Well, in case you were wondering, I made it! It's been a long and exciting week. Driving half way across the country, starting a new job, searching for a new place, and even finding some time to play. I wish I had some pictures, but unfortunately I left my photographer and her camera in California. I did manage to snag some pictures off the web though to add dramatic effect to this post.

All things considered, the drive went well. I-80 and I are old friends up until Reno. So, that stretch flew by. After Reno was a little more slow going. Central and Eastern Nevada had some amazing peaks, but a distinct lack of people and trees. Boy was I ever glad to see trees again once I approached Utah! I drove through the Bonneville Salt Flats at dusk, then pushed on through Salt Lake City and into Wyoming at night.

For a while I had the crazy idea of doing the trip in one day. Well, that was until I found out I-80 was closed in parts of Wyoming. It didn't take me too long to figure out why. A couple 4x4s strewn on the side of the highway that hit patches of black ice. It wasn't really snowing much, but the winds were blowing snow onto the highway. Apparently this is quite common because of how flat Wyoming is and how light the snow is. A couple things I'm not used to dealing with during winters in the Sierras.

I spent the night in a truck stop given a name called Little America, Wyoming, then hit the road again in the morning. Except for a couple heart-pounding moments, I managed to navigate the roads fine even though they were still pretty icy. I did see the aftermath though of a truck hauling SUVs that had rolled over a few times after it skidded off the road. That's definitely a sight that'll give you some pause. Needless to say, I was thrilled to cross into sunny Colorado! The roads were bone dry when I arrived, as they've been all week.

I'm staying for the time being in an extended stay hotel south of Boulder. It's pretty cozy with great views.

I started work Monday. The company I joined, Tendril Networks, is generous with holidays except for President's Day apparently. I felt at home immediately. I'm working with a great group of energetic and light-hearted people. As is typical in Coloardo, they're almost all outdoor enthusiasts. The water cooler talk Monday was all about where everyone had gone skiing that weekend. Definitely something I can relate to! Oh, and they all have names I can pronounce. That's a plus!

Once I caught up on my sleep, I started searching for a place for us to live. You definitely get a lot more for your money out here! Nothing is finalized yet, but we applied to rent this nice little new two bedroom and two bath house east of Boulder. All for the low low price of $1295/month. That's highway robbery compared to the $1815/month that they want for the one bedroom apartment we're in now!

Friday I got a great surprise! At the end of the day a care package arrived from Laura. With a little help from USPS, she sent me some homemade chocolate chip cookies. What a keeper!

This weekend I got some time to play and unwind. Saturday I hit the local ski area, Eldora. It took a little under an hour to get there. It's a nice little mountain, but certainly not a destination. Similar in size and comforts to Bear Valley in California maybe. Well, that is, if Bear Valley had a summit at 10,800 feet! The mountains are a little bigger out here ...

Sunday I took advantage of the sunny 60 degree weather and went for a hike in Chautauqua Park, which is right on the edge of Boulder. It was nice and warm, but the snow and ice on the trail helped remind me that it was still winter. I managed to make it up and down unscathed, but at times some crampons would have come in handy!