Colorado Day 8- Glenwood Springs to Denver......with a few stops along the way.

Isak Heartstone is a 15 foot troll located on the Trollstigen Trail in Breckenridge

There was one important stop to make before leaving Glenwood Springs.  Thankfully Sweet Coloradough was open on Sundays.  A road trip is always better with doughnuts, so we stopped in for a few before putting Glenwood Springs in the rear view mirror.  It was a great three day adventure and we look forward to coming back again sometime.  It's hard to go wrong with hot springs and doughnuts!

So many doughnuts...…….so little time!

The drive from Glenwood Springs to Denver is around 160 miles on I-70.  Normally there is some degree of monotony in driving on an interstate highway, however this stretch of highway is incredible. The drive takes you over the Vail Pass, under the Continental Divide by way of the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel (Johnson is Edwin Johnson, a former governor and US Senator) and down a steep descent near Silverthorne to the lower elevation of Denver.  We had all day, so we made the most of it, stopping several times along the way.
First up was Vail, a small town in the White River National Forest.  The town sits at the base of Vail Mountain and is a popular winter destination of skiers and snowboarders.  The ski area is massive and the lifts are actually located in different areas.  The newest area is called Lionshead,  and is located to the west of Vail Village.  Lionshead was nice but seemed kind of Disney like, while Vail Village had a more realistic look and feel to it.  We preferred Vail Village to Lionshead.  Only a few trails at the top of the mountain at Vail Village were open for skiing at this time.  They hope to be fully operational on November 28, if the weather cooperates.  If you're going to ski here bring your wallet.  A one day lift ticket is $169!

Snow making operations were going strong at Lionshead Village

Lionshead 

The Ski Trooper Memorial in Vail Village.  It honors those who served in the Tenth Mountain Division during World War II.

It was still fairly early in the morning but skiers and snowboarders were heading for the lifts.

Vail Village

After Vail we stopped by Breckenridge, a former mining town that is now popular as a year round resort area.  Breckenridge has a very nice main street that was bustling on a sunny, clear Sunday afternoon.  The base of the ski area in Breckenridge is located a few blocks from main street so the shopping and skiing/snowboarding crowds are somewhat segregated.  It did look like more of the ski areas in Breckenridge were open than Vail.  Within a few weeks all these areas will be up and running, much to the delight of the orthopedic surgeons in Colorado.

Just off of Main Street- Breckenridge

Downtown Breckenridge

Just to the west of Denver is the city of Golden, home of Coors Beer (aka Colorado Kool-Aid).  The brewery offers tours that conclude with tastings daily (times vary).  Although we had both been through the brewery at Busch Gardens in Tampa, as well as a couple of micro-breweries, we thought it would be fun to do this brewery tour as well.  Apparently we weren't alone in our thinking.  When we arrived it was about a one hour wait to start the tour.  After debating for a few minutes we decided to head on to Denver for our final stop before heading to the hotel.
The Denver Botanical Gardens is a 23 acre garden located in the Cheesman Park neighborhood just east of downtown Denver.  As we pulled into the gardens we snickered when we noticed that the temperature in Denver was 60 degrees (it was in the mid-30's in Vail and Breckenridge), while the temperature on Anna Maria Island was 57.  Although much of the outdoor displays weren't as colorful as they are during the spring, summer and early fall it was still a fun place to visit.  The gardens will actually take on a different look in the next few weeks with "Blossoms of Light".  This Christmas light display will run from late November through early January and would be worth checking out.

Denver Botanical Gardens

Japanese Garden inside the Denver Botanical Garden

We had an early flight today (Monday) back to Florida.    Our current plans are to be here until Christmas eve, when we head to California for multiple celebrations with our family.

 

Colorado Day 7- Glenwood Springs.........Doc's around here somewhere

A friendly reminder outside one of the stores in Glenwood Springs

Today was our final full day in Glenwood Springs.  Sometime tomorrow morning we'll pack things up and head east on I-70 towards Denver.  We've got a few ideas for stops along the way.  One that is a certainty, but we won't decide on the others until we're on the road.
We enjoyed spending the day exploring several of the many trails in and around Glenwood Springs, as well as spending time walking around the small but really nice downtown.  Glenwood Springs has been recognized by several publications as one of America's most livable small towns, with numerous amenities for both residents and visitors.

One of many pieces of artwork around downtown...….

……..and another!

