Denver to Gunnison

Tuesday June 10, 2008

Ok, I have some catching up to do! I just spent a wonderful weekend in Denver with Gerda (my aunt/ mother’s half sister). We grilled salmon and asparagus and drank Virginia wine Thursday night. We got caught up on a lot of things and had a good cry together : ) Friday Gerda went to work and I did some errands and met Kristina (Gerda’s sister) at the store that she manages: Outdoor Divas in Cherry Creek. We had sushi for lunch and talked about our plans to go out for dinner. I love to eat! Dinner was at a great little Mexican place in North Denver after which we walked down the street among the shops and restaurants. It was a First Friday event with the artsy shops open and everybody out and about. Kristina knew somebody in every shop we went in! Saturday Gerda and I, along with a friend of hers, Mary, hiked Mt. Sanistas in Boulder. It was awesome of course! Then we had a great brunch in a little bistro in Golden. Sunday morning was raining a bit so we went over to see Inge and Andy (Gerda and Kristina’s mother and stepfather). After a fun visit with them, Gerda, Kristina and I hiked Mt. Falcon west of Denver. Another awesome hike! I love Colorado!! I think I could live here. Sunday night I had a relaxing soak in Gerda’s whirlpool tub. That felt great after all the hiking. Then I packed up my car and got ready to head out. Monday morning I got in a good yoga session, which was badly needed! And then one last shower without flip-flops before hitting the road. It was so wonderful to see Gerda and Kristina; I wish we didn’t live so far apart!

I drove west from Denver. I skipped the Eisenhower Tunnel and went up to Loveland Pass. It was well worth the detour! It was 35 degrees at the top!! I was wearing a short skirt, short sleeves and sandals. Appropriate for Denver, but not the high elevations. I think driving through Glenwood Canyon was my favorite part of this journey so far. It is so beautiful and magnificent. The road through the canyon is an engineering marvel. Wanting to disturb the environment as little as possible, the road is elevated (east and west on different levels) and built into the canyon along the Colorado River. You just have to see it! I was going to rent a bicycle in Glenwood Springs to ride along the canyon, but I would have only been able to go five miles of the 12 and a half. Because of all the snowmelt, the trail is under about three feet of water. There are lots of raging rivers throughout Colorado that are usually little streams all because of the snowmelt. I only saw Vail from the highway, but it looks like a neat town. The water coming off the mountains there was incredible! Huge waterfalls cascading down the mountainside. I couldn’t get a picture because there wasn’t a good place to pull off the highway. Same at Glenwood Canyon; a lot of those pictures are taken through the windows of my car as I was driving. Also, in Glenwood Canyon I hiked up to Hanging Lake. It was a great little hike along a creek up to a beautiful lake with Bridal Veil Falls flowing into it. It’s a very popular hike with lots of people out on a Sunday afternoon. I saw two teenage girls throw water bottles off the trail into a rocky area. I went to retrieve the bottles but could only find one. I carried it down and caught up to the girls and gave them a good lecture! I think I probably scared them!

After a coffee and a little shopping in Glenwood Springs I drove to Aspen. Wow; what a beautiful town!! It was getting late though so I just had a quick walk around and then went to find a place to camp for the night. Several people had told me about a place in the national forest east of town. It wasn’t much and cost $18 a night so I didn’t stay. Also, it didn’t sound like there was going to be good hiking in Aspen because of all the snow. So, I kept driving east. I decided I’d like to see Independence Pass before it got dark so I kept going east. The pass had only recently been open because last week when I drove through Leadville it was still closed. It was an amazing drive! I wish I could videotape everything I’m experiencing because it’s just not the same in photographs. Plus the winding, narrow mountain roads are a bit scary. We don’t have anything like them in Virginia. Not even the road to Stone Mountain Vineyards compares!

So, I ended up driving all the way over the mountain rather than back down to Aspen since there wasn’t good hiking there. I ended up staying in my car at the trailhead to Angel of Shavano Trail. Shavano Peak is a 14er so I didn’t even think about hiking there. Plus it was only 32 degrees. I drove over another pass: Monarch, and now I am in Gunnison. I fixed my coffee and oatmeal at a little public park and as soon as I post this I’ll be off to Ouray. Gerda gave me a book on trails in that area and it looks like I will get some good hiking in. I’m loving the hiking, but also the driving as well. There’s so much to see~ It’s a great country!!