Colorado
If you haven’t been following this blog or our YouTube Channel (link on this website), you may not know that Brent and I are on the move through the mountain ranges doing a little Spring skiing before heading back to Canada. Check out our last blog post on Utah as we explored the Salt Lake City and Park City areas.
After leaving Utah, we drove to Steamboat Springs in Colorado to ski the last couple days of the season at Steamboat Ski Resort. I am in love with this place. I feel badly because I thought I was in love with Salt Lake City, but I’ve a new found affection for Steamboat Springs.
Steamboat Springs was originally occupied by the Ute tribe until the arrival of James Crawford in 1874, the acclaimed founder. Over time, the area has developed from a sawmill town to a skiing destination with the larger Steamboat Ski Resort and the original Howelsen Hill. Steamboat Springs has more Olympians per capita than any area in North American.
It’s seems like the other resorts in Colorado like Vail and Aspen, get all the attention, but Brent and I really enjoyed our time skiing Steamboat as it offers both challenging hills and great Blue runs. This place would rock during peak season with 169 trails, 17 lifts, close to 3000 acres of terrain and an elevation of 10, 568 ft at Mt. Werner.
The town is absolutely charming. One local I spoke with described it as a unique blend of the Old West culture and today’s world of outdoor enthusiasts. Understandable as most of the surrounding areas are still occupied by ranchers and the town hosts the summer Pro Rodeo Series every weekend attended by both locals and tourists.
I adore the vibe of the town. It’s definitely got that “ski town” atmosphere and western charm, with a main street of great shopping and dining. There are plenty of breweries and restaurants to choose from, but let us recommend The Ore House for a nice meal with plenty of options, including a salad bar. I love a good salad bar!
If you find yourself in the area, visit the Jace Romick Gallery. We spent a good amount of time exploring the incredible photography of Jace Romick, other local artists, and the Native American Photography Collection by Roland Reed.
Then we made our way to Colorado Springs. The morning we were to leave, we woke up to freezing temps and a blanket of snow; conditions you don’t want when you are about to embark on a six hour trek through the Mountains towing a trailer with your front wheel drive Dodge mini-van. Let’s just say, after a hellish drive, we treated ourselves to a couple of drinks at Mother Muffs, the local watering hole in Old Colorado City.
We stayed in Pikes Peak RV Park located in Manitou Springs. It was centrally located to all the things we wanted to do in the area and it was pretty quiet even though it was off a central street. If you visit this area, make sure you walk the Historic Manitou Springs downtown for all your shopping and dining pleasure. It’s super quaint.
We came to the area with the intent of hiking the Garden of the Gods, a city park and international destination. The beautiful sandstone formations that date back millions of years ago, attract hikers, bikers and climbers. If you do come to the area, check out the website to book a tour or get general information you’ll need for your visit.
After our 6km hike around the central garden, we decided to rest with an afternoon train ride to Pikes Peak; an elevation of 14,115 ft. The Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Train is the world’s highest and longest cog train in the world and a unique experience we highly recommend. After a 9 mile ride through gorgeous scenery, we stepped out of the train and entered heaven, albeit a very cold heaven. Regardless, the views of the surrounding mountain ranges were spectacular. Taking this train ride was a last minute decision and we’re so glad we did.
The next morning, we packed up the trailer ready to drive to Tiger Run Resort, near Breckinridge, where we planned on spending the next couple of weeks skiing Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin before their closing dates. But, before leaving we drove to Divide, Colorado to visit the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, a recommendation from a guy we met at the ice-cream parlour in Salt Lake City. For those who know me, I’m usually leery about these “centres” as we’ve all heard horror stories, but this one is worth the visit. The Center is a dedicated wolf sanctuary with a focus on preservation, conservation and education. We were highly impressed and learned a lot about these beautiful creatures. Please go to the website and see how you can donate to the Center so they can continue their good work and/or learn about other actions you can take to lobby the local and Federal government to stop the inhumane treatment these animals still endure today. I encourage you to read about your own country’s laws regarding wolf and coyote hunts. Unfortunately, I’m sad to say that Canada, my country, is barbaric with many provinces not only allowing hunts but also baiting. When will we ever learn?
I am so grateful that we took in the Wolf Center. Travelling allows us to explore many regions of the world and with that opportunity, we see both the good and bad of humanity giving us the responsibility to share the positive and assist when we see injustices for both our human non-human friends.
Well, our time in Colorado is coming to end and we’ve had a thoroughly enjoyable time. We were even lucky enough to ski Vail and visit with our friends, Brent and Sandi. Seeing friends is always a highlight of our travels and greatly appreciated on so many levels.
We will be heading back to Ontario for a couple of months to visit with our family and friends before hitting the road to explore the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Alaska.
Want more of our Colorado trip, just click our Youtube channel…
Cheers and safe travels!