Colorado 2020

Scott and I took an awesome trip to Colorado at the end of July. We are so thankful to my mom for staying with the kids for a week so we could have some adult time. It is a hard job! 

We had originally planned to visit Chicago for a long weekend as Scott had tickets to a big concert. The concert was postponed so hopefully, we'll get to visit Chicago when things are running better than they are now. I'd like to take the kids, so we'll see where things are next year at this time. 

Since the concert was postponed. We waffled over where to go instead. Originally we thought Branson, but then we realized we could go to Colorado for about the same driving time and better accommodations. We settled on sending a few days in Breckenridge, a few days in Glenwood Springs, and then a tour of some mountain towns on the way home. It ended up being a really nice itinerary that was both active and restful. It was so wonderful to be in the fresh mountain air!

We left our house at 5:30 a.m. and arrived at our airbnb in Breck around 4pm. We made really good time on the interstate, switching drivers about every 2/3 hours and only stopping for gas and restrooms breaks. It actually went pretty quickly! 

Our airbnb was awesome. The location was right on Main Street with lots of restaurants nearby. We parked our car in the underground ramp and walked everywhere the whole time we were in Breck. It was awesome! The first night we grabbed and early dinner of appetizers and drinks since it was still happy hour and did a little walking around in the downtown before hitting the hay. 

The next morning, we ate breakfast in our condo since we had hit up the grocery the day before. It was nice to have a relaxing morning of sleeping in and enjoying our coffee. 

On our schedule for the first day was a gondola ride up the mountain for the alpine slide and some hiking. It was an absolutely beautiful day, one of the best of our trips. The gondola was an easy walk from our condo on the bike path and it was free to ride. 

At the base camp for Peak 8, we got in line for the Alpine Slide and had a lot of fun. I especially appreciated the energetic resort workers who hyped up the mask-wearing by reminding us it was something we were all doing together to help everyone be safe. Never underestimate the power of a positive attitude! We had a laugh when Scott got stuck behind a little girl going slowly at the very end. So much for giving ME a hard time for going slow! hehe

After our slide adventure, we loaded the Colorado Superchair scenic chair lift up to the top of peak 8. While the gondola was free to get to the base, this lift and the slide were extra charges. The chair lift ride provided awesome mountain views! 

At the top of the mountain we headed out on the horseshoe wildflower loop. It was quite busy at the beginning, which made me nervous, but it tapered off the further we got. We loved the views and the wildflowers. It was much easier getting back then starting and I wished we would have gone all the way to peak 7 just to say we did it. 

Bluebells!

It was a nice hike, taking almost 2 hours. We ate our sack lunch at the little lodge, enjoying the fresh air and views. Luckily the restroom was open as well. We had fun riding the chair lift down the mountain again, something you never get to do when you are skiing!

We were amazed at how much different the mountain looked in the summer vs. the winter and also how much longer it took us to get around on our feet vs. our skiis. This was our only day at the ski resort and we only saw a small part of it compared to whizzing all over the place on your skis. I'm glad we've been able to experience both! 

It was such a nice day that we did our shopping on our way back to the condo. We bought the kids some new friends, which they loved, and I got a new Colorado hat. I really wanted some beautiful turquoise jewelry but it was very pricey! My favorites were the large, vintage ones. Lovely! Breck had blocked the main street so it was more pedestrian-friendly and it was really nice. Lots of room to walk and keep your space. 

After shopping and a stop at the world's cutest Starbucks in an old house, we took a quick rest at our condo and then headed out for dinner at Breckenridge Brewery, which was just a few steps outside our condo. We had a few canned beers while waiting outside and then had a nice table on a balcony outside. It was a lovely evening so after dinner, we walked the main street again for a few more beers. We were full afterward! 

The next morning I got up early to say goodbye to our views before we packed up and went to breakfast. I loved our condo so much and I hope we can go back again someday! Breck is such a fun town. 

Breakfast was at the famous Blue Moose which was also right across the street from our condo. YUM! We ate here years ago when we went skiing and is a great way to end your stay at Breck.  

Before we left time, we had to go find the troll!

It was a super easy trailhead to find and it was a very short walk (mostly standing in line) to see the troll. I'm glad we got to visit him! There were also some other trails in this area and we spent about an hour hiking around a little bit. It was a nice change of pace than our previous day's hike. 

We left town afterward and headed toward Glenwood Springs. We had booked a stay at the Hotel Denver, which was a super cute hotel right in the downtown. 

