Colorful Colorado

Bridget:

Despite the not-so-colorful, brown-with-white-letters “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign welcoming us as we crossed the border, Colorado did in fact prove to be one of the most colorful and beautiful states I have ever seen. We arrived Friday night and explored a bit of the southern part first, paying a trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

The wind was relentless and made the sand feel like tiny pieces of glass hitting your skin as it ripped over the dunes. We only made it about halfway up, but it was still beautiful sight to see.

That night we camped only a few miles away from the dunes in San Luis Lakes State Park. Check out our sweet view of the San Luis Lake and beautiful Sangre De Cristo Mountains in the background:

Saturday morning we drove up through Colorado Springs on our way to Denver. We stopped to explore Garden of the Gods, another beautiful set of rock formations where several rock climbing junkies like to hang out.

Next on the agenda was a trip up the very popular Pike’s Peak, summiting at 14,110 feet. Visitors can take a train to the top or the more daring individuals can drive it…which is exactly what we did. A 19-mile trip up the mountains full of steep inclines and switchbacks is not exactly an easy feat for a 10-year old, 4-cylinder- engine car loaded with gear, clothes, food, and two people, but I am proud to say the Solara made it all the way to the top without even a flicker on the engine temperature gauge. We just put it in 2nd gear and drove very, very slowly. The incline is so steep that on the way down there is a “brake check” where someone has to check the temp of your brakes to ensure they are not over 300 degrees F. Talk about being efficient. Here are some pics from the top of the summit:

View from the top of Pike's Peak

Craig decided to do a little "freestyle scrambling"

Saturday night we drove the rest of the way into Denver where we spent the next couple days. Craig’s friend Andy Wright was nice enough to not only give us a place to crash but also played tour guide for duration of our trip. Sunday morning the three of us met up with Nick, another friend of theirs from Wayne, NE (small world, huh?), at Bass Pro Shop so that Craig and I could purchase one-day Colorado fishing licenses. That’s right folks, we spent the day learning how to fly fish on the Blue River just outside Denver in a small town called Silverthorne. Not only was the scenery a feast for the eyes, but the fishing was a blast too. The most incredible part? The fact that all four of us caught at least one fish. Neither Craig nor I have ever been fly fishing, but I am sure we will do it again soon.

First and biggest catch of the day!

Monday we toured downtown Denver, including the state capitol building:

and strolling along the 16th Street Mall, a string of shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and street vendors open only to pedestrians and the free hybrid buses:



That night we celebrated Craig’s 27th birthday with dinner at Old Chicago, a fantastic pizzeria. Andy and his girlfriend Laura then met up with us for drinks at Falling Rock, a local favorite brew pub featuring 69 beers on tap.

All in all, the trip through Colorado was a blast. The state is literally a giant playground for outdoor sports and Denver is an ultra cool metropolis complete with unique public art (like the recorded audio clips of nature or subways playing from underneath the grates along the sidewalk), four professional sports teams, and trendy restaurants….all only miles from the beautiful (and colorful) mountains of Colorado.

Next Stop: Utah