A mural of Glenwood Springs on the side of one of the downtown buildings

Beth spotted these bighorn sheep on the hillside while we were walking the Rio Grande Trail

One of Glenwood Springs more famous residents from the past was Doc Holliday.  Doc was a man of many talents.  In his short life of 36 years he was known as a gambler, gunfighter, and dentist, earning his dental degree from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery.
He was involved in the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.  This gunfight was between a group of "outlaw cowboys" and law enforcement officers.  Doc Holliday had been sworn in as a temporary policemen and fought along side his friend Wyatt Earp.  When the shooting stopped several of the outlaws were killed, while others headed for the hills.  Holliday was injured in the gunfight but the injury was "minor'.

Holliday ended up in Glenwood Springs after he contracted tuberculosis.  His thinking was the dry air and waters from the Glenwood Hot Springs might ease his symptoms.  He was staying at the Hotel Glenwood (now the Hotel Colorado), located just across the street from the Glenwood Hot Springs when he died on November 8, 1887.  There is some debate over his final words and there were no I-phones at the time to capture the moment.  According to nurses who were attending to him at the time of his death, his final words were "this is funny".  It was believed this was because he always said he would die in a gunfight with his boots on.  Instead he died with his boots off in Glenwood Springs.
Holliday is believed to have been buried in the Linwood Cemetery overlooking the town of Glenwood Springs.  The exact location of his grave is unknown and some experts question as to if he is truly buried in the cemetery or not.  He's around here somewhere, we're just not sure exactly where!

We'll miss these trails!  This is the Glenwood Canyon.  The interstate passes right through it on the way to and from Glenwood Springs.  There is a nice walking/biking trail that runs beside the interstate for several miles.

Colorado Day 6-Glenwood Springs, Coloradough.........SWEET!

Words are inadequate to describe these...……...

By design we've  stayed on Eastern Standard Time during this trip.  That's really not too hard for us, we've never been creatures of the night.  It's allowed us to make the most of the daylight hours, which are shortened even more here in Glenwood Springs by the mountains.  Currently sunrise is around 6:50 and sunset is a few minutes before 5:00.
Yesterday morning we were out the door and on a quest before the sun came up.  Our mission, doughnuts from a place that Beth had read about online, Sweet Coloradough.  The hype for these tasty morsels of sugar coated dough was tremendous.  We've had a few doughnuts around the world in our travels, some really good and some not so good.  We were both a little skeptical that they would live up to the praise that had been heaped on them.  We were wrong!  The doughnuts at Sweet Coloradough may not be the best doughnuts in the galaxy, but Beth and I were in 100% agreement that we had never tasted better ones.
Sweet Coloradough
We arrived shortly after their 6:00 AM opening.  The display case was full of all types of doughnuts and on top of the counter were complimentary doughnut holes.  We each grabbed one of the samples and bit in...……..it was love at first bite!  The very witty and funny young man working behind the counter patiently guided us through the large selection.  We narrowed our selection down to four, then added one more and then added one more before getting to the register.

If you're within a thousand miles of Glenwood Springs make your way here and look for this sign!

We enjoyed our treasures in the store.  First dividing each of the six huge doughnuts into half and then into quarters.  This allowed us to compare and contrast our selection.  After careful consideration the winner of the top doughnut award was...…..all of them!
While we were chowing down we enjoyed watching a steady stream of regular customers coming in.  Each one was greeted by our doughnut hero behind the counter with a smile and funny comment or two, such as, "you want 100 dozen today" or "would you like tequila in your mocha".  The smiling customers were soon walking out with boxes that were sure to make them the hero in their office, school or home in just a few minutes.
We packed up our leftovers and instead of heading back to the hotel decided to drive the 40 miles down Colorado 82 and check in on the fur coat and leather pants crowd in Aspen.  It was around 8:00 when we got there, the ski slopes don't open for another two weeks so the town was still pretty much asleep.  We did enjoy walking several miles of the 42 mile long, multiuse, Rio Grande Trail that connects Aspen to Glenwood Springs.  We spent a little time walking through the downtown area, window shopping the latest fashion trends which were mainly more fur and leather.  Aspen remains the playground of the rich and famous!

Along the Rio Grand Trail in Aspen

Snowmass Ski Area...…..along the drive from Glenwood Springs to Aspen

Ran into this bear in downtown Aspen.  He's actually made of nails.

