The Bearded One and I recently discovered that roundtrip flights from Austin to Denver are surprisingly affordable (we got ours for about $160 each). We decided to go just at the end of the tourist season in September, spending most of the time camping in the Rocky Mountain National Park. This is the second part of my journal of our trip Into the Rockies. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Day Six – Today, we left the campsite and drove to Hot Sulphur Springs for some rest. Although it was hard to leave the high mountains, I was ready for a bed and some warmth. The area around Hot Sulphur Springs might be my favorite. As we drove, we noticed the mountains in the distance and the rocky, scrubby hills in the foreground. We began to notice more rock formations and patches of color that dotted the land as the trees change for the season.
We visited Hot Sulphur Springs Spa, the only business in town that seemed to be open later than 7 p.m., where we soaked in 20 outdoor pools that ranged from about 95 degrees to 112 degrees. Although the smell took some getting used to (Hot Sulphur Springs smell like … hot sulphur), the mineral water felt amazing on our tired bodies. We soaked for several hours in the afternoon and then drove into Granby for a dinner of steak and river trout. We returned to the spa to soak as the sun went down. Little rabbits and chipmunks were out eating when we returned, and the sky lit up with beautiful reds and pinks as the sun went down.
We stayed at the Ute Trail Motel, a very cute and clean motor lodge with a contingency of dogs and transient hippies who seemed to call the place home. It was a great night of sleep after four cold nights in a tent.
Day Seven – Our last day of vacation … le sigh. We drove up Mt. Evans today, the peak of which reached above 14,000 feet. We didn’t reach the summit because the road was closed near the top, but from about 13,000 feet, we could see the Denver skyline and look down into the valleys that were carved by receding glaciers 10,000 to 20,000 years ago.
The colors here were beautiful, as the aspen leaves turn from green to gold and red. We stopped at Echo Lake as well. I just love mountain lakes; there’s something so impressive about a lake so high. The highlight was seeing a group of female big-horned sheep and their babies on the side of the road. They perched on rocks and grazed on the browning grass and posed for our pictures.
We stayed in Idaho Springs, a cute old mining town. We walked around town a bit and saw a waterwheel that used to power the stamp mill for a mine, as well as a couple old train cars. We ate at a brewpub called Tommyknockers. The beer was fantastic and the food was decent bar fare.
I didn’t want to leave. I love the hills and valleys, the many streams and, of course, the mountains. I realized how much I missed having a tree canopy over my head and fall colors, things you don’t get much of in Central Texas. We drove past a 147-acre ranch with multiple cabins on it for sale for $2.15 million, and I thought about how great it would be to buy it.
We would have guests stay with us, and we’d teach them how to appreciate the outdoors, how to stay still and quiet to see animals, how to walk softly and minimize their impact, how to observe their surroundings. We’d teach them not to throw their trash on the ground, not to tramp off trail, not to use those terrible disposable water bottles. We’d take them on trail rides and hikes. We’d have campfires and tell stories and play music. They’d have great experiences and tell all of their friends from all the cities to come visit us. They’d come back year after year and write us letters and always remember their visit.
But then it rained, and I got cold and remembered winter. We remembered that we don’t have $2 million and that no vacation can last forever. We went back to our motel and settled in for our last night of sleep in Colorado. Tomorrow, it’s back to Austin.
For pictures, check out the Into the Rockies slideshow.