Colorado Gems

If you’re fortunate (unfortunate?) enough to live along the Colorado Front Range your primary access to points west are I-70 that crosses Colorado from Kansas to just west of Grand Junction, and Highway 285 that heads west out of Denver and is increasingly becoming the alternate to an overwhelmed I-70 that routinely sees travel times doubled, tripled, or even quadrupled. Colorado Springs folks have Highway 24 and folks in NOCO (northern Colorado) have Highways 14 and 287 to escape the urban sprawl but increasingly it takes some real dedication and effort to explore the furthest reaches of this State we call home.

My better half (three quarters?) and I settled in the Denver area because that’s where the jobs were when we got hitched. Today, even with some employers embracing work from home, Denver remains the State’s population ( 3 million in the metropolitan area) and employment epicenter which is great if you relish the urban/suburban environment. For me, I spent my career in Denver dreaming of weekend escapes to my beloved mountains. I could tolerate 40-60 hours spent cube-bound so long as Friday through Sunday evening was spent at an elevation higher than a mile high (Denver’s professed elevation is 5,280 feet). The new work mode that’s taking hold in some places referred to as 996 (you work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 6 days a week) would never have worked for me and negates the entire reason I live in Colorado rather than say, Ohio or Alabama (with apologies to both of those great States). Now that I’m gainfully retired (is that even a thing? It should be…) my ongoing quest for a routine altitude adjustment from the front range flatlands hasn’t changed though the advantage of retirement is I don’t have to wait until Friday evening to head out of town. 

Recently my wife and I headed out to explore south central Colorado. Hooking up the camper our first stop was a town many of you already know and love: Crested Butte. Known for wildflowers, mountain biking, as well as great skiing I’ve spent a fair amount of time in CB and never get tired of this beautiful and unique mountain town tucked into the far end of the Gunnison Valley. As you’ll see in the video below we hit CB during one of its street fairs which meant some crowds in town but the hiking and biking trails were not busy at all so I was in heaven.

After a couple of days in CB we journeyed south to the little town of Lake City which boasts a population of 413 (as of 2024…. Might be 415 by now!). I’ll bet your high school had a larger population than that. Heck, my neighborhood King Soopers (one of our local grocery chains) has more than that. Now, if you haven’t been to Lake City I’m going to encourage you not to go (just kidding) because it’s peaceful and quiet and kind of a hidden gem. True to its name it features a beautiful lake

as well as access to a spectacular high mountain route called the Alpine loop that connects Lake City to Silverton and Ouray (two other Colorado gems). The Alpine loop is not by any stretch a highway. It’s not even paved. It spends much of its time far above 10,000 feet and the two passes we drove over (Cinnamon and Engineer) were both over 12,000 feet. And no, don’t plan on driving your normal passenger vehicle. Even though I drive a 4X4 truck we rented a 4X4 Jeep from the good folks at the campground where we were staying and was glad we did. In the off-roading community the Alpine loop is rated as “moderately difficult” and all I have to say to that is ‘Amen!’ If it’s only “moderately” difficult I’m not sure I want to behind the wheel of what qualifies as ‘very difficult’. Engineer Pass especially was an eye-opener with a couple of “Oh S@$#" sections that introduced a pucker factor not usually associated with driving a motor vehicle. Put another way I was a little envious of the dirt bikes and OHV’s that were the norm on most of the route. All that said, the Alpine Loop is stunningly beautiful and with a little caution and white-knuckle driving its doable by mere mortals. Still beware that the route is not only challenging but remote as well and you’ll pass signs warning that rescue services (let alone cell service) may not be readily available. And the rescue services are busy down there - just a week or so ago a Florida couple had to be rescued after driving into a snowstorm (I know, I know) atop Engineer Pass. 

From Lake City we journeyed over Slumgullion Pass (which is paved and features gloriously smooth asphalt) to South Fork Colorado which is swiftly turning into one of my favorite Colorado destinations (Shhhhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone). We were there last year to do some ‘rail biking’ but had also gotten in some great biking, hiking, kayaking and paddle boarding and sightseeing. Not a lot of Front Rangers make the jaunt to South Fork and you might be excused if you think its a suburb of Dallas (a great opportunity to practice your Texican…) but everyone was really nice, really relaxed, and just really glad to be there. This trip we ventured to the little town of La Garita which is so small it doesn’t even qualify for a U.S. Census population count. What it lacks in population it makes up for in the form of one of the most photogenic churches at which I have ever aimed a lens. La Garita is also adjacent to Penitente Canyon which features camping, hiking, and rock climbing as attractions. 

