Global Gary

Colorado is the eighth-largest US state by area and the subject of the John Denver song, Rocky Mountain High. The lyrics of the song are comforting. So is Colorado, with warm people, inviting towns, and cities to visit, complemented by stunning natural scenery. After a terrific ten days in Denver we went on a ten-day road trip. Our route included Colorado Springs for 5 days, Glenwood Springs for 2 days. and Boulder/Golden for 3 days. We then returned to Avis in Denver to drop off our rental, a Ford Escape SUV with 1700 miles on the odometer.

Some general driving observations

• Cars drive on the right-hand side of the road.
• In most instances, you are allowed to turn right on a red traffic signal.
• On Interstates, the right-hand lane often becomes ‘right turn only’ at junctions.
• American police are hot on speeding traffic. Police cars were stationed on the side of the roads; however not a lot of speed cameras were visible.
• There are a lot of very large trucks on the highways that can overtake on a two-lane highway – and they do, at speed.

The Route

Colorado Springs

We drove to Colorado Springs, an easy drive down Interstate 25. It took us about an hour and 20 minutes. We stayed at a Quality Inn, and we are learning not to judge hotels on first glance. The decor is all dark wooden furniture, which is not to our taste. However, the room was a good size and the pool and hot tub were welcome. There were various food choices and a large Target at the Cheyenne Mountain Center across the road.

We spent four full days in and around Colorado Springs.  On the first day we drove to Manitou Springs and explored the alpine-style town. We then rode the COG railway up to the top of the impressive Pikes Peak.  Our second day was spent at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo. After the rodeo we visited the Pioneer Museum in Colorado Springs. This was a bit of an anticlimax after the excitement of the rodeo. We ate at Lumin 8, a rooftop restaurant recommended by a fellow guest we met in the hotel hot tub!

Our third and fourth days were spent at the magnificent Garden of the Gods National Park and visiting the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Both are easily accessible and thoroughly recommended.

Glenwood Springs

Next stop was Glenwood Springs. We had a few options to get there. The most direct route would have been to go back to Denver on Interstate 25. Then we could have taken Interstate 70 directly to Glenwood Springs. We were not under time pressure so we took the scenic route on Interstate 24. We followed it all the way to Interstate 70. We are so glad we did. The drive was over 4 hours, but the scenery was stunning. After two hours, we stopped in Bueno Vista at the Brown Dog Café. After suitable refreshments, we drove for another 40 minutes to Leadville. We had a longer stop there, walking along Main Street and browsing some of the shops. We also visited the National Mining Hall of Fame, which was surprisingly interesting. It showed how small towns’ populations boomed based on rumour and occasional gold finds. However, they would bust when the rumours were unfounded or the gold deposits exaggerated. There was a good display of the equipment pioneers used. It included stories of real people such as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Fascinating.

It was a further 90-minute drive to Glenwood Springs. The section of road between Leadville and Minturn was staggeringly beautiful. There is another way to get to Glenwood Springs by taking the Independence Pass. I considered it but my navigator was adamant that we should avoid it!

On our one full day at Glenwood Springs we relaxed at one of the two major hot springs. In the evening we visited the weekly market in downtown where there were food vendors, craft stalls and live music playing until 8 pm. 

Boulder

We took most of the day travelling to Boulder. We decided to stop firstly at Vail and then Idaho Springs. Vail delivers on its reputation. It is visually stunning with high-end retail outlets and gourmet offerings. We visited in summer, so instead of ski bunnies, it offered hiking and mountain biking. There are gondolas in operation and it was busy. Our guidebook described it as an ‘adrenaline yuppie utopia’. True, and expensive, but it was a joy to visit. 

Idaho Springs could never be called any type of utopia. Its importance relates to the Colorado Gold rush and there are many references to it around town.

On to Boulder. A thunderstorm, multiple roadworks and some atrocious driving conditions made this leg of the journey challenging. A major difference to driving in the UK is that in America the trucks are larger and longer. They have no issue with overtaking cars that are not doing the speed limit. There are many steep gradients coming down to a lower altitude. They not only make your ears pop, but they also add to the fun of driving.

In Boulder we stayed at the Hyatt Place on Pearl Street. This hotel was lovely. It was a welcome upgrade from some of the hotels and motels we had stayed at on this trip. Boulder is perfect for adventure holidays, with lots of hiking and biking trails as well as rafting. On our first full day we took a slow walk up to the Pearl Street Mall. This pedestrianised section of Pearl Street is full of interesting shops, coffee houses, and energy. It is a great place to spend time after a few weeks of somewhat frenetic activity. There are parks close to the Mall and it was nice to amble next to the river.

On our walk around Central Park (no, not that one) we stumbled across the Dushanbe teahouse. The teahouse was a gift to Boulder from its sister city, Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. The teahouse was handcrafted in Tajikistan. In 1988, it was shipped and rebuilt in Boulder. This was done as a symbol of friendship and cultural exchange. It is a gorgeous building with an enormous range of teas from around the world. Each tea comes with an egg timer. This ensures it can be steeped in the pot for the correct amount of time. The food was excellent too. Go for the small plates. They are interesting and filling. And did I say the building was gorgeous? It is.

Golden

We visited Golden for an hour during our Red Rocks and Beyond tour. We liked it so much that we wanted to return and spend more time there. It is a lovely town with a population of around 20,000. Golden is a former gold rush town at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Clear Creek Trail is a network of paths running along a waterway. A popular activity is floating downstream on rubber tubes. There are museums in town and plaques on many buildings outlining the building’s history. Golden is also the home of Coors beer and has many restaurants and gift shops.

