The trip there was easy and pleasantly uneventful. We got to the airport early, and had time for some dinner. Barbara met us at the airport and drove us home, where I got to meet Paul.
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Our first day we hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park. On the way, we stopped to get some delicious pies at the Colorado Cherry Company. The hike we did took us past three lakes, and when we went back we also hiked around Bear Lake. The weather was great and the scenery was stunning.
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On the way back from the park we stopped at Snowy Peaks Winery and enjoyed some delicious Cabernet Sauvignon, along with an all female band that was playing there. I would definitely recommend their wines.
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Barbara had suggested a roundabout and scenic route back to the house called the Peak to Peak highway. Unfortunately it was getting a bit dark, but the scenery was indeed quite nice.
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Feeling hungry on the way back, we stopped at what looked like a cute, backcountry inn and restaurant. Though we did get a decent meal, it was way beyond creepy inside and I'm not joking to say we wondered several times if we were going to make it out alive. It was one the scariest places I've ever been, and sorry but I'm not putting the name on the internet. The one picture I managed to get is of the bar area. I tried texting myself from the rest room -- and like we were in a horror film there was no cell service in the place. Leaving we drove through town past many abandoned vehicles that we thought might be people who disappeared there.
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On the way to Turquoise Lake we stopped in to this picturesque little town. We did a wine tasting, some shopping, and then ate lunch with a mountain view. The weather was cool, probably due to the elevation, but still quite nice.
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Late in the day we had a nice hike at Turquoise Lake. The lake was beautiful and surrounded by different kinds of trees we'd never seen. The daylight was waning so we had to cut it a bit shorter than we would have liked. We spent the night in a quaint B&B in a town called Leadville, at an elevation of 10,200 feet. Sometimes we felt out of breath even when just sitting down, but if we had stayed long enough we would have become used to it.
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We started the day with a boat and walking tour of the Interlaken area, a once renowned resort for the rich that is how a historic property. Our guides know all there is to know about the place and we had a fun time learning about it and seeing beautiful views including groves of Aspen trees.
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"Stood alone on a mountain top, starin' out at the Great Divide. I could go east, I could go west, it was all up to me to decide..."
We weren't alone, of course, but how does one not think of "Roll Me Away" by Bog Seger at such a time? The weather had taken a turn to snow, but the views were still stunning.
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We spent the night at a resort with hot spring fed pools and sweeping views of the mountains. We slept in cute little gypsy wagons, self-contained like a mini hotel room.
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Redstone is a small town near the hot springs that had a nice gallery and a few shops. In our journeys we passed mountains of many different colors, and each was grand and beautiful in its own way.
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Glenwood Springs had a few interesting shops and a resort with an extremely large hot spring fed pool. We passed through here on our way to Hanging Lake.
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Hanging Lake was a fun hike that covered a good bit of vertical distance with the trail being a bit steep at times. We made it to the top and saw the beautiful lake and waterfall. Signs made it obvious that some hikers were not so well behaved so apparently they are clamping down a bit and will someday sharply limit the number of hikers there. At the bottom we finally got some pictures of these blue birds that kept following us but evading the camera.
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Back in Boulder, we had a very relaxing brunch and drinks with some nice views and then strolled the grounds before heading up into the local mountains.
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The mountains that surround Boulder have some amazing views both of the town and of other mountains. Driving up to the top, we saw some vultures hanging around as Barbara pointed out many of the buildings and areas of Boulder.
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We finished our trip with some walking around in the downtown area with its nice shops.
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