Adventures in Colorado, 2023 edition

How to kill 8 hours at the airport

June 2, 2023November 21, 2024 Karen DLeave a comment

But before the misadventure, the adventure!

I only have a half day in Colorado left, so Caroline and I decide to spend a few hours at the Denver Art Museum, where I have reciprocal benefits from my membership at VMFA.

The first exhibit we see is the Northwest Coast and Alaska Native Art Galleries. I am wowed at the start (see, need better vocabulary!). There are ginormous wood carvings, a jacket woven from walrus intestine and Auklet feathers, intricately carved bowls and so many more fascinating items.

We go next to the Islands Beyond Blue exhibit, which opens with a huge installation created from leis and includes other works from the museum’s collection, including historical monumental sculpture, delicate bark cloth and intricate wood carvings.

Now starts the misadventure. Caroline drops me off at 1:20 for my 3:20 flight. I am through security and at the gate within 30 minutes, with boarding supposed to start at 2:40. At 2:10, we are advised that the plane that Delta sent is smaller than the one expected, so the flight is oversold by 19 seats. AND, the mechanics are on board “looking at something.” Another call for volunteers goes out at 2:20, and 2:30. By 2:40 we are now on a storm delay, because of lightning in the area. And the mechanics are still looking at that thing. At 3:00 we are still not boarding, and the “thing” is disclosed to be the computer system. Ok, sure, I’m down with fixing that before we leave….

3:20 comes and goes, the mechanics “believe” they have fixed the problem, but have to test it, and as I’m looking at my connection to see if I will make it, the departure time is changed to 4:35 and now I’m sunk. I go stand in line with the rest of everyone who will miss their connection, while trying to rebook myself on the app. I find space on the redeye, leaving at 1:00 am on Friday, a full 8.5 hours from now.

At long last, this is how you spend those 8 hours:

5:00 – 6:00 find a quiet spot and listen to a podcast: Park Predators.
6:00-6:15 get up and walk from Gate A39 to Gate A14. See a man doing Tai Chi.
6:15 – 7:30 sit at the end of the terminal and charge all your devices. Listen to a podcast: American History Tellers. Hold back a scream when a miller moth spazzes by. Note that your original 3:20 flight has not left yet and is now scheduled to depart at 7:00.
7:30- 7:45 walk from Gate A14 to Gate A39. Find a restaurant with space. See that your original 3:20 flight is now leaving at 9:00.
7:45 -8:45 have dinner and a much needed and earned glass of wine. Realize after you pay that Delta has given you a $15 voucher for your trouble.
8:45 – 9:00 walk from Gate A40 to Gate A52 because the people between A39 and A14 are sick of seeing you. Notice that restaurants, stores and kiosks are closing. Buy stress/boredom food with your $15 voucher.
9:00-9:30 browse a bookstore to find a book to add to your TBR pile. Pat yourself on the back when you resist a purchase.
9:30-9:45 walk to your gate. Only 3 hours to go! Realize that your original 3:20 flight is now leaving at 12:30 am and is at the gate right next to you.
10:00 – 10:15 wonder whether your bag, which they pulled from the original plane, will make it onto your new flight. Wait at the original flight gate to talk to a gate agent only to realize they are not Delta representatives.
10:15 -10:30 call and text Delta to talk to someone about your bag, which seems to be sitting on the tarmac at the old gate.
10:30 – 10:45 walk to another Delta gate and get confirmation that your bag has been rerouted.
10:45-10:50 walk back to your correct gate.
10:55 check your watch to see if you’ve met your step goal. Pat yourself on the back because you have. See that your watch is showing medium stress while you watch the plane for your upcoming flight arrive. Only 1 hour and 15 minutes until boarding!
11:00 work on your blog.
12:00 boarding!
1:00 you’ve done it! You are taxiing!

Here’s hoping there’s some sleep opportunity and smooth sailing for the rest of the trip!

Last full day

June 1, 2023June 1, 2023 Karen DLeave a comment

It’s my last full day in Colorado, so there’s more to explore!

I got to bed late because I was chasing miller moths around the room. Caroline wounded one and killed one, and I finished off the first and killed two more. We decided to fumigate the house with bug spray before we left for the day, in hopes there would be nothing but carcasses when we returned.

After breakfast, we headed out to Eldorado Canyon State Park a short drive from the house. The canyon is impressive, with towering peaks surrounding us and the South Boulder Creek tumbling over the rocks in a hurry to get to the bottom. we walked a cross a footbridge and peeked in a cave, but didn’t go too far since we weren’t in appropriate shoes for the trail. We were able to watch some rock climbers when we walked back over the bridge, just specks at the top of the cliff.

