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footloose-travel · 4 years

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A Colorado Rocky Mountain High

I think John Denver was definitely on to something when he wrote his song about Colorado. From the moment we first encountered people here we mostly felt good vibes, good moods, fast connections and a general up feeling. Everywhere we went and especially at the campgrounds people were always friendly and engaging, the kind of people you would become friends with if they lived in your neighborhood. We found ourselves taking a walk every evening through the campground and ending up talking and laughing until the brilliant night sky and stars came into view. People wanted to talk, to engage and even from the respectful required distance, various connections were made. John attributes a lot of this to the amazing weather that contributes a cycle of being outdoors, fitness, sunlight which permeates a good mood, etc. There is also the amazing environment and spectacular vistas. We arrived in Grand Junction and visited Colorado National Monument first. It is only 6 miles from downtown Grand Junction and consists of 20,000 acres of stunning canyon lands. Wind, rain and flash floods have carved away at the land over millions of years and the stone visible today is over two billion years old. There are many hiking trails and incredible formations that really are awe inspiring to see. There were hardly any others we encountered while there and were told it is “the national park you never heard of”, even before Covid. Another lesser know place, out in the middle of nowhere we visited is Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Even though my fear of heights has become more manageable over time, I still have times my knees shake and my breaths quicken. Looking down the Black Canyons that are some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rocks, and craggiest spires in North America I held onto the railing and gradually allowed myself to desensitize enough to actually look all the way down. I gasped at the depth and tried to steady my hands and get close enough to take a photo without camera shake. Whew, if you like deep, steep and narrow it is phenomenal. Next we stayed at a campground in the Crested Butte area near Kebler Pass. You have to go through the pass to get into the town on a slow, windy (semi gravel in spots) road through rocky cliffs and beautiful Aspen forests. The town itself is a quaint old hippie town that is teeming in the winter with skiers. One evening in the campground we were making our rounds and having a friendly conversation with someone when both of us all of a sudden witnessed a meteorite flash through the sky in front of us. We both looked at each other and said at the same time, “Did you see that?”. John initially thought it was a flare because you could see how fiery it was. Every year this time there is a meteor shower so we felt it was a meteorite but guess we will never know for sure. A few weeks ago we definitely saw the comet so this part of the US, away from artificial light, is wonderful for star gazing. Near Kebler Pass we hiked In Gunnison National Forest to 3 different Lakes; Lost Lake, Lost Lake Slough and Dollar Lake. I really had no idea of the difficulty of the hike but figured I would do the best I could. After we parked by the trailhead we spoke with a woman who was telling us about the trails and she said the hike was, “relatively easy by Colorado standards”. That was the moment I though maybe I was in over my head. John is an avid hiker with incredible stamina and I frankly am not. Although I was more acclimated to the high altitude since we have been above 4,000 feet since May, that still doesn’t make me a great hiker. With a little foreboding on my part we headed out. The trail was rocky, narrow and more vertical than I was comfortable with in parts but I held my own for most of it. John had to slow down at times so I could catch up and at one point he went on ahead up a trail that ended up being off the track, where I waited for him to make a circuit. The lakes were quite beautiful and reaching each one felt like a victory. We were out about two and a half hours and I felt proud of myself for doing what I felt was a more difficult hike than I normally do. The town of Ouray was next where we stayed one night and drove the Million Dollar Highway over and back. As advertised it was windy with steep drop offs and no guard rails. The spectacular colors of the Red Mountain Pass were impressive. We felt one night in Ouray was enough because the town is a bit too touristy, and moved on to Durango. We decided to stay at least 5 nights since there was a lot to do. We took a 2 hour train ride on the Durango & Silverton open car steam train through the Animas River Canyon. It was narrower than what you would call a valley and the train ran right up against the cliffs at times. The train chugged along at a slow speed so you could really look around and enjoy the views. There is also a river walk that runs for several miles along the Animas River where we hiked and watched the kayaks and white water rafters navigate the smooth rapids. Mesa Verde National Park is about a 45 minute drive from Durango and another place that is definitely a must see. It was created in 1906 to preserve the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people, both atop the mesas and in the cliff dwellings below. The park has thousands of archeological sites and hundreds of cliff dwellings. Several guided tours and hikes were closed but the overall views were stunning and I was especially impressed with the way all of the actual cliff dwellings were preserved. One of the dwellings called Cliff Palace was where an entire village lived in an elaborate stone community in the sheltered alcove of canyon walls. I have only seen something like it in pictures, but never up close and it is amazing to think of the Ancestral Pueblo people living there for over 700 years until the late 1200s before moving away. Tomorrow we travel across the Continental Divide through the Wolf Creek Pass, 10,700 ft elevation. Stay tuned for more of Colorado. For all the photos see John and Charlotte’s flickr sites. Just click on either of our names.

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