Magnificent 7 // Driving to and from Denver

1. Embrace your inner cowboy
2. Scale new heights at Pikes Peak
3. Marvel at the Garden of the Gods
4. Experience the US Olympic Museum
5. Sound out the acoustics at the Red Rocks amphitheatre
6. Relax in a hot spring
7. Detour off the main road and stop at a country town.

1. Embrace your inner cowboy

Cowboys and the Wild West are big in Colorado.  There are many tours and you can stay and work on a ranch if you have the time/inclination. We visited the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo. It featured a variety of traditional rodeo events. These events included Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Breakaway Roping, Barrel Racing, and Bull Riding. There was also a demonstration of formation riding. This was, in a word, fantastic. There was also Mutton Bustin’. In this event, children as young as four years of age rode on the back of a sheep as long as they could. This quintessential American competition was an absolute highlight of our trip. Cowboy hats and checked shirts were de rigueur. We booked in advance and got great seats in the grandstand.  My inner cowboy was sated.

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2. Scale new heights at Pikes Peak

On our first full day at Colorado Springs, we drove to Manitou Springs. After looking around the town we took the COG railway up to the top of Pikes Peak. We parked at the Hiawatha car park and then took the number 33 free shuttle into Manitou Springs. The shuttle goes through the centre of Manitou Springs and then on to the entrance of the COG railway. The car park did not accept cash, AMEX cards or any overseas credit/ debit cards. We were lucky to find someone willing to pay for our parking using their US credit card in exchange for cash. The other thing to note is the bus gets busy. You do not want to be late for your departure. There is no wiggle room if you are late.

So what was it like? Really, really good. The train rises steeply to the summit, which is 14,115 feet high. Our guide/conductor was Jeff, who was informative as well as a purveyor of awful jokes. At the summit, we had 45 minutes to look around and use the restrooms. We also had the option to visit the cafe and gift shop. The queue for the donuts in the cafe was huge. I’m not sure why you would want to go to the summit of Pikes Peak and queue for donuts. Wouldn’t you rather enjoy the view? The air is much thinner at the summit. It is important to walk slowly. Remember to breathe deeply. Drinking water is also important. There were cans of oxygen on sale at the station in Manitou Springs.

The round trip lasted the best part of three hours. Afterwards we found a Turkish cafe that served falafels and other vegetarian dishes that made Sue happy. 

3. Marvel at the Garden of the Gods

This is a truly magnificent landscape of sandstone rocks against a backdrop of Pikes Peak. There are many ways to enjoy these ‘Gardens’. You can choose from guided hikes to Trolley tours, guided Segway tours or a selection of Jeep excursions. There is always the option of doing it yourself, either walking, hiking, cycling or driving to various viewpoints. We chose to take the off-road Jeep excursion. Our guide, Wyatt (memorable name), talked about the history and geology of the area. He explained the importance of the area to the native Ute tribes. He also shared some facts about early settlers in the area. As is common with Colorado tours, he included some awful dad jokes. Loved it.

4. Experience the US Olympic Museum

We spent a lot of time United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum. We are not American, and many of the athletes’ names were unfamiliar. However, there was still plenty to hold our attention. Over three floors this museum is a sporting fan’s ‘must do’. There are exhibits of Olympic torches, medals, and equipment. You can try hands-on activities. There are films and past Olympians who sign memorabilia. Lots of young people are there to explain things. At the start you register your name and are given a lanyard to wear. This lanyard is recognised as you approach various exhibits and you are greeted at some of the exhibits, based on the sports you nominated when signing in. My favourite section was being able to review Olympic Games held over the years. This included news at the time and some of the exceptional feats at those Olympics. 1936 was particularly poignant. Very well done and worth spending time there. 

5. Sound out the acoustics at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a geological phenomenon near Morrison, Colorado. It is the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheatre in the world. Some of the famous acts that have played there include The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross and the Grateful Dead. You can get tickets to concerts online. You can also visit on a tour or drive to Red Rocks. However, if you drive, it’s a hike up to the amphitheatre. The venue has two massive sandstone monoliths, “Ship Rock” and “Creation Rock”, which flank its 9,500+ capacity seating area. When we visited a number of people were using the amphitheatre for exercise purposes. There is also a gift shop and information centre to visit.

6. Relax in a hot spring

There are many hot springs in Colorado. There is even an Historic Hot Springs Loop that includes 23 locations from Denver to Steamboat Springs (great name). The biggest of them all is at Glenwood Springs which was recommended to us.  There was a choice of two major springs in Glenwood.  The one closer to the city centre is Glenwood Hot Springs Resort, the home of the world’s largest mineral hot springs pool.  We chose to go to The Iron Mountain Hot Springs as it had more shade (or so we were told when checking into our motel). There are 19 soaking pools, 16 geothermal mineral pools, 1 large family mineral pool and 1 mineral jetted spa. We could have paid extra and had access to a further 13 pools, but really, 19 pools is enough. The pools were at different temperatures. The smaller pools were at 104-110 Fahrenheit. There were plenty of water stations and towels were provided. We ended up spending over six hours at these Hot Springs. The scenery was magnificent. The Colorado River could be viewed from most pools. Most importantly, there was plenty of shade.

7. Detour off the main road and stop at a country town.

When driving from location to location it is easy to bypass some fantastic towns.  We loved Golden (not far from Red Rocks). Vail was an eye-opener and so pretty.  Leadville was historically very interesting and we stayed there for a few hours. Just stop somewhere and have a look around.

To note –

Water – Take water with you wherever you go.  Colorado is famous for its high elevation, with 75% of the state’s land above 10,000 feet.   Taking regular sips of water helped us.

Fun fact: “Colorado” means “coloured red” in Spanish, referring to the reddish colour of the Colorado River.