We drove into Boulder for lunch and to wander around town. We found an excellent eatery, Avanti, which was a space filled with different local food vendors. Sort of like a food court, but no chains. The food was superb at Rooted, where we decided to eat. I wish RVA could find a way to do something like that in the West End, to give all those great Downtown and Fan restaurants the ability to open up a place without the exorbitant Short Pump rent!

There was a severe thunderstorm warning, so we headed home, where I could start laundry and get organized for the trip home. Hoping everything fits in the suitcase and that I don’t leave anything behind!

Flora and fauna of Colorado

May 31, 2023May 31, 2023 Karen D1 Comment

One thing I have been fascinated by here in Colorado is the variety of flowers that can thrive in such an arid climate. It’s so thrilling to be hiking through the craggy mountains or dry, rocky canyon and see pops of color. As we hiked there was a lot of “Oooh, look at this one!” and “Oh, so pretty!” followed by “I wonder what that is” with a sidelong glance to me, hoping I will pull out my plant identification app!

Trees and shrubs sometimes looked the same as one we have in Virginia, but were different enough that I had to look those up too.

Reds and purples were the best!

Not only were the flowers and trees amazing, but we saw some pretty fun animals, too!

We also saw some elk on our drives but no pictures to share. And I’m too busy swatting miller moths to grab a photo of them!

It was super fun to see all these different types of plants and animals! Pop a note in the comments if I’ve gotten any wrong!

A slower pace, sort of

May 30, 2023June 1, 2023 Karen DLeave a comment

Today, it’s just Caroline and I. And today, I lived up to my trail name. It was the nerdiest of days yet!

This morning, Caroline and I drove out to Red Rocks Amphitheater. What I didn’t realize when I agreed to go there, is that there are a LOT of stairs. I lost count of how many from the parking lot to the top of the venue, but suffice to say, I got a good workout today.

The venue is breathtaking, with views of the Denver skyline behind the stage area and the red rocks looming 300 feet on either side of the seating area. Although the visitor center was closed, we were able to visit the Trading Post, which houses history of the development of the amphitheater as well as the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. It was fascinating to read that concerts have been going on at the site as far back as 1906, although it was a rudimentary stage at best. And while I never equated Colorado with ‘music history’ the area has drawn big name acts for almost as long.

After a little music nerdiness, we drove over to Dinosaur Ridge for some old school (no pun intended) nerd moments. Dinosaur Ridge is where the first stegosaurus discovery was made in the late 1800s! And it is home to so many fossils and dinosaur tracks that are so easy to see from the walking path. Feelings of insignificance bubbled up again as I looked at these tracks made millions of years ago, when this part of Colorado was underwater.

After a morning of learning, we drove to Golden to have lunch. We had a very tasty meal at the Old Capitol Grill and Smokehouse. Even this building provided learning experiences…this was once the Capitol building when Golden was the capital of the Colorado Territory. There’s still a safe from the early days!

We walked off our lunch by browsing the shops downtown and walking the trail along Clear Creek. We caught a glimpse of the enormous Coors plant, and even saw some brave souls floating in the rushing water of the creek.

Around 6:30 pm we drove around to pick a location for some sunset photography. Shooting the sun sinking behind the mountain proved to be challenging, but it was pretty nonetheless.

Back we drove to Louisville and, for the second night in a row, we had to fight off “Miller moths” in the house. These critters apparently migrate through Colorado every year, but this year, they are hanging around due to the smoke from the Canada wildfires. Thanks, Canada. Last night, we were frantically trying to swat the erratic flyers, and when that didn’t work, we started spraying them with hair spray in hopes it would weigh down their wings so they couldn’t spaz around. Tonight, we bought flying insect spray, and sprayed frantically at them until they slowed down enough to swat them. I think both Caroline and I pulled a muscle on that swatting action.

Here’s to a hopefully moth-free sleep, and another day of adventure tomorrow!

Race day

May 29, 2023 Karen DLeave a comment

Yes, after all the adventures we’ve packed in over a week, we still have a race to run. Sort of the “point” of the trip is the Bolder Boulder 10k; we just used it as an excuse to take a trip to Colorado. I don’t think anyone of us is really feeling like running after sitting in the car for hours yesterday.