We checked in, got some pizza for a late lunch, walked around, and then checked in for our evening at the hot springs. 

We went to Iron Mountain Hot Springs and it was lovely! It was set up with multiple hot tubs and then a larger family pool. They had a bar area and water bottle fill stations. The water bottle filling stations were handy as you did get thirsty after being in the hot waters for so long. We only had one drink, and Scott didn't even get carded. I guess when you have gray hairs in your beard and chest hair, they believe you are of drinking age. :) 

You had to book a two-hour slot for social distancing but that was plenty of time. We were so relaxed afterward! They also had really nice showers in their locker room, which we used since our skin was covered in salt and minerals from the hot springs. 

The next morning, we got up early to have breakfast at a local place. It was right across from an adventure company so we were entertained by the people coming and going, checking in for their rafting and biking. It was a little rainy but we did a little more walking and shopping afterward. 

We checked in for our rafting adventure on the Colorado River with Whitewater Rafting LLC around lunchtime. It was an easy process and we were excited! Luckily the rain cleared and it was a nice afternoon of weather. 

I had been rafting before on a high school youth group trip and this was similar to what I remembered. It was a few thrills and then a lot of floating, watching the scenery. The rest of our raft was a group of college friends who liked to travel together. Our guide was also friendly, knowledgeable, and safe. We had a good time! 

After we got cleaned up from the river, we ate an early dinner at the brewery in our hotel. They had a nice beer garden set up behind their building and it was really nice. Our favorites were the strawberry beer and the macaroni and cheese with elk sausage. After dinner, we walked on the ped bridge over the railroad tracks and river to explore the Hotel Colorado. Our river guide recommended it to us. He said to just visit and look at all the photos in the lobby and it would be just like visiting a museum. He was right! 

Glenwood Springs was a destination in the early 20th century as people visited the hot springs as a therapy, made popular by gunfight and gambler Doc Holliday. Teddy Roosevelt also visited to hunt and there are also stories about this is where the teddy bear originated. 

The second night we requested a new room as our AC wasn't working. It was so nice of the hotel to accommodate us with a new room just down for our old one and it was fun for us to see another room in the hotel. Each room is furnished with antique pieces that are just lovely. 

We had a lovely view out of our room! 

Our final morning in Glenwood, we geared up for a bike ride in the canyon. We used Canyon Bikes, where they outfitted us with nice bikes, bags, and a shuttle to the trailhead. We then rode about 18 miles back into town. It was all downhill except for a short uphill and it was so fun. 

This bike ride might have been my favorite parts of the vacation. It was very zen, just moving our bodies in the fresh air and taking in the beautiful views. It filled my heart! 

The trail went right by the hanging lake trailhead and it was a beautiful area. Unfortunately, the passes were booked up for hiking hanging lake although we did not see anyone on it or near it. 

Our shuttle driver pointed out a few places to stop and hike and we took a little break at Grizzly Creek to stretch our legs. It was a super short hike to the stream, where we sat and waded for a bit. It was cold and refreshing! 

After our bike ride (about 3 hours), we took the scenic route over to Aspen for lunch. Scott had never been and it is a beautiful town. The scenery is very much different than other areas and I'm glad we got to see it. 

We continued our scenic drive to Manitou Springs to make our drive back to Iowa shorter in the morning. We stopped at Independence pas to see the continental divide. It was beautiful! 

Our final stop was at the Cliff House in Manitou Springs. This is also an old, boutique hotel that is in lovely shape. We enjoyed a fancy meal to celebrate our anniversary and then took a walk to explore the main street in Manitou. Scott was so excited to find a HUGE arcade but unfortunately, it was closed. :( 

The next morning we had a fancy breakfast at the hotel. It is normally a buffet, but they offered it as sit down to accommodate for social distancing. It was a really nice perk of staying there. 

The night before we had heard others talking about the mineral springs in town. I didn't know anything about it but after some reading, I did a little exploring while Scott loaded up. 

The water is in these different fountains around town and you just fill up a cup and take a drink. They all taste different and they are carbonated due to the water coming up through the different layers of rock. These were also touted for their medical properties in the olden days, like for stomach aches since they contained sodium bicarbonate. I tasted three fountains but I wish I had more time to do all of them! 

Since we were right by it, we stopped at the Garden of the Gods on the way home. It was beautiful! We only did the quick drive-through and stop at the lookout but I am glad we got to see it.