Pikes Peak: America's Mountain

I have been struggling to find the time lately to post on our Colorado adventures lately, not because we haven't done anything just because.  Back on the Tuesday after Labor day when my mom and grandma were still here we drove to the top of Pikes Peak - America's Mountain.  This mountain was the inspiration for the song "America the Beautiful".

Entrance to Pikes Peak is just a few miles from the cool town of Manitou Springs we visited last year.  The entrance fee to the mountain is a little pricey at $12 per person and there are absolutely no discounts!  No senior, AAA or student discounts and our State and National Parks pass did not work either.  But the beauty of the drive to the top was well worth it!  There is a train ride to the top as well, that costs around $35 per person and I think it would be nice for a different perspective.

Big Foot Sighting?  I guess he has been spotted here before, but that was just my mom being silly!

At the top of Pikes Peak!

Warning: A portion of Pikes Peak Highway is not paved, so your car bounces around and gets pretty dirty.  Also when you are driving down the mountain there is a mandatory brake check, where someone takes the temperature of your brakes to make sure they are not overheating.  There were so many cars pulled over waiting for them to cool.  My brakes were doing good but I pulled over anyways to let them cool. 

What a beautiful day it was!  I can't wait to go back again and take the train for a different perspective.

Rocky Mountain National Park Day Trip: Bear Lake

Bear Lake was so amazing, I decided it deserved it's own post.  Scott and I felt like visiting this lake with mom and grandma was such a tease!

We wanted to do the hiking trails around the lake and explore more of the area, but we had to take it easy with grandma.

She was so kind and found a bench to hang out on while we explored a little more.  We can't wait to go back and hike someday! 

P.S. On our way out of the park we received a phone call from Scott's son Josh who just made him a Grandpa!  Yes Scotty became a grandpa on Labor Day to a 7lb 8oz healthy baby boy named Athen.  We are planning to go see him soon and snap a few pics:)

Rocky Mountain National Park Day Trip (Part I)

On Labor Day we decided on a Day Trip to Rocky Mountain National Park with a stop in Estes Park for brunch.  The day was so crazy windy, we got out of the car had lunch and decided to leave without walking around because the wind was that bad.

We drove into Rocky Mountain National Park where we got in free with grandma's Senior Lifetime National Park Pass!  We drove up Trail Ridge road for a few miles where we saw, smoke rising behind the mountains and were curious what was going on.  On our way home we drove through thick smoke and found out it was the Four Mile Canyon Fire.

After this rest stop on Trail Ridge Road we turned around and headed towards Bear Lake, because this was only a Day Trip and we did not have the time or energy to travel to deep into the park.

Vail - Breckenridge Day Trip (Part II)

Heading back home from Vail we stopped by to check out what was happening in Breckenridge.  Well it turns out there was so much going on we struggled to find parking.  But when we did we walked straight into the Mountain Art Festival were i was scolded for having my camera out (No PICTURES!)

After cruising through the art festival we jumped onto main street were grandma admired more firemen, shopped and we stopped for an afternoon coffee and people watching.

We left Breckenridge headed back to the I70 passing Lake Dillon (rated one of the best summer lake towns to visit in the country) and made it home about 5 pm, just in time to fire up the grill!

Lake Dillon, Colorado a view driving by on the I70

Vail - Breckenridge Day Trip (Part I)

On the Saturday of Labor Day weekend we took a day trip in the Rockies heading west on the 70 for about 1 hour and 45 minutes we entered one of our favorite places to visit Vail. 

We found our way to Lionshead Village to eat at our favorite restaurant (and reasonably priced too)  Moe's Original Barbecue.  Everything on the menu is Awesome but you can't leave without trying their Banana Pudding!!!YUM

With our full bellies we jumped onto the Gondola for a ride to the top of this gorgeous mountain. The oxygen was limited at the top of the mountain, so grandma and I took it easy, while my mom and Scott walked all over snapping pictures.

Back down in the village we noticed a Jazz Festival was going on, but we decided to jump in the car and head over to Breckenridge to check things out.

