So I made it over the last of the passes before the great plains, and franke is putting right along :). Monarch Crest was 11,312 feet and still had snow on the ground. Doing pretty good for the day, already putting away 200 miles. I'm in a windy river canyon heading towards Colorado Springs. About 40 miles back my French lesson was inturrupted by a loud BANG as a bird collided with my windshield... Poor guy... I still have some guts and feathers to clean off, but thank God it didn't break the glass! Anyway, just a quick update while Franke cools off. Time to keep on truckin!