Off-Roading in the Rockies


This week I’m in Telluride, Colorado, staying with my friends, Reese and Linda Kauffman, while Reese and I work on a project for Child Evangelism Fellowship. Reese is truly one of the most unusual men I’ve ever met, and his love of sports and the outdoors is legendary. I’m not really an outdoorsman like that, but yesterday afternoon, after our hard morning of work, Reese wanted to take me off-roading in the Rockies. We were delayed by a powerful electrical storm and left under gray skies. From that point on, we had a variety of weather–sun, hail, lightening, and driving rain. I can now say that I’ve been caught in a lightning storm in an open vehicle in a desolate spot above the tree line in the most rugged parts of the Rocky Mountains. All afternoon Reese raced around hairpin turns, along the ledge of vast chasms, across the ridge of Alp-like mountains, and over incredible mountain passes. Along the way we explored abandoned gold mines and even found a shepherd and his flocks high above the timber line in the remote alpine regions. I enjoyed it all (except the occasional lightning bolt). We arrived home drenched, cold, hail-pelted, but safe — and ready for a hot bowl of Linda’s delicious chicken tortilla soup. Here are some pics.

Rocky Mountain High
The little silver speck is a vehicle that got too near the ledge
An Alpine Meadow
A Hidden Jewel
An Abandoned Mine
All those white specks are sheep
With the shepherd later in the day
Another old mine
Reese Kauffman, my "chauffeur"
Far as the eye can see
Why they call them "Rocky" Mountains
And I thought Polaris was a submarine