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.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
The Colors of Summer, Colorado Rockies
I love summer in the mountains, short though it may be. Winter has its own charm, especially if you like playing in the ice and snow, but summer is my season. Days are long and the weather is pleasant — sometimes even warm. People who live in the mountains know how to squeeze the most out of their short summer.
I recently spent more than 2 weeks in the American Rocky Mountains, much of this time in Colorado at altitudes between 6000 and 8500 ft above sea level. I was very impressed by the widespread planting of flowers in the small towns of the region. Blossoms were everywhere — planters, gardens, window boxes, hanging pots. The colors were beautiful, cheery and, …
.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado
A visit to Minturn Market, Colorado
Among the pleasures of summer across the northern hemisphere is that farmers markets spring to life for a few months, serving a bounty of fresh produce along with other items people buy at a market, like handicrafts, baked goods, snacks, jewelry and the like. I’ve grown increasingly fond of these markets over the years, visit them frequently — especially when I’m traveling — and like to share them with my fellow travel lovers!
Minturn is a small sleepy town of just over a thousand residents a few miles west of Vail and a few miles east of Beaver Creek, Colorado. It’s built along the Eagle River, a popular mountain river with fly-fishermen. Each Saturday from 9 am to …
Tagged food, Market, Minturn, Rocky Mountains
.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
Silver Plume, Colorado
I love going on leisurely road trips — the kind where you’ve several spare hours to pull over somewhere and explore. If a place seems interesting, I like to check it out.
So it was this past summer while we were visiting Colorado. We were heading east to Boulder, with a planned stop for lunch in Georgetown, and were cruising on I-70. We starting to look for the Georgetown exit when immediately ahead was an exit for “Silver Plume”. Great name, got to explore it!
Silver Plume is located in Clear Creek County and is a former silver mining town. It’s just 46 miles (74 km) from Denver, but worlds apart from that huge busy city. The town is situated along gushing Clear Creek …
Tagged Georgetown, mining, Silver Plume
.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado
Colorado National Monument
While many of the units of the US National Park system are frequently visited and very busy, there are also a few less crowded places. Colorado National Monument (known to locals as “The Monument”) falls into the latter category. Situated just south of the city of Grand Junction in western Colorado, it’s part of the high desert lands of the Colorado plateau. The Monument is know for its colorful sheer canyons and unusual rock formations, carved by wind and water from the red rock sandstone so characteristic of Utah and western Colorado. The Monument is not large by American Park standards, just 32 square miles (20,500 acre), but there’s a lot of great scenery packed in. Besides the red rock, …
Tagged canyon, cliff, Colorado National Monument, red rock
.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
A Stroll through the Betty Ford Alpine Garden, Vail, Colorado
The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens is the world’s highest botanical garden, situated at the foot of Vail Mountain in the Colorado Rockies, in gorgeous Vail Valley. The Garden rests at an altitude of 8,200 feet (2,500 m) and is named in honor of former First Lady Betty, the wife of President Gerald Ford. The Fords had a home in Vail as the President was an avid skier, and both were very active in the Vail community. Ford Park consists of this alpine garden, a fairly large amphitheater complex, a children’s play area and a large grass field for soccer and such. As you’d expect, these attractions are very popular in the warm Rocky Mountain summers.
While it’s currently likely under a blanket of …
Tagged alpine, Botanical garden, garden, Vail
.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
Boulder County Farmers Market
One of the best Farmers Markets I’ve ever been to is Boulder’s, the largest in Colorado. The Market focuses on locally grown vegetables, fruit, meats, flowers and wines, sold by the farmers that actually produce them. There’s also great selection of prepared and cooked food you can enjoy right at the market from local bakers and restaurateurs. Very few crafts for are for sale, a noteable difference from many of the Farmers Markets I patronized while visiting Colorado.
The Boulder Market began in 1987 and has expanded over the years to include a second site (Longmont), and has over 150 participants. The Market is held Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings.
The following photos reflect what was available in Boulder the first Saturday in September.
(Click …
Tagged Boulder, Colorado, farmer's market, Market
.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
Flatirons Vista Loop Hike, Boulder, Colorado
One of my favorite regions to hike is anywhere near the transition between the great Central Plains and the Rocky Mountains. The region offers opportunity to explore several ecosystems and to enjoy grand panoramic views of the mountains and a seemingly endless prairie, with relatively little effort due to the flatness of the plains.
Flatirons Vista Trail offers a hike that’s custom-tailored to the above description. It’s just south of the college city of Boulder, Colorado (where my youngest son is currently a postgrad in physics), immediately off Highway 93, and is a loop trail that offers great views of Boulder’s famous Flatirons. There’s lots of parking (for a fee for non-residents, so bring small bills with you). The trail is quite …
“Pic of the Week”, September 5, 2014: Alpacas, Minturn, Colorado
While recently traveling in Colorado, we stopped by the weekly Saturday Farmer’s Market in the small town of Minturn (near Vail). After parking we began our walk to the market, but before reaching this entertaining venue our attention was diverted to a crowd around a store selling wooden goods. When the crowd cleared slightly, we saw two alpacas standing there, clearly the center of attention.
The owner of the wool shop very cleverly kept these alpacas as a crowd magnet, and obviously it worked. They were awfully cute animals, from their teddy bear faces, to their little bleating cries. Too bad I’m allergic to wool.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)
Sep 4, 2014
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