With the onset of the pandemic, our initial plans to celebrate Sean’s 40th birthday in Spain were hopelessly dashed. I was determined to make it special, though, and we started looking at a trip out West where there would be plenty of space, fewer people, and killer views. Colorado fit the bill for us and we seemed to have planned the trip at the perfect time during this first year of COVID-19 – states had just started reopening and had low numbers. (A few weeks after returning home, cases would spike again and some states imposed strict closures yet again.) Everything was open when we traveled, but nothing was crowded. This was also me and Sean’s first time away from Harrison overnight, together!!
We flew into Denver on June 26. Wore goggles and masks on the plane, and were thankful that Delta was leaving middle seats open.
Our first stop was a 45 minute drive northwest of Denver to the Dushanbe Teahouse in downtown Boulder. It was a stunning place with incredible tile work and painting, and overall architecture. From their site: “Completely built by hand without the use of any power tools, the Teahouse was constructed in Dushanbe, Tajikistan as a gift to their sister city, Boulder. It was disassembled, crated up, and sent halfway around the world to be rebuilt in Boulder as a symbol of friendship and cultural exploration.” How cool, right!?
The food and tea were amazing – Sean had an aged oolong that could be re-steeped multiple times and taste different each time! The standout dish was the North African Crispy Cauliflower with lemon tahini, harissa, chermoula pistachios. So much yum – easily one of the best things I’ve eaten in 2020.
Onward from Boulder, we made it to Estes Park in the early evening. The view of the town in a valley between massive peaks was breathtaking. Great start to our vacation!
We wandered around the town, had dinner, and went to bed early due to the two hour time difference. Plus, we had an 8am reservation to get into Rocky Mountain National Park the next morning.
And there it is. Those rocky, snow-capped peaks were so much more beautiful to me now than when I’d been here as an eight-year old kid.
Bear Lake was a stunning spot with a nice trail around it and killer views. Not to be missed but is VERY popular so gets really busy.
Yeah, Minerva loved creeping around all the rocks. 😉
We hiked up to Nymph Lake next. It was quite an ascent – and there were two more climbs to two more lakes beyond that! Not in the best shape, it was a struggle for me especially with the altitude and thin air. But it’s not like Nymph Lake was any disappointment. Quite the contrary!
We drove across the park, taking over 2 hours to wind around mountains, climb to the snowy, rocky peaks and end up along the mountain/forest floor before leaving the park. We saw deer, moose, birds of all kinds, and an elk. 
Our drive westward took us on a dirt/gravel road through an almost “transitional” type of scenery along the Colorado river. Not the rocky mountains but not a complete desert, each turn in the road revealed a new delight. And we could see plenty of rafters and kayakers in the river.
The ONLY brewery Sean wanted to visit on the ENTIRE trip was Casey Brewing in Glenwood Springs. The scenery changed so much, too – coming into the city we were driving right along the Colorado River, with high, sheer walls all around. It was actually pretty claustrophobic to me, although it was so pretty.
We tasted many awesome beers at the brewery and even brought a couple home. So many unique flavors and a couple of killer IPAs. Sean was so happy!
We headed west again for the brewery to Grand Junction, arriving at the KOA (Kampground of America) at 8.30pm. We stayed in a camping cabin and each had a wander down memory lane from staying at KOAs on family trips out West as kids. We had A LOT of fun here – even walking outside to the bathroom wasn’t so bad. 😉
Sunday was Sean’s birthday! It was also the day we wanted to explore the area, which we’d read and learned had an abundance of attractions. Sean found this amazing old-school diner, Randy’s Southside Diner, and we had a fantastic breakfast and stellar service. That country-fried steak was so good, Sean and I are still talking about it. Made in-house, definitely not from co.
Colorado National Monument was my favorite part of the trip. I had not even heard of this place before this trip and what a stunning surprise! This canyon had more incredible sights around every turn and we could not get enough. The best part was the walk along the canyon rim – it wasn’t a trail but more a meander and scramble across the dusty, cactus and juniper-lined earth, and over boulders and rocks. At a particularly awesome lookout, we just sat for awhile, separately, and enjoyed the views. I cannot recommend this park enough. We also saw big-horned sheep, sheer cliffs and a balancing rock.
After a somewhat late lunch, we decided to try some of the nearby wineries, which I’d read were really good. First was Varaison Winery which we didn’t love. We found out later that this place is known as having a really odd approach to wine. We did like a few of the wines, though so did buy two to bring home. Our next stop was the Red Fox Cellars and we enjoyed these wines a lot more. They had traditional Italian-style reds, and did a unique barrel program with wines aged in tequila and bourbon barrels, among others. There are dozens more wineries in this area – would love to explore more on another trip. And all around us, views of the mountains and mesas with the Colorado River flowing between. This entire area is completely under-rated and seems to be under-the-radar, too. There were no crowds and we had such peaceful experiences in the park.
We decided to take advantage of the grill and cook after we learned the restaurant we REALLY wanted to try was closed on Sundays. Steak kebobs and corn, with potato salad. Had some drinks, Sean flew the drone, and we watched the sunset over the valley from the porch of our cabin. Pretty epic day. <3
