Part Five – Driving the Ridge.
Earlier, I had emptied out my backpack and repacked it with things we might need on the drive. The black backpack was in the molle style. Pronounced “Molly”, Molle in an acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. Put simply, it is a bag that has the capability of being expanded with modular attachments. I had several attachments, but didn’t feel the need to bring those on the trip. Inside the backpack, I had things you might need in an emergency. I keep a flashlight, a phone charger, a change of clothes, a wool blanket and a few loose tools. I had removed the clothes and replaced them with the action camera, a regular DSLR camera, a few energy bars, and a few bottles of water.
When we got to the Jeep, I opened the backpack and grabbed the action camera. I threw the backpack in the back of the Jeep and strapped the action camera to the front roll bar.
I felt a twinge in my lower back. “How long?” I asked, “I still don’t feel anything.”
“About twenty or thirty minutes.” She said, as I walked to the back of the Jeep again and grabbed the green foul weather jacket I kept for emergencies.
“Here, put this on.” I told Amber, as I handed her the jacket.
“I take it this does not meet with your satisfaction.” she said, as she pulled at the front of her lightweight jacket.
I explained, “It’s fifty degrees right now. If the temperature drops twenty degrees, that’s below freezing. Better safe than sorry, Right?”
She did not reply, but took the lightweight jacket off and placed it in the back of the Jeep. She turned around and slipped the green jacket over her shoulders, I immediately noticed it was too big for her.
She still did not speak, but turned to face me and let out a sigh. She had managed to pull the zipper to just under her chin. She held her arms to her sides and I could tell that the sleeves were at least four inches too long. The bottom of the jacket went to her knees.
“Looks good.” I said smiling.
“Property of the US Navy.” She mumbled.
“Pardon me?” I asked.
“The label says property of the US Navy. I have a feeling this monstrosity is hot in at least two ways.” She said, as she rolled the sleeves of the jacket up to her wrists.
“What?” I said. Without thinking, I grabbed the back of the jacket collar and pulled it up so I could read the label. “That son of a bitch. I never noticed the tag.”
“Hey.” She said as she slapped my shoulder. “You nearly took my nose off with this big ass zipper.” She was showing me the zipper with one hand while rubbing her nose with the other hand. She kept looking at her fingers expecting to see blood.
“Sorry about that” I said, “I didn’t know it was stolen.”
My daughter’s boyfriend, Jason, had sent me the jacket a few months before my trip. Jason was a lifer and was going to make the Navy a career. Jason and Heather met two years ago in Panama City, Florida, during spring break. Recently Jason had requested and been ordered to transfer to a communication station in Adak, Alaska. He wanted the transfer because it helped his chances of being excepted to Officers Candidate School after his two-year tour. Adak is in the Aleutian Islands and so far north it was considered hazardous duty. These foul weather jackets were standard issue in Adak. The jacket was made of a durable green canvas on the outside and soft warm sheepskin on the inside.
“Not to worry. I won’t turn you in.” She said smiling. “Besides, you can pick one of these up at any Army, Navy surplus store.”
She unzipped the jacket. “Fucker’s hot already.” She said. She opened the passenger door and sat down, “Ready.”
“Up or down?” I asked. It was her turn to look confused. “Do you want the top of the Jeep up or down?”
She thought for a moment and then “Down. Maybe I’ll cool off.”
I got in the driver’s seat to start the Jeep when I realized I had forgotten something. I got out, walked to around the Jeep and loosened the gas cap. “Vapor lock.” I said.
Vapor lock occurs when the gas in your tank vaporizes due to high temperature or high altitude. This in turn causes your vehicle to lose power and stall. I didn’t know why loosening the gas cap helped, but I read it online, so it must have been true.
I got back in the Jeep, started it, and reached up to press the record button the camera. I reminded Amber to buckle her seat belt. “It’s the law.” I said.
“All right dad.” She said as she buckled her seat belt.
Trail Ridge Road boasts itself to be the highest paved road in America. Heading east from Estes Park, the road winds its way above the tree line to an elevation of over twelve thousand feet. There are several turn outs so visitors can stop to admire the view or take photographs of the landscape. The road ends forty- eight miles away on the eastern side of Grand Lake. In the past, the Arapahoe Indians used Trail Ridge or “Taienbaa”, to move from the west side of the Rocky Mountains, to their favorite hunting grounds in the east. Loosely translated, “Taienbaa” means; “The land where the children walked”, because it was so steep that the Arapahoe could not carry their children. On the drive, you have the chance to see several different landscapes, from dense forests to arctic tundra. There are many different types of wildlife. Elk, Bear, and Big Horn Sheep are common encounters. The road will eventually bring you to Milner’s pass and the continental divide. Although not the highest elevation on the road, the continental divide is a favorite spot for tourists to snap a photo standing in front of the sign. On the east side of the continental divide, the water from the melting snow eventually ends up in the Atlantic Ocean. On the west side of the continental divide the water eventually ends up in the Pacific Ocean.
Not five minutes into the drive, Amber said “I take it back, let’s put the top up.”
I did not stop, but turned the heater on the Jeep to high.
Just past the Deer Mountain trailhead, highway thirty-six turns into highway thirty-four. You have the option to take Fall River Road to the north or continue on Trail Ridge Road to the west. Fall River Road eventually circles back to Estes Park and Trail Ridge Road goes on to Grand Lake. I stayed on Trail Ridge Road. A short distance from the fork, I noticed several cars parked in the turnout ahead. I decided to pull over to see what all the excitement was about. I opened my backpack, grabbed the camera, and we walked across the road to where all the people were standing.
“Look.” Amber said, as she got my attention with her elbow. She pointed to field about fifty yards to the south. There were two large herds of elk feeding in the field below. I raised camera and began snapping photos of the elk. I noticed a large bull elk turn and begin walking towards the crowd.
