Crossing out of the Rockies

After traversing Elkhorn Road a second time, we continued on our way east... 

We could see snow on some distant peaks...

After spending the night at 9000'+, we still needed to climb to get over the front range...

Pretty views as we traveled...

We have spent most of our time in Colorado following US highways -- which we like out west where there aren't many towns and there aren't many stoplights!

As we were descending toward Denver (mile-high city, 5280'), we had warning signs -- they warn trucks to use lower gears... we follow those warnings!

Uh oh, the curves are getting even tighter, and we need to go up on just our right side wheels?!?!?

We eventually got down to lower elevation, and got through Denver (after stopping in a suburb for fuel and lunch). We headed east-north-east on I-76, and stopped for the night in Fort Morgan, Colorado...

... at Country Road Vines and Wines.

They aren't open for regular business during the week, but the owner was willing to tell us about his operation and let us sample some of his vintages.

This area of Colorado is relatively flat and lower elevation (we were grateful to get to lower elevation after several weeks at 7000'+ -- finally we can catch our breaths more easily!). It is also a cattle raising area. I could see on the map that there was a feed lot down the road from Country Road Vines and Wines (Dinklage Feed Yard - https://dinklagefeedyards.com/locations/ft-morgan-colorado/) -- a 35,000 head feed operation. There were SO MANY livestock trucks passing where we were parked in the lot! In the evening, I would guess that a truck went by every couple of minutes. They honestly did not look like they had many cattle on the trucks -- on some of them I could see animals in the middle lower section -- on the trucks heading toward the feed lot. The ones leaving all were empty, as far as I could tell.