We also took a day trip to the town of Creede which claims a year-round population of 281 souls but swells to upwards of 5,000 come high summer. Thankfully we were there when nowhere close to 5,000 folks were in town. We availed ourselves of the opportunity to take in a show at the Creede Repertory Theatre and the very strong cast did play to a full house while putting on a wonderful performance.

Thanks if you’re still with me as I wasn’t planning on writing this long of a blog but this was a fun trip and as long as you don’t tell anyone else where you’re going I’d highly encourage you to visit this less traveled (less traveled being a relative term…) part of the State I call home and which to this day I’m still getting to know.

Aaaah, Fall…

The calendar says it’s October but across much of the country you’d think it was still mid-summer. My better half and I actually went kayaking at our local reservoir a couple of days ago and it was just darned hot, even out on the water. Normally folks would be hauling their boats out of the water and waxing up their skis in anticipation of cooler temps and white flakes lazily falling from the sky but this year… not so much.

The news says it’s in part due to abnormally warm ocean temperatures near China and Japan that’s pushing the jet stream northward and allowing abnormally warm temperatures to rein across much of the United (?… maybe we need to change that name like someone did with the Gulf of America) States. I know the snow and cold will ultimately make their presence known, but for now having summer extend well into autumn is okay with me. 

Up in the Colorado hills it’s been a fantastic fall foliage season, perhaps the best I have ever seen. That is, if you could actually get up there to witness it. In Colorado one mountain town closed the exits from the interstate due to the hordes of folks descending on the town in their annual pilgrimage to see Populus Tremuloides (the quaking aspen) go from its summer green to its fall yellow. And this year there was also a lot of gold, red, and orange as well. A year or so ago my better half and I had spent a considerable sum on a fall foliage cruise up the Atlantic seaboard from Boston to the Canadian maritimes and while I know the fall colors back east are amazing on that trip at least the colors we saw paled in comparison to what our local aspens put on display this year. 

It’s getting to the point that if you try to get to the Colorado High Country on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday it may not be worth your bother. What’s normally an hour and a half to two hour jaunt can easily turn into a five or six hour ordeal - one way. But not to worry… its only anticipated that our state will grow by another 1.72 million people by 2050. I’m fortunate enough to be retired so I have the luxury (and luxury it has truly become) of being able to head to the hills during the middle of the week when mid-week traffic on I-70 is only as bad as weekend traffic was five or ten years ago. But I digress.

Once you made it above 8,000 feet, traffic notwithstanding, you were treated to some amazingly vibrant colors. I spent my time around Twin Lakes, Leadville, and Estes Park (went to Estes because of the government shutdown thinking the crowds would be smaller and they…. were!). Here’s some of what I saw:

Of course all those vibrantly beautiful leaves must fall and much of my time over the next couple of weeks will be spent dutifully raking and bagging said leaves so that my trash company can do me the honor of hauling them away one trashcan-full at a time. Not quite sure where to put the rest of our household trash, but that’s a topic for another day. For those of you who were fortunate, and brave enough to get into the hills to see this year's changing colors… congratulations! You were among the few and the proud and your efforts are to be applauded. And for those unlucky enough to have been caught up in the traffic nightmare that I-70 routinely becomes, my condolences and please don’t read this while driving on the mountain highway… well on second thought, go ahead… you’re not going anywhere anyhow.

All aboard the good ship…

 One of the videos featured in my last blog showcased the fine art of burro racing at 10,000 feet. The town of Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States. Being a mountain town lends itself to having a lot of outdoor activities available nearby. In the winter there’s skiing at Ski Cooper, snowshoeing at Turquoise Lake and in town come spring there’s the fun but not for feint of heart sport (?) of Skijoring which I also featured in one of my earlier blogs. Summers are no slouch either with incredible biking, hiking, fishing, camping, kayaking and as mentioned before the fine pastime of getting your Ass (burro) up the nearby pass (Mosquito). In short I and Sophie, my infinitely better half, have spent quite a bit of time in the area surrounding Leadville and still haven’t quite gotten our fill of this uniquely Colorado town.

