Nice flight into Denver. We headed straight to Colorado Springs. We had a good lunch at Shuga's, then hit Walmart and then on to our apartment. After a brief rest we went to Garden of the Gods. It was better than I had expected.
We then went to Balancing Rock.
We ate a picnic dinner of subs we had picked up at a deli which also had decent gelato.
The next morning, we headed to Pike’s Peak which we drove up. We all mistakenly wore shorts as the temperature at the top was 41 degrees and the wind was howling.
After the visit we went to Old Colorado City and explored the downtown.
From there we travelled to the North Cheyenne Canyon for a hike on the seven Bridge Trail.
It was Indian cuisine for dinner.
In the morning we headed to Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was somewhat of an ordeal to walk through it. We climbed some small dunes but admired the giant ones from afar.
It was a travel day so after a long ride we stopped for lunch at “Worth the Ride” Amish bakery which was doing a brisk business even though it was miles away from everything.
Further along our journey we stopped at an overlook for some nice views. Shane and Teresa went on a hike through the woods.
We travelled further to the town of Durango where we walked through town. We had very good gelato and we stopped at a distillery where Shane tried their bourbon.
More driving until we made it to our hotel near Mesa Verde National Park. Dinner was leftovers from the night before with plenty of desserts from the Amish bakery.
The next day was Mesa Verde National Park Day. We stopped at a few places on the way to our first tour at Cliff Palace. Our ranger tour guide was very good.
After that tour we went on a hike and hit numerous overlooks to see the various Pueblo complexes built into alcoves along the cliffs.
We went to the Museum and after ate a picnic lunch. Our next tour was at Balcony House and we had the same guide.
After the tour we went to various other spots we hadn’t seen, including pithouses, the Temple of the Sun and the fire station on the highest point of the mesa (not really a mesa). From there we could see all four corner states.
We had Mexican for dinner.
We headed out in the morning for Silverton. We first took a mine tour not far from Silverton where we also panned for gold in a sluice. No Luck.
We then drove along the Alpine Loop and arrived in town which we explored- another rustic western town. We ate lunch in a saloon.
We then drove the Million Dollar Highway to Ouray. There is no anxiety on that drive, contrary to rumors.
We checked into our place and then hiked through town to the Box Canyon Falls.
From there we took hikes to the bridge and then part of the perimeter trail.
Dinner was salad and pizza.
In the morning we took a scenic drive to Telluride which was quite lovely itself.
We went up the free gondola, and our first stop was San Sofia where we did a short hike.
Next the gondola took us to the Mountain Village which was very upscale and evoked fairy tale vibes.
Our third stop was the market area. Yes, there is a free gondola between the Mountain Village and a huge supermarket.
After that we took the gondolas back to the city and we walked through the town.
In the afternoon we made our way to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We drove through, stopping at numerous outlooks for the views. We then drove down to the valley floor and did a little hike there.
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In the morning we headed to Colorado National Monument which was a series of canyons. We started at Devil’s Kitchen Trail. It was rather long, made more difficult when we deviated from the trail and encountered more challenging climbs. The descent was made easy by staying on the trail.
Back in the car we made several stops for overlooks or short hikes to overlooks. One such was Cold Shiver Point. This featured a rock on the end of a narrow spine that no sane person would walk out on. Teresa and Shane walked out on it. When we went back to our vehicle a park ranger had just pulled up. I asked her if anyone had died from falling off. She hesitated, turned sad and Said “Yes”. I asked her how many; another hesitation before answering “several”.
We finished our circuit about 2:40 p.m. and headed for our apartment in Grand Junction. We shared 3 appetizers and a huge Cobb Salad at two different places for dinner. After, we got some inferior gelato.
The next morning we decided to take the scenic road from Grand Junction to Glenwood. In Glenwood we went white water (at least for part of it) rafting under the guidance of Mudflap.
Food was very good in Glenwood Springs. We had great sandwiches at Chomps, tremendous tacos at Slope and Hack and Shane got a terrific ham and cheese croissant at Annie’s Bakery.