Red Rocks: Labor Day Weekend

Earlier this month on Labor Day weekend, my mom and grandma came to visit us.  I picked them up bright and early Friday at the Airport and we had breakfast on the patio of the Corner Bakery in Highlands Ranch looking out to the beautiful Rockies.

Later we drove about 15 miles to the Red Rocks Ampitheater, a must stop for every visitor to Denver.  The day was beautiful and the ampitheater was hoppin with visitor and preparation for a concert later that evening. Grandma loved looking at the pictures and video of all the country artist that had been there while my mom looked over the early rock bands who played there, most of all The Beatles!

Mount Evans Scenic Byway Part 3

As we began to head back down the mountain we kept getting surprised by wildlife.

This Rocky Mountain Goat was taken in the beauty of his home

Then we ran into (well almost) these big horn sheep who were trying to hitch a ride from us.

I have over 200 Awesome pictures from a great day and we made it home by 4 pm!  What a day trip!

Mount Evans Scenic Byway Part 2

Once we made it to the top of the road, we parked and had to hike up about a half of a mile to the top of the peak where we had so much fun just taking silly pictures and walking around offering to take pics of couples and families.

From every side of the peak you could see for miles.  We could see downtown Denver, Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs as well as numerous peaks looking into the miles of Rocky Mountains.  I never knew we could drive to the top of one of the peaks we see from our house.

And I have to say it is pretty cold up there, on this July day it was only 52 degrees and windy.  The dangers of hiking, biking or just hanging out up at this elevation are Lightening Storms that come with little or no warning (It started pouring on us on the way down) and High Altitude Sickness.  Make sure you drink plenty of water before and bring plenty with you. 

Mount Evans Scenic Byway Part 1

 (Driving on the I70 West right out of Denver about 15-20 minutes from our house)

For today's day trip we decided to drive to the peak of Mount Evans.  We did not make it out of the house until almost 10 am but fortunately this was another nearby adventure.  We drove from our house to Idaho Springs about 40 miles to begin 28 mile journey up 7,000 ft in elevation on the Mount Evans Scenic Byway. This road is the highest paved road in North America and loaded with tourist, motorcycles, bicyclists and hikers.

On the way up we passed by Echo Lake Park, a beautiful, serene place to hike, picnic, fish or just hang out.  There are barbecue grills here and the smell of hamburgers and hot dogs made the starving Jen crazy!

Once on Highway 5 the narrow switchbacks and bicyclists made for a nervous drive at times.  But the immense beauty that surrounded us made it worth it. 

Next we stopped at this nature center to view Wildflowers and the rare Bristlecone Pine Trees that apparently are the longest living organisms known to man?

 Once we reached Summit Lake we pulled over to use the restroom and get a few pics.  Usually there is a hiking trail to take up to the peak from this point but it was closed in an effort to make it handicap accessible.  We met so many people who were traveling from all over the country and would ask us where we traveled from?  We would say oh just south of Denver, about 60 miles from here.

(Scott and I at Summit Lake)

Roxborough State Park: South Rim and Fountain Valley Trails

Since it is Father's day weekend and Scott has been wanting to hike Roxborough State Park for almost a year now (Since we were turned away), we decided today we would try again.  We did make it out of the house until 8:30 this morning when the temperature was nearly 70.  Fortunately this park is only 12 miles from our house! When we arrived we decided to do a 3 mile South Rim Trail.  The trail had a moderate climb and beautiful vista views and wildflowers.  Scott was in heaven enjoying all the sounds, sight and smells of nature, and could hardly believe this was only 10 minutes from our house.

Vista Views 

Wildflowers

After we finished the South Rim Trail and the temperature reached the 80's we decided to move on and do the Fountain Valley Trail, the one I did earlier this month with a friend. As we walked past the visitor center towards the trail head we encountered this friendly deer.

We or should I say "I" struggled to complete this 2 mile trail however I managed to smile for the pictures.  3.5 hours and five miles later I was exhausted!  What a trooper I was!!!!   We are definitely coming back here to hike.  Happy Father's Day Scotty!!!!!!!

