Author: Kirk Mitchell and Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post

Blizzard conditions shut down U.S. 285 in the mountains Thursday afternoon, a 12-mile stretch from Grant to Jefferson including Kenosha Pass.The Colorado Department of Transportation said the closure was due to adverse weather conditions.Patchy blowing snow hit parts of the high country Thursday, wind chill values on 10,000-feet high Kenosha Pass, driven by 40 mph…