I started chronicling Bob and I’s six day trip to Colorado from the time we left home like a journal. I didn’t want to miss some great details thus it became such a long post/blog so I decided to divide it into two parts so I don’t bore you.
Two weeks ago, a month after Bob and I celebrated our birthdays, we finally have our “alone time.” What originally planned as the Maui, HI trip, we decided to change it to Colorado instead. Up to this point, even when we are both vaccinated, we would like to think that Covid-19 is still out there and we can still both get the virus, so we re-considered the travel time we will be on the plane along with other passengers (even we are all masked up) and decided that short flight times are better... so Colorado here we come!
The flight from Orlando to Denver was great. We arrived ten minutes ahead of time. What lagged us behind was getting the rental car. It took us 90 minutes between being in the line to pick the car and getting out of the parking lot. By the time we were on the main road its almost 2pm.
I-70E to Vail. This one of the most scenic highways Bob and I drove to.
Bob and I were so happy to drive to great sceneries again. The 130-mile trip to our destination went unnoticed because we were both admiring the mountains left and right. As we navigate an uphill and downhill I-70E, we both reminisced our other trips with similar roads- The I-15 from Las Vegas to Kanab, UT and the Kancamangus Highway in New Hampshire. This conversation brought smile to my face so I held his right hand briefly while the other was driving. It is nice that together, we get to do again the things we love most. The drive made me really happy (and hungry).😊
Though Bob has been to Colorado before, this is both our first time to be in Avon/Vail area so we are both excited. The almost half-day driving made us very tired; and what originally planned visiting the Benedictine monks on night 1, we elected to do the following day instead. Day 1 was basically a travel and rest day… eat and sleep.
Remnants of the trees caught on forest fire that affected Glenwood Canyons in 2020.
Day 2.
The next day was meant for just visiting St. Benedict’s Church in Snowmass since we were tired the night we arrived. But in between, we stopped at the rest area at Glenwood Springs. It is beautiful; it is attached to Grizzly Creek Park with hiking trail. With nothing concretely planned other than to see the monks, we decided to go for a hike. As we navigate the trail, it was refreshing to hear the stream from the creek, but we were saddened to see the forest charred from the fire that previously caught a massive area of Glenn Springs Canyon which includes Grizzly Creek Park. As we walk further, the devastations were evident. Bob told me he could still smell the burnt trees. The good thing is that, we see life thriving and slowly coming back. We also see a lot of people still hiking the trail.
After more than an hour exploring Grizzly Creek trail, we decided to head back to our car and proceeded to our destination. My admiration with I-70 continued- it is just a beautiful road. When we entered Snowmass and the road that leads to the church, there is a farm that we assumed owns by the monks. From the unpaved road you can see St Benedict’s Church from afar with the mountains on the back draft. At this point I am running out of adjective to describe the place, but all I can say is its beautiful. We stopped and took some photos. When we finally got to the church, it was closed- and only the bookstore that was open but no person around. We ended up just going around the area and look- unfortunately, there wasn’t much. It was then we decide to head back to our hotel.
St. Benedict’s Church in Snowmass. What a picturesque church just looking from a far.
Day 3.
On our third day we planned the morning for a short hike in Cross Creek Trail in Minturn- about 10 miles west of Avon, where we are staying. This is an old mining town, and it was both our first time to see a mining pipe that extends miles. The hike was pretty good. Along the way I was educated by Bob of what I thought a Birch tree, but actually an Aspen. They look pretty similar in my opinion. We also got the chance to see Minturn from above. We turned back after an hour as we have to drive another hour for our next planned activity. The best part about this trail is that its so close to the creek, that you can clearly hear the water ravishing. I quote Bob, “this is actually refreshing.”
The aerial view of Minturn, CO halfway on top of Cross Creek Trail.
After the morning hike, we stopped briefly at the hotel, then drove aagain to Glennwood Springs for the highlight of this trip- White water rafting in Colorado River.
We arrived to the meeting place early and this gives us the opportunity to explore the area. We finally decided to just hang out by the river and see other rafters and kayakers. When it’s our time, we went to the bleacher and met up with other rafters. We drove up nine miles to the offloading area. Our guide Thomas briefed us one more time on how we should paddle, and one by one we climbed to our assigned seat.
White river rafting in Colorado River is such a great experience.
I’ve done kayaking and canoeing but not water rafting. Bob did in Maine and he shared the fun stuff with me. This made me excited as we raft through the river. The first two miles of the approximately nine-mile Shoshone rapids is the most exhilarating (I didn’t feel scared I swear!). The forward and backward paddles were in full command in order for the raft not to flip. Then the next few miles are combinations of smooth and mild rafts. As we navigate the river with Glenwood Canyons in full display, I am glad that our guide is well-versed about the area and we learn more about it- the caves, the Jessie James stories, the old I-70 trail, the only man lived on the left side of the river, the mountain goats and the fire that it suffered last year. We have better appreciation of the canyon too as we navigate the river slower than when we are driving through it- most specifically the horseshoe bend, where the water flows peacefully and for a moment away from the road. As we finished the raft, we were both exhausted but had so much fun! We ended the trip by having dinner at Smoked Barbecue in Glenwood Springs while we are passing time to kill the traffic created by two trucks that flipped over at I-70. After dinner we drove back to the hotel and rested. Tomorrow will be another day.
a long exposure shot of the Fish Creek Falls in Steamboat, Co