of the hour (through 1300), I teleworked in my car.  When I was finished, I had already logged 7.7 hours and felt confident about taking a break (it was 1500 on the East Coast).  Since I was parked at a trailhead for the Colorado Riverfront Trail (Riverside Park Section, Green Route), I eagerly changed into my hiking boots and started walking west.  I chose this location because Google AI suggested I'd have good luck with birding.  Along the way, I watched three paddlers launching their boats into the swift current of the Colorado River, was passed by lots of courteous (and fit!) bikers, walked through the edge of the Botanical Gardens and (just after crossing under US-50) reached the junction of the Colorado and the Gunnison rivers.  At intervals, I saw the three paddlers again - perhaps it was the route of the bike trail versus the route of the river but I was surprised that I could keep up with them...  At CO-340, I turned off the trail and (on the Purple Route) crossed the river towards the Redlands area.  By this point (just over two miles from my car), the birding had mostly been a bust so I decided to turn around.  The only other thing I'd like to note is that there were LOTS of homeless encampments along the whole trail - I could see why; the weather and the plentiful tree coverage made the area look very appealing for camping.  Using the Green Route again, I made it back to my car by 1455 (just over five miles on my feet).  Best news of all: my foot felt very good after the distance!  Though I've grown to mistrust AI (including after the birding bust this morning), I was convinced that a better birding opportunity might be possible near the East Entrance of Colorado National Monument, which was only about seven miles away from Las Colonias Park.  Filled with hope, I drove west to CO-340 and crossed the Colorado River - after that, I used Monument Road.  After entering the park (1515), I parked at the Devil’s Kitchen Trailhead and took a short walk there.  Using my binoculars and Merlin App, I did find a few species (although nothing like was touted by AI).  The area was very dry and the edge of the trail was lined with cacti.  Meanwhile, I managed to identify from “American Flyers” (1985 cycling scenes) in the distance.  The most prominent of these was the area used to film the Stage 2 climb (with the time bonuses) of the "Tour of the Moon" section of the "Hell of the West" race.  It's strange to think of how vivid my memory of Colorado National Monument was - in 1984, I hadn't heard of the park, didn't know any of the actors in the "American Flyers" movie (it was actually being filmed on the day we visited) and there were so many other moments of that trip that might have risen to the top.  But, like so many other stops recently, I had a strong sense of Deja Vu today.  With my (less than successful) birding efforts complete, I stopped at the Picnic area (across from from the trailhead) and then departed the park at 1545.  With thoughts of heading to my next hotel, I turned on an audiobook and drove back to CO-340, which connected me to US-50 and a routing towards the south.  The road turned into a spacious four lane highway and I entered Delta County at 1620.  Shortly after that, I had to follow a detour around the town of Delta but later ended up back on US-50.  At 1645, I reached Montrose County; I rolled into busy Montrose itself about 15 minutes later).  At that point, I was only about five minutes from my hotel but I decided to use the remaining daylight to explore the mountainous terrain to the south.  Actually, I really wanted to drive all the way to Telluride but it didn't seem that I'd have enough time (I was also reluctant because of the distance involved).  As a compromise, I used US-550 (two lane) and drove south in heavy traffic towards the tall peaks covered in snow.  At 1715, I passed through the town of Colona (Ouray County) and suddenly entered an area with rolling hills and lots of curves.  I reached the town of Ridgeway (6985 feet) and its one traffic light at 1730 and changed to CO-62 (westbound), which was the route to Telluride.  To the south (my left), I could see a long ridge of the majestic San Juan Mountains - wow!  The sun had already started to set behind taller peaks to the west so I got some amazing lighting effects.  Below the tall mountains, there were pretty green farms with cattle and crops - the whole thing looked like something from a movie about the Alps.  Meanwhile, a goal had formed in my head: if I could just reach the town of Sams, I'd enter San Miguel County and could get some more new birding statistics.  The idea worked out even better than that - I was able to stop at the Dallas Divide (county line) at 1745 and park along the side of the road there.  During a 10 minute break, I only saw one crow but it still counts for my eBird updates...  After feeling satisfied that I'd done all I could do to learn more about Southwestern Colorado and locate bird species, I  backtracked towards Montrose.  For some reason, there was lots of traffic in that direction too.  After reaching Montrose and turning east on US-50, I reached my hotel (Econolodge) by 1845.  In my room, I teleworked until just after 1900 (work day completed) before getting ready to visit a brewery I'd noticed on the way into town.  I then drove to the nearby Horsefly Brewing Company and ordered a flight of 6 of their beers.  Even though I hadn't really planned on eating dinner there, I noticed that they had a special for the night: a Navajo Taco!  It had been years since I ate one of those so I took advantage of the opportunity.  Meanwhile, I watched World Series Game 5 on the TV.  There were other Milwaukee Brewers fans near me and I got to talking with one, Mike (a "cement pourer").  He was so interesting!  It turned out that he was pouring cement for new buildings at Telluride with a truck that used a long, metallic "hose" to direct the stream.  We talked about construction projects, the mountain weather, life in Colorado and baseball.  It ended up being a very enjoyable evening.  Finished with my fun, I was back at the hotel by 2100.  After that, I used AI to research lodging and other travel options that I needed for the coming weekend - as a result, I was able to make hotel reservations through November 2.  The rest of the evening included reading, Duolingo, YouTube videos and texts with friends. Bed time was at 2315 and I felt very ready for the next day, when I planned to drive across the Continental Divide and take a hike on the Colorado Trail (AKA, in this area, the Continental Divide Trail)!