We stayed in a hotel about 15 miles away from Boulder, and with a start wave of 7:30, we figured we would need to leave by 6:30. Caroline had stayed at her house (probably happily away from us for a night!) so she picked us up at the hotel and we jumped on the highway where we sat in more traffic than expected. So, we missed our wave by 10 minutes, but the joy of this race is the 90 waves continue until 9:30, so we easily joined a later one.

I’m not sure if it was the long hours in the car, or not really having dinner, or lack of hydration, or the warm temperatures, but my legs were not feeling it. Vicki and Kim ran ahead of Carol, Caroline and I, and we barely made it a mile before walking. Carol wasn’t feeling well from a bout of food poisoning, so the fact that she was out there doing the race at all just proves she is the Braveheart that we said she is!

Soon we caught up with Kim, but Vicki was trucking along ahead. Kim, Caroline and I walked a lot after mile two…most of it actually, and it was so fun to take the time to see all of the shenanigans going on that I have missed in years past when I have focused on RUNNING!

There’s at least one Slip N Slide, a keg stand station, a cotton candy corner, someone cooking hot dogs for the runners, belly dancers, bands galore, a donut stand, a mimosa tent and many, many, many spectators offering shots of all kinds. And since it was hot, a lot of the spectators had their hoses out to lightly spray the runners, and kids had super soakers to help out.

Vicki, the little engine that could, kept running and finished 20th in her age group! The rest of us didn’t do quite as well and poor Vicki had to wait and wait and wait for us at the finish.

We finally all caught up with each other, got our snack bags and sat down in the stadium, but the heat and sun and tiredness had us taking off after about 15 minutes. We walked back to the car, which had overflowed its coolant upon our arrival earlier, by the way. We tried getting the radiator cap off but it wouldn’t budge, so we climbed in, crossed our fingers and headed back to the hotel to shower and check out.

There’s not much more to report for today. Carol, Kim and Vicki got to their hotel in Denver for their 5:45 am flight. I am staying with Caroline for a few more days of exploring. And yes, we’ve already taken care of the radiator issue, so stay tuned for more adventures!

Goodbye Olathe

May 28, 2023May 28, 2023 Karen DLeave a comment

I feel like I have to tear myself away from our little home away from home in Olathe. The peace and calmness that I feel here fills my soul. But alas, leave we must. I take one last stroll around the farm lanes, coffee and camera in hand. The cows are grazing near the house this morning, and the redwing blackbirds are chirping along the fence, and even the horse is neighing at me. Goodbye, snow covered San Juan Mountains that I get to gaze upon every morning. Goodbye, family of house sparrows that are nesting in the eaves who wake me every morning.

We pack up the car and head out, headed toward Boulder, with a stop in Glenwood Springs for lunch. About 30 minutes into the trip, our navigation tells us to do a u-turn because there is a crash on I-70 that’s has the interstate closed. This little redirection routes us through Grand Mesa, elevation 11,237. On the drive up, the aspen groves are glorious with their bright white bark and newly grown leaves. There is snow, and a lot of it, and frozen lakes. We stop at the visitor center and see snowdrifts taller than we are! We are so thankful for this little misadventure!

Back on the road, we arrive in Glenwood Springs around 2 pm, and stop in at Grind right across from the train station for another “linner” that will tide us over until tomorrow. it’s a quick stop because we are ready to be out of the car! Two more hours in the car, drop Caroline at her house and head to our hotel in Broomfield to rest and get ready for the last event of our trip together, the Bolder Boulder 10k! None of us is really amped to run after all our hiking, but we know it will be a fun time.

Early departure at 6:30!

The last day of hiking

May 27, 2023May 27, 2023 Karen DLeave a comment

Our initial intention was to explore Crested Butte or Telluride, but we are weary of riding in the car, so we decide to check out the Colorado National Monument, which is not a monument in the sense of a structure, but acres and acres of sandstone buttes and mesas, lava rock and gneiss. We are out of the house by 8:15 with sandwiches packed and are excited to drive a different direction and see different scenery.

We are hiking the No Throughfare Trail, which is sandy rather than dirt and roots. Geologic formations surround us, yet we are hiking alongside beautiful wildflowers, cacti and aromatic shrubs (stay tuned for an episode of Flora of Colorado).

I’m hiking slowly scanning the hills for BigHorn sheep, but the most I see is humans.

About a tenth of a mile before the waterfall we are hiking to, the big black rain cloud I’ve been eyeing ahead of us lets out a large clap of thunder and it starts spitting rain. The crew is ahead of me on the trail but I have to stop and stow my camera out of the elements, get my rain coat and hat out. By the time I maneuver everything into place and make it to the waterfall, they are done taking pictures there and we turn around and start hightailing it it back.

