Tuesday 7.19....my last day in CB...for this trip anyway.....
Laura was able to go on another hike...& this one was really special....not on any map...but hike she’d done before & way cool!
It’s out on Cement Creek road...south of CB...no trail. You start at the bottom of a waterfall along the road, & just start hiking up & up & up. The waterfall is just spectacular & changes the higher up you get. There was lots of debris down along the fall, so we were climbing over trees, grabbing on to rocks, slipping on moss, but having the time of our lives
Laura was great at finding the way up alongside of the waterfall...we did have to cross the water a couple of times...an adventure itself
especially the time we were jumping across; Laura threw her pack before she jumped & it landed safely up on the side of the trail...& then it started rolling down towards the water...we both just watched it as it touched the water (you can see where it finally stopped but you can’t see how the water plummets over the edge about 5’ to the right)....Laura calmly jumped & retrieved her pack
the pic on the right is taken from us standing on a big huge rock; way high above the falls....it was pretty cool looking down over the edge
climbing up was getting more & more difficult with so much debris down...& the skies were turning dark with a few streaks of lightening going on...so we turned & headed down hill
Laura & I had a nice hike back to the car & a super wonderful lunch at the Ginger Cafe. I dropped her at her “Paradise” cabin & said goodbye
I was ending my trip a couple of days earlier than planned, but I’m secretly hoping I can come back this fall to hike the big hikes I couldn’t get to this summer.....it’s ALWAYS hard to leave this beautiful little town
I drove east...& ended up spending the night south of Denver
Wednesday 7.20
I’d slept great & decided to take a hike in Castlewood Canyon State Park early in the morning
this was a state park...so you pay a fee. There was no one else there when I arrived, so I paid, picked up a map & started on a hike....it sure wasn’t Crested Butte, but it was a nice way to start the morning...
except…
there was this sign near the trail warning you about poison ivy...ok...so I wasn’t planning on getting off the trail & tromping through this venomous little plant...but to my surprise, the further the trail went, there was tons of poison ivy next to the trail, hanging over the trail, EVERYWHERE...they should have named this place “Poison Ivy Park”...the minute I got off the trail & retrieved my shower kit from the car, I headed to the bathroom & scrubbed my legs & arms with soap & water....eeek! I will be soooo annoyed if I get PI from this little-pud-pay-for-hike!!!!
I did like this quote & carving on this bench at the park
Next stop...well...lookie what I found driving down the highway
now I didn’t NEED anything from IKEA, but I do think it’s a pretty cool store & I’d forgotten Denver was getting one...however, once I drove up to the front (wondering where all the OTHER shoppers were), I saw the sign that I’m about a week early..oh well...a good thing for my already over-stretched budget
so, I popped back on the highway & headed to Red Rocks
every time I come to Colorado, I check the theatre to see if there’s a concert that coincides with my trip...no such luck so far....so I just thought I’d go see it anyway
It was really, really cool. There were a ton of people there working out. So, NEXT time I come here....I can’t wait to hear the music!
Inside the Visitor’s Center, there was all this great artwork, huge pictures of artist’s who’ve performed there & plaques with lists, by year, of the different performers. I enjoyed my visit there...it’s a beautiful venue
After being in the mountains & in a small town, Denver seemed like “the mass of humanity”...all in cars...& very warm! But, given all that, I spent the day in LoDo….
I spent too much time trying to find the Flying Dog tasting room (found the address, but no dogs or beer!), & then when I found the Great Divide tap room...it was closed. So, once I was in LoDo, I went to the Tattered Cover bookstore, lunched (nachos & chile beer) at Wynkoop brewery & then checked out REI...a camper/hikers/backpackers shopping haven!
I jumped on the highway about 4pm & headed east towards Lawrence
here’s a couple of shots I took going through Kansas...a rainbow underneath storm clouds. The other was a fire in the flint hills near the highway
some random parting thoughts....
I LOVED my hikes I took this year in CB...
It was so great to get to know Laura better & to hike with her was wonderful....
my 4WD road driving is getting better....
I see more zip-lining in my future....
&
it’s way tooooo hot here in Kansas
stay cool....
until next time
vik