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.
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