John noticed a small coolant fluid puddle under Vanessa this morning. A call to 24 hour roadside assistance (Eion) quickly diagnosed the problem- a loose clamp on a coolant reservoir hose. I tightened it and we were on our way. (Thank you Eion for the great diagnostic skills and instructions)
We continued on hwy 50 to Black Canyon National Park.
We were the only ones there. Literally. Not even Parks personnel.
We drove on into a blizzard that hit us at Monarch Pass at elevation 11,312. After passing the Continental Divide, it's all downhill now to Florida.
We stopped briefly to let the dogs pee and a Westy driver heading the other way made a U turn to make sure we were ok. I can't imagine an Escalade owner doing that; Vanagon owners are the best.
The weather got worse the further east we drove. The temperature on the bank sign in Salida, Colorado was 4 degrees. Record cold and snow. It warmed up to a balmy 8 degrees at Canon City.
This was our drive into Pueblo at 30 mph:
Vanessa handled beautifully in the snow. But it would seem we have an issue with the coolant fluid thermostat; for much of the drive we had no heat, but it didn't bother us or the dogs. We bundled up in our ski jackets and hats and kept the dogs warm under quilts on the bed. Predicted low tonight? 12 BELOW zero! I sure hope Vanessa's thermostat miraculously works again in the morning or it's going to be a very cold drive tomorrow.
But our Quality Inn in Pueblo has an indoor heated pool. We are happy, especially John since he finally has his "spaaaaaa", even if it is just a Quality Inn.
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