I lowered my camera, pointed, and said, “Get ready to run.”
“Jesus.” She said. “Is he coming our way?”
I was about to answer, when I noticed the crowd part to give way to the bull elk. The elk walked through the middle of the crowd without incident and passed just to our right. The bull had an odd smell, a musky scent of hay and manure. It was a huge animal, at least five feet tall at the shoulders. Amber had worked her way around me to make sure I was shielding her from a potential attack.
“What is he doing?” She asked.
“I don’t know.” I said, “Just don’t move.” I raised the camera slowly to take a few close-up shots.
The bull elk walked across the road and paused, as if he were looking for something. He stared off to the north for a few seconds and then opened its mouth and let out a god-awful scream. The scream sounded like a child, if that child was screaming for help from the bottom of a well. After a few more calls the bull elk turned, snorted in frustration, and started walking back towards us. I could feel Amber shaking, as she grabbed the sides of my jacket and held tight. “Just take it easy.” I whispered. Without even a glance our way, the bull elk crossed the road, walked back through the crowd, and joined the herd below.
“That was weird.” Amber said. Her voice trembling with fear.
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” I told her, “But then again, this is the first time I’ve seen elk this close.”
“Let’s get out of here.” She said, “I’ve seen enough wildlife.”
She did not wait for me to reply, but grabbed my hand and led me across the road back to the Jeep.
“Good thing that wasn’t a bear.” I joked.
“Not funny.” She said. Still trembling, she sat in the Jeep and buckled her seat belt.
I started driving again and after a few minutes of silence Amber said, “So what’s your story?”
I told her a little about myself, my children, and the divorce. She did not comment, but nodded her head, encouraging me on. I finished the short story of my life and she said. “So that’s what divorce is like?”
“It was a pretty mess.” I said. “I’m sure it’s different with everyone, but it’s not something I ever want to go through again.”
“I left my husband.” She offered without hesitation.
“I didn’t know you were married.” I said.
She pulled on a chain around her neck and from beneath her shirt popped a gold band that was attached to the chain. “I haven’t figured out what to do with it yet.”
I reached over and opened the ashtray on the dash of the Jeep. I had put my wedding ring in the ash tray when I left Amy. It was the first time I had seen the ring in five years. “Join the club.” I said.
She glanced at the ring and I closed the ashtray. “Bryan, that’s my husband, is a doctor.” She said, “We met in high school. After we married, I worked to help pay his way through medical school.
“For the past five years, we have been trying to have a baby. Finally, we went to a specialist and were both tested. Turns out, it was my fault.” She paused. “He could not take it and turned into a huge asshole.
“I caught him in bed with his nurse a week ago. In our bed!”
“So, you just left?” I asked.
“Not before I took every cent out of every joint account we had.” She continued, “CD’s, checking, savings, everything. I took the money, packed the Mercedes and drove off without a word.”
“And drove to The Stanley Hotel, in Estes Park, Colorado?” I asked.
“Didn’t know.” She said. “I felt like getting high, thus Colorado. The Stanley Hotel, was expensive and I wanted to spend a lot of his money. Our money.” After pausing to catch her breath, she added “That big ass suitcase you saw me lugging up the steps is his. It’s full of cash.”
“You’re awful trusting of someone you just met” I said, trying to change the subject. I could tell she was on the verge of tears.
“I don’t know, for some reason I trust you.” She said. “Maybe it’s because you seem as miserable as I am.
“Thirty-four years old, and starting over again. It sucks.” She said as she wiped at the tears that were now flowing freely. She looked lost in thought for a moment and then added, “I’m sorry, it must be even worse for you. How do you handle this shit at your age?”
“Told myself I was done with women.” I answered, “It was easier when I took the need for companionship off the table.”
“And the sex?” she asked.
“In the end, the only time we had sex, was when she came to bed drunk. It started feeling like a chore. Not to mention, the stink of liquor on her breath.” I paused and then shrugged, “I guess I just don’t think about it that much anymore.”
“Sorry for getting so personal.” She said, “Let’s change the subject.”
“Good idea.” I replied.
We drove along in silence for the next several minutes. As we got higher in the mountains, we started seeing the huge snow drifts left by the snow plows, some as high as eight or nine feet. Many of them had names carved into the side of the drift. We passed a few teenagers trying to carve a peace sign into one of them. “That looks like fun.” I said, “Cold fun.”
Suddenly I saw the white poodle from the hotel dart into the road. I swerved to miss the dog, the jeep tipped up at least a foot to the right and came back down with a jolt as I hit the brakes hard. We were crossways in the road by then. I drove a few feet to get back on the right side of the road, stopped the Jeep and jumped out. I walked back the way we came and didn’t see anything. The dog was gone.
“What the hell are you doing?” She yelled back at me, “Trying to kill us?”
I walked back to the Jeep, “You didn’t see that?”
“See what?” she said trembling in anger.
“That big white poodle in the middle of the road.” I yelled, “How could you have missed it?”
“I didn’t see anything in the road.” She said, “Especially a dog.”
“Are you kidding me?” I asked, “No way you didn’t see that dog.”
I got back in the jeep and started the engine. “I didn’t see it, I swear.” She said, “You obviously did, let’s just leave it at that. I’m just glad this jeep didn’t turn over. That would have been a bitch.”
I thought for a few seconds. “No, you’re right, it couldn’t have been that same dog.” I said finally, “I just saw it a few minutes ago at the hotel. He would have to fly to get up here that fast.”
She placed a hand on mine and said, “Maybe it’s the brownie?”
We both started laughing and just then it started to snow. A few seconds later the Jeep’s engine died.
Short Stories