Megan flows to the Pacific; Dwain flows to the Atlantic; which direction do you flow?

This is Dwain's favorite picture from our 11-day vacation through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah during the middle of June 2014.
Megan looks a little mysterious ... or cold. Ha

Ah, temperatures below freezing earlier that morning encouraged us to snuggle up at 12,000-plus foot tall Independence Pass, an often-visited pass through the Rockies and a welcome rest stop on the Continental Divide.

We'll revisit this mountain-top stop later.
First we had to wake up at Rawlins, Wyoming, and set our GPS for Lander, Wyoming.

We crossed the Continental Divide for the first time near the more than 6,000 foot high Muddy Gap. The mountaintops were powdered with fresh snow left the night before. Burr, thank goodness we used the heater in our rental car.

 

The next notable Continental Divide stop was in Yellowstone National Park.

Are we ever going to get out of this snow? All of the bears must still hibernating. Where are the grizzlies? We keep reading signs that warn us against bears and other wildlife. Huh?

Thank goodness we brought all kinds of clothes. We just brought way to many pairs of shorts and short-sleeve shirts. Shezzz.

Raynolds Pass (Montana) was named for Capt. W.F. Raynolds of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They went through the Rockies and camped on the Madison River near this point in June 1860.

Capt. Raynolds named the pass Low Pass because, "The Pass is so level it is difficult to mark the exact point at which the water divides. I named it Low Pass and deem it to be one of the most remarkable features of the Rocky Mountains."
Raynolds Pass is a gap in the skyline of the mountains near the Montana/Idaho border and is crossed by the Continental Divide.

Reckon Capt. Raynolds awoke to fresh snow in 1860 because his group also passed through in June? He was led by a trapper and scout guide.

If Megan poured out water at this point, it would drain into the Pacific Ocean. If Dwain also poured out water at this point, it eventually would drain into the Atlantic Ocean.

Cool!!
Look how much we've learned from those rugged people.

We are officially at the top of the Rockies - the sign says. That means we're above the treeline and warned to stay off the fragile tundra ... including dogs.

 

No running water or power lines at this advertised "rest stop" on Highway 82 southeast of Aspen, Colorado.

Why is Dwain holding two large Styrofoam cups with his legs crossed? That won't hasten the person inside. But he can admire the typography painted on the door and realize he is at 12,095 feet.

Cake mixes advise altering baking directions, depending on the altitude.
We don't remember if this "rest stop" had specific high altitude directions, besides the standard: Don't throw trash in toilet. It's hard to remove (probably freezes). Close seat and lid.
Right! 
We just hoped it wouldn't explode, and Megan wouldn't freeze to the seat.

And here's our official picture in front of the big brown and yellow sign that advertises: Independence Pass; Elevation 12,095 feet; Continental Divide.

This time someone offered to take our picture.

So we reciprocated. This man with a heavy German accent has a great photo to take back to his native land as a souvenir. He checked the image before we parted ways. He seemed pleased. Don't you just love his stance and looking into the sun?

We heard several people say: People will ski if they can find a patch of snow. 

We didn't believe them until we came upon this scene of a couple stowing their skis, boots and other apparel on top of a minivan. We saw ski tracks in the snow.

We were looking forward to walking to the top of the world. There's the paved walkway. Stay off the tundra!

Megan is still laughing about an official sign she read on the roadside outside Cody, Wyoming: "Frost Heaves."
What the heck did that mean?
She laughed about the sign for the whole trip and is still laughing.
Can you believe we didn't get a picture of the yellow-and-black warning sign?
Hahahaha!
Megan and Dwain have two entirely different mental pictures of that scenario: Frost Heaves.

But we can't walk to the top of the mountain without going through snow. We're going to recall this moment in the mountain snow when our temperatures are 100 degrees and the air wet as a sauna.

Here we are in our Sound of Music moment, but wearing identical bright red Dickson Street Razorbacks T-shirts. More about those T-shirts later.

 

As we were about to continue our southwest journey to Manitou Springs, Colorado, this fellow was the only biker in his group with a GoPro Hero camera mounted on his helmet.

You can bet he got lots of bright pictures with the sun reflected off the snow.

As the motorcycle riders headed down the mountain ...

... They met a couple of lean, tanned, muscular women riding bicycles up the mountain. Strange, the women were only wearing tank tops and didn't seem to be the least bit cold.

We'll close with this photo, just because it's so pretty.

We don't know the next stop on this adventure.
As Emily Truscott characterized Dwain before she left the Harrison Daily Times: "Let's go --- much as that dog goes, intently haphazard." - Denise Levertov 

Megan and Dwain