Rio Grand Trail
The afternoon was a wet one...…...literally.  In 2015 a new hot springs opened in Glenwood Springs, Iron Mountain Hot Springs.  It's less than a mile from the historic Glenwood Hot Springs Pools, quite different but equally soothing.  Instead of a large pool, Iron Mountain Hot Springs consists of 16 small pools with temperatures from the mid-90's up to 107 degrees.  Over a three hour period, with smiles on our faces we bounced from pool to pool, sampling different temperatures.  Like the doughnuts from earlier in the day, they were all winners.  As the sun was setting behind the mountain we left the hot springs for another adventure.

One of the sixteen hot springs pools at Iron Mountain Hot Springs.  This was our favorite at a comfortable 99 degrees.

This map at the entrance to the hot springs shows the current temperature of every pool.  It is monitored and changed throughout the day.

Iron Mountain Hot Springs
Just a short distance from the hot springs is the entrance to the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.  The actual park is located at the top of the mountain and is accessible by a five minute gondola ride from the base.  On Fridays after 4:00 the gondola ride up the mountain is free with a coupon from the local paper.  We took advantage of the offer and enjoyed the Christmas decorations which included a tree lighting.  We also enjoyed watching the sunset for a second time from our higher elevation while listening to live music in the cozy restaurant.

It's about a five minute gondola ride up to Glenwood Caverns Amusement Park

A selfie from 7100 feet

Our second sunset of the day.

The view of Mount Sopris (12,965 feet) from the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.  The two mountains on the left are much further away and are actually taller than Mount Sopris. 

Pat and Dan, a couple of very talented local musicians

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park
Not wanting to miss out on anything, we stopped back by Iron Mountain Hot Springs for a evening soak under the stars before heading back to the hotel.  It was a sweet day from beginning to end!


 

Colorado Day 5-Glenwood Springs...........there's at least 1,078,000 reasons to love it!

Glenwood Hot Springs Pool

We've moved a little over two hours southwest from Steamboat Springs to Glenwood Springs.  It was a nice and very scenic drive. Although the last 30 miles was on the interstate, most of the drive was on Colorado 131, a state road that took us through numerous small ranching communities, over several mountain passes and near the flattop mountains.

Yampa Flattop Mountains from Colorado 131

About 20 minutes out of Steamboat Springs we did a short detour to Stagecoach State Park.  If you purchase a state park one day admission permit it is good until noon of the following day.  Since we had one from our previous day's visit to Steamboat Lake and Pearl Lake State Parks, we couldn't pass up the opportunity.
Stagecoach State Park
Stagecoach is a 1,641 acre park that includes an 800 acre reservoir on the Yampa River.  The reservoir was formed when the 145 foot high Stagecoach Dam was completed in 1989.  While it's not a huge dam, we were amazed to learn that it was built in just 37 days.  While I'm not expert in dam construction, I think it's safe to say, "Damn that's fast"!  Nearby is an abandoned ski area that closed in the early 70's due to financial problems.

Hydroelectric Plant at the bottom of Stagecoach Dam

The park itself has the typical offerings of a state park, including campsites, picnic areas, a boat ramp and marina.  It also has some great hiking trails, including a 10 mile trail that goes around the shores of the reservoir.  We got some suggestions from the park office and enjoyed a couple of miles of hiking below the dam along the banks of the Yampa River.  We also hiked part of another trail that took us across the dam.  Our intentions were to do a little more hiking but we ran into sections of the trail that were covered in ice so we cut it a little short and moved on to Glenwood Springs.

Riverside Trail below the Stagecoach Dam

Riverside Trail 

The Stagecoach Dam is in the right center of the picture.  

Glenwood Springs is a resort town with a population of around 10,000.  It's located in the Roaring Fork Valley of the Rocky Mountains, at the confluence of the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers.  The town was incorporated in 1885, just a few years before the opening of the Glenwood Hot Springs.  Since 1888 people have been coming to Glenwood Springs to soak in the soothing, 3.5 million gallons of warm mineral water that flow from underground daily.

Trail along the river in Glenwood Springs

Beth gives the Glenwood Hot Springs two thumbs up!

 
Glenwood Springs
Glenwood Hot Springs Pool
After checking into our hotel we had a quick lunch and set off on foot for the hot springs, which is just over a mile away from the hotel. For the next three hours we were immersed in the magical, mystical waters, alternating between the smaller (a relative term) 104 degree pool and the larger 94 degree pool.  About that larger pool, it contains 1,078,000 gallons, making it the worlds largest hot springs pool.  Giving us at least 1,078,000 reasons to love Glenwood Springs!  

