Blogs from Colorado, United States, North America - page 175

My jammed packed mini vacation has begun. Have a conference next week in Denver, so flew in a few days early to drive to Utah and see some of its famous national parks. On the way, I stopped at the Colorado National Monument. Ended up renting a Jeep Liberty which is a first for me and fit the occasion. The Colorado National Monument has a 23 mile scenic drive (Rim Rock Drive) with some great views of the canyons, cliffs and valley below. There are also a couple tunnels as well through the rock. It's located just off the road in western Colorado and is a convenient stop if you are heading to Arches National Park (like I was). According to DesertUSA, "The canyon bottoms, about 4,700 feet elevation, have ancient Precambrian rocks covered by Triassic-age ... read more

Colorado is made up of large flat plains to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west. I spent the weekend in the mountains trying to adjust to the altitude. The high altitude makes you feel a bit strange as the air is much thinner than down at sea level where you are at school. The thinner air means that you breathe in less oxygen and need to take things a bit easier than normal - even a short run can make you feel exhausted! I arrived in Colorado with the autumn, the aspen leaves are changing from green to yellow and there is a definite chill in the air, but there is crazy wildlife everywhere just waiting to be stalked and photographed. The animal extravaganza began with some small critters: ground squirrels that look ... read more

Distance: 4 miles Rating: moderate For the second day of my impromptu Glenwood Canyon mini-trip, I decided to head south and cross over Independence Pass on my way home. This route passes through Aspen (I felt poor just driving through town) along HWY 82 before climbing up into the mountains south of town. Along the way, travelers pass by four different wilderness areas: Maroon Bells-Snowmass, Hunter-Fryingpan, Collegiate Peaks, and Mt. Massive. This area houses the tallest mountains in Colorado, Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massive respectively. Oh yeah, and the vistas are pretty incredible the whole way. This route back to Denver is far from direct, but well worth the time if you are a big fan of mountain scenery. With so many wilderness areas and hiking options just off of the highway, I had a difficult ... read more

Distance: 7 miles Rating: difficult Just off of I-70 near the Continental Divide is a popular and difficult hike that travels through some of Colorado’s highest country. The Herman Gulch Trail leading up to Herman Lake is part of the broader Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, which runs on and off from the Mexican border up to the Canadian border. The trail can be found in five states and runs through numerous national forests, wilderness areas, and three national parks (Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, and Glacier). Due to the elevation, the area around Herman Gulch experiences extreme weather changes virtually year-round. I have attempted this hike numerous times and never made it to Herman Lake (until this time) because of inclement conditions. During one memorable attempt on 4th of July weekend several years ago, my family and ... read more

The next few days after my trip with Becca were spent slothing around her apartment & doing emails at the Boulder Public Library. On the 26th, we volunteered again for 5430 Sports, this time for a 3km run through the centre of town. We now had moved up to microchip detachers after the runners crossed the finish line (woo hoo- promotion!). We met a lovely couple who were retirees who live in Staten Island, NY most of the year, but head out to Boulder for their summers. They LOVE sports, and until recently have been avid competitors, but now spend all of their time volunteering for sporting events & enjoying Boulder! They take a class at the University to get student accomodation, and have a ball living there. Well, I was asking them if anyone ever ... read more