About 18 miles south of Leadville there’s a couple of Lakes, two in fact, aptly given the moniker Twin Lakes. Lying as they do at the eastern start of Independence Pass the lakes are ooo’ed and aaw’ed over by plenty of tourists making what to some is a white-knuckle drive over to Leadville’s poorer cousin (?!) Aspen. In recent years Twin Lakes has also been discovered as a fine place for paddle boarding at least when the winds aren’t howling (as they frequently do especially in the afternoons) and for those willing to freeze their private bits off should they fall into the cold (mild understatement) water.

We’ve been canoeing and more recently paddle boarding (and freezing those aforementioned private bits) for years now but one thing that we had never done was avail ourselves of the opportunity to take the guided boat tour of the lakes. So a couple of weeks ago having fulfilled our quota of biking, hiking, fishing, camping, kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding we thought “Hey! Let’s take the Twin Lakes Boat Tour!” So we did. The tour is a 2 to 3 hour excursion (depending on the whims of the weather and captain) that starts on the upper west lake and then meanders through the narrow channel into the larger east lake with a stop at the historic Interlaken Resort on the southern shore. Sure, there’s a 2 mile path that you can use to hike or bike in to the old resort but for a change sitting on a comfy boat seat instead of a bike saddle wasn’t half bad either. And given that the day we took the tour it was in the mid-high 80’s (which used to be considered pretty warm for the Colorado High Country) it was nice not to have to contemplate the additional 2 mile hike or bike back out to the car.

The boat only accommodates 7 or 8 people and the tour website says there’s a required minimum of four for the tour to go. On our tour there were  seven of us plus the captain who’s also a pretty good tour guide full of facts, figures, and local knowledge that makes the 2 to 3 hour tour fly by. Of course I had my handy camera at the ready and here’s the requisite video of our nautical inland cruise:

One of the things that is perhaps better appreciated from the water than on the trail is the scope of the wildfire that went through portions of the southern shore in June of 2024. I was in the area during the fire and, yes, did shoot a video (available here) about that as well. Fortunately the Interlaken Resort was saved through the determined efforts of firefighters but from the boat we could clearly see how close the flames came to destroying this historic landmark. 

Tours run from June through September and more info is available at twinlakesboattours.com. That gives you another 6 weeks to hop on board, hopefully on a day as calm and beautiful as the one we had. And depending on ole’ Mother Nature if leaf peeping season is early this year the late September trips could be spectacular as the mountains to the west light up with their golden Fall display. So as we’ve heard more than one cruise director say “Don’t delay! Book today!”. Alright, so a cruise director I’m not, but still we’d recommend this trip whether your from out of state or just a local who hasn’t yet found the time to partake of this one-of-a-kind tour…

Busy, busy, busy…

 I know some folks have a tough time transitioning to retirement. We have friends who last only a couple of weeks or months before they return to some type of employment because they don’t quite know what to do with all their newfound free time.

I, for one, haven’t had that problem. While I thoroughly enjoyed most aspects of my career I knew that while I was working I never had enough free time to pursue all the other things I was passionate about. From travel to honing my guitar skills (or lack thereof!) to catching up on my reading, and of course the ever present honey-do list which never seems to get any shorter, I still find myself with not enough time to do all the things I love to do.

Travel is something my wife and I have always enjoyed but while working, yet even with the very generous PTO (paid time off) allowance my employer gave employees we found ourselves wanting more time to see the things of interest to us. Now the only limitation is our travel BUDGET which, alas, never seems to have enough on hand to fund all the wonderful trips my wife dreams up. Plus, post-COVID a lot of us retirees are playing catch up on our travel aspirations and hey, as if you didn’t know, it’s still a big, beautiful world out there. 

We are fortunate to live in Colorado so we don’t even need to travel very far to scratch our travel itch. This summer we’ve been lucky enough to share our State with some out-of-State friends and family and even after living in the State for more than 50 years I’m still amazed at what I haven’t yet seen or experienced in this wonderful place we call home. 

Of course Colorado is bounded on all sides by other beautiful States and we started our summer revisiting one of our favorite places - Grand Teton country in northwest Wyoming. There too I find myself seeking out places and things still unexplored and I tried to capture some of those in the following video:

The area around Jackson Hole didn’t disappoint though candidly it seems slightly more empty and lonely now that it was devoid of its most famous citizen - Bear 399. Sadly she was struck and killed by a vehicle late last year and perhaps in mourning her loss we didn’t see a single bear during our three week visit.

