Wolf Creek - it's hard on a marriage

Let me just say that Wolf Creek is a bear! I have been driving this mountain pass for 15 years now and in the past two years I've actually had scary experiences. I don't know if it's because I have very precious cargo now or what but it's not fun living on this side of the pass and having to go over it if you want to spend any holidays with family. Last year on the way home from our Christmas vacation we had THE scariest drive of all time and this year wasn't that great either. This year, however, we took pictures to document. I can honestly say that driving to Denver both at Christmas and Thanksgiving, the only difficult part of the whole entire drive was Wolf Creek. Clear and beautiful everywhere else. Unbelievable!

So I'm sharing some tips on going over the pass and also sharing why it's hard on a marriage :)

Mark is a great driver - honest - he's safely gotten us all over the pass dozens of times. But when you are not the driver, not in control, it's tough to watch. You don't know how slick the roads are, don't know how it "feels" to be driving. So it's easy to be the back seat driver. And I am. Nerves are already frazzled because of the weather, add a screaming baby {who cried 3/4 of the way} and you've got issues! So I started taking pictures and distracting myself in order to save our marriage. I'm sure Mark appreciated it.

Tip #1 -- Don't try and pass a slow semi. Can't see around them.
Tip #2 -- Semi's blow up tons of snow. Follow far behind.
Tip #3 -- Don't get caught looking at the beautiful scenery. It just means you're not looking at the road!
Tip #4 -- Grip wheel with both hands and don't even think of looking at your crazy wife with the camera. Focus, focus, focus.
Tip #5 -- Bring headphones and movies for the passengers. It keeps them calm when you're not.
Tip #5 -- Memorize the tops of signs. You may not get to actually read them.
Tip #6 -- Don't look closely at the snow. It starts to hypnotize you.
Tip #7 -- Feed your infant before going over. If you plan on stopping somewhere along the way you may encounter a Do Not Enter sign. If they don't eat before then you get to listen to screaming the rest of the way.
Tip #8 -- Finally, and seriously, drive slow. We really came across this flipped car. We saw the people walking around so they were okay from what we could tell but it's still scary to see that happen.
And that's it. After almost 9 hours on the road we made it home safe and sound. Thank you Lord.

Then we unpacked the car...[there's a couch under there somewhere]