We knew our Day 3 was a lucky day and also the last day of severe storms (we could reach) for several days. On Day 4 we had to go to Denver to leave Alex’ rental car as well as fix our own so we left Burlington for Denver and went straight up towards Rocky Mountain National Park. We took pretty much exactly the same route as in 2017 and it sure was nice to enjoy the amazing views and the clean air. I even had a close encounter with a marmot that literally ran by my feet and posed for a nice landscape shot of the mountains. Just as last time we ended the trip with a visit to the cute town of Estes where we had dinner.
Day 5 was a Monday, so we were able to hand in the car for a check-up while we went into downtown Denver to check out the city. Fortunately, it was something they would be able to fix the day after so we could both leave and be able to use the 4WD for the upcoming days. After a really nice BBQ dinner we finished off the day by David providing a mid-range forecast for the upcoming week.
It seems like Tuesday and Wednesday will continue to be Down Days until a more active pattern starts again on Thursday around the Texas panhandle. It should get increasingly better for Friday and Saturday but then I leave on Sunday (which also have potential for a great chase day). As I am the only one leaving on Sunday I may end up in a difficult situation as I don’t really know where we will be on Saturday but it will not likely be Tulsa. Thus, I need to either buy a last minute airplane ticket or rent a car (if we will be within driving distance from Tulsa on Sunday morning). No matter how it ends, it will be a stressy situation to wake up in Amarillo to take a flight later in the afternoon!
