All Things Colorado, with Friends Old and New

Last April we were not able to see much Colorado due to the high amounts of snow, so we headed back with plans to explore as much as we could.

The four National Parks in Colorado are spread across the state – Black Canyon of the Gunnison in the west, Mesa Verde in the southwest, Great Sand Dunes in south central, and Rocky Mountain in the north central.  So, we were able to see quite a bit of terrain across the state on our route.   Additionally, while we were in Black Canyon, we were encouraged by locals to check out Independence Pass, Maroon Bells, and Aspen – considered some of the most beautiful places to see in the state.

This was our first trip to Colorado outside of time we spent in Denver several years ago.  Colorado is amazing.  The diversity of landscape – massive mountain ranges, canyons, rock formations, alpine lakes, pristine rivers, and pine trees as far as the eye can see; intense elevation changes and windy roads everywhere you turn.  Colorado is an outdoor adventurer’s paradise.  

We also had the chance to meet with friends from our youth, as well as some new friends, and that made the trip all the more special.

The Raw Beauty of Black Canyon

Black Canyon is a 48-mile-long canyon, of which the park protects the most beautiful 12 miles.  The walls are so deep and narrow, you can only see limited sunlight below the edge.  The Gunnison River at the bottom appears so small, like a ribbon.  But it flows at such a high rate, you can hear the crashing rapids  from the rim above.  The river loses more elevation in 48 miles than the Mississippi River does in 2000 miles!

We took in the beautiful views from the rim, hiked a trail up to higher ground above the rim, and drove down to the canyon floor to see the river from ground level.  The park had limited visitors, and we were able to travel at a leisurely pace – only 200,000 visitors a year!

Mesa Verde Sacred Grounds

In 750 AD, Puebloans were living in pit houses on the top of the mesa, farming and hunting.  By the 12^thcentury, they began to move their homes into the alcoves below the rim of the mesa.  From the looks of their dwellings, religion was important, and the ritual ceremonies were performed regularly.  

Archeologists have determined there are more than 4,700 archeological sites within the park, and about 600 are cliff dwellings.  The largest dwelling, Cliff Palace, has over 150 rooms.  Before Mesa Verde became a national park, many things were taken from the park.  This included an explorer from Sweden who transported 0ver 600 artifacts back to Sweden which now reside in the National Museum in Helsinki, Finland.  

No one is really sure what caused the ancient Puebloans to migrate away, but what they left is mind blowing….the sophistication of their building techniques, and the fact that they are in all tact today is incredible.  We are glad we made the visit.  

Storms Change our Sand Dune Plans

The tallest sand dunes in North America are in Colorado.  Uplift, caused by the collision of two tectonic plates, forced the mountains to rise from the earth.  The valley used to have an immense lake, which was a collection site for massive amounts of sediment which eroded from the mountains.  Climate change cased the lake to recede, leaving behind a giant pile of sand.  

We arrived at the sand right before a massive rainstorm was blowing in and were told by the rangers to get off the dunes immediately if we heard thunder.  So, we spent a little time walking the sand, and driving through the park.  Kids come here to sled down the massive hills, hikers climb to the sand peaks, and backpackers come to camp out on the pristine sand.  The impending storm was disappointing, but we were lucky to see the massive sand box right before the storm hit.

Maroon Bells and Independence Pass worth a side trip

We took the advice of a local we met in Black Canyon who told us we had to get to Maroon Bells and Independence Pass.  And boy was he right.  It is a very difficult lake to get to – car traffic is limited to a certain number of slots, while shuttles run throughout the day.  I did some research and found a lot of locals cycle the 9 miles to the top, all uphill, to enjoy the views and take in a hike.  We decided to do the same.  We found a parking lot at the base of the drive in Aspen Highlands, unloaded our ebikes, and took an epic bike ride.  

My ebike was almost out of juice at the top after a 9 mile all uphill trip – even with pedal assisting the entire time.  We parked the bikes and took a beautiful hike around Maroon Lake.  It looks like a post card – the maroon mountains in the background, lake in the foreground, with clear waters.  It is one of the photographed spots in all of Colorado.  The crowds were small and the views were amazing.  And the bike ride down had us throttling back without any power to keep under 30MPH given the declines.    What an epic ride.

We spent some time in Aspen enjoying the downtown area and made a trip to the top of the ski lift for panoramic beauty.  We then made our second trip across Independence Pass on the Continental Divide at an elevation of 12,095 feet.  Spectacular views.    Local recommendations are always right!

Rocky Mountain National Park is One of the Best

We spent multiple days in Rocky Mountain, and are so glad we did.  It was a hikers paradise, with trails across the continental divide, windy routes to clear and quiet clear alpine lakes, and trails with waterfalls at every turn.  A trail ridge road with an off-road narrow passageway led to incredible views from the Alpine Ridge.   The elevation changes were massive, the mountains air was clear, fresh and thin.  The animal life was substantial with elk throughout the park and city.  

Even though we were there for several days, it felt like we just scratched the surface.   And we would place Rocky Mountain in our top 5 and one we would definitely come back to again.

Bookending out trip with Friend Visits

First, we spend some time with Brian and Julie Coakley.   John went to grade school with Brian, I went to high school with Julie, and we have kept in touch with them over the years.  I admire their ability to relocate so far away from Toledo and raise a family, and understand the attraction of the Denver area.  Brian and Julie are big campers, so we traded stories of our camping and RV adventures.  And we got to see Brian’s big beer can selection. We spent some time reminiscing, playing some arcade games, and we welcomed a bed to rest our head.  

The last part of our trip was spent with Diane and Larry Friedman.  I work with Diane on the YWCA board, and she kindly offered her second home, a mere 3 miles from the Rocky Mountain visitor center, for our home base.  It was fantastic to spend so much time getting to know them both so much better, and we learned about the many many friends we have in common.  The universe puts people in your life at exactly the right moment, and I am so happy to have had the time to get closer with both amazing humans.  Diane is retired and has been a volunteer at Rocky Mountain for the last 8 years – talk about a dream job.  And Larry is semi-retired from his company, and an avid fisherman (teaching John to fly fish).  Thank you both for showing us Estes Park and Rocky Mountain through your eyes. And thanks for joining us at the EPIC Red Rocks for a Allison Krauss Robert Plant Concert!

We are moving onto South Dakota for the last leg of our trip before heading back to Ohio for some much-needed family time.  Then we plan to head out for some leaf peeping.  

Stay tuned!