Next morning we drove to the trailhead of the hanging Lake Trail. The trail was 1 ½ miles long (3 miles roundtrip) It was a climb on the way there and descent on the way back. At the top were two attractions; The Hanging Lake and The Spouting Rock- worth the climb.
After lunch and ice cream we headed to Snowmass. Our apartment was ready early.
The next morning, we headed out very early to Maroon Bells and initially Maroon Lake as the sunrise there is a thing. Conditions were not right that day, however.
We then took a long hike to Crater Lake which we knew was dry. The route there was stunning. When we got to the lake we decided to walk across it. On the way we saw bear tracks and Teresa purloined an artifact.
From the other side of the lake we could see a waterfall in the distance. Shane decided we needed to go and see it.
There were no established trails to the waterfall so Shane blazed one. It was a treacherous path.
After the waterfall we had to find our way back. The 17,500 steps we put into the excursion do not well describe the effort as almost every step was a challenge.
As it was past noon when we finished our six-hour ordeal we ate our picnic lunch.
When we made it back to the condo we made use of one of the hot tubs. It helped.
We took the shuttle bus to Aspen to explore the town and go to dinner.
The next day I was promised a long scenic drive but no hiking. The scenery was lovely but I was misinformed about the hiking.
At one stop we arrived at a trailhead and had quite an elevated hike to Linkins Lake.
We made it to Estes Park after 5:00 p.m. We stopped at a Safeway where I found Tillamook Udderly Chocolate Ice Cream (only the third place I have ever seen it) and it was on sale!
Estes Park is a great town . We had a good Italian meal at Mama Rose’s.
The next day was our first day at Rocky Mountain National Park. Our plan was to park at the Bear Lake trailhead even though our starting point was to be from the Glacier Gorge trailhead because Bear Lake had a larger parking lot. We arrived at 7:15 a.m. and both lots were full. We drove to the Park and Ride and took the bus to Glacier Gorge trailhead. We then hiked a grueling 4.5 miles to Mills Lake and then the lake behind it, all uphill. On the way back we diverted to Bear Lake Trailhead (more uphill hiking) and got our bus from that trailhead. By the way, the Park and Ride bus system works very well.
We the drove to various overlooks; none requiring hiking except one near the Visitor Center which was only a little more than a ¼ mile but steeply uphill and brought you to 12,000 feet above sea level.
Before leaving the park we went on an elk hunt and found numerous herds, with alpha males keeping rivals away without much violence. We left the Park at about 6:15. Back at our apartment we ate salad and leftovers from Mama Rose’s topped off with Udderly Chocolate Tillamook.
The next morning we headed to Old Fall River Road which is an unpaved narrow road up a mountain. On the way we saw a resting elk and Chasm Falls.
We then headed to Grand Lake. We had a very good lunch at Sagebrush Bar B Q.
We then went to Adams Falls. On the way back we saw a rainbow at Rainbow Curve- go figure- which we could see all the way to the ground.
Our dinner was appetizers at Lonnigan’s Pub – then ice cream at Pines and Cones.
The next day was lakes day. We started with Bear Lake and circled it. Next was Nymph Lake, then Dream Lake, Emerald Lake and Lake Haiyaha.
We came back in the evening and went to Sprague Lake searching for the elusive moose. We didn’t see one there, so we headed to Sheep Lakes and saw three in the distance. Shane got the only good shots with his telephoto lens.
We had a good meal at a Curry/ Kebab Nepal /India restaurant. Ice cream at Danish Cones.
We got up early the next morning to see if we could spot moose at Sheeps Lake. No moose, but plenty of elk. We saw two young stags practicing their horn locking against each other.
We then drove around when Shane spotted a cow moose in the forest. We stopped and shortly were host to a dozen other cars.
Next we went to Wild Basin Trailhead for a hike up to the Ouzel Waterfalls. There were plenty of cascades along the way.
We ate our last picnic lunch in Colorado at Lake Lily.