Roxborough State Park - Fountain Valley Trail

Yesterday I was trying to get back into the job search mode when one of my friends from school called and asked me to go on a hike.  I told her about how we tried to get into Roxborough State Park last year and was turned away because the park was at "Full Capacity".  

Only 12 miles from my front door, I was so excited to see how beautiful this park was as we drove in.  Since it was already noon and about 80 degrees we decided to take a moderate 2 mile trail named Fountain Valley.  We were so exited to find Mule Deer at the head of the trail just hanging out about 10 feet in front of us.  They let us step closer and take pictures!

According to the visitor center each trail has a different type of scenery because this park sits "Where the Plains meet the Mountains".  I am so excited to go back with Scott over the next couple of weeks and hike the other trails.  Scott was so disappointed he could not go yesterday, he was back at work for the first day after 12 days off to visit family in AZ.

Disappointing Start to a Wonderful Day!

(Click on picture to enlarge)

Scott and I decided our exploration for today would be to Roxborough State Park, another natural beauty of Colorado less than 13 miles from our house.  I have a book on the "Best of Colorado" and was surprised to find one of the most scenic places is right by our house and we have never been there.  We packed our hiking backpacks, fed the dogs and had a good breakfast before heading out the door.  As we pulled up to the park with pure excitement, the park ranger informed us we would have to turn around and leave because the park was "at capacity".  What would we do now?  We were both so disappointed and did not have a back-up plan. We sadly went home moped for a bit and decided to make something out of the day.  Scott cleaned up the garden while I played with the dogs in the backyard.

We enjoyed nice barbecue and a nice walk with the dogs on our own Highlands Ranch neighborhood trail system.  We were really looking forward to Roxborough, but we did not let "at capacity" roadblock ruin our day.

By the way the temperature hit 84 degrees today (tank tops and shorts)! Hard to believe one week ago the high was 25 degrees (scarves, hats and gloves).  Proof that in Colorado you can't pack away your winter or summer clothes, you never know when you will need them.

Rocky Mountain National Park: Scenic Drive

On Sunday I talked Scott into a scenic drive through Rocky Mountain National Park on Trail Ridge Road.  A huge storm system was riding on our tail as we traveled 50 miles across the park from Grand Lake to Estes Park dropping plenty of snow.

As we climbed past the tree line to an elevation of 12,183 feet, the darkness and wind became intense and drop offs were very scary! Signs were posted warning of the dangers of lightening, so we did not stray far from the car while we were way up there.

As we traveled up and down in elevation and in and out of the storm's path, we jumped out to try and capture the beauty of the beginning of fall in the park. 

This was simply a Sunday drive and our first visit to the park, there are so many things to do and see in the park everyone says you need at least a week. One of my friends was hiking the day before and viewed bear, elk, deer and mouse!  Maybe next summer? Who wants to join us?

Winter Park Fall Day Trip

Saturday Scott and I set out northwest 75 miles to Winter Park for another Colorado adventure.  Scott did not care where we went this time, he just wanted to be in the mountains. I heard a classmate talking about the Alpine Slides in some of the mountain towns and I wanted to try one. 

We took about a ten minute chairlift ride up where we enjoyed the nice weather and beautiful fall colors.  (Unfortunately I dropped my camera case from the chairlift taking these pictures)  The ride down the 3000 ft slide was so fun as we dropped 610 vertical feet!  What a blast!!!  After the slide we decided to hike to the top of the mountain so we packed up some water and snacks and headed up. 

The hike was more than I thought it would be and I had to keep removing layers as we headed up.

Scott kept asking if I wanted to turn around and I kept refusing because I wanted to make it to the top.  However, we never made it all the way before we decided to turn around because my legs felt like jello and my heart was racing.  I was so disappointed and Scott tried to excuse my tiredness on hiking at 10,000 ft elevation. Whatever, I was still disappointed! 

The views were worth the exhaustion as usual.