The official start to the holiday
As far as a traveling man like myself is concerned, today marks the official start of the Labor Day holiday, because it's the day I’d prefer not to be on the road if possible.
Working folks who can, will find ways to leave work as early as possible today to get a head start on the traffic that will begin in earnest this afternoon after normal working hours. And getting that head start means more in some places than in others.
In Colorado, for instance, where the Labor Day crowds will be spending their holiday, the need to leave work early is pretty obvious. The majority of people in Colorado reside in cities such as Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. These are considered the "Front Range" cities, and I believe more than 80% of Colorado's population resides in those three cities. And those three cities, at this time of the year, are crowded, hot, and mostly inhabited by flatlanders. So, during a holiday, where would you expect a crowd of hot, flatlanders to go? East? Where is it even hotter and flatter than those three cities? Or head West into the high country playgrounds and enjoy the cool mountain air? That's a no-brainer !!!
So, what that means is that there are a whole lot of people driving up narrow, twisty mountain roads and passes with hairpin turns and drop-offs that weren't exactly built for the amount of traffic on them during holidays. And that's the way it always was, but the population of Colorado and the mountain traffic has ballooned in the last few years. And as usual, the amount of money to build roads has not kept pace with the number of people driving on them. This doesn't affect me personally, except for worrying about my family driving on them.
Theboondork
These little cacti grow here and there on Pete’s property. They are very small, only 2 or 3 inches across, and maybe an Inch high, but they blend in well with the environment, and will definitely dissuade you from walking around barefoot anywhere in the area.
Late afternoon at Pete’s.
Sunset at Pete’s.