It was late summer, and I nursed the old Bellanca Cruisemaster higher as we passed over Blue Mesa Reservoir near Gunnison, Colo. The engine was leaned for our 9,500-foot altitude, but looking straight ahead at the crest of the Rockies, it was obvious I still had higher to climb. The Continental Divide cut directly across our path 30 miles ahead. Monarch Pass reared up as I followed U.S. Highway 50 east into the tall rocks, leaning the mixture a little more and hoping the 190 hp Lycoming could find extra power to somehow lift us above the jagged rocks of the pass at 11,300 feet.
展开▼