Last Fall we had been lucky enough to take a Fall foliage cruise from Boston to Quebec City and while in Quebec my wife had the chance to reconnect with one of her cousins that she hadn’t seen since she was a youngster. Val had been nice enough to spend a day and a half being our personal tour guide  as she showed us the nooks and crannies of that special city. To reciprocate we invited Val and her partner Nat to visit us in Colorado. Due to the political upheaval and anger of Canadians suddenly being the target of our President’s ire they were reluctant to head south of the border but we managed to assuage their concerns by assuring them that Coloradans are a friendly bunch and that they would be warmly welcomed and that in fact turned out to be the case. Val and Nat spent 3 weeks traversing almost every corner of our State and we got to share in some of their exploration. One thing neither my wife or I had done in all our years here was to take the Royal Gorge Train and we had a wonderful day and weather riding the rails and gazing a thousand feet upward at the Royal Gorge Bridge which we have visited several times. If you’re into trains and heck, even if you’re not, you’ll enjoy this unique trip along the Arkansas river. Here’s a quick video of that day trip from Denver:

And just to get caught up, just last weekend we headed up to one of my favorite small towns, Leadville, to see another event I had never been to. Part of Leadville’s annual Boom Days Celebration is a burro race and I’ve got to admit I fell in love with these adorable asses. And, oh, they can run, at least when they’re so inclined but their sometimes balky behavior just makes them all the more endearing.So yes, I got out my camera and here’s some of what I saw:

Perhaps you can now understand while I’m perpetually running out of time. As I always tell my wife, the grass can get mowed manana. In the meantime I’ve got burros to watch get their ass up the pass. What could be better?

Myths of Maui Luau Dancer

During a recent trip to Maui I attended a Hawaiian Luau. This young lady, at least for me, stole the show...

A visit to Paradise

Late winter/early spring in Colorado brings mixed blessings, at least as far as the weather is concerned. Some days give a taste of what is to come - sunny skies and warming temperatures. Other days Old Man Winter reminds us that it’s still early in the year and not to get our dreams of summer out prematurely. This year we took Mr. Winter’s threat seriously and booked a trip that would take us some 3,300 miles west to a place where the winds are warm and the waves beckon.

It had been years since I had been to Hawaii. Sophie, my better half, had never been. So we decided now was the time. Since neither of us had been to Maui, and on the recommendation of friends, it was to the Valley Isle we would go.

My wife, who should have been a travel agent, found us a deal too good to pass up and off we went to the joys of the soon to be forgotten Southwest Airlines Cattle Call. We transferred in Las Vegas (why do a Cattle Call just once when you can do it twice?) and were soon passing over Los Angeles at 37,000 feet on our way to the Aloha State. 

On my first trip to Oahu many years ago it was still customary to receive a lei when arriving. I hear Hawaiian Airlines still does that but not so much Southwest. Still, it was nice to deplane and immediately feel the warm breezes caressing our soon to be sunburned skin. The airport at Kahului is one of the nicer airports I have visited recently and the “Welcome to Maui” signs appeared to really mean it. Picking up our rental car (Maui seems to be very car dependent and we’d have been lost without our own set of wheels) we were off to our condo at the Kihei Bay Surf which was affordably priced and centrally located amongst the string of hotels and condominiums that make up much of Maui’s west coast. 

We’re the type of travelers who like to see and do as much as possible when we visit someplace new so the next morning we were up with the crack of a tropical dawn and on our way. I don’t know what we missed during our ten days, if anything, but it can’t have been much. From Hana to Lahaina, Haleakala to Molokini, Waimea to Pa’ia, and a side trip to the island of Lanai, we saw most everything we could think of to visit. And yes, it is chilly, if not downright cold, at the top of Haleakala so if you head up to view either the sunrise or sunset (we did the latter not wanting to get up at 4 a.m.) bring a sweater and coat and don’t be that guy who actually wore shorts and a tank top at the summit.

A quick word on Lahaina which was devastated by wildfires in 2023. Much of the area remains closed to tourists and we tried to respect the boundaries while still wanting to patronize the businesses and restaurants that have reopened. The locals seemed to appreciate the trade and the hotels, shops, and eateries that were open in the area seemed to be booming but the devastation was readily evident and will clearly take a long time to recover. In short, if you visit Lahaina by respectful of the fact that many are still hurting.

