Photos from the rock slide that has I-70 closed indefinitely

If you had big ideas to go to Aspen this weekend in search of spring freshies, you might want to can those plans. In a bid to prove she's still the boss around Colorado as well as Chile and Haiti, Mother Nature saw fit to rain down hundreds of tons...

By Ted Alvarez

March 9, 2010

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If you had big ideas to go to Aspen this weekend in search of spring freshies, you might want to can those plans. In a bid to prove she's still the boss around Colorado as well as Chile and Haiti, Mother Nature saw fit to rain down hundreds of tons of rock last night onto I-70 in Glenwood Canyon, just beyond the Hanging Lake exit.

The cascading rocks put 20 by 10-foot craters into the highway, and highway officials estimate the largest boulder on the road weight 66 tons and approaches the size of a Mac truck. Governor Bill Ritter has declared the highway a disaster area, hoping to access emergency federal funds.

(More pics after the jump.)
But as of now, it remains closed indefinitely, and officials don't know when they'll get the interstate open. Westbound motorists are being directed to a horrendous 200-mile detour that starts in Dotsero and takes you north through glorious Craig and back down onto 70. Repairs could take weeks or even months.

While it's a major pain in the ass for pretty much all of Colorado's humanity, it is kind of humbling to see nature go Michael Bay on the tiny works of man. Ouch.

Ted Alvarez

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