I’ve had a bad hiking experience with thunder and lightning before, so I am a bit tense about being out in the thunderstorm. So, when we get a super loud clap of thunder, I scream like a little girl. I don’t feel bad because Kim is letting a choice four-letter word fly.

Soon the rain turns to hail. Good Gravy it can only get worse if we get stuck in a flash flood! But we don’t, that’s just my mental drama, the rain and hail stop in about ten minutes and my heart rate goes back to normal.

We stop for a picnic lunch and grab some corny group photos, then head to Peach Street Distillery in Palisade for a much deserved adult beverage. Then back to Olathe for our last night in our superb accommodations. We reminisce about family road trips of our youth. The gas station bathrooms where you had to get the key inside and it was on a long piece of wood, the disgusting cloth towel roll to dry your hands and the dads who wouldn’t stop for a bathroom break until the car needed gas!

It’s our last night in Olathe and we have truly been blessed with great weather, great friendships, and more fun than humans should be allowed to have. Tomorrow, we drive to Boulder.

Kim, Vicki and Caroline all earned trail names today. Kim: “Pockets” because she is always wearing pants/shorts/tights with pockets, and her phone always pocket dials or starts the Garage Band app when it’s in her pocket. Vicki: “The Gneissest” because she truly is the nicest. She goes with the flow, doesn’t bust our chops like the rest of us do to each other, and is truly the nicest person. Caroline: “Cupcake” because she is the best hostess. She has provided home made meals for our stay, helped with the itinerary, chauffeured us around…..we are in such a better state than if we’d been left to our own organizing.

I need a better vocabulary

May 26, 2023May 27, 2023 Karen DLeave a comment

Today’s adventure took us to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It was a short 45 minute drive from our basecamp in Olathe. Caroline had warned us that looks are deceiving; the road up to the canyon looks so unassuming and uninteresting, but behind the unassuming is the wow.

She wasn’t kidding. There honestly are no appropriate adjectives to describe the massive chasm. We were lucky enough to hear a spiel by one of the rangers about the development of the canyon. “Just remember: grow, blow, flow.” First there was the Gunnison uplift (grow) then the volcanic eruptions of the San Juan and West Elk mountains (blow) and finally the Gunnison River cut into the Uplift to form the canyon (flow).

The Canyon from Visitor Center, with West Elks in the background

This is a canyon I’d never heard of before this trip, and geologically, just as interesting as the Grand Canyon, if not more so.

We start our hike at the overlook behind the visitor center to get a better idea of the expanse. The Gunnison River looks so tiny all the way down there, it’s hard to believe all the work it did. Walking along the ridge, we see mica glinting in the dirt, like fairy lights welcoming us.

Soon we start our descent into the canyon. Pines, aspens, and serviceberry bushes are just enough dispersed to allow a peek of the canyon walls. Wildflowers decorate the sides of the trails.

We make it to the bottom (not the real bottom!) and can walk right up to the massive canyon wall, then follow the trail back to the visitor center.

Next we drive down East Royal Road to the very bottom of the canyon. Oh, boy do we feel tiny and insignificant. This canyon was here millions of years before us and will most likely be here millions of years after us….but what will it look like then? How will it have changed? Will there be humans sitting here having the same thoughts?

Back up to the main road and drive to some of the overlooks for different vantage points. Vegetation grows lush on one side of the canyon, but not the other. One side has a roughly 93% slope, while the other side is only 67%. At one end the width of the canyon is no wider than the visitor center. It is overwhelmingly breathtaking, unbelievable and truly amazing.

We’ve worked up quite the appetite after all that pondering of human existence so we head to “linner” in Montrose at Horsefly Brewing where there is “no crap on tap.” Tis true. The beer is delicious and the food is yummy, and we have lots and lots and lots of laughs. I can’t even remember what we were laughing about, I only know it was so funny I was crying. Good times.

Back home to hose ourselves off, and then Carol and I take a walk around the farm lanes, and try to figure out what’s growing. There is a rousing game of Scattergories, reading, then lights out.

I get up to try to shoot Milky Way and stars, but for the second night, clouds have rolled in. One night left to try. Tomorrow Colorado National Monument!

We have changed Carol’s trail name to Braveheart, because twice she has saved us from encroaching insects with nary a thought. And she is quite brave, and has a good heart, so it fits.

Today brought to you by the word “WOW!”