     

Colorado Day 4-Steamboat & Pearl Lake State Parks and a really cool general store

Beth checking out the view over Pearl Lake

Our second full day in the Steamboat Springs area was spent exploring a little further out of town.  Based on the recommendations from the very helpful visitors center staff member we decided on a morning drive to the Steamboat Lake and Pearl Lake State Parks.  These two parks are about 25 miles from town and are located within minutes of each other.
The drive was an easy one and we quickly realized that the drive itself would be part of the adventure.  Along the way we passed numerous large cattle ranches, and the mountainsides were sprinkled with impressive homes.  We also went through the small community of Clark, which proudly boasts on it's city limits sign that the population is unknown.  It is also the home to the Clark Store.  This just isn't a general store, it's so much more.  The Clark Store not only serves as the towns only grocery store, it also contains the post office,  a liquor store, bait store, library and deli...…….all under one roof!  We got a couple of hot chocolates on the way to the parks, and based on recommendations, enjoyed lunch there on the way back to town.

It's a little hard to see, but they list their population as ?

If they don't have it, you'll have to leave Clark to get it.

Clark Store
There is a park visitors center located at the entrance to the Steamboat Lake park.  We stopped to get some ideas on how to best explore the two parks and to purchase our one day pass ($8).  The young lady was extremely happy to see us.  Not because we're anything special, just because it is off season and there aren't many visitors at this time of year.  The campgrounds have closed for the season.  The winter enthusiasts who snowmobile and snowshoe on the more than 300 inches of snow that the park receives annually haven't arrived yet.  She gave us some great suggestions for short hikes at both parks but also warned us that the trails could be icy and wet.

The view from inside the visitors center was awesome...….

………...the view from outside the visitors center was even better, but a little chillier! 

We started by going to the Pearl Lake park.  We were told that the gate to the campground would be closed, but that there was parking available just outside the gate and we could simply hike in by going around the gate.  While it was a little icy, it was a great short hike down to the calm and peaceful shore of the lake.  There were numerous picnic tables and benches where we stopped to savor the views and the fact that we had the whole park to ourselves.

Hahns Peak Village is located between the two state parks.  It was established in the 1860's.  It's named after Joseph Hahn, a gold miner who settled in the area.  He died after running out of supplies.  I guess the lure of striking it rich was greater than the desire to stay warm and eat.

A few pictures from our Pearl Lake hike...……..

The snowy and icy trail to Pearl Lake.

The Steamboat Lake park is larger than the Pearl Lake park.  It has several campgrounds, a swimming beach (no swimmers today) and a marina.  Even though it was larger, it was no busier and again we had the place to ourselves.  Although we decided the recommended trail was too icy, we enjoyed driving around the lake.  We went back to Steamboat Springs by a route that took us to Clark on a well maintained, but unpaved road through some more magnificent ranch land.

Almost all the pictures in the blogs are taken by Beth.  She caught this great reflection on Steamboat Lake.  The lake is starting to freeze over.

A thin layer of ice has formed on this section of Steamboat Lake.  They'll be ice fishing before long.

Boat slips in the Steamboat Lake Marina.  The marina is located in a small cove that has already frozen solid.

A view of the unpaved, but very well maintained County Road 62.  It's an alternate way back to Clark from Steamboat Lake State Park.  We would highly recommend it.

One of the many large cattle ranches along the way.  We love the "wide open spaces"!

Before heading back to the hotel for a late afternoon dip in the hot tub, we stopped off at Fish Creek Falls.  This 283 foot waterfall is located just three miles from the town of Steamboat Springs.  The waterfall is located on US Forest Service land and has supplied water to Steamboat Springs since the early 1900's.  There are numerous trails within the Fish Creek Falls area ranging from easy to difficult.  All the difficult trails were covered in ice (seriously) so we opted for the flat, paved and cleared of ice "Overlook Trail".  It's probably the one we would have chosen even if the other trails were in good shape.  It was only about a 10 minute walk to the end of the trail.  From there we had a nice view of the falls, which is starting to ice over as the temperature stays below freezing for longer periods.

There really is a waterfall under there, it's just hard to see in the picture.

There are numerous sculptures throughout Steamboat Springs.  I'm not sure of the official title, but I would call it "Three Amigos in skinny jeans"

We'll soon be leaving Steamboat Springs and heading for our next destination, Glenwood Springs, where more hot springs await!  We've enjoyed our time here.  The wide open setting allows you to take in 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and there is plenty to see and do year round.  It's certainly a place we would enjoy coming back to in the future!