As I mentioned, we took a side trip to the island of Lanai which is 98% owned by Larry Ellison who co-founded Oracle Corporation. He has done some major improvements and the renovated Four Seasons Resort goes down as one of the most beautiful and peaceful places I have ever visited. While the accommodations were way out of our price range we did have lunch by the pool overlooking the ocean and I can attest that the sliced cauliflower pizza is to die for. And if you’re interested in a good walk ruined the Cavendish Golf course is free to play and we saw several folks on the morning ferry carrying their clubs specifically heading over to get in a round of losing balls. 

Here’s a quick video highlighting some of our visit. I know many of you have been to Maui so watching will be like Old Home Week for you as you’ll recognize much of what you’ll see. If you have only thought of visiting Maui (or Lanai!) hopefully this will get you off the couch and connecting with your own travel guru. As Warren Miller once said, if you don’t go this year, you’ll only be another year older when you do. Thanks Warren, we took your advice!

A Springtime Toot

Recently my better half and I escaped south for a quick springtime toot. Mileage-wise it wasn’t very far but it was enough to let us escape the humdrum (drum, drum, drum) of daily life and act like tourists in one of our favorite places. Cancun? Jamaica? Florida? Arizona? Nahhhh…. The exciting tourist Mecca of… Manitou Springs, Colorado. 

It being the off-season but still featuring the first glimpses of warm, springlike temperatures, Manitou Springs offers, for those of you who have yet to partake, fun shopping, good food, some quintessential tourist sites, and plenty of recreational activities such that bedtime couldn’t come soon enough for these two old farts acting like we were what, in our fifties?!? As if.

For those who make the trip to the Springs area from Denver don’t make the mistake of taking I-25. Instead, hop onto Santa Fe Boulevard heading south which will turn into Highway 85 as you pass Highlands Ranch on your way to the little town of Sedalia. From Sedalia turn right (west) onto 67 for about a mile then turn left (south) onto Highway 105 towards Palmer Lake. A prettier drive along the front range you’ll be hard pressed to find and if you’re willing to approximate the 50 mph speed limit through what is in essence ranch country (still!) you might appreciate not having to white-knuckle it on the far busier roadway 10 miles to your left.

Sadly, at Palmer Lake (actually Monument) you’ll have to head back onto I-25 and head down through Colorado Springs to the exit for Highway 24 which will take you to Manitou Springs. A tip to the wise: get off Highway 24 a couple of blocks to the north onto Colorado Avenue and head west. It’s far more scenic and you’ll pass through Old Colorado City (worthy of an afternoon walk about) which became the first permanent town in the Pikes Peak region in 1859. 

Once in Manitou Springs there are plenty of lodging options from spartan to posh, mom and pop to chains, but if you’re like us lodging simply means a comfortable bed for the night as we’re out and about all day seeing the sights. One note: parking in Manitou Springs is not free and can add up especially if you park  in town but if you’re willing to walk a little you can find some less expensive  parking to the east coming into town on Manitou Avenue. Once in town there are plenty of fun shops, restaurants, and chocolate shops. And bring your camera as Manitou Springs is very colorful and photogenic for those of us in the shutterbug crowd. Here’s a quick video of our recent toot:

Manitou Springs is also right next door to the Garden of the Gods Park which offers breathtaking vistas (especially at dawn and dusk) and great hiking and biking. An early start is best as the Park gets very busy.  In the video the opening shots were taken in the Park at sunset. 

A couple of miles (2.3 to be precise) from Manitou Springs on Highway 24 you’ll find the Manitou Cliff Dwellings which we had driven by many times through the years but never stopped at until this jaunt. The ruins were relocated at the turn of the last century from near Mesa Verde to their present location to protect them from looting (this was before the passage of the Antiquities Act). There’s an interesting museum and gift shop and you have a lot of access to clamber over and through the ruins. Just like you’re a kid again! Here’s a quick snapshot of what you’ll see:

Though we were busy enough on this trip not to do them there are plenty of other touristy activities that we’ve done in the past. You can summit Pikes Peak by foot, by car, or by train, you can tackle the mighty Manitou Incline, or even visit Santa at his nearby North Pole Workshop. No matter what you choose, the Manitou Springs area is a fun escape!