May 26, 2023May 26, 2023 Karen DLeave a comment

Today we were up and out by 5 am for our 3 hour and 40 minute drive to Mesa Verde National Park. Lunch and snacks were packed the night before so all we had to do was wake up, grab our packs (and coffee) and go.

Leaving so early we were almost the only car on the road. As the sky lightened with sunrise, we were able to take in more of the sights along the way. We drove by the snow covered peaks of the San Juan mountains, saw several herds of elk grazing in fields, cross country ski tracks in the snow along the roadside and even a mostly frozen lake.

About an hour and a half into the trip, the terrain completely changed. No longer were there jagged snowy peaks. Instead. tree covered mountains where the dark green of the ponderosa pines contrasted with the white bark of the aspens that are just starting to show their leaves.

With one hour left to go, we roll through the town of Delores, population 901. On the other side of town, we find the terrain change again, opening up into a wide valley, with Mesa Verde National Park rising up straight ahead of us.

We had booked a 9 am ranger-led tour of Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in Mesa Verde National Park. We met our tour guide and the rest of the tour group at the overlook to Cliff Palace and began the tour with a walk down steep carved stone steps. The tour group gathered at one end of the dwelling and listened as our ranger, Maggie, told us about the history of the dwellings and the lives of the inhabitants. The Ancestral Puebloans who occupied the dwellings began building around 1190, but abandoned the sites around 1300, probably due to resource constraints brought on by several megadroughts. More stone steps, narrow sandstone passes, and multiple wooden ladders brought us to the end of our tour.

After Cliff Palace, we got out on the trails. Our first hike, Soda Canyon Trail, gave us the opportunity to view across the canyon another well-known dwelling, Balcony House. The mesas and canyons were so vast it was hard to take everything in and of course, pictures just don’t do it justice. We all kept saying, “Wow.” We had no other way to describe the beauty. After Soda Canyon, we stopped for a picnic lunch, and then tackled Petroglyph Point TrailL, a 2.4 mile trail along stone steps, narrow ridges and abandoned dwellings. The highlight was a large petroglyph panel with over 30 figures of hands, spirals and animal figures.

Thankfully the hike back to the start was on top of the mesa, and we were glad to be done with stone steps! We were all pretty drained from the combination of an early start, long drive, hours out in the sun, and time on our feet, so we said goodbye to Mesa Verde and headed back to our home for the week.

And….two of us now have trail names. Carol earned the trail name Fact Finder, for her ability to find the answer to all our oddball road trip questions.

Tomorrow: Black Canyon of the Gunnison!

America’s Switzerland

May 24, 2023May 25, 2023 Karen D1 Comment

After a good night’s sleep and a morning that did not require an alarm, we got our hiking gear together and headed out to our first hiking adventure in Ouray. Called “The Switzerland of America” due to the Alps-like peaks that surround the town, it’s elevation of 7760 meant our first hike of the trip would most likely be a struggle. After a quick stop in the visitor’s center, where we were greeted warmly by knowledgeable staff (and free cookies and sunscreen), we headed out to the Perimeter Trail, which encircles the town. This trail is no gentle hike..it starts out steeply uphill, and we were surprised at how difficult it was…we really felt out of shape, But the views we got of the town as we climbed were simply breath-taking, no pun intended. We made our way to Cascade Falls and stopped for some photos.

We hopped off the trail and headed into town for some lunch before tackling Box Cañon. We decided to dine outside at Maggies Kitchen,…the burgers were delicious and the staff delightfully entertaining. We found out one of them was from Virginia, so perhaps there was some kindred spirit thing going on!

After lunch we walked through town popping in and out of shops, eventually making our way to Box Cañon. What a site to see! The incredible force of nature on display with a 285 foot waterfall plummeting into a narrow canyon.

We were intrigued by the list posted outside the visitor center of wildlife recently seen…we felt bad for the “lesser chipmunk” (which I think is actually the “least chipmunk”) for its unfortunate name indicating a substandard species!

On our way back to Olathe, we took a side trip to view Mt Sneffels, one of the most photographed sites in Colorado. Words and pictures don’t do it justice, but I’ll leave it at this: wow.

The five of us had joked about giving ourselves trail names, like Appalachian Trail through hikers do. Well, I’m the first to get mine. I’m now called Nature Nerd, and I’m okay with that. As my niece said, it’s good to be a nature nerd because someday, someone’s going to have a specific nature question, and you’ll be able to teach them something. And considering we are striving to learn something new each day of this trip, I might be able o make sure that happens.

Early departure tomorrow….headed to Mesa Verde National Park!