Highlanders

Although we’re an hour away from the Continental Divide, we have our very own “fourteener” right here outside Evergreen. Mt. Evans is also home to the highest paved road in North America, with the asphalt stretching all the way up to 14,240 feet above sea level. (Mt. Evans home page.)

This morning (6/18/2011) I joined a local car club – magazine, actually – at 3:30 AM to rendezvous outside Denver and caravan to the top of Mt. Evans to see the sunrise. The drive took a little over an hour but after all 25 or so cars reached the summit we were treated to an amazing sunrise from the highest paved point on the continent! It was very cold – 28 degrees and EXTREMELY windy – but the sleep deprivation and white-knuckled driving on a narrow ribbon of road (yes, with sheer drops at many turns) were all worthwhile when we got one of the most beautiful series of views I have ever seen.

Sunrise from highest paved road in North America

After our requisite photo ops we caravanned back down the mountain to Idaho Springs and had a nice, warm breakfast and plenty of coffee. It was a neat opportunity to meet some of the Colorado Bimmer and other Euro marque fans, and was a great way to start the weekend. (Unfortunately one of the local groups of owners of older BMWs had a meet in our area at the same time, so I had to miss that. I’ll catch up with them at another meet, now that I have done Mt. Evans.)

Chilly - but gorgeous - start to the weekend!